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In Memoriam

Photograph of Tom Scott

Tom Scott

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Tom Scott passed away Feb. 1, 2026. In addition to helping build the Bullock, Scott, Neisig and Owens law firm in Midland, Texas, he was a founding member of the Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Specialty Section of the State Bar of Texas.

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Photograph of Robert Carter Wilson

Robert Carter Wilson

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Robert Carter Wilson passed away Feb. 4, 2026. A double Longhorn, Wilson’s legal career spanned over five decades across three law firms and focused on environmental law, water rights law, and radioactive materials regulation.

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Dennis Alvoid in Richmond Hills

Dennis Alvoid

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Dennis Alvoid passed away on Jan24, 2. 026. Alvoid started his career at Hultgren, Jewell, Kolb, and Ivey specializing in medical malpractice, products liability, and defense law, then later dedicated himself to the juvenile justice system.

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Photograph of Creighton Neil White.

Creighton Neil White

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Creighton Neil White passed away Feb. 5, 2026. A double Longhorn and veteran who served in the Korean War, he was the Waxahachie city attorney and Ector County attorney before spending over 50 years in private practice in the oil and gas industry.

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Russell Burwell

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Russell Burwell passed away on Jan. 8, 2026. Burwell, a double Longhorn, served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during law school. He worked as an assistant district attorney in Galveston County before entering the personal injury sector and starting his own firm in 1985. Burwell sat on the board of directors of the State Bar of Texas.

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Image of a Peregrinus.

Fred Oneal Hull

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Fred Oneal Hull passed away on Jan. 23, 2026. After serving in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps for the U.S. Air Force, he began his legal career at Standard Oil of Texas. Hull later serving as counsel for Conoco before he and his partners established their own firm, where he practiced oil and gas law for more than 50 years.

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William Bonham

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William Bonham passed away on Jan. 3, 2026. A double Longhorn, Bonham played competitive tennis for the Longhorns and also in the Army when he served after law school. With two colleagues he originally hired as law students, Bonham founded the Houston firm Bonham, Carrington & Fox, where he did trial work for many years before shifting to mediation.

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Jerry Weldon Carlton Headshot

Jerry Weldon Carlton

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Jerry Weldon Carlton passed away on Dec. 13, 2025. He specialized in tax law, spending over 35 years of his career with the firm O’Melveny & Myers in Austin before retiring to serve as director for various companies and organizations.

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Rrachelle Renee Douglas Breckenridge Headshot

Rrachelle R. Breckenridge

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Rrachelle Renee’ Douglas Breckenridge passed away in October of 2025. She had a distinguished legal career as a prosecutor and later worked as a municipal attorney for the City of Olathe.

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A photograph of Antony Louis

Antony Louis

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Antony Louis passed away Jan. 13, 2026. A longtime resident of Coppell, Texas, Louis served as associate general counsel and secretary of Contran Corporation and associate general counsel, vice president and secretary of Valhi, Inc.

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A photograph of Professor Stephen Utz

Stephen Utz

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Stephen Utz passed away on Dec. 9, 2025. Through his nearly 40 years as the Roger Sherman Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, Utz became a renowned expert in federal tax law, tax policy, and jurisprudence. He started his law career clerking for Judge Joseph T. Sneed of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco and then practiced for three years as an associate at the tax law firm of Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, D.C. before teaching law.

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John Stover headshot

John D. Stover

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John D. Stover passed away on Jan. 4, 2026. After serving on the Texas Water Commission, he practiced law in Austin until 1997, representing businesses, industries, government organizations, and other clients in state and federal courts and before the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and other forums. He also taught water law as an adjunct professor at Texas Law.

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Image of a Peregrinus.

John Reilly

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John Reilly passed away Nov. 29, 2025. An Air Force veteran, Reilly practiced oil and gas law in Houston for more than 50 years.

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Charles Cappel photo

Charles W. Cappel

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Charles W. Cappel passed away on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 2025. He began his career practicing admiralty law with the firm of Lillick McHose and, after 15 years, chose to become president of a small family oil company.

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Frank Cooksey headshot

Frank Cooksey

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Frank Cooksey passed away on Dec. 15, 2025. A double Longhorn, Cooksey served as mayor of Austin from 1985 to 1988. He practiced law for more than 40 years, including roles as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, an assistant U.S. attorney, and special attorney general of Texas.

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Jack Eckels

Jack Eckels

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Jack Eckels passed away on Nov. 7, 2025. He began his legal career with the Cox, Smith Law Firm in San Antonio, then joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Houston where he worked as a tax attorney for over 40 years.

