[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11340]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         IN MEMORY OF JUDGE TERRY D. LEWIS OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 22, 2010

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor the memory 
of one of Fort Worth's most respected and active community leaders, 
Judge Terry D. Lewis. Judge Lewis worked his entire life supporting his 
family, serving God and the Fort Worth community for which he cared so 
deeply.
  Terry D. Lewis was the 4th child of 10, graduating from Dunbar High 
School in 1969, where he was an Honor Student, receiving the National 
Merit Achievement Award at graduation. While he was there, he was a 
member of the Charles L. Scott Jazz Band, on the debate team, four-year 
letterman in football, and Vice President of the Student Council. He 
was recruited to go to the University of Chicago by a former Dunbar 
student, Dr. Calvin Lee Dixon. He attended the University of Chicago 
for four years and graduated in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in 
Political Science. While at the University of Chicago, he was a member 
of the school wrestling team, and developed a passion for the martial 
arts. From there, he became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine 
Corps, where he was twice promoted before leaving active duty in 1976. 
While serving as a Marine Corps Officer, he participated in the 
evacuations of both Saigon and Cambodia.
  After leaving the Marine Corps, Terry went to work in the business 
world. He worked for Johnson & Johnson, Xerox, and Jewel Food Stores 
prior to finding his calling of working with juvenile delinquents and 
emotionally disturbed teenagers in Chicago.
  In 1987, while holding a full-time position and raising a family, he 
attended Chicago-Kent School of Law and served on the Law Review 
Committee, receiving his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1991, and being 
honored with the Golden Gavel Award from his graduating law class for 
his publications and volunteerism while in law school. He was then 
employed by the Office of Cook County Public Defender, where he 
specialized in law concerning the abuse and neglect of children.
   Upon moving home to Fort Worth in 1995, he acquired his license to 
practice law in the State of Texas, and worked with his brother, the 
Honorable Glenn Lewis and the Tarrant County District Attorney's 
Office. At the time of his death, he was serving as a Municipal Court 
Judge with the City of Fort Worth, where he was perhaps most proud of 
his efforts to match homeless people who appeared before him with 
social service programs. As recently as June 4, 2010, he is said to 
have written in an email to his colleagues:
  Some people share the socio-political philosophy that government 
should not or cannot afford to help those on the lower economic rungs 
of our social ladder . . . Then there are those of us who believe that 
government cannot afford to neglect them. We all share this City 
whether our income is considerable or nil. Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
(June 16, 2010).
  Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to remember 
Judge Terry Lewis for his legacy and service to the city of Fort Worth 
and specifically the community in which he was raised. Judge Lewis' 
indomitable spirit will always live here among those whom he has 
touched. We have been honored to have had the grace of his presence in 
our lives. As we stand today to celebrate the extraordinary life of 
this extraordinary man, I am proud to have represented such an 
outstanding citizen from the 26th District of Texas in the U.S. House 
of Representatives.

                          ____________________