Poyner Spruill mourns the loss of one its icons. Arch E. Lynch, Jr. passed away last week at the age of 91. Archie was born in Buies Creek where his Grandfather, James Archibald Campbell, founded what is now Campbell University. He attended what was then Campbell Junior College for two years before transferring to Wake Forest where he completed his undergraduate and law degrees. After a one year Clerkship with North Carolina Supreme Court Justice William H. Bobbitt, he joined what was then Poyner Geraghty, Hartsfield & Townsend in 1958. After an illustrious career, Archie retired from Poyner Spruill LLP about 20 years ago.
Archie, who was known by many as “Deacon,” was a brilliant and sometimes absent minded genius whose practice concentrated in specialized securities involving various financial institutions. Among his many clients were what was the original BB&T, (headquartered in Wilson), Cameron Brown and Cameron Brown Investment Group and First Federal Savings & Loan in Raleigh. Without the benefit of computers, Archie was a master of cutting and pasting as he prepared securities filings, often changing his mind dozens of times while pulling one all-nighter after another as he strove for perfection.
He was a truly unique soul who loved sports, art, architecture and especially his two daughters Leigh and Gwen. Archie was a star left handed pitcher and captain of the Wake Forest baseball team. An avid golfer, he was a member of several golf clubs in Raleigh and the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. He loved art and was responsible for the art work in both the Raleigh and Charlotte offices. A highlight of his love of art and architecture was his purchase in 1978 of the Catalano House in Raleigh, an 1800 square foot glass box underneath a stunning 3600 square foot hyperbolic paraboloid roof. He lived there until 1996 when he couldn’t find anyone to repair the roof. In 1957, Life magazine called this the “Bat Wing House.”
Archie was an extremely valued colleague. May he rest in peace.