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Paul Bulmahn headshot

Theodore Paul Bulmahn

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Theodore Paul Bulmahn passed away Nov. 11, 2025. Bulmahn founded and served as CEO of ATP Oil and Gas Corporation in Houston, Texas, then went on to build and run GoldMark Farm, a premier property for racehorses.

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Michael Wood headshot

Michael W. Wood

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Michael W. Wood passed away Nov. 18, 2025. After forming the boutique law firm Wood, Campbell, Moody & Gibb, he went on to serve as senior vice president and CEO of the water resources company Azurix, then was a partner at Jackson Walker in Houston.

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Jiles David Richeson headshot

Jiles David Richeson

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Jiles David Richeson passed away on Nov. 20, 2025. After starting his career in Washington, D.C., as legal counsel for Congressman Jake Pickle, Richeson moved to Fort Pierce, Florida, where he established a successful law practice in the field of labor and employment law.

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Peter William Low

Peter William Low

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Peter William Low passed away on Oct. 18, 2025. After more than 20 years as a solo practitioner with a concentration on local property appraisal and tax law as well as public and administrative law, Low joined fellow property tax attorneys to form Low Swinney Evans & James in 2018.

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Thomas Sehon Headshot

Thomas Sehon

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The Honorable Thomas Bartlett Sehon Sr. passed away on Nov. 5, 2025. He served for nearly 20 years as the Falls County district attorney in Marlin, Texas, then successfully ran for county judge, retiring in 2007.

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A photograph of David Rodriguez

David Rodriguez

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David Rodriguez passed away Oct. 25, 2025. A double Longhorn, he opened and ran his own law practice, the Law Office of David Rodriguez, in San Antonio.

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Theodore Thomas “Ted” Hollen III

Theodore Thomas “Ted” Hollen III

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Theodore Thomas “Ted” Hollen III passed away Oct. 13, 2025. Hollen, who pursued his passion for rodeo alongside his law career, worked in the political arena and opened a sole practitioner law firm. He received the 50-years recognition from the State Bar of Texas.

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A photograph of Stuart Alan Morse

Stuart Alan Morse

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Stuart Alan Morse has passed away. He began his career as an attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission before returning to Texas, where he founded several law firms including Klein Morse; Kroney, Silverman, Mincey; and Kroney Morse Lan.

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A photograph of Charles Robert "Chuck" Helms

Charles Robert “Chuck” Helms

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Charles Robert “Chuck” Helms passed away Nov. 2, 2025. Helms, who spent many years practicing law in Dallas alongside his friend and partner Paul Pesek, was president of his local Catholic lawyer’s guild and served as president-elect of the national Catholic Bar Association.

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Timothy Allen "Tad" Dunn

Timothy Allen “Tad” Dunn

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Timothy Allen “Tad” Dunn passed away Oct. 30, 2025. Following law school, Dunn worked for several law firms throughout his career, most recently with Messer Fort.

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Herbert Marsh Jr.

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Herbert Edward Marsh Jr. passed away on March 7, 2025. For nearly six decades he practiced law as both a private practice attorney and Texas state judge.

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Jeb McNew Headshot

Jeb McNew

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Jeb McNew passed away on Oct. 17, 2025. A double Longhorn, he and his wife opened their own law practice, McNew & McNew in Nocona, Texas. He then was elected to serve as Montague County Attorney, a position he held for over two decades.

Manuel Almaguer

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Manuel Almaguer passed away on Oct. 24, 2025. A double Longhorn, he served in the United States Air Force before spending five decades managing his own law firm until his retirement in 2020.

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Donald J. Rorschach, Sr.

Donald Rorschach

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Donald Rorschach Sr. passed away on Oct. 9, 2025. He served as the assistant city attorney for Waco before becoming the city attorney for Irving, a position he held for over two decades.

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Ronald Eugene Holub

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Ronald Eugene Holub passed away on Oct. 10, 2023. Holub began his career at the former law firm Newman Shook & Newman and remained there until 1984 when he opened a solo practice.

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Keith Clark Carter

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Keith Clark Carter passed away on Sept. 16, 2025, at the age of 100. A POW and Purple Heart recipient for his service in World War II, Carter was a contracts supervisor for the Continental Oil Company in Houston before moving to the UT Austin Graduate School of Business, where he taught Business Law and Oil and Gas Law as well as while coordinating the Petroleum Land Management Program.

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Laurier Bernard McDonald Jr.

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Laurier Bernard McDonald Jr. passed away on Oct. 10, 2025. McDonald served as a special agent with the FBI and as the United States Commissioner before the office was abolished.

