81R13167 JH-D
By: Gattis H.R. No. 882
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A lifetime of meaningful judicial, legal, and
community service drew to a close with the passing of the Honorable
William S. Lott of Georgetown on February 11, 2009, at the age of
90; and
WHEREAS, Judge Lott presided over the 26th Judicial District
from 1977 until his retirement in 1992; his dedication to closely
interpreting the state's laws was widely known, and his integrity
and detail-oriented approach to legal issues inspired numerous
other lawyers and judges through the years; and
WHEREAS, William Sunday Lott was born on April 28, 1918, in
Clarendon and spent his youth in Amarillo; after studying at
Centenary College in Louisiana and earning his law degree from The
University of Texas School of Law in 1940, he served in the Security
Intelligence Corps of the U.S. Army during World War II; his duties
while in uniform included serving as a special agent to the 1945
peace conference that resulted in the organization of the United
Nations; and
WHEREAS, In 1944, Mr. Lott wed Ellagene Eanes, and they
settled in Georgetown following the war; the couple raised two
children, Cathy and Bill, and their marriage continued for 51
years, until Mrs. Lott's passing in 1995; and
WHEREAS, Judge Lott was a skilled lawyer who served as
assistant attorney general for the State of Texas from 1947 to 1952
and worked as the assistant county attorney for Williamson County;
he also maintained a private law practice in Georgetown prior to his
election to the bench in 1976; and
WHEREAS, This innovative judge played a central role in
efforts to build the Central Texas Treatment Center, which provides
alcohol and drug rehabilitation services, and he also oversaw
important changes to the juvenile probation system and urged the
construction of a juvenile detention center; once completed, that
center was named in Judge Lott's honor, and he also received a
number of other honors and tributes through the years, being named
Man of the Year by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce in 1979, a
fellow of the Texas State Bar Association in 1984, and receiving the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgetown Area Community
Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Judge Lott's commitment to his community extended
beyond the courtroom; he was an active participant in a long list of
organizations, committees, and charity efforts, which included the
Masonic Lodge, the Georgetown Rotary and Lions Clubs, the United
Way, the Georgetown Citizens' Advisory Committee, and many more;
remembered as a courtly gentleman who proudly upheld dignified
traditions both inside and outside the courtroom, William Lott had
a lasting and profound effect on the citizens of Williamson County,
and his legacy will be respected far into the future; 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
S. 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
William S. Lott.