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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A lifetime of meaningful judicial, legal, and |
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community service drew to a close with the passing of the Honorable |
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William S. Lott of Georgetown on February 11, 2009, at the age of |
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90; and |
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WHEREAS, Judge Lott presided over the 26th Judicial District |
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from 1977 until his retirement in 1992; his dedication to closely |
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interpreting the state's laws was widely known, and his integrity |
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and detail-oriented approach to legal issues inspired numerous |
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other lawyers and judges through the years; and |
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WHEREAS, William Sunday Lott was born on April 28, 1918, in |
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Clarendon and spent his youth in Amarillo; after studying at |
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Centenary College in Louisiana and earning his law degree from The |
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University of Texas School of Law in 1940, he served in the Security |
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Intelligence Corps of the U.S. Army during World War II; his duties |
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while in uniform included serving as a special agent to the 1945 |
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peace conference that resulted in the organization of the United |
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Nations; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1944, Mr. Lott wed Ellagene Eanes, and they |
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settled in Georgetown following the war; the couple raised two |
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children, Cathy and Bill, and their marriage continued for 51 |
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years, until Mrs. Lott's passing in 1995; and |
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WHEREAS, Judge Lott was a skilled lawyer who served as |
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assistant attorney general for the State of Texas from 1947 to 1952 |
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and worked as the assistant county attorney for Williamson County; |
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he also maintained a private law practice in Georgetown prior to his |
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election to the bench in 1976; and |
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WHEREAS, This innovative judge played a central role in |
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efforts to build the Central Texas Treatment Center, which provides |
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alcohol and drug rehabilitation services, and he also oversaw |
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important changes to the juvenile probation system and urged the |
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construction of a juvenile detention center; once completed, that |
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center was named in Judge Lott's honor, and he also received a |
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number of other honors and tributes through the years, being named |
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Man of the Year by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce in 1979, a |
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fellow of the Texas State Bar Association in 1984, and receiving the |
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Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgetown Area Community |
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Foundation; and |
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WHEREAS, Judge Lott's commitment to his community extended |
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beyond the courtroom; he was an active participant in a long list of |
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organizations, committees, and charity efforts, which included the |
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Masonic Lodge, the Georgetown Rotary and Lions Clubs, the United |
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Way, the Georgetown Citizens' Advisory Committee, and many more; |
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remembered as a courtly gentleman who proudly upheld dignified |
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traditions both inside and outside the courtroom, William Lott had |
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a lasting and profound effect on the citizens of Williamson County, |
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and his legacy will be respected far into the future; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable William |
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S. Lott and express sincere sympathy to the members of his family: |
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to his children, Cathy Lott Durr and Bill Hervey Lott and his wife, |
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Gisela; to his grandchildren, Ryan Travis Lott and Neal Brandon |
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Lott; and to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Judge |
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William S. Lott. |