South Texas College of Law, Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 3, December, 1981 Page: 1 of 4
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Annotations
Non-Profit Org.
U.S.. Postage
PAID
Houston. Texas
Permit 8451
Volume IX, Number 3
1303 San Jacinto, Houston, Texas 77002
December 1981
Judge Bell notes years of change
Most students here have taken a course
or two under the stately old gentleman
who smokes a pipe. His classes take on a
rather relaxed atmosphere, consistent
with his quiet voice and gentle spirit. He
buttresses his lectures with humorous,
yet informative anecdotes; remarks about
his observations of the law — the way it
works, the way it doesn't work, the way it
should work.
Judge Spurgeon E. Bell was born in
Gatesville, Texas in 1908. He took his
undergraduate and law degrees at the
University of Texas — a bit of history he
doesn't take lightly, evidenced by the
burnt orange blazer he adorns frequently
during football season. His law school
classmates included former Governor
Alan Shivers and Houston attorney Percy
Foreman.
At 25, Bell first came to Houston to
embark on his legal career, joining the
firm of his father, Holland Bell. In 1937
he began his lengthy public service
career when he joined the Harris County
District Attorney's Office under Dan
Jackson.
Bell's father was a professor for many
years at South Texas. The younger Bell
has been connected with the law school
since 1933 when he often substituted for
his fathér. He began teaching full-time
two years later and has continued ever
since — except during World War II.
During the war Bell was a lieutenant in
naval intelligence, stationed off the coast
of Southeast Asia. He returned to
Houston after the war to resume private
practice and frequently served as a
special prosecutor for the District Attor-
ney's office.
In 1952 Bell ran for the Texas Supreme
Court — the only statewide position he
has sought. He was defeated by former
Justice Frank Culver by a scant 6223
votes.
Former Governor Shivers appointed
Bell to the 125th District Court in 1953.
Four years later the judge became an
Associate and soon Chief Judge of the
First Court of Civil Appeals. He remained
there through several uncontested elec-
tions until his retirement on February 13,
1973 — his 65th birthday.
A former Houston Bar Association
president once wrote in a tribute to Judge
Bell: "He called a spade a spade and
refused the siren song of dicta ... He
followed the law rather than philosophy
or social temptations of the moment."
When asked in a recent interview what
advice he might give to young attorneys,
Bell remarked, "The life of a lawyer is a
life of study." Indeed, to the judge the
practice of the law is as sublime as the
study.
The judge has been here at STCL for
some 48 years now. And in those many
years he's seen the school grow from the
basement of a nearby building, to the
upstairs of another, to where it is today.
He attributes the excellent growth and
financing of the school to Dean Walker.
Bell noted that even though the school
has grown from a basic night school to a
diversified curriculum law school, he
doesn't want the institution to lose sight
of why it was established: "to take care of
the working people . . . Houston needs a
night school."
Over the years Bell has taught
Conveyances, Community Property,
Trusts, Criminal Law, Conflict of Laws,
Legal Ethics, and of course, Procedure.
And, after 48 years, he has no plans for
retirement.
STCL varsity
takes regional
The South Texas College of Law varsity moot court
team took top honors in the regional competition of the
New York Bar Association's National Moot Court meet.
The competition was held in Austin on November 21 at
the University of Texas Law S.chool.
This is the fourth regional win in a row for STCL.
In addition, the team Won best brief and Neil McCabe
was noted top individual advocate at the three-day
tournament.
The STCL team — pictured at left — consisted of Neil
McCabe, David O'Neil, Devon Decker and coached by
Asst. Dean Treece.
In winning the regional competition, South Texas
defeated the University of Texas Law School (in two
rounds), SMU Law School, Oklahoma Law School, and
Texas Tech Law School. Other participants in the
tournament included the University of Houston Law
School, St. Mary's, Baylor, Oklahoma City, Arkansas
Law School and Tulsa University Law School.
The regional win allows the team to advance to the
national finals in New York City this January. In all, 26
schools will be participating in the national meet,
sponsored by the New York Bar Association.
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Johnson, Robert. South Texas College of Law, Annotations (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 3, December, 1981, newspaper, December 1981; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth144399/m1/1/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting South Texas College of Law.