SLS 16RS-624 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 22
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of Judge Thomas Eaton Stagg Jr.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of United
3 States District Court Judge Thomas Eaton Stagg Jr.
4 WHEREAS, Judge Tom Stagg was born on January 19, 1923, to Thomas E. Stagg
5 Sr. and the former Beulah Meyer, and passed away in Shreveport on June 23, 2015, at the
6 age of ninety-two; and
7 WHEREAS, Judge Stagg graduated from C. E. Byrd High School in 1939, attended
8 Marion Military Institute in Alabama, and graduated from Louisiana State University with
9 a bachelor of art's degree in 1943; and
10 WHEREAS, he served in the United States Infantry during World War II in both
11 France and Germany during which time he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the
12 Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster; and
13 WHEREAS, Judge Stagg was saved from death when a German bullet struck the
14 New Testament he carried in his pocket, and he shared that story and showed the
15 bullet-scarred holy book to colleagues and friends for decades; and
16 WHEREAS, he briefly attended Cambridge University Law School in England and
17 LSU Law School, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1949; and
18 WHEREAS, Judge Stagg began his legal career at the firm of Hargrove, Guyton, Van
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SLS 16RS-624 ORIGINAL
1 Hook and Hargrove, was a solo practitioner from 1953 to 1958, and thereafter became the
2 senior partner with Stagg, Cady, Johnson and Haygood and the successor firm of Stagg,
3 Cady and Beard; and
4 WHEREAS, while maintaining a thriving legal practice, he was also active in
5 business and civic affairs, both locally and nationally, being very involved in the Jaycees,
6 the Saint John's Parents Club, the Shreveport Airport Authority, and the annual Red Mass
7 in the Shreveport-Bossier community; and
8 WHEREAS, he was awarded the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center's Distinguished
9 Alumnus award and named to the Byrd High Hall of Fame; and
10 WHEREAS, he was an active Republican at every level from the precinct on up,
11 serving as a five-time delegate to the Republican National Convention from 1956 to 1972
12 and as national committeeman as well as chairman on several of the committees; and
13 WHEREAS, he was an elected delegate to the 1974 Louisiana Constitutional
14 Convention; and
15 WHEREAS, Judge Stagg was appointed to the United States District Court for the
16 Western District of Louisiana in 1974, served as chief judge from 1984 to 1991, and
17 assumed senior status in 1992; and
18 WHEREAS, he continued as an active jurist for the remainder of his life and his
19 personal feeling was that "this was the best job a guy could have"; and
20 WHEREAS, he was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Betty Stagg of
21 Dallas, Texas; and is survived by his wife of sixty-nine years, Margaret O'Brien Stagg, and
22 daughters, Julie Harrington and husband, Martin, of Denver, Colorado, and Margaret Sour
23 of Shreveport; and
24 WHEREAS, "Pop Pop" is also survived by grandchildren, Sarah and Chris Garrett
25 of Shreveport, Annie and Brad Weinig of Denver, Lauren and Tom Harrington of Palo Alto,
26 California, and great-grandchildren Charlie Garrett, Maggie Garrett, and Pete Weinig; and
27 WHEREAS, Judge Stagg, known for his bow ties, enjoyed traveling, morning jaunts
28 with his walking group, Monday night badminton games, and photography, and he called
29 himself a "belly botanist" because he liked to get up close and personal with every
30 wildflower he hoped to capture; and
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SLS 16RS-624 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, he has been described as prepared, detail-oriented, spirited, patriotic,
2 full of wisdom and wit, and a great role model.
3 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
4 extend condolences to the family of United States District Court Judge Thomas Eaton Stagg
5 Jr.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to his
7 wife, Margaret O'Brien Stagg.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SCR 22 Original 2016 Regular Session Peacock
Expresses condolences upon the death of United States District Court Judge Thomas Eaton
Stagg Jr.
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