By: Dutton H.R. No. 958
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, With the passing of Robert O. Dawson, who died at his
home in Fentress on February 26, 2005, the State of Texas has lost a
gifted educator, scholar, and much-loved mentor whose influence
will resonate in the law and in the lives of those fortunate enough
to have known him; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of the University of Missouri, Professor
Dawson earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from Washington
University and his doctor of judicial science degree from the
University of Wisconsin and worked as both a public defender and a
prosecutor in addition to his career as a professor; and
WHEREAS, In 1967 he began teaching at The University of
Texas, where he held the Bryant Smith Chair in Law, and his long and
mutually fruitful relationship with the university was to
profoundly affect the many students who benefited from his
extensive knowledge and genuine investment in their education;
shortly before his death, he was voted Outstanding Faculty Member
for 2004-2005 by the UT Student Bar Association; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Dawson's lasting impact on Texas law derives not
only from those students whose development he helped to guide but
also from his drafting of the state's juvenile justice statutes in
1973 and their 1995 revision, which produced an influential body of
law that focused on rehabilitating young offenders and made the
state's juvenile justice system a model for other states to follow;
a renowned expert on juvenile law, he served as the juvenile law
editor of the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section Newsletter from
1967 until 1987, when the Juvenile Law Section of the State Bar was
created, and he became editor of the State Bar of Texas Juvenile Law
Section Newsletter; moreover, he authored and coauthored numerous
publications on criminal procedure and juvenile law and shared his
expertise with probation officers and attorneys throughout the
state; and
WHEREAS, His real-world experience with criminal law imbued
him with a keen understanding of the legal system's effect on the
lives of average people, and he sought to ground his students in a
practical awareness of the law's workings by cofounding The
University of Texas Law School Criminal Defense Clinic, which he
led as director for 24 years; in that capacity, he and his fellow
supervisors worked with more than 1,200 third-year law students in
handling over 7,200 criminal defendants' cases; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Dawson was also instrumental in founding the
school's Actual Innocence Clinic, enabling law students to screen
and assist inmates who were wrongly convicted, and the clinic's
groundbreaking work was recognized with a Public Interest Award
from the Texas Law Fellowships in February 2005; and
WHEREAS, An avid horseman, he was one of the nation's leading
experts on equine law and taught a class on the subject with his
wife, Jan; appropriately, Dr. Dawson's ashes will be mixed with old
horse stall bedding and scattered on the farm that he and his wife
shared, which he noted would serve to enrich the hay crop; and
WHEREAS, This unique request is a highly appropriate
conclusion to Dr. Dawson's life, both in its gentle
unpretentiousness and in its humble acknowledgment that the fruits
of our labors continue to nourish the world long after we have left
it; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the life of Dr. Robert O. Dawson and extend
sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Jan
Dawson; to his daughters, Katherine Irene Dawson and Julie Ann
Gerrow; to his brother, William Dawson; to his niece, Diana Dawson;
to his nephew, Greg Dawson; and to his other family members and many
friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
Professor Robert O. Dawson.