The Carbon County Court of Common Pleas and the Carbon County Bar Association held a memorial tribute recently to the late Attorney Arnold Sousa, who died in May of this year.

The ceremony was held on Aug. 27 before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic in Courtroom No. 1 of the Courthouse in Jim Thorpe.The jurist, in June, appointed a committee to prepare a memorial resolution commemorating the legal career of Sousa. Serving on that committee were attorneys Michael L. Ozalas, William H. Bayer and Stephen P. Vlossak Sr.The resolution was presented and read in open court, after which time Nanovic ordered a transcript of the proceedings be published in the Carbon County Law Journal and that Joan M. Behrens, Prothonotary of Carbon County, transmit certified copies of the memorial resolution to members of Sousa's family.Atty. Sousa died May 25 in the Blue Mountain Health System's Gnaden Huetten Campus, Lehighton.He was born in New Bedford, Mass., a son of the late Melvin and Hazel (Ryder) Sousa, and was raised in Philadelphia. He attended public schools in the city and received his undergraduate degree from Temple University and his Juris Doctorate Degree in 1961 from the university's school of law.He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Nov. 19, 1962, and to the Middle and Eastern United States District Courts in 1963. He became a member of the Carbon County Bar Association on Aug. 22, 1963.Atty. Sousa served in the Submarine Division of the Navy from 1953-55, including service during the Korean Conflict.He served in various Carbon County offices, having been the solicitor for the Carbon County Sheriff and Carbon County Tax Claim Bureau. He was also legal counsel for the Jim Thorpe Borough Zoning Hearing Board while conducting a general practice of law in Jim Thorpe.Atty. Sousa was an avid music fan and jazz enthusiast and attended jazz concerts all over the country, retiring from the practice of law in 2002 to enjoy his music pursuits.