83R25094 BPG-D
By: Darby H.R. No. 1912
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a distinguished native son
on April 19, 2013, with the passing of John F. Sutton, Jr., former
dean of The University of Texas School of Law; and
WHEREAS, Born in Alpine on January 26, 1918, John Sutton was
the son of John and Pauline Sutton; he grew up in San Angelo and
worked on his father's ranch in Tom Green County before graduating
from San Angelo High School; while attending the UT School of Law,
he met a classmate, Nancy Ewing, whom he married on June 1, 1940;
the couple would go on to become the parents of two treasured
children, Nancy and John, and to share 72 years together; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Sutton graduated from law school with honors in
1941 and briefly practiced in San Antonio; at the start of World War
II, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special
agent, and later, during the Korean War, he served as a first
lieutenant, Judge Advocate General's Corps, in the United States
Army Reserves; and
WHEREAS, In 1950, Mr. Sutton returned to San Angelo to
practice law with his wife and his father, a retired district court
judge; his sterling qualifications led the UT School of Law to
appoint him as a tenured full professor in 1957 although he had
never taught law before, and he won a teaching excellence award very
early in his career; bringing real-world experience to the
classroom, he helped his students gain a greater understanding of
legal principles, and his sense of humor, as well as his intellect
and insight, made lessons especially memorable; he also taught at a
number of other institutions over the years, among them Texas Tech
University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and South
Texas School of Law; and
WHEREAS, This brilliant scholar gained national recognition
for his particular expertise in legal ethics, evidence, and torts;
he was one of the original drafters of the American Bar
Association's Model Rules of Professional Responsibility, and he
served two terms on its Standing Committee on Ethics and
Professional Responsibility; moreover, he served as chair of the
Professional Ethics Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and in
1977, he was the evidence advisor for the joint committee of the
Texas Senate and House of Representatives during its hearing
regarding Texas Supreme Court justice Don Yarbrough; Mr. Sutton was
the coauthor of two editions of Cases and Materials on Professional
Responsibility and of several editions of McCormick, Elliott, and
Sutton, Cases and Materials on Evidence; and
WHEREAS, Appointed head of the law school in 1979, Dean
Sutton promoted a collegial, productive environment, setting a
standard of excellence while retaining his easygoing, unassuming
ways; he dedicated himself to advancing the school's reputation
through the recruitment and retention of top-notch faculty, and he
was an inspiring mentor and role model; after concluding his tenure
as dean in 1984, he continued to teach until his retirement in 2003
at the age of 85, and at 90, he was appointed to the state bar's
Standing Committee on Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct;
and
WHEREAS, The law school presented Dean Sutton with its
Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1990, and it later named one of its
eight societies in his honor and established the Dean John
F. Sutton, Jr. Chair in Lawyering and the Legal Process through an
endowment by a former student; in addition, the Texas Law Review
Association created the John F. Sutton, Jr. Endowed Presidential
Scholarship in Law, and the Texas Bar Foundation presented him with
an Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award; Dean Sutton was a fellow of the
American Bar Foundation and a life member of the Texas Bar
Foundation; and
WHEREAS, In his leisure time, he loved to travel with his
wife, and they visited every state in the country as well as many
countries in Europe, Africa, and South America; he also raised
Black Angus cattle and maintained horses at a small farm south of
Austin; and
WHEREAS, John Sutton left a lasting imprint on the legal
profession and made a positive difference in innumerable lives;
although he will be deeply missed, his contributions will continue
to resonate for years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Dean John
F. Sutton, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of
his family: to his wife of 72 years, Nancy Ewing Sutton; to his
daughter, Nancy Joan Sutton Parr, and her husband, Dr. Tom Parr; to
his son, Judge John Ewing Sutton, and his wife, Judy Harris Sutton;
to his grandchildren, Robert Parr and his wife, Michelle, Stephen
Parr and his wife, Wendy, Brandon Ducote and his wife, Kathy, and
Joshua Ewing Sutton and his wife, Eduarda; to his
great-grandchildren, Bailey Parr, Julia Parr, Alma Marie Sutton,
John Michael Sutton, Louis Gabriel Sutton, Alan Justin Ducote, and
Savannah Nicole Ducote; to his sister, Dorothy Galgowski, and her
husband, Vic; and to his other relatives and friends; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dean
John F. Sutton, Jr.