[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 9, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MR. CLYDE MOODY SIEBMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PAT FALLON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 9, 2021

  Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, Clyde Moody Siebman--a purveyor of Texas 
history, self-anointed Cowboy, avid gun enthusiast, legendary lawyer, 
loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, cousin, and 
friend--died March 4, 2021. Though his sudden departure leaves a 
profound void across many spectrums, it was in keeping with Clyde's 
lifelong wish to ``break and not rust'' when his time came for the Lord 
to call him home.
  Born November 26, 1958, in Sherman, Texas, Clyde spent his early 
years in the nearby town of Pottsboro. His family then moved to Plano, 
Texas, for his father's employment before Clyde graduated from Plano 
Senior High School in 1977. He attended Southern Methodist University 
(SMU), where he earned a dual undergraduate degree in Business 
Administration and Psychology in 3\1/2\ years and then a Juris Doctor 
in 1984 on a full scholarship. He earned many distinctions during 
college and law school, including a Departmental Distinction in 
Psychology for his work to address mental competency and the law.
  While in law school, Clyde met Carol Ann Mumm, a fellow SMU law 
student. They married the year after graduation and were blessed with a 
beautiful 35-year marriage. They practiced law together before Carol 
became a judge and were the proud parents of beloved daughter, 
Elizabeth Forrest, who followed in their footsteps, became a lawyer, 
and is now a named partner in the firm her father co-founded--Siebman 
Forrest LLP. Clyde's niece, Becca Skupin, joined the firm in 2019.
  Clyde's 35-year legal career earned him the well-deserved recognition 
of being one of the top lawyers in the state of Texas. Board Certified 
in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Clyde 
had been included in the annual Texas Super Lawyers list published by 
Thomson Reuters legal division in Texas Monthly magazine since the list 
debuted in 2003. He maintained an ``AV'' Peer Reviewed ranking (very 
high to exemplary) by Martindale-Hubbell for over two decades, and he 
earned selection to The Best Lawyers in America based on his expertise 
in Patent, Trademark, Copyright and Commercial Litigation. Clyde was 
named the 2018 Lawyer of the Year for Patent Litigation and 2020 Lawyer 
of the Year for Copyright Litigation in Dallas-Fort Worth in The Best 
Lawyers in America.
  Clyde began his federal practice serving as a law clerk to the late 
United States District Judge Paul Brown. He traveled throughout the 
district alongside Judge Brown while serving the Sherman, Texarkana, 
and Beaumont Divisions of the Eastern District of Texas. Clyde has 
appeared as counsel in more than 500 Eastern District of Texas cases. 
In addition to maintaining a robust state court practice throughout his 
career, he regularly represented clients in the Northern and Western 
Districts of Texas and before the Federal Circuit and 5th U.S. Circuit 
Court of Appeals.
  Clyde was a frequent lecturer on a variety of legal topics and 
regularly participated in prominent programs and initiatives, including 
the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, New York Intellectual 
Property Law Association, the Sedona Conference, and the Leahy 
Institute of Advanced Patent Studies. He was also a member of the 
delegation of attorneys and judges that presented the first patent mock 
trial at Beijing University in China in 2012 where he delivered a 
presentation on U.S. trial practices at Southwestern University School 
of Law and Political Science in Chongqing, China. Clyde served as the 
current Chairman of the Bench Bar Conference of the Eastern District of 
Texas and as Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Institute for 
Law and Technology of the Center for American and International Law in 
Plano (formerly Southwestern Legal Foundation).
  As he did in the legal arena, Clyde made a profound impact in public 
affairs. He was a Texas Elector in 2000, serving as a member of the 
Presidential Electoral College in one of the closest presidential races 
in American history. Clyde also served by way of Gubernatorial 
appointment as Chairman of the Grayson County Regional Mobility 
Authority, Commissioner of the Red River Interstate Compact Commission, 
Member of the Board of Directors for the Red River Authority of Texas, 
and as Commissioner of the Red River Boundary Commission, where he 
played a key role in resolving the long-time boundary dispute between 
Texas and Oklahoma. Clyde also holds the unique distinction of being 
named as Conservator of the Riverbend Water Resources District by the 
82nd Texas Legislature, helping to settle a decades-long legal battle 
over water issues in East Texas and Southwest Arkansas. He also played 
a pivotal role in the transition of both Grayson County and the state 
of Texas from Democrat to Republican-held majorities. Though a life-
long conservative, Clyde was also respected for working across the 
political aisle when it served the public interest.
  Despite his many prominent roles, Clyde is probably best known for 
his personal generosity, fun-loving spirit, and willingness to help 
others, both great and small. His greatest pleasures were hosting 
gatherings for family and friends, barbecuing, stomping around the 
woods, shooting guns, collecting Texas historical memorabilia, and 
travel adventures, whether planned or spontaneous. He and Carol gave 
generously to countless charitable organizations, including the 
Christian Global Missions, True Options Pregnancy Center, and Preston 
EMS, among others. They were also long-time members of the Church of 
Christ in Sherman and in Pottsboro.
  Clyde is survived by his wife, Carol Siebman, daughter Elizabeth 
Siebman Forrest and her husband, John Forrest, and granddaughter 
Kendall Adele. He is also survived by his mother, Carol Sue Siebman, 
mother-in-law Florence Mumm, sister Annette Siebman Skupin, whom he 
loved very much, and her husband Jon Skupin, nieces and nephew Becca, 
Katie and Sam Skupin, nephews Joseph and Jake Mumm and their respective 
spouses Kristin and Jessi and children Parker and Joy, Aunt and Uncle 
James and Clydene Short, and a host of cousins who he remained close 
with through his life--CB Pippin, Jim Pippin, Robin Towery, Melanie 
Qualls, Randy Short, and a host of friends and colleagues who will miss 
him very much. He is preceded in death by his father Newell Siebman and 
brother-in-law John Mumm.

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