Cecil D. Meek, Jr. attended high school at Baylor Military Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He earned two degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a B.S. and a J.D., both in 1959. Cecil was a member of Phi Kappa Phi fraternity. In law school, Cecil was awarded the honor of The Order of the Coif, and he served as Comments Editor of the Tennessee Law Review. His legal fraternity was Phi Delta Phi. Cecil was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1959. He served as an Assistant U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee from 1961-1963. He engaged in the private practice of law from that time until his death on February 28, 2009. Cecil served in the United States Air Force Reserve, which was activated during the Berlin Crisis in 1961. During that time he served on active duty in Berlin, Germany. Cecil practiced law for 49 ½ years. He was a partner in the firm of Haynes, Meek, Summers & Stanuszek (or its predecessors) for 37 years. He held memberships in the Knoxville Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.