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Louis Miller

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Louis Dayne Miller passed away on Oct. 6, 2025. After spending many years in General Dynamics Corporation’s legal department, Miller started his own law practice in Graham, Texas, then served as the Young County attorney until his retirement.

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Theodore Thomas Hollen III

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Theodore Thomas Hollen III passed away on Oct. 13, 2025. He began his career at Pearson & Pearson in El Paso, Texas, before launching his independent law practice in Austin, Ted Hollen Attorney at Law. He retired in May of 2025.

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James "Jim" Bertrand

James “Jim” Bertrand

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James “Jim” Bertrand passed away on Sept. 29, 2025. Bertrand, who served in the Navy for two years before coming to Texas Law, eventually became a partner at Vinson & Elkins, where he worked for over 30 years.

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Gary Warner Truman Headshot

Gary Truman

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Gary Truman passed away on July 13, 2025. He worked as an employment lawyer at Bradley Campbell Carney & Madsen before founding his own company, Gary Truman, LLC, and working as a landman for 15 years.

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Stephen Lawrence Jenks Headshot

Stephen Lawrence Jenks

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Stephen Lawrence Jenks passed away on August 8, 2025. He spent over 31 years with the FBI, working on many high-profile cases from the bureau’s Palo Alto office for the majority of his career.

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Jerry Monroe Coleman

Jerry Monroe Coleman

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Jerry Monroe Coleman passed away on Sept. 16, 2025. During his career included he was partner with the Austin office of the firm Long, Coleman, Dugger & Cotton, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Citizens National Bank of Austin, and a real estate developer.

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Picture of Charles Gandy

Charles Taylor Gandy

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Charles Taylor Gandy passed away Sept. 16, 2025. Gandy, a double Longhorn, served as mayor pro tem in Tarrant County, and was a certified specialist in probate and estate planning, a devoted philanthropist, and a real estate developer.

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Thomas Hight, Jr. Headshot

Thomas Hight Jr.

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Thomas Hight Jr. passed away on August 19, 2025. He practiced law at the Dallas-based firm Hight and Hight for over two decades before ending his career as an administrative law judge for the state of Texas.

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Senior U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks Headshot

Sam Sparks

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Senior U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks passed away on Sept. 17, 2025. His federal judicial career spanned over 30 years, becoming a senior judge in 2017 who presided over many of the most high-profile and consequential federal cases in Central Texas.

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Amy Dianne Martin Headshot

Amy Martin

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The Honorable Amy Martin passed away on Sept. 7, 2025. She served a four-year term on the bench of the 263rd District Court of Harris County before returning to private practice and eventually joining the University of Houston Law Center as the director of student advisement.

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Will Paxton Bill Ellis Headshot

Will Paxton “Bill” Ellis

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Will Paxton “Bill” Ellis passed away on Sept. 13, 2025. He established the law firm Ellis, Koeneke & Ramirez in 1982 and spent his legal career serving his clients in the estate planning and probate legal field in South Texas.

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Jack McClendon Headshot

Jack McClendon

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John Jackson (Jack) McClendon Jr. passed away on Sept. 11, 2025. He enjoyed a successful legal career than spanned over five decades and also served his community in Lubbock, Texas, by serving on or leading many boards and committees.

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Parks Harding Stearns Jr. Headshot

Parks Harding Stearns Jr.

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Parks Harding Stearns Jr. passed away on Sept. 11, 2025. He served in the FBI as a legal liaison for over 30 years before joining Unitrin and Kemper Insurance Investigation at the end of his distinguished career.

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Sharon Kay Talley

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Sharon Kay Talley passed away on August 21, 2025. She served the Austin community for over 40 years—both in private practice and for the Travis County Attorney’s Office—specializing in the protection of victims of family violence, the environment, and animals.

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Bennett W. Cervin

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Bennett “Ben” Wilson Cervin passed away on September 1, 2025. Cervin retired as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and also served in the Texas Air National Guard. An expert in labor and employment law, he was a senior partner, then of counsel, at Thompson & Knight.

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Donald Patrick Dorsey Headshot

Donald Patrick Dorsey

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Donald Patrick Dorsey passed away on August 12, 2025. His distinguished legal career as an attorney spanned nearly six decades, devoted to serving his community in Kerrville, Texas.

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Christina Lynn Falkiewicz

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Christina Lynn Falkiewicz passed away on August 23, 2025. Falkiewicz helped families in the San Antonio area through her personal probate, estate planning and guardianship matters practice before joining UTSA as a guest lecturer.

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