SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 93
 
 
  In Memory
  of
  William Sessions
 
         WHEREAS, An exemplary life devoted to public service drew
  to a close with the death of former federal judge and FBI director
  William Steele Sessions of San Antonio on June 12, 2020, at the
  age of 90; and
         WHEREAS, Bill Sessions was born on May 27, 1930, in Fort
  Smith, Arkansas, to Will and Edith Steele Sessions; afflicted
  with polio as an adolescent, he overcame the disease to become an
  Eagle Scout and a successful high school athlete; in 1948, he
  entered the University of Kansas, and with the escalation of the
  Korean War, he answered his nation's call to duty by joining the
  U.S. Air Force in 1951; he served as a radar intercept officer
  until 1955, flying more than a thousand hours aboard B-25
  aircraft and attaining the rank of captain; and
         WHEREAS, While still in the military, Mr. Sessions
  attended night classes at Baylor University, earning a
  bachelor's degree in economics in 1956, and he went on to receive
  his law degree from Baylor in 1958; after starting his own
  practice, he joined the Waco firm of Haley, Fulbright, Winniford,
  Sessions and Bice, and he became president of the local bar
  association and director of the State Junior Bar of Texas; during
  his time in Waco, he also served as a lay leader and Sunday school
  teacher for Trinity Methodist Church; and
         WHEREAS, Active in Republican politics, Mr. Sessions
  supported campaigns by George H. W. Bush and John Tower, and in
  1969, he was elected to the city council in Waco; he joined the
  federal government in the 1970s and served as chief of the
  Government Operations Section for the Criminal Division of the
  Department of Justice and as U.S. attorney, U.S. district judge,
  and chief judge for the Western District of Texas, presiding over
  the high-profile trials concerning the murder of U.S. district
  judge John H. Wood; and
         WHEREAS, In 1987, Mr. Sessions was nominated by President
  Ronald Reagan as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
  and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a vote of 90 to 0;
  over the course of his six-year tenure, he served under three
  presidents, helped increase opportunities for women and people
  of color, expanded the bureau's role in combating international
  terrorism, and updated the agency's technology to adopt the use
  of DNA in forensics and to implement a digital fingerprint
  identification system; and
         WHEREAS, After stepping down as director in 1993,
  Mr. Sessions returned to private practice as a mediator and
  arbitrator for the National Patent Board, first in San Antonio
  and then with the firm of Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C.,
  and he worked well into his 80s, until retiring in January 2017;
  he also served on several committees of the American Bar
  Association and worked with the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.,
  and the Constitution Project; he consulted with the State of
  Texas on security and cyberterrorism issues; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Sessions was married to the former Alice June
  Lewis for 66 years until her death in 2019, and he was the proud
  father of five children, Lewis, Pete, Mark, Sara, and the late
  Jonathan Avent Sessions; with the passing years, he welcomed into
  his family nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; he
  enjoyed an active life of camping and canoeing, and in the 1980s,
  he twice trekked to the base of Mount Everest; and
         WHEREAS, Bill Sessions distinguished himself through his
  tireless commitment to serving his fellow citizens, and he leaves
  behind a legacy of integrity, dedication, and resilience that
  will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th
  Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
  of William Steele Sessions and extend heartfelt sympathy to his
  relatives and many friends; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
  prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
  this day, it do so in memory of William Sessions.
 
  Hughes, Campbell, Hancock
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on October 18, 2021, by
    a rising vote.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate