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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A full and generous life has drawn to a close with |
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the death of the Honorable Donald W. Bankston of Richmond on March |
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24, 2021, at the age of 73; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Dallas on September 24, 1947, Don Bankston |
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graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, and he attended the |
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University of North Texas before earning his law degree at the |
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University of Houston; after beginning his legal career in Houston, |
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he moved his family and his practice to Richmond in 1984; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Bankston worked as an assistant district |
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attorney for Fort Bend County for three years, but for much of his |
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46-year career, he was a respected criminal defense attorney who |
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handled many high profile cases, including major drug and capital |
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murder trials; he was known for his strong stands on behalf of |
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constitutional rights and against police brutality and |
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prosecutorial overreach, and he was a member of the Fort Bend County |
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Criminal Defense Bar Association and the Texas Criminal Defense |
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Lawyers Association; since October 2019, he had served as associate |
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justice on the 268th District Court; and |
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WHEREAS, A champion for his political ideals, Mr. Bankston |
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played a leading role in organizing the local Democratic Party in |
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the 1990s, and he chaired the Fort Bend County Democratic Party and |
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served as a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee; he |
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was admired by his peers and adversaries alike as a dedicated |
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activist, negotiator, and mentor to many younger public servants; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Bankston and his wife, Susan DuQuesnay |
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Bankston, shared a loving relationship for 50 years; he took great |
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pride in his three sons, Bryan, Mark, and the late Chip Bankston, |
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his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, and his grandson, Benjamin; and |
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WHEREAS, Don Bankston was a devoted family man, an engaged |
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citizen, and a skilled attorney and jurist, and his commitment to |
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public service and to equal justice will continue to inspire all |
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those who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Donald W. Bankston and |
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extend sincere condolences to his family and to his many friends; |
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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 Don |
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Bankston. |