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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a distinguished native son |
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on April 19, 2013, with the passing of John F. Sutton, Jr., former |
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dean of The University of Texas School of Law; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Alpine on January 26, 1918, John Sutton was |
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the son of John and Pauline Sutton; he grew up in San Angelo and |
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worked on his father's ranch in Tom Green County before graduating |
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from San Angelo High School; while attending the UT School of Law, |
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he met a classmate, Nancy Ewing, whom he married on June 1, 1940; |
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the couple would go on to become the parents of two treasured |
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children, Nancy and John, and to share 72 years together; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Sutton graduated from law school with honors in |
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1941 and briefly practiced in San Antonio; at the start of World War |
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II, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special |
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agent, and later, during the Korean War, he served as a first |
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lieutenant, Judge Advocate General's Corps, in the United States |
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Army Reserves; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1950, Mr. Sutton returned to San Angelo to |
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practice law with his wife and his father, a retired district court |
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judge; his sterling qualifications led the UT School of Law to |
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appoint him as a tenured full professor in 1957 although he had |
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never taught law before, and he won a teaching excellence award very |
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early in his career; bringing real-world experience to the |
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classroom, he helped his students gain a greater understanding of |
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legal principles, and his sense of humor, as well as his intellect |
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and insight, made lessons especially memorable; he also taught at a |
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number of other institutions over the years, among them Texas Tech |
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University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and South |
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Texas School of Law; and |
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WHEREAS, This brilliant scholar gained national recognition |
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for his particular expertise in legal ethics, evidence, and torts; |
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he was one of the original drafters of the American Bar |
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Association's Model Rules of Professional Responsibility, and he |
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served two terms on its Standing Committee on Ethics and |
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Professional Responsibility; moreover, he served as chair of the |
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Professional Ethics Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and in |
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1977, he was the evidence advisor for the joint committee of the |
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Texas Senate and House of Representatives during its hearing |
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regarding Texas Supreme Court justice Don Yarbrough; Mr. Sutton was |
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the coauthor of two editions of Cases and Materials on Professional |
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Responsibility and of several editions of McCormick, Elliott, and |
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Sutton, Cases and Materials on Evidence; and |
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WHEREAS, Appointed head of the law school in 1979, Dean |
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Sutton promoted a collegial, productive environment, setting a |
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standard of excellence while retaining his easygoing, unassuming |
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ways; he dedicated himself to advancing the school's reputation |
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through the recruitment and retention of top-notch faculty, and he |
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was an inspiring mentor and role model; after concluding his tenure |
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as dean in 1984, he continued to teach until his retirement in 2003 |
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at the age of 85, and at 90, he was appointed to the state bar's |
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Standing Committee on Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The law school presented Dean Sutton with its |
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Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1990, and it later named one of its |
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eight societies in his honor and established the Dean John |
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F. Sutton, Jr. Chair in Lawyering and the Legal Process through an |
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endowment by a former student; in addition, the Texas Law Review |
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Association created the John F. Sutton, Jr. Endowed Presidential |
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Scholarship in Law, and the Texas Bar Foundation presented him with |
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an Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award; Dean Sutton was a fellow of the |
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American Bar Foundation and a life member of the Texas Bar |
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Foundation; and |
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WHEREAS, In his leisure time, he loved to travel with his |
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wife, and they visited every state in the country as well as many |
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countries in Europe, Africa, and South America; he also raised |
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Black Angus cattle and maintained horses at a small farm south of |
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Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, John Sutton left a lasting imprint on the legal |
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profession and made a positive difference in innumerable lives; |
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although he will be deeply missed, his contributions will continue |
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to resonate for years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Dean John |
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F. Sutton, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of |
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his family: to his wife of 72 years, Nancy Ewing Sutton; to his |
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daughter, Nancy Joan Sutton Parr, and her husband, Dr. Tom Parr; to |
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his son, Judge John Ewing Sutton, and his wife, Judy Harris Sutton; |
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to his grandchildren, Robert Parr and his wife, Michelle, Stephen |
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Parr and his wife, Wendy, Brandon Ducote and his wife, Kathy, and |
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Joshua Ewing Sutton and his wife, Eduarda; to his |
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great-grandchildren, Bailey Parr, Julia Parr, Alma Marie Sutton, |
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John Michael Sutton, Louis Gabriel Sutton, Alan Justin Ducote, and |
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Savannah Nicole Ducote; to his sister, Dorothy Galgowski, and her |
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husband, Vic; and to his other relatives and friends; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House |
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of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dean |
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John F. Sutton, Jr. |