H.R. No. 681



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Judge Jack Pope is marking a special milestone in 
his life as he celebrates his 90th birthday; and
	WHEREAS, Judge Pope continues to devote himself to a life of 
dedicated service to his family, his friends, and the entire State 
of Texas; and
	WHEREAS, Judge Pope has been a proud Texan his entire life 
beginning with his birth in Abilene on April 18, 1913, as the son of 
Dr. and Mrs. A. J. Pope; he earned a bachelor of arts degree at 
Abilene Christian University in 1934 and then received a law degree 
from The University of Texas in 1937; and
	WHEREAS, Judge Pope began his career as an attorney before 
serving two years in the United States Navy during World War II; he 
became the judge of the 94th District Court in Corpus Christi at the 
age of 33, the youngest district court judge in Texas at the time; 
he later was elected to serve as justice of the Court of Civil 
Appeals in San Antonio; in 1964 he was elected to the Texas Supreme 
Court and was appointed in 1982 by Governor William P. Clements, 
Jr., as the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, an office that 
he held for three years before retiring in 1985--serving a total of 
28 years on the bench; and
	WHEREAS, He has written more than 1,000 judicial opinions, 
and his efforts to simplify the process of submitting a case to the 
jury have been widely applauded; his opinions regarding water, 
property, and tort law stabilized many parts of the Texas law; in a 
classic opinion written in the 1950s, he traced Texas water rights 
back to Spain--earning him the name by some as the "Father of Texas' 
Water Rights"; and
	WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope has continuously served his alma 
mater, Abilene Christian University, as a distinguished member of 
the board of trustees beginning in 1954 and as a senior board member 
beginning in 1983; and
	WHEREAS, He received the highest honor his alma mater bestows 
in 1964 when he was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year at Abilene 
Christian University; and
	WHEREAS, He was honored by his colleagues and countless 
friends upon his retirement from the Texas Supreme Court with the 
establishment of an endowment fund at Abilene Christian University 
whereby young men and women complete a public service program as 
Jack Pope Fellows in order to serve throughout the world; and
	WHEREAS, Judge Jack Pope has been able to engage in a lifetime 
of distinguished public service due to the support and 
encouragement from his loving wife, Allene, during a happy 64-year 
marriage; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th 
Legislature of the State of Texas honor Judge Jack Pope for his 
lifetime of service to the State of Texas on the celebration of his 
90th birthday; and, be it further

	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Judge Pope, his wife, and his children--A. J. and 
Allen--as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of 
Representatives.

                                                                          Hunter

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 681 was adopted by the House on April 
16, 2003, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House