[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 1, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E197-E198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE OF PATRICK CUNNINGHAM OXFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 1, 2022

  Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of my friend, Patrick Cunningham Oxford, of Houston, Texas. He passed 
away on Sunday, February 13, 2022, at the age of 79.
  Patrick was born in Beaumont, Texas, to Hubert and Virginia Oxford. 
He attended Catholic school in Beaumont, graduating from St. Anthony's 
Catholic High School. Patrick grew up playing football and baseball and 
working for his father's business, Oxford Building Material, LLC. As he 
got older, Patrick's love of baseball never faded. His friends and 
family cherished his knowledge of the game, its history, and his 
ability to make analogies of many situations in life or business to the 
game of baseball.
  Patrick and I attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he 
earned a Bachelor

[[Page E198]]

of Business Administration with honors in 1966 and a law degree with 
honors in 1967. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and 
the Texas Cowboys, an honorary student organization. While in law 
school, Patrick was the Managing Editor of the Texas Law Review and a 
member of the Friar Society. In 1997, he was appointed to serve on the 
Board of Regents for the University of Texas System for a six-year 
term. He also chaired the Health Affairs Committee, which oversaw the 
operations of six health institutions within the University of Texas 
System.
  In 1973, Patrick joined the firm of Bracewell & Patterson, now known 
as Bracewell LLP, and immediately became its 13th partner. He 
specialized in business and transactional law at the firm, focusing on 
real estate, energy, and banking. Later, Patrick served as Managing 
Partner and led the opening of the firm's New York City office. Patrick 
took great pride and interest in recruiting and mentoring young lawyers 
at the firm; he genuinely cared and was a brilliant attorney who loved 
to share his passion for the law with others.
  Patrick believed that Houston's business leaders had an obligation to 
further the city's success. He took an active role in many civic and 
business organizations, including Chairman, the Greater Houston 
Partnership; Director, M.D. Anderson Services Corporation; Chairman 
Emeritus, Texas Medical Center, Inc.; Advisory Board Member, Kinder 
Institute for Urban Research at Rice University; and Board Member, the 
Kinder Institute for Constitutional Democracy at the University of 
Missouri.
  Patrick believed deeply in the ideals outlined by our Founding 
Fathers and in our constitutional system. He spent hours assisting 
candidates he believed would improve the city, state, and country. In 
fact, Patrick twice served as chairman of the campaign committee for 
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and was a leader in the gubernatorial and 
presidential campaigns of George W. Bush. He also served as counsel for 
many statewide and local officeholders in Texas.
  Patrick was a man of deep faith. He attended Mass daily at St. Anne's 
Catholic Church in Houston and served as a Eucharistic Minister and 
Continuing Catholic Education (CCE) teacher. He also contributed to the 
educational and service ministries of the Archdiocese of Galveston-
Houston.
  Patrick is survived by his wife of 32 years, Katie Oxford; his 
daughters, Elizabeth Pagan and Virginia Fleming; his sons-in-law, Greer 
Pagan and Lee Fleming; his grandson, Charlie Pagan; his brothers, 
Hubert Oxford III and Denis Oxford; his sister, Virginia Thompson; his 
sister-in-law, Canice Garth and her husband, David; his brothers-in-
law, Kit Herrington and Tommy Herrington; and numerous cousins, nieces, 
and nephews. Patrick is preceded in death by his parents, Hubert and 
Virginia, and sister, Mary Englander.
  Madam Speaker, it is a special privilege to honor my dear friend, 
Patrick Cunningham Oxford, who devoted his life to serving others. The 
Houston community will not forget him or his significant impact on the 
city, and my heartfelt prayers remain with his family and friends 
during this difficult time.

                          ____________________