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.
Thomas Mitchell passed away on Aug. 19, 2022. A veteran, Mitchell served in the Marines during WWII prior to enrolling at Texas Law. Mitchell began his legal career as a trial lawyer, later establishing his own firm of Mitchell and Doran.
David Whitten passed away on Sept. 9, 2022. A double longhorn, Whitten served on the staffs of two Texas Congressmen. He then entered private legal practice, specializing in environmental law as a shareholder with Guida, Slavich & Flores, P.C.
Harold Kleinman passed away on Sept. 2, 2022. Kleinman served as an attorney for more than five decades with Thompson & Knight and also served as a legal advisor to President George W. Bush. A double Longhorn, Kleinman also served in the U.S. Army.
Leonard Wayne Scott passed away on Sept. 14, 2022. Wayne served as a briefing attorney for the Criminal Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court before becoming a law professor at St. Mary’s Law School.
Judge James A. Parker passed away on Sept. 16, 2022. Parker worked for an Albuquerque law firm for 25 years before being nominated to serve as a U.S. District Court judge in 1987. He filled that role for more than three decades, one of the longest tenures of any federal judge in New Mexico.
Susan Byrd Burr passed away on May 23, 2022. Burr graduated Texas Law with Order of the Coif, after serving as Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. She worked as both of counsel and senior counsel for two California law firms until retiring in 2011.
Charles Harold Lloyd passed away on July 17, 2022. After graduating Texas Law, Lloyd opened Harold Lloyd, Inc., where he served as a Texas trial lawyer in family and personal injury. He was later admitted to the Texas Fifth Circuit court of Appeals as well as the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Raymond Clyde “R.C.” Thompson passed away on June 8, 2022. Thompson was formerly a corporate attorney at Temple-Inland Forest Products Corp.
Susan Richardson passed away recently. An expert in oil and gas litigation, Richardson worked many years with the Gulf Oil Corporation, before joining the firm Cotton, Bledsoe, Tighe and Dawson, P.C. She was named a Texas Super Lawyer and one of the top 15 Oil and Gas Female Lawyers in Texas.
John Younger passed away on August 18, 2022. Described as a “champion of the underdog,” Younger served in the U.S. Marine Corps, then became a trial attorney in San Antonio.
Robert P. “Bobby” Perel passed away on August 14, 2022. A double Longhorn, Perel was an avid worldwide traveler. He practiced law in West Texas for more than 50 years, specializing in criminal justice.
Paul Burka passed away on August 14, 2022, at the age of 80. After graduating from Texas Law, Burka worked as a political writer and editor for Texas Monthly from the magazine’s beginning in 1974 until 2015.
Sylvan Stephen “Steve” Lang passed away on August 3, 2022. Lang practiced trial law, working at the firm of Lang, Cross, Ladon, Oppenheimer, and Rosenberg. He served in the U.S. military reserves, earning the distinction of captain. He was a charter member of the Texas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and a member of the Texas State Bar and American Bar Association.
Joe Moss passed away on July 4, 2022. A double Longhorn and a Navy veteran, Moss received a business degree and a law degree from UT before serving in the Korean War. Moss had an accomplished legal and corporate career, working in a variety of firms as an oil and gas expert, and presenting to the US Supreme Court several times.
Paul Wiley passed away on May 20, 2022. A double Longhorn, Wiley received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration before attending Texas Law. Wiley later opened his own private practice where he specialized in real estate and family law.
Jerry Lewis passed away on July 9, 2022. Following graduation from Texas Law, Lewis served in the U.S. Army, Judge Advocate General Corp. Lewis also worked as first assistant district attorney and head prosecutor during his time at the Collin County District Attorney’s Office.
The Hon. Francis “Frank” Maloney Jr. passed away on July 5, 2022. Maloney served in the U.S. Army, where he earned a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars. A long-time professor at Texas Law, he served as a prosecutor in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, assistant attorney general of Texas, and worked in private practice before being elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1990. Maloney also was a visiting trial and appellate judge from 1997 to 2017.
