Heathcock Genealogy Database - Person Sheet
Heathcock Genealogy Database - Person Sheet
NameNell Rose Adair 
1076, 2C1R
1076, 2C1RBirth16 May 1927, Kingsville, Kleberg Co TX Age: 96
FatherLuther Lee Adair (1899-1978)
MotherRoxie Olivia Griffin (1899-1995)
Notes for Nell Rose Adair
Following first-hand account is from Nell Lewis:1076
Nell started to school at Robstown, TX when she was 6 years old. Two years later the family moved to San Diego, TX where she entered the 3rd grade. At that time San Diego was made up entirely of people of the Mexican heritage, with the exception of George Parr and his family. Nell took after her father's Scotch-Irish ancestry and was the only child in school that had very blond hair and very fair skin and her only language skill was in English. The classes were all taught in Spanish and this short experience taught her a life long lesson. The most important thing was to be able to communicate with other human beings and to be very toLerant of other nationalities. Nell, who at that time was a very shy person, ran away from school each day. This time frame was in the middle of The Great Depression and jobs were hard to find, however, before six weeks had gone by, her father, Luther Adair, had been able to find another job in the city of Sinton, TX and the family lived in Sinton, TX until 1972 when Luther and Roxie Adair moved to Victoria, TX. to be close to their daughter who had married and lived in Victoria, TX.
Nell graduated from High School in Sinton in 1944 and entered Baylor University when the fall quarter opened. She attended Baylor for their Fall, Spring and Summer quarters of that year. In the fall of 1945 she transferred to what is now known as Auburn University in Alabama. At that time the name was Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Her major at Auburn was in the School of Architecture. During her Junior year she began to have severe eye problems and was forced to drop out of college and never allowed to use her eyes again for such close work as drafting. Although it was a great heartbrake she was thankful that was her only limitation. She moved to Dallas, TX in 1948 and held many interesting jobs that added to her education process. She held jobs at Radio Station WRR, worked free lance for Remington Detective Agency, and was the youngest Civil Deputy for Sheriff Steve Gutherie. The first charge account she held under her own name was with the Neiman Marcus Company. In 1950 she returned to Sinton to work for Plymouth Oil Comany and was finally able to purchase her first automobile, a bright red hard-top Oldmobile, the first hard top auto that was put on the market. This auto was the cause of her meeting her future husband, Marion M. Lewis. Marion had just opened his law office in a corner building beside the only red stop light in town. Little did she know that she was observed as she would slide in to stop for the light and that Marion (Mack) Lewis would think "That red car must have been given to that spoiled brat by her father". A cousin of Mack Lewis also worked for Plymouth Oil Company and in October of 1950 introduced the two young people and at that time Mack learned that Nell had bought the car for herself. During the summer of 1951 Marion asked Nell to marry him, but he first recounted his first thoughts about her. I suppose you could say that he has been paying for those thoughts for the past 50 years of their marriage. The couple married in September 1951 and moved to Goliad, Texas. In 1965 the family that had 2 children by that time, moved to Victoria, TX where Mack became a partner in the law firm of Guittard & Henderson.
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Nell Adair was sworn in as a Deputy Sheriff of Dallas Co. TX on September 14, 1948 by Steve Guthrie, Sheriff of Dallas Co. TX.
Nell started to school at Robstown, TX when she was 6 years old. Two years later the family moved to San Diego, TX where she entered the 3rd grade. At that time San Diego was made up entirely of people of the Mexican heritage, with the exception of George Parr and his family. Nell took after her father's Scotch-Irish ancestry and was the only child in school that had very blond hair and very fair skin and her only language skill was in English. The classes were all taught in Spanish and this short experience taught her a life long lesson. The most important thing was to be able to communicate with other human beings and to be very toLerant of other nationalities. Nell, who at that time was a very shy person, ran away from school each day. This time frame was in the middle of The Great Depression and jobs were hard to find, however, before six weeks had gone by, her father, Luther Adair, had been able to find another job in the city of Sinton, TX and the family lived in Sinton, TX until 1972 when Luther and Roxie Adair moved to Victoria, TX. to be close to their daughter who had married and lived in Victoria, TX.
