gunned down by a tenant behind in rent and facing eviction in 1997 while stopped at a traffic light a half mile from the courthouse that would soon bear his and his brothers' names. Hill spent some of his final years working on his autobiography with Professor Jonathan K. Stubbs.The Big Bang: Brown v. Board of Education, The Autobiography of Oliver W. Hill, Sr. It was published in 2000 and reprinted for his 100th birthday in 2007. Hill also gave an oral history interview to Virginia Commonwealth University scholars in 2002. In January 2004, he was a featured panelist during Howard University's celebration of the lawyers who contributed to the Brown decision, on its 50th anniversary. On Sunday, August 5, 2007, Oliver Hill died peacefully during breakfast at his home in Richmond of natural causes at the age of 100 years. Later that day, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine ordered flags to be flown at half mast to honor Hill and issued a statement: As a pioneer for civil rights, an accomplished attorney, and a war veteran, Mr. Hill's dedication to serving the Commonwealth and the country never failed. And, despite all of the accolades and honors he received, Mr. Hill always believed his true legacy was working to challenge the conscience of our Commonwealth and our country. More than 1200 people viewed his body as it rested in the Executive Mansion before his funeral at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, near where his law office had stood for decades. He is survived by his son, Oliver Hill Jr., professor of psychology at Virginia State University and executive director of its research foundation. He is buried in Richmond's Forest Lawn cemetery. His papers are held by Virginia State University. Lifetime honors In 1959 the National Bar Association named Hill its Lawyer of the Year. In 1980 the NAACP awarded Hill its William Robert Ming Advocacy Award. In 1986 the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund accorded Hill its Simple Justice Award. In 1989, the Richmond Bar Association established the Hill-Tucker Public Service Award In 1993 the American Bar Association gave Hill its Justice Thurgood Marshall Award. In 1996, Richmond's Oliver Hill Courts Building, housing the Juvenile and Domestic Relations courtrooms, was named for him, and each September remembers Hill. In 1999 President Bill Clinton awarded Hill the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2000, Hill received the American Bar Association Medal and