H.R. No. 1912

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a distinguished native son on April 19, 2013, with the passing of John F. Sutton, Jr., former dean of The University of Texas School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Born in Alpine on January 26, 1918, John Sutton was the son of John and Pauline Sutton; he grew up in San Angelo and worked on his father's ranch in Tom Green County before graduating from San Angelo High School; while attending the UT School of Law, he met a classmate, Nancy Ewing, whom he married on June 1, 1940; the couple would go on to become the parents of two treasured children, Nancy and John, and to share 72 years together; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Sutton graduated from law school with honors in 1941 and briefly practiced in San Antonio; at the start of World War II, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special agent, and later, during the Korean War, he served as a first lieutenant, Judge Advocate General's Corps, in the United States Army Reserves; and

WHEREAS, In 1950, Mr. Sutton returned to San Angelo to practice law with his wife and his father, a retired district court judge; his sterling qualifications led the UT School of Law to appoint him as a tenured full professor in 1957 although he had never taught law before, and he won a teaching excellence award very early in his career; bringing real-world experience to the classroom, he helped his students gain a greater understanding of legal principles, and his sense of humor, as well as his intellect and insight, made lessons especially memorable; he also taught at a number of other institutions over the years, among them Texas Tech University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and South Texas School of Law; and

WHEREAS, This brilliant scholar gained national recognition for his particular expertise in legal ethics, evidence, and torts; he was one of the original drafters of the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Responsibility, and he served two terms on its Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility; moreover, he served as chair of the Professional Ethics Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and in 1977, he was the evidence advisor for the joint committee of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives during its hearing regarding Texas Supreme Court justice Don Yarbrough; Mr. Sutton was the coauthor of two editions of Cases and Materials on Professional Responsibility and of several editions of McCormick, Elliott, and Sutton, Cases and Materials on Evidence; and

WHEREAS, Appointed head of the law school in 1979, Dean Sutton promoted a collegial, productive environment, setting a standard of excellence while retaining his easygoing, unassuming ways; he dedicated himself to advancing the school's reputation through the recruitment and retention of top-notch faculty, and he was an inspiring mentor and role model; after concluding his tenure as dean in 1984, he continued to teach until his retirement in 2003 at the age of 85, and at 90, he was appointed to the state bar's Standing Committee on Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct; and

WHEREAS, The law school presented Dean Sutton with its Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1990, and it later named one of its eight societies in his honor and established the Dean John F. Sutton, Jr. Chair in Lawyering and the Legal Process through an endowment by a former student; in addition, the Texas Law Review Association created the John F. Sutton, Jr. Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Law, and the Texas Bar Foundation presented him with an Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award; Dean Sutton was a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a life member of the Texas Bar Foundation; and

WHEREAS, In his leisure time, he loved to travel with his wife, and they visited every state in the country as well as many countries in Europe, Africa, and South America; he also raised Black Angus cattle and maintained horses at a small farm south of Austin; and

WHEREAS, John Sutton left a lasting imprint on the legal profession and made a positive difference in innumerable lives; although he will be deeply missed, his contributions will continue to resonate for years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Dean John F. Sutton, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife of 72 years, Nancy Ewing Sutton; to his daughter, Nancy Joan Sutton Parr, and her husband, Dr. Tom Parr; to his son, Judge John Ewing Sutton, and his wife, Judy Harris Sutton; to his grandchildren, Robert Parr and his wife, Michelle, Stephen Parr and his wife, Wendy, Brandon Ducote and his wife, Kathy, and Joshua Ewing Sutton and his wife, Eduarda; to his great-grandchildren, Bailey Parr, Julia Parr, Alma Marie Sutton, John Michael Sutton, Louis Gabriel Sutton, Alan Justin Ducote, and Savannah Nicole Ducote; to his sister, Dorothy Galgowski, and her husband, Vic; and to his other relatives and 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 Dean John F. Sutton, Jr.

Darby

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1912 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 15, 2013.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House