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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Honorable Jack Pope, a retired chief justice of |
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the Texas Supreme Court who has rendered immeasurable service to |
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the Lone Star State, is celebrating his 100th birthday on April 18, |
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2013; and |
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WHEREAS, Born and raised in Abilene, Chief Justice Pope knew |
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from the time he was a boy that he wanted to be a lawyer; as a youth, |
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he also showed the passion for learning that later marked his |
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distinguished career and that would make him an early proponent of |
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judicial education in Texas; a voracious reader, he found |
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inspiration in such figures as the Roman historian Tacitus and |
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orator Cicero and in the American legal scholars Roscoe Pound and |
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Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.; and |
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WHEREAS, After graduating from Abilene High School in 1930, |
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Jack Pope attended Abilene Christian College, where he majored in |
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speech, earned letters as a member of the debate and tennis teams, |
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and served as president of the junior class and the student |
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association; subsequently, at The University of Texas School of |
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Law, he served as editor of the Texas Law Review; and |
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WHEREAS, Licensed by the bar in 1937, Chief Justice Pope |
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moved to Corpus Christi and joined the firm of his uncle, former |
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state representative Walter E. Pope; he quickly gained wide-ranging |
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experience in civil and criminal law and in New Deal-era labor and |
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transportation regulatory law; and |
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WHEREAS, Though he was exempt from military service in World |
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War II because he was the father of two young children, Chief |
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Justice Pope enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1944 and served |
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stateside for the next two years; discharged in 1946, he returned to |
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the practice of law but later that year received an appointment as |
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judge of the 94th District Court and became, at the age of 33, the |
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youngest district judge then serving in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1950, Chief Justice Pope won the first of three |
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consecutive terms on the Court of Civil Appeals in San Antonio; |
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during his tenure, he issued a landmark ruling concerning the |
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Spanish roots of Texas water law, establishing a precedent that |
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continues to guide jurists to the present day; and |
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WHEREAS, Elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1964, Chief |
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Justice Pope helped to draft significant rulings on property rights |
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and judicial and procedural reform during his years as an associate |
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justice; in 1982, Governor Bill Clements appointed him chief |
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justice, an office he held until his retirement in 1985; his tenure |
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in that post was marked by the elimination of double appeals and by |
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other important reforms in court administration; at the time he |
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returned to private life, Chief Justice Pope's cumulative service |
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on the bench in trial and appellate courts made him the |
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longest-serving judge in the history of the Texas Supreme Court; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Known for the lucidity of his thought and writing, |
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he published more than 1,000 judicial opinions and over 70 |
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law-related articles over the course of his career; and |
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WHEREAS, Since stepping down from the bench some 28 years |
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ago, Chief Justice Pope has continued to lead an active life; he has |
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served as president of the Christian Chronicle National Council, an |
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advisory body created to serve the international newspaper of the |
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Churches of Christ, coedited a volume about his ancestor John |
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Berry, a notable Texas pioneer, and cofounded the Texas Supreme |
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Court Historical Society, which has named him chair emeritus; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope credits Abilene Christian |
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University with providing an essential foundation for his success |
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in life, and in return for the invaluable lessons he learned there, |
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he has been one of that school's staunchest supporters; he joined |
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the ACU Board of Trustees in 1954 and for many years served on the |
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senior board; and |
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WHEREAS, In tribute to its esteemed graduate, ACU has |
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conferred on Chief Justice Pope its Outstanding Alumnus of the Year |
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award, as well as its Change the World award; moreover, since 1989, |
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the school has bestowed scholarships on outstanding students who |
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are intending to pursue a career in public service, designating |
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them as Jack Pope Fellows; and |
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WHEREAS, Another institution that has benefited from Chief |
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Justice Pope's active involvement is the State Law Library, which |
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was created as a separate state agency in 1971 largely through his |
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efforts; Chief Justice Pope has served as a member emeritus of the |
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Friends of the State Law Library Board of Directors, and the Friends |
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have recognized him and another former chief justice, the late Joe |
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Greenhill, with the establishment of the Greenhill-Pope Law Book |
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Fund; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope is the recipient of four honorary |
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degrees and countless other accolades; in 2009, the Texas Center |
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for Legal Ethics presented him with its first Chief Justice Jack |
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Pope Professionalism Award, and in 2010, the judicial section of |
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the State Bar of Texas honored him with its inaugural Judicial |
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Lifetime Achievement Award; and |
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WHEREAS, From their marriage in 1938 until her passing in |
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2004, Jack Pope and his wife, Allene, shared a richly rewarding |
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union; their family today includes two sons, Allen and Jackson |
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Pope, two grandsons, Drew and Ryan Pope, and two |
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great-grandchildren, Dylan and Peyton Locke; and |
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WHEREAS, Greatly admired for his intellect and integrity, |
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Chief Justice Pope has contributed significantly to jurisprudence |
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in the State of Texas, and it is indeed a privilege to join in |
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wishing him well on this special day; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable Jack Pope on the |
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momentous occasion of his 100th birthday and extend to him profound |
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appreciation for his exemplary public service; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Chief Justice Pope as an expression of high regard by |
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the Texas House of Representatives. |