Class Notes

Alexander Bell passed away on Feb. 2, 2023. Bell was a professor at the University of Virginia Law School for eight years and a civil trial lawyer at Bell and Schneider for nearly 50 years.

The Honorable Robert Dale Jones passed away on Jan. 7, 2023. Jones, a double Longhorn, led a successful judicial career that included serving as a judge advocate general in the Marine Reserves and a senior district judge.

Boone Slusher passed away on Jan. 13, 2023. Slusher had a lengthy legal career, as a partner in the firm Wilkins & Slusher for 20 years, then practicing with his son Chan in the firm Slusher & Associates for 24 years.

John Hale passed away on Jan. 9, 2023. Hale served as a briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas under Justice Joe Greenhill, and later held partnerships at Foreman & Dyess and Norton & Blair.

Harry W. Hugly passed away on Jan. 11, 2023. After graduating Texas Law, Hugly served as a special agent with the Army Counter Intelligence Corps until beginning a career in the oil and gas industry.

James Hal Byrd passed away on Dec. 27, 2022. A double Longhorn, Byrd served as general counsel at Century Development before moving on to start his own law firm, practicing law in Houston for many years until his retirement.

Charles Taylor Ashworth passed away on Dec. 20, 2022. Ashworth’s legal career spanned four decades, progressing from civil litigation to  oil and gas, then corporate bankruptcy.

William Rollin “Billy” Wepfer passed away on Dec. 12, 2022. Wepfer practiced law in the Rio Grande Valley for 40 years between 1980 to 2020.

Jimmy Don Blair passed away on Jan. 3, 2023. In his legal career, Blair served 40 years as an expert in contract negotiation, litigation policies, legislative initiatives, computer capabilities, among other areas.

Robert “Bob” Carlyle Scott passed away on August 18, 2022. Scott was an accomplished attorney who actively supported many nonprofit organizations including the Alamo Heights United Methodist Church.

William “Bill” McCann passed away on Dec. 28, 2022. McCann served in the U.S. Navy until he shifted to the legal field as a partner at Snakard & Gambill for more than 45 years.

William “Bill” Lemen passed away on Dec. 20, 2022. Lemen was a second-generation Marine who went on to earn his bachelor’s and law degrees at UT following his military service. He settled in San Juan, Texas, where he not only practiced law for 50 years, but also served as the county commissioner, then mayor.

Bill Harris passed away on Dec. 23, 2022 in Sherman, Texas. Harris served in several positions throughout his law career, including Cooke County judge and city attorney of both Lindsay and Gainesville.

U.S. District Judge John H. McBryde passed away on Dec. 25, 2022. McBryde worked at two law firms before being appointed to the U.S. District Bench by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990. He went on to serve in that role for three decades.

Michael James Bloch passed away on Dec. 17, 2022. Bloch worked as the appellate attorney for the Ector County DA’s office for more than 10 years.

Bradley Bingham passed away on Oct. 20, 2022. Bingham was a double Longhorn, having also earned his bachelor’s degree  from UT. Bingham worked as a civil defense attorney in Houston before, e and his wife founded their own law firm, Bingham, Mann & House, in 2006.

Kermit W. Fox, Jr. passed away on Dec. 5, 2022. An Austin native, Fox had a private practice in the San Antonio area and served in the legal field for 30 years.

Steven Douglass Arnold passed away on Dec. 8, 2022. Arnold worked with the Hinkle Law Firm for more than 30 years, where he became the head attorney practicing utility law. He then served as a senior judge in the State Office of Administrative Appeals before retiring in 2019.

Darryll Grubbs passed away on Dec.4, 2022. A double Longhorn who also earned his master’s degree at UT, Grubbs spent most of his career working for Texas Attorney General’s Office in the Child Support Enforcement Division.

Robert “Bob” Malinak passed away on Nov. 29, 2022.  Malinak spent 37 years as a trial lawyer with the Baker Botts law firm, where he was a partner, then a senior partner. After retiring from active practice  in 1999, he worked as an arbitrator and consultant.