Nell graduated from High School in Sinton in 1944 and entered Baylor University when the fall quarter opened. She attended Baylor for their Fall, Spring and Summer quarters of that year. In the fall of 1945 she transferred to what is now known as Auburn University in Alabama. At that time the name was Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Her major at Auburn was in the School of Architecture. During her Junior year she began to have severe eye problems and was forced to drop out of college and never allowed to use her eyes again for such close work as drafting. Although it was a great heartbrake she was thankful that was her only limitation. She moved to Dallas, TX in 1948 and held many interesting jobs that added to her education process. She held jobs at Radio Station WRR, worked free lance for Remington Detective Agency, and was the youngest Civil Deputy for Sheriff Steve Gutherie. The first charge account she held under her own name was with the Neiman Marcus Company. In 1950 she returned to Sinton to work for Plymouth Oil Comany and was finally able to purchase her first automobile, a bright red hard-top Oldmobile, the first hard top auto that was put on the market. This auto was the cause of her meeting her future husband, Marion M. Lewis. Marion had just opened his law office in a corner building beside the only red stop light in town. Little did she know that she was observed as she would slide in to stop for the light and that Marion (Mack) Lewis would think "That red car must have been given to that spoiled brat by her father". A cousin of Mack Lewis also worked for Plymouth Oil Company and in October of 1950 introduced the two young people and at that time Mack learned that Nell had bought the car for herself. During the summer of 1951 Marion asked Nell to marry him, but he first recounted his first thoughts about her. I suppose you could say that he has been paying for those thoughts for the past 50 years of their marriage. The couple married in September 1951 and moved to Goliad, Texas. In 1965 the family that had 2 children by that time, moved to Victoria, TX where Mack became a partner in the law firm of Guittard & Henderson.
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Nell Adair was sworn in as a Deputy Sheriff of Dallas Co. TX on September 14, 1948 by Steve Guthrie, Sheriff of Dallas Co. TX.
Notes for Marion McLean (Spouse 1)
Following from Nell Lewis:1076
The maternal family of Marion M. (called Mack) Lewis arrived in TX in 1853, from Muhlenberg Co. KY. They first settled in Gonzales, TX where the mother died in 1854. In 1855 the father and 5 children migrated on to what was then Goliad County, but later the county was divided and they lived in Bee County, TX where they established a ranch. His faternal parents didn't arrive in TX until the 1890's from the state of MS. Both families of his ancestors traveled by wagon and horse to reach Bee Co. TX. where Mack was born in 1927. He graduated from A.C. Jones High School in Beeville in 1944 and left the following day for the University of Texas. When he turned 18 he joined the Army and was stationed at Los Alamos New Mexico. While in service he was sent to on a Navy ship to Bikini Attol to witness the test for the Atom Bomb. After his discharge from dervice, he again entered the University of Texas and graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1950. After he passed his bar examination he opened his own law office, first in Sinton, TX and later moved to Goliad, TX where he practiced law and operated the Goliad County Abstract Company. While in Goliad, he served as City Attorney, County Attorney and served on the Goliad County School Board. His son Thomas Adair Lewis was born in Goliad in 1955 and in 1959 his daughter, Roxanne Lewis was born in Goliad. In 1965 he closed his law practice in Goliad and moved to Victoria, TX tobecame a partner in the law firm of Guittard & Henderson and served on the Victoria City Council in the 1970's . In 1981 he quit the practice of law when he became a District State Judge. He retired from the bench in 1995 but continued to be assigned to "Special Assignments" in different courts within the State of Texas. Marion and his sister, Anne Lewis Lucas continue to own the family ranch in Bee County, TX that is part of the original land purchased by their ancestors when they first came to TX. in 1855.
