| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Nueces County lost a respected judge and community |
|
|
leader with the passing of the Honorable Carl Eric Lewis on October |
|
|
25, 2008, at the age of 56; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Carl Lewis was born on January 29, 1952, in Corpus |
|
|
Christi; he distinguished himself as a student and an athlete |
|
|
during his youth, particularly during his years at Moody High |
|
|
School; his portrait appears in the Moody High Hall of Fame, and his |
|
|
name is in the record books for scoring the school's first |
|
|
touchdown; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, After graduating from high school, Mr. Lewis turned |
|
|
down an academic scholarship to Cornell University in order to |
|
|
attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; a football injury |
|
|
precluded his admission, and he went on to earn a bachelor's degree |
|
|
in English from Yale University; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan returned to Corpus Christi and |
|
|
took a job in the city's human resources department, where he helped |
|
|
carry out an initiative to offer job training to low-income |
|
|
individuals; he graduated from The University of Texas School of |
|
|
Law in 1979 and worked as assistant city attorney, as assistant |
|
|
county attorney, and as a criminal defense lawyer at the firm of |
|
|
Tinker, Tor & Lewis before being elected the Nueces County attorney |
|
|
in 1992; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A tireless advocate of justice for children, Mr. |
|
|
Lewis began serving as judge of County Court at Law No. 5 in 1999 and |
|
|
oversaw countless cases involving juveniles; he handled situations |
|
|
of abuse, neglect, gang violence, parental custody, and other very |
|
|
sensitive issues with his characteristic intuition, wit, and |
|
|
humanity; originally appointed to the bench, he retained his seat |
|
|
in a 1999 election, and each of his bids for reelection was a |
|
|
resounding success; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Judge Lewis was a devoted father and took great |
|
|
pride in his children, Summer and Ben; a man of diverse talents, he |
|
|
was a founding member of Carl Lewis and the Deadbeats, a blues band |
|
|
composed mostly of fellow lawyers that performed at benefits and |
|
|
fund-raisers; Judge Lewis wrote songs, played harmonica, and sang |
|
|
in the group, and he was elated when his son, Ben, became old enough |
|
|
to take the bandstand with the Deadbeats; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Carl Lewis served the residents of Nueces County |
|
|
with integrity, compassion, and unwavering devotion to the |
|
|
well-being of his community and its citizens; although he is deeply |
|
|
missed, all those fortunate enough to have known him will forever |
|
|
cherish memories of time spent in his company; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Carl Eric Lewis and |
|
|
extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his |
|
|
children, Hayden Summer Lewis and Benjamin David Lewis; to his |
|
|
mother, June Lewis; to his brothers, Victor, James, David, and |
|
|
Michael Lewis; and to his other relatives and many 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 Carl Lewis. |