81R9658 JKB-D
By: Maldonado H.R. No. 690
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Williamson County lost a respected
court judge and a beloved member of the community with the passing
of the Honorable William Sunday Lott on February 11, 2009, at the
age of 90; and
WHEREAS, Born on April 28, 1918, to Hervey and Fannie Lott,
William Lott grew up in Amarillo and earned his law degree from The
University of Texas School of Law in 1940; answering his nation's
call to duty during World War II, he served with the U.S. Army
Security Intelligence Corps and was selected to travel to San
Francisco for the conference where the United Nations was
organized; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lott married the former Ellagene Eanes in 1944,
and the couple were blessed with two children, Cathy and Bill, and
two grandchildren, Ryan and Neal; Mr. Lott served as assistant
attorney general for the State of Texas from 1947 to 1952 and
afterward opened a private law practice in Georgetown; and
WHEREAS, In 1976, he was elected judge of the 26th District
Court of Williamson County; during his 16 years of dedicated
service on the bench, he played a pivotal role in establishing the
county's "tough on crime" reputation; an expert on evidence and
procedure, he was passionate about the law and maintained a strict,
no-nonsense atmosphere in his courtroom; he was instrumental in the
creation of the Central Texas Treatment Center for drug and alcohol
rehabilitation and instituted salient reforms to the county's
juvenile probation system; the county paid tribute to his life and
work in 1986 by naming the William S. Lott Juvenile Center in his
honor; following his retirement from the court in 1992, Judge Lott
continued to share his knowledge and expertise with members of the
court, keeping himself available to fill in as a visiting judge; and
WHEREAS, Judge Lott received numerous accolades in his
distinguished career, including the Man of the Year honor from the
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce in 1979 and a Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Georgetown Area Community Foundation, and he was
elected president of the Williamson County Bar Association; and
WHEREAS, Active in his community, Judge Lott was a director
of First National Bank in Georgetown, a Mason for more than 60
years, and a member of the Georgetown Rotary and Lions Clubs;
moreover, he was a congregant at First United Methodist Church of
Georgetown, where he served as a trustee; he also served on the
regional boards of the Wesleyan Home, the United Way, the American
Cancer Society, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, and the
Georgetown Citizens' Advisory Committee; and
WHEREAS, A quintessential Southern gentleman with a wicked
sense of humor, William Lott served the residents of Williamson
County with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering devotion to
the well-being of his community and its citizens, and all those
fortunate enough to have known him will forever cherish their
memories of this esteemed Texan; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable William
Sunday Lott and express sincere sympathy to the members of his
family: to his children, Cathy Lott Durr and Bill Hervey Lott and
his wife, Gisela; to his grandchildren, Ryan Travis Lott and Neal
Brandon Lott; 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 Judge Lott.