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BIOGRAPHY OF MARION McLEAN LEWIS
Marion McLean (Mack) Lewis was born in Beeville, Texas, on September 25, 1927, son of Thomas Armstrong Lewis and Carra Lou Robinson Lewis. He attended public schools in Live Oak, San Patricio and Bee Counties, Texas, and graduated from A. C. Jones High School, Beeville, Texas, in 1944.
He attended the University of Texas from July, 1944 to January, 1946, at which time he enlisted in the United States Army. While in the army, he served with the Manhattan District Engineers at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and took part in the Atomic Bomb Tests in the South Pacific area in the summer of 1946, and attained the rank of Technician, 4th Grade (equivalent of a Sergeant). He was discharged from the army in July, 1947, and returned to the University of Texas in September, 1947. He graduated from that institution in August, 1950, with a Bachelor of Laws Degree. He took the bar examination in July, 1950, and was licensed to practice law in the State of Texas on September 18, 1950.
While in high school and college, Lewis held a number of part-time and summer employments, including grocery and meat market clerk, newspaper boy, law office boy, maintenance laborer for the State Highway Department, waiter at college dormitory, law library assistant, farm hand and helper on a seismograph crew.
As a young lawyer, he began his practice in Sinton, Texas, in October, 1950, but moved to Goliad, Texas in May, 1951, and engaged in the general practice of law as a sole practitioner until June, 1965; at that time he moved to Victoria and joined the law firm of Guittard, Henderson, Jones and Lewis. In 1971, after the death of Frank Guittard, the firm was reorganized under the firm name of Guittard & Henderson. In April, 1980, the firm name was changed to Lewis and Kelly. In May, 1981, he was appointed by Governor Clements as the first judge of the newly created 267th Judicial District Court, and served until January 1, 1983, having failed to be re-elected to the judgeship. He rejoined his old law firm, which was then known as Kelly, Stephenson, Marr & Lewis. On January 1, 1985, he withdrew from the firm and resumed his earlier role as a sole practitioner until returning to the bench in August, 1988. When his predecessor decided to retire from the 135th District Court in 1988, Lewis announced for the position, and was unopposed for election to a term beginning in January, 1989. When the Judge of the court stepped down early in August, 1988, he was appointed to the position for the balance of the term. Lewis was re-elected and served until his retirement on December 31, 1996.
Marion Lewis was also authorized to practice in Federal Court in the Southern District of Texas, and the United States Tax Court. He was a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Victoria County Bar Association and a member and former director and officer of the Victoria Area Estate Planning Council. He served as President of the local bar association in 1970. While in law school he was elected to membership in Phi Alpha Delta, a national honorary legal fraternity. He served as County Attorney of Goliad County for 11 years as well as City Attorney for the City of Goliad for approximately 7 years. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Goliad Independent School District for two years. In 1962, he sought to be elected State Representative for Goliad, Bee, Live Oak and Refugio, Texas, but was defeated by the incumbent in a run-off election. In 1971 he was elected to the City Council of Victoria and served as Mayor Pro-Tem until 1973.
In his earlier years, Lewis engaged in the general practice of law, especially in the area of real estate, title examinations, banking and commercial law, and other areas of office practice. During the latter part of his practice he devoted his practice and engaged principally in estate planning, probate, trust administration, and oil and gas law. He was Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
While in private practice, Lewis was a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, beginning in January, 1985, indicating that he had completed more than 80 hours of Continuing Legal Education in 1982, 1983, and 1984, and more than 28 hours during each calendar year thereafter.
He was a member of District 12-C Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas, which investigates complaints and imposes sanctions on lawyers found to have engaged in unprofessional conduct, resigning this office when he returned to the judiciary.
He was elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, an organization of Texas lawyers giving financial support to worthwhile education and professional improvement projects, and remains a member of that group.
He has been a member of the Victoria 100 Club from its inception. This group has as its purpose the furnishing of financial help to families of law enforcement officers in the event of death or serious injury while on duty.
He was a member of the Goliad Presbyterian Church, Goliad, Texas at the time of his death. He was ordained as a Deacon and Elder in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Most recent active service was on the Session at First Presbyterian Church, Victoria, from 1984˜1986; during his term he served as Chairman of the Worship Committee; Chairman of the Interim Minister Search Committee, and Chairman of the congregational Nominating and served as one of the teachers of the Nellie Hudson Bible Class in the Victoria Church for over 20 years.
