Henry Troutman Jr., 86, lawyer, addiction specialist, retailer

By Rick Badie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Henry Troutman traveled the path pursued by most sons of his era when it came to careers.

He followed daddy.

The late Henry Battey Troutman Sr., founded  the Atlanta family law firm, Troutman-Sams, Schroder, Lockerman. Today, due to a 1972 merger, it's known as  Troutman-Sanders.

Troutman the son earned a law degree from the University of Georgia, where he met the late Mary Pringle Troutman, his wife of 45 years. He practiced law more than three decades within and outside the family firm.

"His father was a lawyer," said a daughter, Maggie Troutman Bickerstaff of Marietta. " He did it because, back then, you followed in your father's footsteps. I don't think it was his calling."

Mr. Troutman eventually found his passion, but not before he and his wife embarked on a unique business venture. They'd both spent substantial time on St. Simons Island growing up. She collected seashells.

In the 1970s, Mrs. Troutman ran a frame shop -- Mary Troutman's Added Touch --  in Buckhead. She adorned  it with sea shells from her personal collection. Customers were always asking to buy them.

A business was born.

The Troutmans opened what relatives say was the first sea shellsshop in Atlanta. They eventually ran three such businesses in the city.

Huge crates from the Philippines would arrive at the Troutman home. The couple would sit in the backyard to clean the shells with an acidic solution. Afterward, they'd flip through books to identify and learn their Latin and American names.

"That went on for years until it got to be too much," his daughter said. "Mom was creative and dad was an easy-going guy, so for him it was fun."

After the retail business, Mr. Troutman found his true passion as a certified addiction counselor in the early 1980s. He worked with clients in area hospitals and centers across the Southeast.

On Oct. 22, Henry Battey Troutman Jr. died from complications of cancer at his home on Hilton Head. He was 86.

Two services are planned. The first one will be 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Atlanta. A memorial will be held Thanksgiving weekend on Hilton Head Island. Details are pending. Island Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Troutman attended various  schools growing up, including the Out of Door Academy in Sarasota and Boys High in Atlanta, from which he graduated.

He was a University of Georgia undergrad when he enlisted in the Army to serve in World War II.  He returned to Athens after the military to earn his law degree.

In 1998,  the Georgia Bar Association awarded Mr. Troutman its Lifetime Achievement Award  for community service. He founded the organization's Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP), which helps legal professionals deal with alcohol, drug and mental health issues.

"He handled the interventions and counseling aspects," said Cynthia Jones, a former LAP director. "He helped a lot of people."

At UGA, Mr. Troutman and former Georgia governor Carl Sanders were Chi Phi fraternity brothers. Mr. Troutman graduated before Sanders and joined his father's firm.

"I think he enjoyed law," Mr. Sanders said, "but he didn't feel like it was his destiny. He used it to create a program that could help lawyers and other professionals. He was a good man."

Additional survivors include another daughter, Mary Troutman Carroll of Hilton Head; a son, Henry B. Troutman III of Gainesville;  and eight grandchildren.