[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6469-H6470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF TOM RHODES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Vela) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VELA. Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of regret that I 
cannot join family and friends of Jesse Thomas Rhodes, known as Tom, as 
he is laid to rest today.
  Tom was, as he would often remind us, the first baby born on January 
1, 1955, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is survived by his loving wife, 
Beth, and his children, Jessica and Robert.
  Clarence Darrow once said: ``Justice has nothing to do with what goes 
on in a courtroom; justice is what comes out of a courtroom.''
  Over the years, there has been many a lawyer in this great country 
who has dedicated his or her life to securing justice for their clients 
in courtrooms all across this land. Today, I pay tribute to those 
advocates and to Tom Rhodes, the lawyer.
  Tom Rhodes was everything a lawyer should be. Tom Rhodes was a fierce 
advocate. Tom Rhodes was a compassionate counselor. Tom Rhodes was a 
consummate negotiator. Tom Rhodes communicated with a degree of clarity 
that always exposed the truth.
  It was not his considerable courtroom presence, his skill as a 
lawyer, or the ferocity of his advocacy, however, that left such a 
lasting impression with most of the people with whom he crossed paths. 
Instead, it was his generosity and his infectious sense of humor that 
people will always remember.
  He constantly made small gestures of kindness to total strangers. He 
went

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out of his way to help family, friends, and the people who worked for 
him. He felt a constant need to give back to the community and to the 
world.
  After the terror attacks of 9/11, he volunteered his services, 
representing the families of the victims. When Hurricane Katrina 
devastated the Gulf Coast in Texas, he not only opened his wallet but 
donated his time, helping to get supplies to the people affected.
  His firm has, for many years, sponsored the Respect Project in the 
San Antonio area, awarding monetary prizes to area elementary students 
based on essays regarding what it means to respect others.
  He donated time and money to many other causes, such as halfway 
houses, women's shelters, and foundations providing a safe environment 
for children to reconnect with abusive parents.
  For all of us, life is the final verdict. For the lawyer, there can 
be no better final verdict than that of his client, that he was a 
lawyer his client could always trust, that he was a lawyer his clients 
could always depend upon, that he was a lawyer his client always knew 
had his back. Without question, Tom Rhodes was that lawyer.

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