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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas legal community lost one of its giants |
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with the passing of Starling Thomas Morris of Amarillo on October 4, |
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2021, at the age of 101; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Penelope on November 12, 1919, Tom Morris |
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was the second son of James L. Morris and Alice B. Morris; he grew up |
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in Maypearl and attended North Texas Agricultural College and The |
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University of Texas Law School before World War II interrupted his |
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education; called up by the U.S. Navy Air Corps, he served with Air |
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Group 80 and flew the SB2C Helldiver and F6F Hellcat fighter from |
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the USS Ticonderoga and the USS Hancock; he also piloted an F4U-4 |
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Corsair fighter-bomber in preparation for the attack on Japan; |
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along the way, he survived a midair collision that led to six months |
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in a hospital; he attained the rank of lieutenant senior grade |
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before his discharge; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Morris returned to UT Law, where he was an |
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editor of the Texas Law Review and a member of Chancellors and Order |
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of the Coif; upon graduation in 1946, he was elected to the faculty, |
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and he taught the school's first course on legal argument and |
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writing; in addition, he taught the torts class in a separate law |
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school that the university established for Black scholars; he began |
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practicing in Harlingen in 1948, and the following year, he moved to |
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Amarillo, where he joined the firm of Gibson, Ochsner, and Adkins, |
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as it was eventually known; upon its dissolution in 2003, he became |
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a shareholder in the Underwood Law Firm, and he continued to |
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practice there for the rest of his life; he was a generous mentor to |
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younger attorneys over the years; and |
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WHEREAS, Among numerous accomplishments, Mr. Morris won a |
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landmark Supreme Court case, Graham v. Deere, which established the |
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law of non-obvious subject matter in patent cases; the decision has |
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been cited in more than 30,000 cases and legal articles and was |
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reaffirmed by the highest court three times in recent years; he |
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successfully argued a long list of cases before the Texas Supreme |
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Court, the Texas Courts of Appeals, and the United States Court of |
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Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; admired for his ethics and |
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collegiality, as well as for his brilliance, he was named a Fellow |
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of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American College of Trial |
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Lawyers; his myriad accolades included the Texas Legal Legend Award |
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from the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas, the Chief |
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Justice Charles L. Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Tom |
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Arnold Lifetime Achievement Award from the Intellectual Property |
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Section of the State Bar; and |
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WHEREAS, While the law was a source of endless fascination to |
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Mr. Morris, he was devoted above all to his treasured family; he |
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shared a fulfilling marriage of 68 years with his wife, Estella |
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Garnett Morris, until her passing in 2011, and he took great pride |
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in their two daughters, Linda and Vicki, and three granddaughters, |
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Skye, Autumn, and Aureóle; in his free time, he was an avid golfer, |
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and he achieved a single-digit handicap and scored five holes in |
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one; he served as president of the Texas Tri-State Senior Golf |
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Association and played in its tournament for many years, and he was |
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twice the recipient of the Colonel Bogey Award; the Amarillo |
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Country Club recognized him for six decades of work to improve its |
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golf course, and a plaque was placed at the Starter's Shack honoring |
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his contributions; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Tom Morris is deeply missed, he leaves |
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behind a remarkable professional legacy, as well as numerous |
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friends and loved ones whose lives are far richer for having known |
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him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory |
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of Starling Thomas Morris and extend sincere condolences to the |
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members of his family: to his daughters, Linda Lee Willard and Vicki |
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Rey Fineran; to his granddaughters, Skye, Autumn, and Aureóle |
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Fineran; to his sister, Alice Beth Willis; and to his other |
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relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Starling |
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Thomas Morris. |