SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 756
In Memory
of
Harlow L. Sprouse
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas honors and
commemorates the life of Harlow L. Sprouse, who died April 5, 2013,
at the age of 82; and
WHEREAS, This proud Texan was a towering figure in legal
ethics and jurisprudence; as a civil trial lawyer, as a leader in
the State Bar of Texas, and as an author, he made a profound and
lasting impact on Texas law; and
WHEREAS, Harlow Sprouse was born March 19, 1931, in Vega,
Texas; he served in the United States Air Force in the early 1950s
and graduated from the University of North Texas in 1956; he then
attended The University of Texas School of Law, where he
participated in the school's first annual Moot Court; he won Moot
Court in 1959, was named the Outstanding Senior Student, and
graduated third in his class with a doctorate in jurisprudence; in
1960, he received the second-highest score on the bar exam; and
WHEREAS, Harlow joined the Underwood Law Firm in Amarillo,
and in 1966, he became a partner; he was certified by the Texas
Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Trial Law and served as
president of the Amarillo Bar and as director of the State Bar of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, In 1980, Harlow had the distinct honor of being
elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; he
coauthored the Texas Trial Notebook in 1984, and he was the
cowriter of the Texas Lawyer's Creed, the Supreme Court-approved
guide in civility and professionalism for all attorneys; and
WHEREAS, For more than 20 years, Harlow served as a board
member for the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism,
and his colleagues in the law profession honored him by asking him
to run for president of the State Bar of Texas seven times; and
WHEREAS, This venerable gentleman had a far-reaching
influence on the Texas legal system, and his firm, Sprouse
Shrader Smith, is today one of the foremost law firms in the
Southwest; and
WHEREAS, Harlow was proud of his family and was devoted to
his wife of almost 55 years, Jerre; he was a doting father and
grandfather and was noted for his warmth and wit, and he leaves
behind memories that will forever be cherished by all who had the
good fortune to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved
family of Harlow L. Sprouse; 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 Harlow Sprouse.
Seliger
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 1, 2013, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate