Class Notes

Tom Royce Doyal has passed away. A double Longhorn and U.S. Army veteran, Doyal’s law practice represented school districts across the state of Texas throughout his career.

Susana Alemán passed away March 21, 2025. A triple Longhorn, Alemán served as assistant dean for student affairs at Texas Law from 1984-2006 and established the Dean Alemán Sunflower Lawhorn Scholarship in 2022 to support Mexican-American law students.

Sam W. Lane Jr. passed away March 22, 2025. A proud double-Longhorn who served in the United States Army, Lane Jr. spent his career working at the private law practice he established in Dallas.

Scott Aston passed away on March 10, 2025. A business litigation attorney for over 35 years in Dallas, Aston was repeatedly recognized as a Super Lawyer for his excellence and dedication to his clients.

Wanda Allen passed away on Feb. 3, 2025. Allen forged a successful career as a plaintiff’s attorney, trying cases in multiple federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. She served as an attorney-adviser at Lowry Air Force Base and dedicated much of her time to empowering women in the workforce. Selected for a Federal Bar Association fact-finding delegation to China, the USSR, and Finland, she earned numerous commendations for her work.

Charles “Charlie” Ray Burton passed away on March 8, 2025. A Navy veteran, Burton forged a lifelong friendship and partnership with classmate Roy Q. Minton while at Texas Law. The two worked at the Travis County Attorney’s Office before founding their own Austin law firm, which eventually became known as Minton, Burton, Foster, & Collins.

Stanley Krysa passed away on March 1, 2025. After entering the U.S. Department of Justice under the Attorney General’s Honors Program, Krysa served as a trial attorney litigating federal tax violations for nearly 42 years. He earned many honors throughout his career, including the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award, the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, and the ABA Tax Section’s Ritholz Memorial Merit Award.

Olney Gray Wallis of Llano, Texas, passed away on November 18, 2024. A double Longhorn and Air Force veteran, Wallis served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, was an assistant U.S. attorney in Houston, and then practiced law as a federal criminal trial attorney for over 54 years. He received the Air Force Commendation Medal and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice for his outstanding performance.

Jeff Davis Jr. passed away on March 6, 2025. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He spent the rest of his career in private practice and as a judge for the Social Security Administration.

Bill Wiley passed away on February 28, 2025. A double Longhorn, Wiley began his career in politics, working for U.S. Representatives Homer Thornberry and Jake Pickle in Washington, D.C., before serving for more than two decades as vice president of governmental affairs for Standard Oil (Amoco).

Cora Lynn Meyer passed away on Feb. 24, 2025 in Lufkin, Texas.

Arthur Lee Pertile III passed away on Feb. 25, 2025. Throughout his career, Pertile served as the city attorney for numerous Texas cities including Waco, Katy, and Stafford, and most recently was a partner at Olson & Olson before his retirement.

Harry Charles Dishman Jr. passed away Feb. 18, 2025. A double Longhorn who had a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting, Dishman was a skillful salesman of luxury goods for Tiffany’s, Cartier, and Gump’s.

James Stripling passed away Jan. 23, 2025. Stripling served six years in the Army JAG Corps, becoming a captain. After returning home, he joined Decker Jones Law Firm, working there as a tax and estate attorney for the next 50 years.

Diana Dutton passed away on Feb. 3, 2025. Dutton was the first female attorney hired by the Environmental Protection Agency in the South-Central Region and among the few women at the EPA nationally in 1972. In 1981, she joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where she was a partner until her retirement.

Charles Hoffman passed away on Jan. 30, 2025. Hoffman, who served four years in the U.S. Air Force prior to law school, retired as senior counsel of ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Company in 2002. In his career, he argued several cases before the D.C. and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeals, and he contributed to the briefs for two Supreme Court cases.

James Coffee passed away on Jan. 7, 2025. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Coffee was deputy general counsel at Atlantic Richfield Company from 1973 until his retirement in 1998.

Ricky Brent Keis passed away Feb. 1, 2025. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Keis began his law career as an attorney in Fort Worth and was later appointed to the bench at County Court at Law No. 1, where he served until his retirement in 2010.

Edgar Foy Norton passed away on Jan. 25, 2025. Norton served in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corp (JAG) before continuing his professional life as an oil and gas attorney and landman in the Western U.S.

Mario J. Martinez passed away on Jan. 20, 2025. Martinez served as assistant U.S. attorney in 1965-67 and was subsequently appointed United States commissioner and United States magistrate. He entered private practice in 1973 and maintained his solo practice for the more than five decades.

Charles “Chuck” Louis Strehli passed away Jan. 17, 2025. After serving in the U.S. Army and graduating from law school, Strehli ran his own independent Amway business for 60 years.

Anne W. Johnston passed away Dec. 8, 2024. In addition to her numerous charitable pursuits, Johnston, who helped found the Texas Lawyers Auxiliary, practiced law full-time after her sons were grown and was board certified in estate planning and probate law.

Justice C. H. “Terry” McCall, passed away on January 3, 2024. As a law students, he was a member of the Texas Law Review, Order of the Coif, Chancellors, and Phi Delta Phi. McCall was elected to the Eleventh Court of Appeals in 1998, and served until 2013. After retiring, he continued to serve as a senior appellate judge to the Eleventh Court of Appeals.

David Wayne Wilson passed away January 6, 2025. A double Longhorn, Wilson earned his law degree in 1989.

Stephen Dale “Steve” Carlton passed away December 29, 2024. Carlton established the Carlton Law Practice in Orange, Texas, where he served the community for 50 years.

Michael Schattle passed away on Dec. 2, 2024. As an attorney, Schattle represented refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants for Church World Service.

Lawrence Mealer passed away Dec. 14, 2024. Mealer began his career at Dallas Legal Services and later served as a civil attorney in private practice for over 48 years.

Thomas Robert Felger passed away on Dec. 24, 2024. Felger pursued a legal career after completing 27 years of active duty and reserve service in the U.S. Navy, retiring as captain. From 1992 to 2009, Felger was a partner attorney with Baker Botts, where he worked with oil and gas companies along with technology and device companies.

William Griffith Lawhon passed away on Dec. 22, 2024. Lawhon practiced law with the Butler & Binion law firm for 33 years, where he became partner in 1976, before practicing at Schlanger, Silver, Barg & Paine from 1999 to 2016. Lawhon also served in the United States Naval Reserves and the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps for 14 years, and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 1982.

Terri Lynn Harris Motl passed away on Dec. 13, 2024. Motl was one of the first board-certified family law attorneys in San Angelo, Texas.

Joseph Bart Budetti passed away on Dec. 11, 2024. After starting his legal career in Florida including nine years as Broward County judge, Budetti was the senior assistant city attorney in Overland Park, Kansas, for 21 years.

Jeri Stone passed away Nov. 26, 2024. Stone worked as a writer, attorney, and lobbyist with the Texas Classroom Teachers Association for over four decades and served as executive director from 1985 – 2022.

John “Buck” Ritts passed away Nov. 23, 2024. Prior to spending 25 years as an assistant attorney general for the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Ritts was assistant county attorney for Travis County. He also worked with the Water Rights Commission, private law firms, and the Independent Cattlemen’s Association.

Robert “Bob” Barnes Thornton passed away Nov. 22, 2024. Thornton co-founded the firm Thornton & Summers in San Antonio, which later became Thornton, Biechlin, Reynolds and Guerra with additional offices in Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and McAllen.

Clyde Wesley (Wes) Clements passed away Dec. 9, 1941. A member of the Texas Bar Association, Clements practiced criminal law in Houston until 2022.

George Walter Rockwell passed away Nov. 29, 2024. Following law school graduation, Rockwell moved to Houston, where he practiced corporate law for 56 years.

Judge Ogden Bass passed away Nov. 23, 2024. Judge Bass served as Brazoria County District Attorney for four terms and also served three terms as a judge in the 300th District.

Mack Ray Hernandez passed away in late August of 2024 after more than 20 years of battling metastatic breast cancer. A double Longhorn, he had his own practice—the Hernandez Law Firm in Austin—where he specialized in wills, probate, and real estate.

Bert Massey passed away Nov. 13, 2024. Massey served as mayor of Brownwood, Texas, for 26 years and previously was a partner in the law firm of Massey, Shaw, and West.

Erton Frank Tate passed away Nov. 14, 2024. Tate, who practiced both law and accounting throughout his career, spent more than 50 years helping clients at Tate, Gowan & Wilson and its predecessors.

Edward Dunbar passed away on Oct. 30, 2024. After starting his legal career as a public defender, Dunbar committed over 30 years to developing El Paso Community College. He specialized in school and labor law, serving as general counsel to the college and other educational institutions and school districts in the area.

Frank McClendon Jr. passed away on Oct. 28, 2024. During McClendon’s 50-year legal career as an expert in negotiating major construction contracts, he worked in 35 countries and 30 states for various companies. He later founded his own firm, McClendon & Associates.

Edward Carstarphen passed away passed away on Oct. 16, 2024. Carstarphen served a 40-year career as a civil trial lawyer in Houston, representing Fortune 500 corporations in product liability and toxic tort litigation. He was a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a fellow of Litigation Counsel of America, and served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William Cornelius of the Court of Appeals, Sixth District of Texas.

Richard Grainger passed away on Nov. 1, 2024. Grainger practiced law for over six decades in East Texas originally with the Ramey firm, then later focusing on mediation in the areas of infringement and personal injury. Grainger served the legal community in many leadership roles including president of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, the International Defense Lawyers Association, and the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association. He also was a member of the Texas Law Dean’s Roundtable of distinguished alumni and attorney advisor to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Patrick William Ferchill passed away Nov. 1, 2024. Ferchill had a distinguished judicial career in Tarrant County for more than 35 years, including many years as chief judge of the Probate Court of Law No. 2.

Troy Steven Allen passed away on June 30, 2024. Allen counseled numerous energy companies throughout his career and most recently served as assistant general counsel at QuarterNorth Energy.

James Lee Watters passed away October 20, 2024. Throughout his career with the FBI, Watters served in field offices in Alabama, California, and Virginia, as well as headquarters in Washington, DC.

Jordan Garrison Allen passed away March 23, 2024. Allen, who graduated from Texas Law 2004, was an active volunteer at her church.

Jon Allen Green passed away August 12, 2024. In addition to his law career, Green volunteered for the Volunteer Lawyers Program and was a talented thespian, emcee, and auctioneer.

Donald Lee Mau passed away Sept. 28, 2024. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, Mau earned his law degree from Texas Law and enjoyed a second career in philanthropy and fundraising including time with the Texas Law School Foundation.