H.R. No. 1698

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The longest-serving judge in the history of Gregg County, the Honorable Alvin Khoury, has retired as a senior district judge, having earned the admiration and respect of his colleagues and the community during his distinguished career; and

WHEREAS, Alvin Khoury was born in Longview on October 15, 1936, to Dr. Sam Khoury and Mrs. Virginia Khoury; a fourth-generation Texan, he graduated from Longview High School and attended Kilgore Junior College and The University of Texas at Austin before going on to graduate from Southern Methodist University, where he also earned his law degree; he became a member of the bar in 1959 and chose to return to his hometown to practice civil and criminal law with the firm of Whitehead & Weitzel until 1965; and

WHEREAS, Licensed to practice law before the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court, the gifted young attorney went on to represent clients throughout East Texas as a solo practitioner and as a partner in Jones & Khoury before joining the Gregg County District Attorney's Office as chief felony prosecutor in 1972; during his nine-year tenure, he was promoted to first assistant district attorney and successfully prosecuted three capital murder cases and numerous other felonies; and

WHEREAS, Judge Khoury was elected to the bench of the 124th District Court in 1980 and was reelected six times, an unprecedented achievement for a local officeholder in Gregg County; he gained a reputation for toughness with an absolute ban against plea bargains in his court; during his 28 years on the bench, he conducted more than 1,000 jury trials, including 12 capital murder cases, presided over complex civil cases, and served as a visiting judge; and

WHEREAS, A graduate of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, and the Texas College of Advanced Judicial Studies, Judge Khoury served as local administrative judge and as chair of the Gregg County Board of Judges from 1995 until 2007; moreover, he was instrumental in the passage of legislation creating Gregg County Court at Law No. 2, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2001; the State Bar of Texas recognized him in June 2006 with a presidential commendation and the following year he was named a Longview Independent School District Distinguished Alumnus; he has been an esteemed member of a number of professional organizations; and

WHEREAS, This dedicated public servant has also worked in behalf of the community as a longtime director of the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce and in many civic organizations; the White Oak Chamber of Commerce presented him with its President's Award; a man of faith, Judge Khoury is a parishioner of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Longview; and

WHEREAS, Demonstrating impartiality in his leisure time as well as on the bench, Judge Khoury is an avid fan of both the Kilgore Bulldogs and the Longview Lobos; in all his endeavors, he enjoys the love and support of his wife of almost 50 years, Dorothy Khoury, and their two sons, Sam and Andy; and

WHEREAS, Judge Khoury's remarkable record will not soon be surpassed, and his integrity and commitment to justice will long inspire all those who have been privileged to work with him; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby commend Judge Alvin Khoury for his exceptional service and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Judge Khoury as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

Hughes Merritt

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1698 was adopted by the House on May 7, 2009, by a non-record vote.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House