Bill Text: TX HR261 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 3rd Special Session | Enrolled

Texas House Resolution 261 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: In memory of Starling Thomas Morris of Amarillo.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-10-26 - Reported enrolled [HR261 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HR261-Enrolled.html



	H.R. No. 261



	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Texas legal community lost one of its giants
	with the passing of Starling Thomas Morris of Amarillo on October 4,
	2021, at the age of 101; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Penelope on November 12, 1919, Tom Morris
	was the second son of James L. Morris and Alice B. Morris; he grew up
	in Maypearl and attended North Texas Agricultural College and The
	University of Texas Law School before World War II interrupted his
	education; called up by the U.S. Navy Air Corps, he served with Air
	Group 80 and flew the SB2C Helldiver and F6F Hellcat fighter from
	the USS Ticonderoga and the USS Hancock; he also piloted an F4U-4
	Corsair fighter-bomber in preparation for the attack on Japan;
	along the way, he survived a midair collision that led to six months
	in a hospital; he attained the rank of lieutenant senior grade
	before his discharge; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Morris returned to UT Law, where he was an
	editor of the Texas Law Review and a member of Chancellors and Order
	of the Coif; upon graduation in 1946, he was elected to the faculty,
	and he taught the school's first course on legal argument and
	writing; in addition, he taught the torts class in a separate law
	school that the university established for Black scholars; he began
	practicing in Harlingen in 1948, and the following year, he moved to
	Amarillo, where he joined the firm of Gibson, Ochsner, and Adkins,
	as it was eventually known; upon its dissolution in 2003, he became
	a shareholder in the Underwood Law Firm, and he continued to
	practice there for the rest of his life; he was a generous mentor to
	younger attorneys over the years; and
	WHEREAS, Among numerous accomplishments, Mr. Morris won a
	landmark Supreme Court case, Graham v. Deere, which established the
	law of non-obvious subject matter in patent cases; the decision has
	been cited in more than 30,000 cases and legal articles and was
	reaffirmed by the highest court three times in recent years; he
	successfully argued a long list of cases before the Texas Supreme
	Court, the Texas Courts of Appeals, and the United States Court of
	Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; admired for his ethics and
	collegiality, as well as for his brilliance, he was named a Fellow
	of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American College of Trial
	Lawyers; his myriad accolades included the Texas Legal Legend Award
	from the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas, the Chief
	Justice Charles L. Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Tom
	Arnold Lifetime Achievement Award from the Intellectual Property
	Section of the State Bar; and
	WHEREAS, While the law was a source of endless fascination to
	Mr. Morris, he was devoted above all to his treasured family; he
	shared a fulfilling marriage of 68 years with his wife, Estella
	Garnett Morris, until her passing in 2011, and he took great pride
	in their two daughters, Linda and Vicki, and three granddaughters,
	Skye, Autumn, and Aureóle; in his free time, he was an avid golfer,
	and he achieved a single-digit handicap and scored five holes in
	one; he served as president of the Texas Tri-State Senior Golf
	Association and played in its tournament for many years, and he was
	twice the recipient of the Colonel Bogey Award; the Amarillo
	Country Club recognized him for six decades of work to improve its
	golf course, and a plaque was placed at the Starter's Shack honoring
	his contributions; and
	WHEREAS, Although Tom Morris is deeply missed, he leaves
	behind a remarkable professional legacy, as well as numerous
	friends and loved ones whose lives are far richer for having known
	him; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
	Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
	of Starling Thomas Morris and extend sincere condolences to the
	members of his family: to his daughters, Linda Lee Willard and Vicki
	Rey Fineran; to his granddaughters, Skye, Autumn, and Aureóle
	Fineran; to his sister, Alice Beth Willis; and to his other
	relatives and 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 Starling
	Thomas Morris.

	Price

	______________________________
	Speaker of the House

	I certify that H.R. No. 261 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the House on October 18, 2021.

	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House