86R9721 BPG-D
By: Price H.R. No. 348
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a trailblazing jurist with
the death of Mary Lou Robinson of Amarillo on January 26, 2019, at
the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, Born to Gerald and Frances Strueber in Dodge City,
Kansas, on August 25, 1926, the former Mary Lou Strueber grew up in
Amarillo; she met her future husband, A. J. Robinson, at The
University of Texas School of Law, and they established the
Robinson & Robinson firm in Amarillo; in 1955, Ms. Robinson was
appointed judge of the Potter County Court-at-Law, and she later
became judge of the 108th District Court and associate justice and
then chief justice of the 7th Court of Appeals; in 1979, she was
appointed by President Jimmy Carter as United States district judge
for the Northern District of Texas, a position she held for almost
four decades; and
WHEREAS, Judge Robinson was known for her fairness,
integrity, and meticulous application of the law; she ran her
courtroom with tremendous professionalism, and she dug deeply into
the issues of every case in order to understand all aspects; while
serving as a role model and mentor to other women in the legal
community, she also advocated powerfully for women's rights and the
passage of the Texas Equal Rights Amendment, and she helped to
effect change in laws that prohibited married women from entering
into binding contracts; in 2018, she became the first woman within a
five-state area to have a federal courthouse named in her honor; and
WHEREAS, The devoted mother of three children, Rebecca,
Diana, and Matthew, Judge Robinson taught them the importance of
family, hard work, honesty, and service; she eventually knew the
joy of becoming a proud grandmother and great-grandmother; deeply
committed to the community, she served on the boards of a host of
civic organizations, and she was an elder of Westminster
Presbyterian Church; and
WHEREAS, Mary Lou Robinson set an inspiring example as a
pioneer of the Texas judiciary and a pillar of the legal community
for over six decades, and she will be remembered with admiration and
affection by all who were fortunate enough to know her; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Mary Lou Robinson and
extend sincere sympathy to the members of her family: to her
children, Rebecca McCoy and her husband, Mark, Diana Robinson and
her fiancé, Ed Hatchett, and Matthew Robinson and his wife, Mary; to
her grandchildren, Jeremy Gruhlkey and his wife, Naeun Rim, Bradley
Gruhlkey, Ashley Kelley and her husband, Taylor, Rachel Robinson
and Joel Lehtinen, Blake Elms and her husband, Gatlin, David Tubb
and his wife, Hayley, and Frances Tubb; to her
granddaughter-in-law, Elana Harvey; to her nine
great-grandchildren; and to her many other relatives and friends;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the
Honorable Mary Lou Robinson.