Judge Solomon “Sol” Casseb, III passed away on Dec. 7, 2022. Casseb served as a state district judge from 2008-18 after practicing law for 30 years at Casseb & Pearl.

Lt. Col. Cecil Roy Morrow, Jr. passed away on Nov. 23, 2022. Morrow had a distinguished military career of 21 years before opening his own law firm specializing in international law.

Hon. Herb Ritchie passed away on Dec. 1, 2022. Ritchie was managing partner of his private practice, Ritchie and Glass, before being elected as judge of the 337th District Criminal Court in 2008, then becoming Harris County’s criminal administrative judge in 2018.

Vernon I. “Skipper” Lay, Jr. passed away on Nov. 22, 2022. His legal career included working for the Railroad Commission and in private practice, focusing on Oil & Gas and Environmental Law.

Kurt Schwarz passed away on Sept. 22, 2022. Before starting his own practice, Schwarz served as a law clerk to the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and was a partner at Jackson, Walker LLP.

Leland Smith passed away on Nov. 22, 2022. After graduating from Texas Law, he began his career at the Texas Comptroller’s Office.  Smith eventually moved on to Clark, Thomas and Winters, working there until his retirement.

Guy Edward Matthews passed away Nov. 23, 2022. Matthews was a double Longhorn who came to the Forty Acres on a football scholarship. After starting his career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Matthews worked at Pravel, Wilson and Matthews before starting his own firm that focused on the litigation of intellectual property matters in 1972.

William N. Hamilton passed away on Nov. 18, 2022 at the age of 100. A double Longhorn and a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces, Hamilton went on to found Vial, Hamilton, Koch & Knox, one of Dallas’ largest law firms.

John C. Boston passed away on Nov. 7, 2022. Boston served in the U.S. Marines and also was an airline pilot prior to attending Texas Law. In his legal career, he worked as an enforcement attorney for the Texas Real Estate Commission, in private general practice, and as executive director of the continuing legal education program at the State Bar of Texas.

David Walter Nelson passed away on Nov. 8, 2022. Nelson was a double Longhorn having earned his bachelor’s degree from UT and playing on the varsity tennis team. He practiced law at McGinnis Lochridge & Kilgore before joining and becoming the managing partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld in Austin, where he remained for 24 years.

Philip “Flip” Whitworth passed away on Nov. 10, 2022. Whitworth was a double Longhorn, having received both undergraduate and law degrees with honors from UT. Flip was a member of Scott, Douglas & McConnico for 25 years, and was awarded the prestigious Ernest E. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law for his service in oil and gas regulatory law.

Travis Dale Jones passed away on Nov. 6, 2022. While at Texas Law, Jones was a legislative assistant, then served as staff assistant for a U.S. Congressman. He went on to open his own practice, Travis D. Shelton and Associates, which became Shelton and Jones.

Paul Philbin passed away on Oct. 28, 2022. Philbin was a double Longhorn, attending the University of Texas for his undergraduate degree on a basketball scholarship. After graduating with his law degree, Philbin served in the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He later worked with the Texas Water Quality Board and the law firm Smith, Strock & Rowe before opening his own practice.

Steve Mafrige passed away on Oct. 24, 2022. Mafrige was a double Longhorn, earning both his bachelor’s degree in economics and his law degree from the University of Texas.  After law school, Mafrige served as a captain in the U.S. Army for eight years. He then began practicing as a trial attorney in Houston. Later in his life, Mafrige focused on ranching and investments.

Claude A. Hayes passed away on Oct. 13, 2022. After college, Hayes was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force where he served for three years. After graduating from Texas Law, he worked for Shell Oil Company for 10 years, before becoming the owner of both the Georgetown Title Company and Longhorn Title Company.

