H.R. No. 1137 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, It has long been the custom of this chamber to pay 1-2 tribute to those citizens of the Lone Star State who have made 1-3 Texas a better place in which to live, work, and raise a family; 1-4 and 1-5 WHEREAS, One such individual is retired District Judge Byron 1-6 Leaird McClellan, Sr., of Gatesville, who for many years helped to 1-7 preserve the principles on which this nation was founded through 1-8 his outstanding service as a respected member of the state's 1-9 judiciary; and 1-10 WHEREAS, Born April 2, 1918, in Texas, Judge McClellan comes 1-11 from distinguished Lone Star lineage as a member of two of 1-12 Gatesville's most prominent families, the McClellans and the 1-13 Leairds; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Receiving his preparatory education from The 1-15 University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern 1-16 California, Judge McClellan's education was interrupted by the 1-17 onset of World War II, during which time he courageously served his 1-18 country as a B-25 bomber pilot and attained the rank of major in 1-19 the U.S. Air Force; and 1-20 WHEREAS, After the war, he obtained his law degree from 1-21 Baylor University's School of Law in 1948 and embarked on an 1-22 exemplary career in the legal profession, enjoying a successful 1-23 tenure in the private practice of law for more than a decade before 1-24 deciding to run for elective office as district attorney for the 2-1 52nd District; and 2-2 WHEREAS, Handily elected by area voters, this highly regarded 2-3 gentleman served as district attorney from 1961 to 1970 and quickly 2-4 won the respect and admiration of his colleagues in the legal 2-5 profession for his incisive grasp of legal issues and the 2-6 excellence of his work; and 2-7 WHEREAS, Appointed to the bench as district judge of the 52nd 2-8 District Court, Judge McClellan began his distinguished tenure in 2-9 1971 and for more than a decade continued to adhere to the high 2-10 standards of integrity and professionalism that area citizens had 2-11 come to expect of him over the course of his outstanding career in 2-12 public service; and 2-13 WHEREAS, During his years on the bench, Judge McClellan 2-14 acquired a reputation as "the fiddling judge," for while he served 2-15 his professional colleagues in such eminent positions as president 2-16 of the 52nd Judicial District Bar Association, he also is an 2-17 outstanding fiddler who has judged fiddling contests across the 2-18 state and has been a longtime member of the Texas Old Time Fiddlers 2-19 Association; and 2-20 WHEREAS, An avid golfer and sports fan as well, he served as 2-21 the first president of the Gatesville Country Club, where he is 2-22 known as "Bull" for his ability to kick up a tee, and was a diehard 2-23 Dallas Cowboys fan long before they had a shot at the Super Bowl or 2-24 even a winning season; and 2-25 WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, this fine gentleman has 2-26 enjoyed the love and support of his wife of 54 years, the former 2-27 Eloise Cook, who has devoted herself to maintaining a happy and 3-1 comfortable household for her husband and children over the course 3-2 of their marriage; and 3-3 WHEREAS, The McClellans were blessed with two children, the 3-4 late Byron L. McClellan, Jr., and Carolyn McClellan Donaldson, both 3-5 of whom held their father in such high regard that they chose to 3-6 follow in his footsteps, receiving their law degrees from Baylor 3-7 University to become attorneys themselves; and 3-8 WHEREAS, Through the years, their close-knit family has grown 3-9 as their children have married and had families of their own, and 3-10 today the McClellans take great pride in the achievements of their 3-11 seven grandchildren, including John McClellan, Heather McClellan 3-12 Engle, Samantha McClellan, Trudi Donaldson, Wendi Donaldson, Kelli 3-13 Donaldson, and Holli Donaldson; and 3-14 WHEREAS, Judge McClellan has made many significant 3-15 contributions to the betterment of this state, and he is indeed 3-16 deserving of special legislative recognition for his service to the 3-17 State of Texas; now, therefore, be it 3-18 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-19 Legislature hereby commend retired District Judge Byron Leaird 3-20 McClellan, Sr., for his extensive contributions to the citizens of 3-21 this state as an esteemed jurist and public servant; and, be it 3-22 further 3-23 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-24 prepared for Judge McClellan as an expression of highest regard by 3-25 the Texas House of Representatives.