Professor Rufus Burton Fletcher, Jr., J.D.

A product of his environment, and proud of it! 

Professor Rufus Burton Fletcher, Jr., J.D. (Ret.) will likely be the first to tell you that he achieved his various successes throughout his long and storied life not in spite of his upbringing, but because of it. Symbolic of all the values and assets associated with the American Dream, Professor Fletcher was born in Ocala and subsequently raised in McAlpin, Lake City, and Pensacola in Florida. Both of his parents were hardworking, blue-collar people, specifically farmers and agriculturists based out of McAlpin, Suwannee County, Florida that expanded their enterprise over time into a noteworthy business venture.

The family was responsible for the growing, raising, and cultivation of calves, dairy cows, broilers, and hogs, as well as growing corn, tobacco, peanuts, watermelons, hay, wheat, rye, and timber. Growing up with a distinctive, entrepreneurial aesthetic imposed on the environment, accompanied by his parents’ unwavering and impenetrable convictions about moral values, self-worth, self-respect, and the importance and love for family, it’s no wonder Professor Fletcher became the man he was destined to be. If tenacity was his calling card professionally – having achieved considerable success as a professor at El Camino College, and other colleges and universities, a Los Angeles-based attorney at Fletcher & Associates, and membership and leadership in the City of Torrance’s Chamber of Commerce – humility was his calling card interpersonally.

He was described as follows: Burton did his best to be a wonderful son, brother, uncle, and great uncle. He was a notable example to his loved ones through his career and community service and treasured by his relatives. Loyal to his family and friends, Burton cherished his extended family, home, wildlife, and pets, considering the latter to be members of his family. He enjoyed sharing photos of his pet pals.  Professor Fletcher also learned from his family the importance of possessing a strong, Christian faith. He was the epitome of giving back to the community, and someone with the attitude of ‘never meeting a stranger’ – whether such a person was a family member, a friend, or a gentleman on the street.

He received his baptism as a young boy at the McAlpin Advent Christian Church, in McAlpin, Florida, and continued in later years attending Crossroads Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. Such compassion was amplified on a worldly scale by way of his charity work, community activism, and his advocacy for, and fostering of animals. Simultaneous to his careers as an attorney in the Torrance, and Los Angeles area, and professorship at El Camino College, and other colleges and universities, Professor Fletcher made sure he was involved on a personal level with organizations such as the Center for Prevention of Child Abuse, the South Bay Children’s Health Center, and the Los Angeles Southwest College Paralegal Advisory Board, among others.

He achieved the rank of Corporal during the time he served in the Vietnam War Era, between the years of 1970 and 1973 respectively. During his service, he achieved the rank of Corporal before being honorably discharged. Like a true patriot, Professor Fletcher said serving – and subsequently putting everything on the line for his country – was one of the highest honors of his life.

It figures given the selflessness and dignity with which he conducted almost every aspect of his days. Simply put, Professor Fletcher was a man first, and a great one at that too. He will be sincerely missed by all who met him…