[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN TRIBUTE TO SAM ROWLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, December 8, 2006

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to a good friend, 
great Texan, and wonderful individual, Sam Rowland, who passed away 
recently, leaving a legacy of accomplishments and good will that will 
last for generations to come. Sam was devoted to God, his family, 
friends, and the Law, and he applied the principles of his faith to his 
career and his many civic and humanitarian affiliations.
  Sam came from a family of educators. He graduated from Highland Park 
High School in Dallas, attended Texas A&M University on a baseball 
scholarship, earned an accounting degree from Texas A&M in 1955, and 
graduated from SMU School of Law in 1960. Sam had a long and 
interesting business career. He began his corporate experience at Texas 
Instruments in Dallas and went on to form a publicly held company in 
the early days of microchips.
  In 1972 Sam opened his own law firm in Houston. He loved the practice 
of law and was a member of the Texas Bar for 46 years. He was the 
senior partner of Rowland and Keirn for 18 years, and in 1990 opened 
his own firm in Bryan/College Station, where he practiced until his 
death. At the same time, he taught a course at Texas A&M College of 
Business, where he shared his wealth of corporate experience and 
knowledge teaching young Aggies about starting their own business.
  Sam was a member of the Corp of Cadets at Texas A&M, the 12th Man 
Foundation Executive Board, and Past President of the A&M Letterman's 
Association. He was a member of the Bryan Rotary Club, the Silver 
Haired Supper Club of Highland Park, and the Texas A&M Past Presidents 
Club of Houston and San Antonio. He was a member of the Houston Bar 
Association and the Brazos County Bar Association. Sam's faith was 
premiere in his life, and he was a member of the First Baptist Church 
in Bryan for 20 years and a member of the Little River Baptist Church 
in Jones Prairie.
  Sam will be greatly missed by his family, his wife of 25 years, Betsy 
Kay Rowland of Bryan, daughters Melinda Rowland of Lafayette, LA, and 
Michele Hanlon of San Antonio, sons Stuart Rowland of Arlington and 
Sean Ryan and wife Glenda of Tyler, brother-in-law Bill Vorlop of 
Dallas, two nephews and their families, two grandchildren, and two 
great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Scott, his 
parents, Wordna Reed Rowland and Ray Davis Rowland, and his sister, 
Wanda Vorlop.
  Sam Rowland was a friend, mentor, and role model for so many whose 
lives he touched and influenced, and his memory will be kept alive in 
the hearts of those who loved and admired him. Mr. Speaker, as we 
adjourn today, let us do so in memory of this outstanding American--Sam 
E. Rowland.

                          ____________________