[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E784-E785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING JUDGE ELDON B. MAHON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAY GRANGER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great citizen, 
Federal Judge Eldon B. Mahon from the Northern District of Texas. Judge 
Mahon has dedicated his life to public service and justice. For these 
reasons, I have introduced legislation that will designate the United 
States courthouse located at 501 West 10th Street in Fort Worth, Texas, 
as the ``Eldon B. Mahon United States Courthouse.''
  Judge Mahon was born and raised in the west Texas town of Loraine. He 
went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts Degree in history and government 
from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. Judge Mahon then attended 
the University of Texas Law School where he graduated in 1942. He has 
three children with his wife, Nova Lee: Jana Cobb of Lubbock, Texas; 
Martha Haag of The Woodlands, Texas; and Brad Mahon of Fort Worth, 
Texas.
  Like so many from America's ``greatest generation'', he enlisted in 
the United States Army Air Corps to fight overseas during World War II. 
He left the military after 40 months of dedicated service, including 
one year in the South Pacific with the 5th Bomber Wing, as a captain.
  Judge Mahon carried this same dedication and strength of character 
into his career as an attorney and judge. From 1945-46, he served as 
the briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas. From 1948-60, 
Judge Mahon served as district attorney for the 32nd Judicial District 
of Texas, covering Nolan, Mitchell, Scurry, and Borden counties. After 
his years as district attorney, Judge Mahon became a district judge for 
the 32nd Judicial District, presiding over that court from 1961-63. He 
then moved to Fort Worth to take a position as vice president of Texas 
Electric Service Company. After one year in the corporate world, the 
law called him back; and he became a partner in the Abilene, Texas, law 
firm of Mahon, Pope & Gladdon.
  Judge Mahon entered public service at the federal level when 
President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him U.S. Attorney for the 
Northern District of Texas. Judge Mahon is a life long Democrat, but 
President Richard M. Nixon appointed him to the Federal Court for the 
Northern District of Texas in 1972. He reached senior status in 1989 
and continues to be an active member of the federal bench today at the 
young age of 83.
  During his years on the federal bench, Judge Mahon presided over the 
racial integration of the Fort Worth School District. Judge Mahon 
considers this as the greatest accomplishment of his court.
  Judge Mahon has tirelessly served every community of which he has 
been a part. He is a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, 
serving in most lay positions in Westcliff United Methodist Church in 
Fort Worth. He is a past president of the West Texas Girl Scout Council 
in Abilene and of the Colorado City, Texas, Lions Club. Judge Mahon is 
a past member of the Board of Trustees at McMurry University in Abilene 
and served on the Board of Trustees for Harris Methodist Health System 
in Fort Worth. Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees at

[[Page E785]]

Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. Judge Mahon has been a member 
of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth since 1988.
  Judge Mahon has been recognized many times for his immeasurable 
contributions to the community. In 1989, the Eldon B. Mahon Scholarship 
Fund was established at his alma mater, McMurry University. Judge Mahon 
received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 1974, and the 
Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1987 from McMurry University as well. In 
1990, Texas Wesleyan University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of 
Humanities Degree. July 10, 1997 was declared ``Judge Eldon B. Mahon 
Day'' throughout Tarrant County, Texas, to commemorate his 25th 
anniversary as a federal judge. The Tarrant County Bar Association 
recently established the ``Eldon B. Mahon Lecture Series on Ethics and 
Professionalism'' at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. In 1998, 
Judge Mahon received the ``Samuel Passara Outstanding Jurist Award'' 
from the Texas Bar Foundation. Last year, he was selected as one of 100 
lawyers from the state of Texas as a 20th Century ``Living Legend'' by 
Texas Lawyer Magazine.
  Mr. Speaker, we should honor Judge Mahon by naming the United States 
Court in Fort Worth, Texas after him. Serving on the federal bench for 
over 28 years, he has made a profound impact on the legal community and 
on America.

                          ____________________