79R6445 KO-D

By:  Cook of Navarro                                              H.R. No. 678



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Navarro County lost a dedicated and greatly admired 
public servant with the death of Judge Kenneth A. Douglas on January 
27, 2005, at the age of 77; and
	WHEREAS, Born on February 17, 1927, Buck Douglas joined the 
Army after his high school graduation and served in Panama; after 
his discharge, he enrolled in Navarro College and later the Baylor 
University School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1951; 
following his graduation, he returned to his native Navarro County 
and joined a law firm in Corsicana; and
	WHEREAS, He continued to practice law while serving as 
municipal judge for Corsicana until 1957, when he was appointed 
county judge of Navarro County; during his distinguished 16-year 
tenure in that post, he was faced with many challenges, including 
the much-needed renovation of an aging courthouse and the financing 
of the county's contribution to the construction of Interstate 45 
when revenues were particularly low, and he successfully met those 
challenges with his trademark fiscal conservatism and effective 
management skills; and
	WHEREAS, In 1972, Judge Douglas left the county bench to 
assume a position as director of the Texas Association of Counties, 
and under his direction, the fledgling organization thrived and 
expanded both in operations and in influence; and
	WHEREAS, He returned to the bench five years later when he was 
elected to the 13th District Court of the State of Texas, where he 
served with distinction for 20 years, hearing cases ranging from 
family and civil disputes to capital murder; following his 
retirement in 1996, he continued to serve as a visiting judge in 
complex and controversial cases; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to his exceptional career as a public 
servant, Buck Douglas engaged in ranching and the independent 
trucking business; he also served as president of both the 
Northeast Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association and the 
Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association and helped found 
VFW Post No. 3366; and
	WHEREAS, A firm believer that all citizens were equal in the 
eyes of the law, Judge Douglas leaves behind a legacy of honesty, 
integrity, and fairness that will resonate long in the memories of 
all who knew him; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Judge Kenneth A. 
Douglas and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family:  
to his wife of 57 years, Dorothy Jo Owen Douglas; to his sons and 
daughters-in-law, Ken and Cindy Douglas and Brett and Dianne 
Douglas; to his grandchildren, Allison, Ryan, Dustin, Daniel, and 
Seth Douglas and Anna Middleton; to his mother, Gladys Douglas; to 
his sisters and brothers-in-law, Marie Griffin, Dorothy Jean and 
Bob Ashford, Betty and Dan Lancaster, and Wanda and Eddie McNeese; 
to his sister-in-law, Bobbie Brown; to his nieces, Brenda Hodge and 
her husband, Coy, and Kim Andrews and her husband, Larry; and to his 
other relatives and friends; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of 
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the 
Honorable Kenneth A. Douglas.