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The History section of the Austin Bar’s website has been revamped to include more of the Austin Bar’s long history.
To explore the new section, visit austinbar.org/history.
Travis County Judges Timeline
Featured in the history section is a timeline of judges in Travis County dating all the way back to 1840.
This searchable timeline, complete with endnotes, was and is painstakingly collected and updated by Judge J. David Phillips of Travis County Court at Law No. 1 (ret.).
Distinguished Lawyer and Community Excellence Award Videos
The section also includes most of the Distinguished Lawyer Award and David H. Walter Community Excellence Award videos the Austin Bar has produced for the winners honored at each year’s Gala fundraiser.
The Austin Bar started producing these videos in 2005 with winners Shannon Ratliff, Larry F. York, and Bill Whitehurst.
The Past Presidents Project
The new history section also includes the Austin Bar’s Past Presidents Project, featuring interviews with past Austin Bar presidents:
- Thomas Watkins (1978-79)
- Jay Hailey (1980-81)
- Gaylord Armstrong (1981-82)
- Justice Woodfin “Woodie” Jones (1987-88)
- Martha Dickie (1988-89)
- Terry Bray (1989-90)
Legends of the Travis County Bar Association
Another video, Legends of the Travis County Bar Association, produced in 2002, features additional interviews with key Austin Bar figures, including:
- Gaynor Kendall
- Judge Mace Thurman
- Judge Hume Cofer
- Judge Mary Pearl Williams
- J. Chrys Dougherty
- Judge Harriet Murphy
- William Hilgers
- Lloyd Lochridge
- Karen Johnson
- Richard Pena
Austin Bar Presidents Through the Years
Finally, the new history section features a gallery of all Austin Bar presidents, with as many pictures of the individual presidents as we’ve been able to find.
We encourage you to take a look. If you can source any photos of these individuals, please let us know.
Preserving the Austin Bar’s History
Preserving the Austin Bar’s history and making it accessible to the public is the goal of the Austin Bar’s History & Traditions Committee.
More projects are currently underway and will be featured soon on the website.
Explore the Austin Bar’s history at austinbar.org/history.