Jane Hayman passed away Oct. 8, 2022. After earning her B.A. and J.D. from UT, Hayman clerked for Judge William Morrison in Austin before heading to Washington, D.C., where she served as an aide to Congressman Jack Brooks. In later years, she dedicated herself to charitable work, neighborhood advocacy, and historical preservation.

Leonard Schwartz passed away on Oct. 13, 2022. Schwartz was a double Longhorn, having earned both his bachelor’s degree in business and his law degree from UT. As a lawyer, he specialized in the areas of school law, employment, civil rights, and litigation.

Robert “Bob” Craft passed away on Oct. 16, 2022. Following graduation from Texas Law, Craft served in the U.S. Marines as a JAG lawyer, then as an anti-trust attorney for the next 30 years until retirement.

Charles Miller passed away on Oct. 12, 2022. Upon graduating from Texas Law, Miller joined the U.S. Navy, serving three years as a JAG officer. He then started his legal career in Texarkana. Miller also served as a city councilman, two terms as mayor pro tem, then as a county judge in Bowie County.

Newton Schwartz, Sr., a double Longhorn who earned his undergraduate and law degrees from UT, passed away on Oct. 11, 2022. After serving in the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate, Schwartz spent 65 years as a trial lawyer in Houston with a focus on environmental law, toxic tort and medical malpractice.

David K. Brooks passed away on August 26, 2022. A double Longhorn and Army veteran, Brooks worked on the Texas Law Review while in law school. He practiced at several law firms in three different states and also served as a judge of the 191st District Court and as assistant general counsel in the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division.

Miriam “Dusty” Burke passed away on Oct. 7, 2022. After graduating from Texas Law as one of only six women in her class, Burke went on to work as a law professor at St. Thomas University. She then became a partner at Vinson and Elkins LLP.  Burke was honored with Texas Law’s Distinguished Alumna Award in 2014.

Walter Fassnidge passed away on Oct. 2, 2022. Fassnidge earned a bachelor of law degree from Texas Law, then went on to serve in the U.S. Army. He practiced as a real estate attorney for the City of San Antonio, then worked as a professor of business and real estate law at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Walter Russell Long, Jr. passed away on Sept. 30, 2022. He interrupted his law school years to serve in the army for two years before being honorably discharged as a first lieutenant. After completing law school, Long started a long career as an attorney including 42 years at the firm he co-founded, Long & Whitehead. After retiring, he was County Judge of Karnes County from 2015-18.

David Beckwith passed away in Austin on Oct. 2, 2022. After graduating from Texas Law, Beckwith worked at Time Magazine where he notably reported the Supreme Court’s original Roe v. Wade ruling before the decision came out. He went on to serve as founding editor of the Legal Times and a spokesperson for several elected officials.

David Smith passed away on Sept. 29, 2022. A double Longhorn, Smith was a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program and was vice president of his Texas Law class. Upon graduation, Smith practiced law in California and Texas, with a focus in administrative, environmental, and real estate law.

Billy Leonard, Jr. passed away on Oct. 1, 2022. He was a double Longhorn, having also earned his bachelor’s degree from UT. Leonard practiced primarily with Strasburger & Price, where he was a partner specializing in antitrust, bankruptcy, real estate, tax, environmental, and commercial litigation.

F. Walter Conrad Jr. passed away on Sept. 24, 2022. Before beginning his legal career, Conrad served as first lieutenant of an artillery battery at Fort Lewis, receiving the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. Conrad worked at Baker Botts as a trial attorney, specializing in environmental litigation.

William David Roberts passed away on Sept. 28, 2022. Upon graduation from Texas Law, Roberts served in the United States Army, obtaining the rank of captain. Roberts went on practice law in the Golden Crescent region for 50 years, and also served in leadership roles for multiple professional and community organizations.

Kurt Schwarz passed away on Sept. 22, 2022. Schwarz served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Barefoot Sanders of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, then later became a partner at Jackson Walker. During his time at Texas Law, Schwarz was the executive editor of the Texas Law Review.