[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 11, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: May 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO THOMAS H. WATKINS
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, all of us probably have had, if we were
lucky, a few talented people who have inspired us or guided us in the
early part of our careers and whose influence helped make us what we
are today. One of those special people in my life was Thomas H.
Watkins, the managing partner of the law firm I joined in Jackson, MS
when I graduated from law school.
He died on May 1, at 83 years of age. Because of a stroke he had
suffered in 1978, the same year I was elected to the Senate, he had
been unable to speak or practice law for the last 16 years of his life.
He was a brilliant lawyer with impeccably good judgment. He was
respected by all who know him. In our State his advice and counsel were
sought by local and State government officials and a large number of
business and individual clients.
It was my very good fortune to have had the opportunity of working in
his firm for 7 years, from 1965 until my election to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1972.
I learned so much from him. He set a wonderful example, and I admired
him tremendously. He was the epitome of dependability, integrity, and
propriety.
At his funeral on May 3, two of the partners in the firm, William F.
Goodman, Jr., and Paul H. Stephenson III gave heart warming and
insightful eulogies which described so well the life and legacy of my
departed friend and mentor. I ask unanimous consent that their remarks
be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the eulogies were ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Eulogy By William F. Goodman, Jr., May 3, 1994
Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul,
May keep the path, but he'll not reach the goal.
While he who walks in love may wander far,
But God will bring him where the blessed are.
All of us are marked by those who preceded us. Thomas Henry
Watkins was no exception. I venture to say his faith, his
character, his ability, his versatility, his commitment to
hard work, his achievements and accomplishments were
motivated by the tradition of his family. Although he was a
city boy, his was the first generation not to have been
reared in the country--dating back to 1802 when Asa Watkins
settled in Jefferson County near Rodney and next to the land
of Willis McDonald. Asa married Willis McDonald's daughter,
Sarah. Their son, Tom's great grandfather, Dr. William H.
Watkins, became a Methodist preacher serving throughout the
Conference and ultimately in Natchez. Tom's grandfather, for
whom he was named, went to the civil war at age 14,
accompanied by a black friend, farmed until his untimely
death at age 46 and left eight children, among them teachers,
a missionary, physicians and lawyers. I suspect that Tom
always wanted to be a lawyer because his father, Will
Watkins, and his uncle, Vaughan Watkins, enjoyed almost
unparalleled success at the Jackson bar during the first half
of this century.
Tom grew up in the beautiful house on North State Street,
where the Watkins Medical Building now stands. He loved the
woods, and a favorite spot was the forest across the street--
the vast areas between what are now Euclid and Gillespie
streets. Tom's love of the woodlands never faded. The same
was true of his love for animals. I never knew of Tom not
having a pet. According to writings of my mother, one of his
three sisters, Tom's first act of rebellion directed toward
his own mother concerned the issue of whether Tom's dog could
sleep indoors or outdoors. Tom's summation: ``Dogs is good as
peoples.''
My grandfather, Tom's father, used to say that Tom as a
youth only walked as a last resort. He rode whenever
possible, be it a pony, a mule, a goat, finally a
convertible. Yet that same young man won a track medal for
Carolina in Madison Square Garden. His father believed in
education and sent him off to McCauley and then to Chapel
Hill. Imagine his pride when Tom returned with a Phi Beta
Kappa Key.
Yes, Tom was marked by those who preceded him, most
directly by parents who not only proclaimed faith in God but
lived that faith. The home of Margaret and Will Watkins
provided an atmosphere of generosity--generosity with their
possessions, with their counsel, with their compassion, with
their sense of humor (which, incidentally, was priceless).
In turn, Tom left his own distinct marks. Let me mention
just three.
1. He left his mark on the law. Tom was true to his
heritage. Blessed with keen perception, the gift of logic and
the highest ideals, he achieved a reputation nationwide for
outstanding ability and courtroom success. Some people are
natural athletes--some are natural musicians. Tom Watkins was
a natural lawyer. Leaders in business came to him, often when
the ox was in the ditch. Instinctively, he would separate the
wheat from the chaff, go to the heart of the matter, and
craft a solution. He was never a politician, but his opinion
carried real weight in the halls of government. It was never
unusual to see among spectators in the courtroom young
lawyers watching Tom Watkins to see how it was done. A man's
competitors can be his harshest critics, but Tom was admired
throughout the profession as being genuinely a ``lawyer's
lawyer.'' His name became synonymous with the best. Today, as
we say farewell, we say ``Thank you, Tom, for that legacy of
excellence.''
2. He left his mark on his family. Each one here, I
suspect, has felt his influence in one or more ways, and each
of you is here to both bid farewell and to say ``thank you.''
Aunt Emily, now the last of the five siblings, if I may
personalize, is saying ``thank you'' for a brother of whom
she has always been justly proud. Norma, M.E. and Sydney, and
the grandchildren, have received the most significant legacy
of all--that of a good and respected name--all of you are
saying ``thank you'' for a life that has always made it
perfectly natural to heed the Biblical admonition: ``Honor
thy Father. . . .''
3. Finally, if you will allow it, he left his mark on me.
He was not only my uncle; he was my mentor, my partner, my
friend. He afforded me a special place in his life. He didn't
wet nurse anybody. He turned me loose to sink or swim. He was
tough (there were times when you stayed out of the way)--but
he was there in moments of triumph or disaster. Saturday
mornings were special--a time for me to ask, to learn, and
often a time to relax and to laugh. Saturday afternoons were
sacred and off limits; that was his time to be with his
friends and avid bridge players. Sunday afternoons would find
him in the library--#2 pencil--yellow pad--doing his own
research--preparing what was always a concise, logical search
to achieve the goal of the client consistent with common
sense, with legal precedent and indeed with moral standards.
He was never interested in being the most expensive lawyer in
town--just the best. he was consistently unselfish. He
underpaid himself. He overpaid me. He never asked me to work
any harder than he worked. He experienced genuine vicarious
satisfaction any time I was successful, or lucky.
He had a ``Field of Dreams'' concept of the true lawyer.
``Work on whatever you have and don't worry about what you
don't have. Something else will come along if you do a good
job.'' The idea of advertising and slick marketing would have
offended him. The people who trash lawyers never had the
chance to know Tom Watkins.
His stroke in 1978 (Easter Day) was such a loss. That
tragedy silenced the voice of the best trial advocate I have
ever known. But still he was there. His presence continued to
project for me authority, power, knowledge, affection, love.
The look in his eye said ``I'm counting on you.'' We
continued to silently share the common thread that began so
long ago--our lifelong commitment to carry on the tradition
which his father and my grandfather began some 99 years ago.
Did Tennyson really mean it?
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no
moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no
sadness of farewell
When I embark
This morning Edwina said to me. ``Try not to be too sad.
Today Tom is talking up a storm.''
____
Eulogy by Paul H. Stephenson III, May 3, 1994
May I share with you this morning some thoughts about Tom
Watkins from one of perhaps another generation, thoughts
about Mr. Watkins as a senior partner and the legacy he
leaves--those whom he led and the many who follow thereafter.
My thoughts return to the mid 1970s, to Mr. Watkins, age
65, 66, 67 years young at work, at his desk every morning at
7:15 A.M. I, being barely one-third his age, was, naturally,
some might say, there before 7:00 A.M. I might add that there
are a number of others here this morning who were likewise
there before 7:00 A.M. Were we intimidated? No, all of you
who know Mr. Watkins would understand that he never gave a
directive concerning what time we were to be at work; he
never even suggested a time. Quite simply, it was just that
the discipline, the energy being dedicated to the legal
practice by such a distinguished gentleman at the top of his
profession could not go unnoticed by us as young lawyers.
One of the signature features of Mr. Watkins was how he
assigned work to young people. Very simply; very directly. He
merely would tear a corner from a yellow legal sheet, clip
this small piece of paper to the file with this note:
``Please acknowledge and handle. THW.'' Not let's discuss; no
invitation that said come see me; certainly no suggestions
about how we should proceed. Now, you may rest comfortably
that these were not landmark cases, but they were important
to us as young lawyers. Moreover, they were important to Mr.
Watkins, for every client matter was important to him. We
soon appreciated Mr. Watkins' conviction that young law
school graduates become lawyers, not vicariously, but by
first independently being the ones to apply their own
analytical and reasoning abilities to the legal problem at
hand, by assuming genuine responsibility personally, by being
real decision-makers.
Perhaps nothing better typifies the esteem in which Mr.
Watkins was held, or the doors he opened for those privileged
to be associated with him, than the frequent refrain we
commonly heard from around the state. Young lawyers, and
sometimes even older lawyers, are not totally comfortable in
the presence of judges. Young lawyers may sometimes even be
ill at ease in the presence of older lawyers. Yet, as we
traveled the state and entered unfamiliar judicial
surroundings, the introductions would often go something like
this: ``Good morning, Your Honor, my name is Paul Stephenson;
I work for Watkins & Eager.'' Then, time after time, from
judge after judge, from respected lawyer after respected
lawyer would come this spontaneous reply: ``You work for Tom
Watkins.'' ``Yes, sir, I do.'' ``What a lawyer, a lawyer's
lawyer, what a gentleman.'' While not necessarily overtly
stated, the message was always clear: young man, you can do
no better than to set your goals by Tom Watkins' star.
And certainly we did strive to follow his example. We would
scour the office for deposition transcripts, trial
transcripts reflecting Mr. Watkins' witness examinations. I
can remember studying those transcripts, even concluding--no
doubt out of utter naivety or some might say foolish
optimism--that I would have thought of those brilliant
questions he asked, that I can ask those same brilliant
questions. But soon sober judgment would make me realize, or
worse yet actual experience would confirm the realization,
that as you yourself would conclude, it was not just the
question that Mr. Watkins asked, but when he asked it; how he
asked it; the witness control he maintained; and the sheer
power of his presence that marked his brilliance.
I must say that many times I have thought about what it
would have been like had Mr. Watkins not suffered his
disabling stroke in 1978. If he had remained in that corner
office--if we could have continued to work for him, to learn
from him, to sense the stability of his presence, to feel the
warmth of his smile; if we could have simply continued to
enjoy his company. But that was not to be.
Of course, many of us have indelibly sketched in our minds
pictures of the joyful countenance, the endearing
expressions, the radiating warmth that Mr. Watkins remarkably
displayed from his wheelchair throughout his disability.
Yet there is another scene, a very real sense in which Mr.
Watkins' presence and his influence remained with us after
his stroke and will so continue after his death. Our firm is
blessed today with substantial clientele from many decades
previous who first placed their confidence and trust in Tom
Watkins. Moreover, over the years I have watched others in
the firm, particularly Bill Goodman, share, promote, instill
and model those core philosophies of Mr. Watkins, not just
about the law practice, not just about law firms, but also
about people. Of course times have changed; certainly the law
practice has dramatically changed over these past 15 to 20
years; and our organization has necessarily adapted. But the
traits which mark the person of Tom Watkins--an unwavering
commitment to excellence, an insistence on professionalism,
fair expectations of others, mutually respectful
relationships not dependent on age or status of position, a
generous spirit--are clearly timeless in value. We will
always treasure them.
May I say a thank you to the family. May I express publicly
not just on my individual behalf but on behalf of all who
have been associated with Watkins & Eager the warmest in
appreciation. Thank you for sharing your father, your
grandfather, your brother, your uncle, with us.
Thanks be to God for the example, the leadership, the
friendship, the legacy and indeed for the life of Tom
Watkins.
____________________