On September 15, 1951, he married the former Nell Adair in Sinton, Texas and in 2001 they celebrated their 50th anniversary together. They have two adult children, Thomas (Tom) Adair Lewis and Roxanne Lewis Miller. Tom and his wife, Martha, reside in Sacramento, California; Tom is in real estate development and Martha is a real estate appraiser. They have 2 children, John (Jack) Armstrong Lewis and Catherine (Katie) Adair Lewis.
Roxanne is married to Tracy Lynn Miller, who is in the Air Force Base Stationed at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. Roxanne is employed as a legal assistant with a Fayetteville, North Carolina law firm. They have one son, Hunter Thomas Miller.
Marion's hobbies were hunting, woodworking and woodcarving, and had a great appreciation of music, particularly guitar music.
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The following article appeared in the Victoria Advocate newspaper on Sunday, July 07, 2002:
LEWIS REMEMBERED FOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY
By CATHERINE BROWN Victoria Advocate
Judge Marion M. ’Mack" Lewis was remembered this week as a man who dedicated his life to serving his community in anyway he could.
Lewis died Friday at the age of 74. "He loved the communities of Victoria and Goliad, where he spent his adult life," said Tom Lewis, the judge s son. "He was very active and truly had a deep love for these communities."
Marion Lewis served as county attorney of Goliad County for 11 years and as city attorney in Goliad for seven years. He al so served on the board of trustees of the Goliad Independent School District for two years. He was elected to the Victoria City Council in 1971 and served as mayor pro-tem until 1973. "He took great pride in trying to be fair in both his personal and professional life," his son said this week.
Lewis was born in Beeville on Sept. 25, 1927, andlived there until he left for college at the University of Texas in July 1944. In January 1946, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with the Manhattan District Engineers at Los Alamos, N.M. He took part in the atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific in the summer of 1946, and attained the rank of technician, 4th grade, which is the equivalent of a sergeant.
Lewis returned to the University of Texas in September 1947, and got his law degree in August 1950. Lewis was in private practice until June 1965, when he moved to Victoria tojoin the law firm of Guittard, Henderson, Jones and Lewis. By April 1980, the firm s name was changed to Lewis and Kelly. "He is one of those shining stars in the law profession," said Judge Patrick Kelly of the 24th District Court. "He enriched my life by teaching me law and was in strumental in helping me become a judge. He was dear to me in the profession and personally:" Kelly worked with Lewis for almost 13 years at the firm of Kelly, Stephenson, Marr & Lewis and said he ad mired Lewis for his con cern for proper ethics. "He embodied, in my eyes, the highest ideas for the practice of law," Kelly said. "He went to extended measures to find what the right thing is to do."
In May 1981, Lewis was appointed as the first judge of the newly created 267th Judicial District Court, and served until January 1, 1983. He rejoined his old law firm on Jan. 2, 1983, but later resumed his private practice. "I practiced law with him for a couple of years. He was a very meticulous lawyer," Attorney Mike Meier said. Meier inherited many of Lewis' clients and said that he always noticed the files were in order and nothing was missing. "It gave me confidence," he said.
Attorney George Filley said he has known Judge Lewis for years. "He was the presiding judge when I was the district attorney on many cases. He was al ways a pleasure to work with and was fair and gentlemanly in rulings," Filley said. "Both sides knew they would get a genuinely fair and unbiased ruling out of Mack Lewis. I hated to see him go." Meier said that Lewis was a very courteous and professional judge with the lawyers who practiced before him.
He held the position of the 135th District Court Judge from August1988 until he re tired on Dec. 31, 1996.
Lewis was a member of the Goliad Presbyterian Church at the time of his death. He was ordained as a deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church. He served as one of the teachers of the Nellie Hudson Bible Class at First Presbyterian Church in Victoria for more than 20 years.
