Fayetteville – North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge John M. Tyson can’t help but have a job that serves the public, it’s a family tradition! The judge was recently given another honor in his hometown of Fayetteville and it almost doesn’t fit on his already full resume. Before being elected to the Court of Appeals, Judge Tyson served, among other things, on the joint planning and zoning board for Cumberland County for eight years. He served as chairman for the past three years. The board members asked him to come back for a visit so they could give him a special honor. The representatives to the board, made up of members from each incorporated town and city in the county, wanted to recognize him for helping to create the first zoning ordinances for the county, for creating a growth plan for the area and for leading the preservation of historic Averasboro Civil War battleground.
Cumberland Planning Board Chairman J. Lee Warren cited Judge Tyson’s service as a long-standing tradition in the family. His father, Henry Tyson, was a county commissioner for 12 years, seven of those as chairman. Later he served six terms as a representative in the State House. Judge Tyson’s brother Mac, a Fayetteville attorney, has just completed a term on the county commission. “The Tyson family has always served Cumberland County,” said Planning Board Chairman Warren. Judge Tyson’s resume includes attendance at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Notre Dame Law School, London School of Economic & Political Science in London, England, Campbell University School of Law and a master’s degree in business from Duke University. He has served as probation and parole officer, special deputy sheriff, certified public school teacher, real estate manager and attorney for three national companies, a lawyer, a law professor and now judge. He is licensed to practice law in North Carolina, Virginia and before the United States Supreme Court in Washington. He is president of the Campbell University Alumni Association, Kiwanis Club, Ducks Unlimited, NRA and a lifetime hunter and fisherman. In his spare time he writes articles for law magazines. “The judge is going to be a real success when he decides what he wants to do with his life!” joked one of his friends. Finally, Judge Tyson’s office is in Raleigh but he still commutes every day from his home in Fayetteville, over one hundred miles. “I think the cows beside the road are beginning to recognize my car.” said the judge. Judge Tyson has a wife, Kirby in Fayetteville, and four grown children, all of whom he sees occasionally!