Born in Orange County, Virginia in 1927, Mr. Dunnington was the son of Walter G. Dunnington, the founder of the Firm. He attended Woodberry Forest School, from which he graduated in 1944. Following his brief service in the U.S. Naval Reserves, he continued his education at the University of Virginia, from which he obtained his bachelor of arts degree in 1948 and his law degree in 1950.

     Following law school, he began his distinguished legal career in New York as an associate at Rathbone, Perry, Kelley & Drye. In 1954 he joined the Dunnington Firm and served as a senior partner of the Firm from 1976 until 1981, when Standard Brands, Incorporated, merged with Nabisco, Inc. He became executive vice-president and general counsel for Nabisco Brands, Inc., serving in that capacity from 1981 to 1987. Mr. Dunnington, who began his service as a director of Standard Brands in 1964, continued as a member of the Board of Directors of Nabisco Brands. He served as senior vice-president and deputy general counsel for RJR Nabisco, Inc. in 1987 and then as counsel to the president and chief executive officer in 1988. He remained of counsel to the Dunnington Firm until his death.

    Mr. Dunnington was for 30 years a member of the Board of Governors of The New York Hospital, a trustee of the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, and a member of the Property Council of Montpelier, President James Madison's estate. Mr. Dunnington was also a director of the University of Virginia's Jefferson Scholars Program and a member of the University's Raven Society. He was a member of the board of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation and The Boys' Club of New York. He served for 29 years as a member of the Woodberry Forest School Board of Trustees and as chairman of that board from 1978 to 1981. Mr. Dunnington was a recipient of the J. Carter Walker Award, the highest honor the School confers upon its alumni.

    Mr. Dunnington is remembered by his friends and colleagues for his high level of professionalism -- a trusted counsellor to life-long friends and public figures. From a family confidant and counsellor to general counsel of a multinational corporation, his practice of the law, no matter the client, was characterized by common sense, objectivity and discretion. Even so, his sense of humor and legendary ability to recall humorous stories and anecdotes were admired by all he touched. Mr. Dunnington's character was marked by his deep sense of heritage. Although he spent most of his career in New York, Mr. Dunnington never forgot his roots in Virginia. A sense of courtesy, a touch of shyness and modesty, and a concern for his fellow man, whether friend or stranger, were hallmarks of Mr. Dunnington's Virginia heritage.