This website will be unavailable from Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, June 3, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.

 
 
  H.R. No. 1228
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Citizens from across the Lone Star State are
  mourning the loss of former Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice
  Jack Pope Jr., who passed away on February 25, 2017, at the age of
  103; and
         WHEREAS, Andrew Jackson "Jack" Pope Jr. was born in Abilene
  on April 18, 1913, to Dr. Andrew Jackson Pope Sr., a pioneer
  physician, and Ruth Adelia Taylor; after graduating from Abilene
  High School in 1930, he attended Abilene Christian University,
  where he served as president of the student association, earned
  letters in debate and tennis, and graduated with a bachelor of arts
  degree in 1934; he continued his education at The University of
  Texas at Austin, serving as student editor of the Texas Law Review
  and receiving a bachelor of laws degree in 1937; and
         WHEREAS, In June of that year, Mr. Pope was licensed to
  practice law in Texas, and he moved to Corpus Christi to join the
  firm of his uncle, former state representative Walter E. Pope; he
  soon established himself as a capable attorney whose practice dealt
  with criminal and civil matters, including creditors' rights, oil
  and gas issues, real estate transactions, and personal injury and
  family law; at the encouragement of his uncle, he also took
  appellate cases, which he briefed and argued before the Court of
  Civil Appeals in San Antonio and the Supreme Court of Texas; and
         WHEREAS, On June 11, 1938, Jack Pope married Allene Nichols,
  a fellow UT graduate; in the course of a loving partnership that
  lasted 66 years, they became the proud parents of two sons,
  A. J. and Allen; and
         WHEREAS, Following the outbreak of World War II, this
  patriotic Texan enlisted in the U.S. Navy, even though as a father,
  he was exempt from the draft; he served his country as a
  cryptologist in Washington, D.C., and as part of the legal team at
  the Naval Air Training Station in Corpus Christi; and
         WHEREAS, Honorably discharged in 1946, Jack Pope established
  a private law practice with O. E. Cannon and Sam Pittman; soon
  after, he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of 94th District
  Court Judge Allen Wood; the youngest district judge in Texas at the
  time, he began speaking at legal institutes and bar association
  meetings and expressing his thoughts on the jury system, the best
  administration of court trials, and the proper methods to present
  and exclude evidence; and
         WHEREAS, Judge Pope went on to serve on the Fourth Court of
  Civil Appeals in San Antonio from 1950 to 1964; while a member of
  that bench, he helped reshape Texas water law by analyzing the
  question of riparian rights of irrigation in Spanish and Mexican
  land grants; his seminal opinion in the matter was subsequently
  adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas; years later, author James A.
  Michener sought Mr. Pope's expertise on the historical role of
  water when researching his acclaimed 1985 novel, Texas; and
         WHEREAS, In 1964, Jack Pope was elected to the Supreme Court
  of Texas, and as an associate justice, he led efforts to enact
  judicial and procedural reforms and helped draft significant
  rulings on property rights; he was appointed by Governor William
  P. Clements as the 23rd chief justice in 1982 and elected to that
  position two years later; and
         WHEREAS, Known for the clarity of his thought and writing,
  Chief Justice Pope served as a Texas judge for 38 years, the longest
  judicial tenure in the state's history; he wrote more than 1,000
  opinions and over 70 law-related articles, a staggering amount that
  represents the largest contribution by a single individual to the
  jurisprudence of the Lone Star State; and
         WHEREAS, This remarkable public servant, who began his career
  before the advent of formal judicial training, was an advocate for
  the professional education of Texas judges; his efforts culminated
  in the establishment of compulsory judicial education and the
  adoption of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct by the Supreme Court
  of Texas; and
         WHEREAS, Committed to ensuring justice for all Texans, Jack
  Pope was instrumental in establishing the first permanent funding
  source for legal aid in this state; rather than relying on tax
  revenue, his plan uses interest paid out on attorneys' client-trust
  accounts, and the money generated by this program currently funds
  legal services for more than 100,000 families in such matters as
  wrongful foreclosure, domestic violence, and cases where veterans
  have not received their earned benefits; in 2013, in tribute to his
  trailblazing efforts in behalf of legal aid, the Texas Legislature
  passed the Chief Justice Jack Pope Act, which increased from $10
  million to $50 million the amount that the Office of the Attorney
  General can transfer to the Supreme Court of Texas to support the
  provision of basic legal services for those who cannot otherwise
  afford them; and
         WHEREAS, In retirement, Chief Justice Pope donated most of
  his papers to Abilene Christian University and The University of
  Texas School of Law; in addition, he made a special contribution, a
  portion of his personal law library, to the University of North
  Texas at Dallas College of Law; this generous gift included a
  complete set of signed South Western Reporters, bound compilations
  of reported judicial decisions in the southwestern United States;
  and
         WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope also played a crucial role in
  establishing the State Law Library as a separate agency in 1971 and
  served as a member emeritus of the Friends of the State Law Library
  Board of Directors; the library later recognized him and another
  former chief justice, the late Joe Greenhill, with the creation of
  the Greenhill-Pope Law Book Fund; he further contributed to his
  profession as a charter member of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics
  and as a cofounder of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society,
  which published a collection of his writings under the title Common
  Law Judge; and
         WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope credited Abilene Christian
  University with his many achievements, and in return for the
  invaluable lessons he learned there, he became one of the school's
  staunchest supporters, joining the board of trustees in 1954 and
  serving on the senior board for many years; he also chaired the
  board for the Christian Chronicle newspaper; in appreciation for
  his immeasurable service to the university, Abilene Christian
  conferred on him an Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award and a
  Change the World Award, and since 1989, through the Jack Pope
  Fellows Program, it has bestowed scholarships on outstanding
  students intending to pursue a career in public service; and
         WHEREAS, Among countless other accolades, Chief Justice Pope
  received four honorary degrees, the inaugural Judicial Lifetime
  Achievement Award from the State Bar of Texas, the inaugural Chief
  Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award from the Texas Center for
  Legal Ethics, and an Outstanding Alumnus Award from The University
  of Texas School of Law; and
         WHEREAS, In his final years, Chief Justice Pope remained
  deeply grateful for his friends, neighbors, members of his church,
  University Avenue Church of Christ, his longtime secretary, the
  late Peggy Littlefield, and Lauren Barrett and the team of
  caregivers whom he affectionately referred to as the "Little United
  Nations" and about whom he wrote a book, describing them and their
  ideas on caring for the elderly; and
         WHEREAS, A true Texas statesman, Jack Pope was motivated not
  by love of self but rather by an abiding concern for others, and
  those he leaves behind will continue to find inspiration in his
  accomplishments for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Chief Justice Jack
  Pope and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to
  his sons, A. J. Pope III and his wife, Carla, and Allen Pope and his
  wife, Karen; to his grandchildren, Drew Pope, Ryan Pope and his
  wife, Erin, and Billie Pope Locke and her husband, Jeff; to his
  great-grandchildren, Dylan and Peyton Locke and Carinn and Caitlin
  Pope; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the
  Honorable Jack Pope Jr.
 
