By Wilson                                             H.C.R. No. 39
         76R3919 JHS-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The recent passing of W. Page Keeton on January 10,
 1-2     1999, at the age of 89, represents a great loss to the family and
 1-3     friends of this esteemed gentleman, as well as to the many
 1-4     individuals who benefited from his extraordinary tenure as dean of
 1-5     The University of Texas School of Law; and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Born in 1909 near Clarksville, this East Texas
 1-7     native was an embodiment of the American Dream, transcending his
 1-8     impoverished childhood and adolescence to gain admission to The
 1-9     University of Texas at Austin and earn undergraduate and law
1-10     degrees in 1931; and
1-11           WHEREAS, The following year, this idealistic young man joined
1-12     the faculty of his alma mater and began his love affair with
1-13     teaching--a love affair that coincided with his burgeoning
1-14     relationship with his future wife, Madge; after a year-long
1-15     sabbatical at Harvard Law School from 1935 to 1936, during which
1-16     time he earned an advanced law degree, he returned to UT-Austin to
1-17     continue his teaching career; and
1-18           WHEREAS, From 1942 to 1945, Dean Keeton served as chief
1-19     counsel of the fuel division in the Office of Price Administration
1-20     and as assistant chief counsel of Petroleum Administration for War;
1-21     at the conclusion of World War II, he was named dean of the
1-22     University of Oklahoma School of Law, a post he held until 1949,
1-23     when he returned to UT-Austin; and
1-24           WHEREAS, During Dean Keeton's quarter-century tenure as head
 2-1     of the UT-Austin School of Law, the program gained national
 2-2     prominence, thanks to his tireless efforts as a fund-raiser, his
 2-3     role in the creation of the Law Alumni Association, and his
 2-4     commitment to pursuing and hiring renowned educators who would
 2-5     further enhance the reputation of the law school; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, Dean Keeton's administrative and leadership skills
 2-7     were but a part of his role in the transformation of UT-Austin's
 2-8     School of Law into one of the nation's top programs; a leading
 2-9     authority on tort law and regarded by many as a great American
2-10     educator, he was one of the program's most popular professors, and
2-11     he continued his teaching duties beyond his retirement as dean in
2-12     1974, until 1995, when he retired permanently; and
2-13           WHEREAS, This remarkable man's positive influence extended
2-14     beyond the campus as well, most notably through his membership on
2-15     President Lyndon B. Johnson's Labor-Management Policy Committee and
2-16     in his position as president of the Association of American Law
2-17     Schools; he also served as chairman of the State of Texas Medical
2-18     Professional Liability Study Commission and the Texas Ethics
2-19     Advisory Commission, and as a consultant to the Consumer
2-20     Subcommittee of the U.S.  Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
2-21     and Transportation; in 1988, he received the Anti-Defamation
2-22     League's Torch of Liberty Award, an honor that was  cherished by
2-23     this longtime civil rights advocate; and
2-24           WHEREAS, Throughout his six-decade association with The
2-25     University of Texas at Austin, Dean Keeton established himself as
2-26     one of the most important figures in the university's history; he
2-27     was a man who was not only revered, but beloved, and his legacy of
 3-1     educational excellence, legal scholarship, and tremendous
 3-2     compassion has ensured that he will be fondly and reverently
 3-3     remembered for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
 3-4           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
 3-5     hereby pay tribute to the life of Dean W. Page Keeton and extend
 3-6     sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Madge
 3-7     Stewart Keeton; to his daughter, the Honorable Carole Keeton
 3-8     Rylander; to his sister, Willie R. Keeton Spencer; to his brothers,
 3-9     Judge Robert E. Keeton and Morris T. Keeton; to his seven
3-10     grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; and to the many other
3-11     relatives and friends of this beloved and revered gentleman; and,
3-12     be it further
3-13           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-14     prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
3-15     House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in
3-16     memory of Dean W. Page Keeton.