Bill Text: TX SR402 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled

Texas Senate Resolution 402 (Prior Session Legislation)

Enrolled

Bill Title: In memory of Jack Pope.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2017-03-09 - Reported enrolled [SR402 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-SR402-Enrolled.html


	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 402


	In Memory
	of
	Jack Pope

	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins citizens
	across the state in mourning the loss of the Honorable Jack Pope,
	a beloved and revered citizen who died on February 25, 2017, at
	the age of 103; and

	WHEREAS, Jack Pope was born on April 18, 1913, in Abilene,
	and graduated from the Abilene public school system; in 1934,
	he earned a bachelor of arts degree from Abilene Christian
	University, and in 1937, he earned a law degree from The
	University of Texas at Austin, where he was editor of the Texas
	Law Review; and

	WHEREAS, While in Austin, Jack met Allene Nichols, a fellow
	recent graduate; they married on June 11, 1938, and they soon
	moved to Corpus Christi; Jack began practicing law with his
	uncle, W. E. Pope, but like so many patriots, he postponed his
	career to serve his country during World War II; he joined the
	United States Navy and served with distinction as a cryptologist
	in Washington, D.C.; and

	WHEREAS, In 1964, he was elected to the Texas Supreme Court,
	and in 1982, Governor Bill Clements appointed him chief justice
	of the Texas Supreme Court; Justice Pope presided on the bench
	for 38 years and is among the longest-serving judges on the state's
	high courts; and

	WHEREAS, Among his many accomplishments on the bench,
	Justice Pope initiated new procedures for handling grievances
	against attorneys, promulgated the Texas Rules of Judicial
	Education, wrote the first jury handbook, and sponsored the
	creation of the Texas State Law Library; he worked with judicial
	colleagues to establish an Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts
	program, which provides civil legal services to more than 100,000
	poor families across Texas, and he was also considered an expert
	on matters of complex water laws in Texas and the southwestern
	United States; and

	WHEREAS, After he retired, he developed the Jack Pope Fellows
	Program at Abilene Christian University to provide scholarships
	to students interested in careers in public service; he has been
	honored as an Outstanding Alumnus of both Abilene Christian
	University and The University of Texas at Austin, and in 2010,
	the State Bar of Texas honored him with the Lifetime Achievement
	Award; and

	WHEREAS, Above all things, Jack prioritized matters of
	family; he shared 66 years of marriage with Allene, and he built
	on to their home to take care of his in-laws after Allene's father
	suffered a stroke; Jack was blessed with two children, three
	grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, who were a source
	of immense pride and joy; and

	WHEREAS, Jack Pope was a highly respected member of the
	community, and he made immeasurable contributions to the Texas
	Judicial System; in 2014, the Texas Supreme Court Historical
	Society published Common Law Judge: Selected Writings of Chief
	Justice Jack Pope of Texas, a collection of essays and opinions
	and a biography of this truly distinguished Texan who has left
	behind a proud and lasting legacy in the Lone Star State; now,
	therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
	Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved
	family of Jack Pope; and, be it further

	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
	his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas
	Senate and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in
	memory of Jack Pope.

	Watson



		________________________________
		President of the Senate

		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on March 9, 2017, by a
		rising vote.



		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate



		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate