[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 130 (Saturday, August 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1675-E1676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  TRIBUTE TO JUSTICE ELWOOD L. THOMAS

                                 ______


                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 4, 1995
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I wish to pay tribute to Missouri 
Supreme Court Justice Elwood L. Thomas, who passed away at his home in 
Jefferson City, Missouri, on July 29, 1995. Justice Thomas, who was 
sixty-five, died of complications from Parkinson's disease.
  Justice Thomas was born and raised in Iowa, the son of a Methodist 
minister. He was a graduate of Simpson College in Indianola, IA, and 
the Drake University Law School in Des Moines, IA. From 1965 to 1978 he 
was a law professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In 1978 he 
became a partner in the Kansas City law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon 
and continued to practice there until he was appointed to the Missouri 
Supreme Court in 1991, by then Gov. John Ashcroft. He served on the 
Missouri Supreme Court Committee on Civil Instructions from 1975-1991. 
During that time, he twice chaired a task force on the Missouri Bar.
  Justice Thomas became known for his expertise in jury instructions 
during his time at the law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon. He often 
lectured to law students, lawyers, and judges on evidence and 
litigation procedure. He served as faculty for the National Judicial 
College in Reno, NV, and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and 
Missouri's Judicial College.
  Justice Thomas was well respected by all who knew him. He was 
regarded by many of his colleagues as being one of the best legal minds 
in the State. Justice Thomas had the 

[[Page E1676]]

unique ability to take complicated matters and explain them, so that 
all could understand. He was a tremendous asset to the State of 
Missouri, and will be greatly missed.
  Justice Elwood L. Thomas is survived by his wife, Susanne, sons Mark 
and Steven, and daughter Sandra.


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