Ray Mitchell Moore passed away on June 24, 2022. Moore served as a corporate lawyer and in 1966, he joined with his father to establish the law firm that is now Moore Landry LLP. A major investor and consultant in multiple businesses, he owned the Idylwild Golf Course in Pinewood and held positions on the Board of Directors of several businesses and non-profits.
Carol Stoner Vance Jr. passed away on June 24, 2022. Vance was a double Longhorn, receiving both his bachelor’s and law degrees from UT. An Army veteran, Vance served as district attorney in Harris County for four terms after starting his career as an assistant DA. Later in his career, he become a partner with the law firm of Bracewell and Patterson, now Bracewell.
John Charles Brooke passed away on June 19, 2022. Brooke worked at the Kleberg Law firm for nearly 40 years, specializing in real estate and related oil and gas issues before retiring as a managing partner. Brooke also was active in his church and community, and served as president of the Board of Realtors.
Carlos Javier “Jav” Salazar passed away on June 16, 2022. After graduating from Texas Law, Salazar served in the oil and gas industry for Anadarko Petroleum Corp until he retired in 2007.
Bob Slagle passed away on June 13, 2022. Slagle was a former Democratic National Committee member, delegate, and state party chairman who worked for the Lyndon B. Johnson administration in 1963. He was a general practice attorney in Sherman for more than 50 years.
Floyd H. Christian, Jr. passed away on June 14, 2022. After attending Texas Law, Christian served in the military as a Captain, then became a practicing lawyer for the next 50 years. Christian was a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Angelton ISD School Board, and he served as president of the Brazoria County Bar Association.
The Hon. Jack Holland passed away on June 10, 2022. Following his graduation from Texas Law, Holland was appointed as the district judge of the 173rd court where he served for more than 35 years, becoming the second-longest sitting judge in the state of Texas. After retiring as a judge, Holland continued to serve his community as a city attorney, a city municipal judge, and a private lawyer.
James Gayle III passed away on May 18, 2022. Gayle was a double Longhorn, having also earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UT. Upon graduation from Texas Law, he served as a trial attorney in private practice and as a county judge, then was elected as judge of the 239th District Court of Brazoria County. Gayle was a veteran, having served in the United States Navy and in the Navy Reserves.
Charles Scarborough passed way on April 30, 2022. After graduating from Texas Law, he worked as a criminal and civil attorney. Scarborough was a founding member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and served as Director of the State Bar of Texas.
William D. White passed away on April 26, 2022. He was a double Longhorn who graduated from Texas Law in 1960. White practiced law in Dallas for more than 50 years, working both with his father and at Locke Lord LLP. He served as mayor of Highland Park from 2002-08 and was a strong supporter of the United Way.
Zachary D. Norris passed away on October 24, 2021. He graduated from Texas Law in 2002 and worked as a civil litigator and in the U.S. Federal District Court in Texas, before relocating to New Zealand. With his wife, he co-founded Norris Echetebu Law, a business, entertainment, and immigration firm.
Ronnie Stephens passed away on April 15, 2022. Stephens earned both his bachelor’s degree in business and his law degree from UT. He practiced family and property law and served as county attorney for Young County, before becoming lead counsel for a trucking, oil, and gas company. Stephens also was active in his community of Graham, serving on multiple boards.
Kenneth Miles passed away on April 12, 2022. Miles graduated from Texas Law in 1980 and served for 20 years in the United States Military. He also worked as an attorney, specializing in real estate and banking.
William “Bill” Deffebach passed away at the age of 91 on April 11, 2022. Deffebach was a double longhorn, graduated from both the University of Texas School of Business and School of Law. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he went on to be a partner in an El Paso law firm, general counsel to El Paso National Bank, and director and vice president of El Paso National Corporation.