 
Clardy Lambert
 
Gooden King of Parker
 
Howard Alonzo
 
Bell Burrows
 
Cain Darby
 
Hefner Hunter
 
Krause Landgraf
 
Leach Meyer
 
Murr Price
 
Rinaldi Schaefer
 
Schofield Schubert
 
Smithee Villalba
 
 
Straus Goldman Oliverson
 
Allen Gonzales of Williamson Ortega
 
Alonzo González of El Paso Paddie
 
Alvarado Gooden Parker
 
Anchia Guerra Paul
 
Anderson of Dallas Guillen Perez
 
Anderson of McLennan Gutierrez Phelan
 
Arévalo Hefner Phillips
 
Ashby Hernandez Pickett
 
Bailes Herrero Price
 
Bell Hinojosa Raney
 
Bernal Holland Raymond
 
Biedermann Howard Reynolds
 
Blanco Huberty Rinaldi
 
Bohac Hunter Roberts
 
Bonnen of Brazoria Isaac Rodriguez of Bexar
 
Bonnen of Galveston Israel Rodriguez of Travis
 
Burkett Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
 
Burns Johnson of Harris Rose
 
Burrows Kacal Sanford
 
Button Keough Schaefer
 
Cain King of Hemphill Schofield
 
Canales King of Parker Schubert
 
Capriglione King of Uvalde Shaheen
 
Clardy Klick Sheffield
 
Coleman Koop Shine
 
Collier Krause Simmons
 
Cook Kuempel Smithee
 
Cortez Lambert Springer
 
Cosper Landgraf Stephenson
 
Craddick Lang Stickland
 
Cyrier Larson Stucky
 
Dale Laubenberg Swanson
 
Darby Leach Thierry
 
Davis of Dallas Longoria Thompson of Brazoria
 
Davis of Harris Lozano Thompson of Harris
 
Dean Lucio III Tinderholt
 
Deshotel Martinez Turner
 
Dukes Metcalf Uresti
 
Dutton Meyer VanDeaver
 
Elkins Miller Villalba
 
Faircloth Minjarez Vo
 
Fallon Moody Walle
 
Farrar Morrison White
 
Flynn Muñoz, Jr. Wilson
 
Frank Murphy Workman
 
Frullo Murr Wray
 
Geren Neave Wu
 
Gervin-Hawkins Nevárez Zedler
 
Giddings Oliveira Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 1228 was unanimously adopted by a rising
  vote of the House on April 13, 2017.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House