"He was very involved in both churches and served as deacon in both for many years," his son said.
Lewis hobbies were hunting, wood-working and woodcarving, and had a great appreciation of music, particularly guitar music.
"He was a lover of the outdoors," Lewis said. "He loved to hunt at the ranch in Beeville, which has been in the family since the 1800s." Lewis married the former Nell Adair of Sinton in 1951 and they celebrated their .50 th anniversary together in 2001. They have two adult children, Thomas (Tom) Adair Lewis and Roxanne Lewis Miller, and three grandchildren.
Longtime friend Robert Connally said he and Lewis go back a long way. They hunted and camped together, and both were best man at the other s wedding. "He was a good man who was always around when you needed him. He was a good Christian man and a great friend," he said.
Catherine Brown is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6511 or by e-mail at cbrown@@vicad.com.
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The following report was written by Marion McLean Lewis upon the request of his Pulminary Doctor, Dr. Llompart, when Marion became ill in June 2002, in hopes that it would help to explain why Marion had so much lung scaring that he had accumulated over the years.
MILITARY SERVICE REPORT of Marion McLean Lewis
Military Service:
January 1946 to July 1947 or approximately 19 months
I was inducted at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. About 2 weeks later I was transferred, as a volunteer for such duty, to Los Alamos National Laboratory, north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, as an enlisted man in the Corp of Engineers, assigned to The Manhattan District.
After arrival in New Mexico, and a two week bout with Pneumonia in the base hospital, I was assigned to the Security Division, as a guard. The duties of our group were to be armed guards protecting radio active materials, principally U-235 and Plutonium at any time it was removed from secure storage. This entailed one of our group being with such material 24 hours a day when out of such storage; performing such duty required us to be in the labs with the material while being used in various experiments, most of which we had absolutely no understanding. We were also required to enforce security in an area where plutonium was processed. In the plutonium processing area we were required to wear protective clothing, shoe coverings and in certain areas, were required to use respirators. At this processing site we were advised that there were radioactive particulates in the air, and that it would be wise not to eat, drink or smoke in such areas; however, most of us were 18-20 years of age, and were at the stage that if we could not see it, feel it, eat it, or drink it, it really did not exist; as a result most of us drank sodas, ate candy & cookies and smoked in such areas. So far as I know none of us were ever ordered not to do such things, and if we did, no disciplinary action was taken.
At sites other than the plutonium processing area, no protective clothing or breathing devices were required of anyone, our group or the persons conducting experiments.
At all sites we wore film badges issued to us, and checked from time to time to determine if we had been overexposed to radiation. To my knowledge, only 1 person out of our group was ever found to receive an overdose, and he was present when an experiment went bad that overexposed one of the scientists, who died about a week later of radiation poisoning.
In the summer of 1946, I was selected as one of my group to go to Kwajalien and Bikini atolls for Operation Crossroads, the atom bomb tests conducted in the South Pacific. There were 3 groups of approximately 10 men each, composed of officers, NCOs, and enlisted men. Each group was assigned the necessary fissionable Material for 1 bomb, and had such material in its possession from the time we left Los Alamos until it was placed in the bomb, and was either placed on the plane, as in the case of Operation Abel, or suspended from an LST as in Operation Baker. Such material was small enough in size that it could be carried and transported in a lead shielded container approximately 12 inches wide, 12 inches long and 12 inches deep. Since only two explosions were had, the remaining material for the third bomb remained in our possession until it was replaced into secure storage back at Los Alamos.
When we arrived at Kwajalien we were transferred to the U.S.S. Albemarle, a converted sea plane tender, which had been made into a Laboratory Ship where the bombs were assembled. At least one of our group remained with such material until shortly before explosion as stated above.
The Abel test (air drop from plane) was on July 1, 1946; none of our group was in or near the test, but remained aboard the Albermarle docked at Kwajalien, a distance (as I recall) of about 90 - 100 miles from Bikini. Just hours after the Abel test, the ship left Kwajalien and sailed for Bikini arriving the next day and anchored some distance (1 - 2 miles) off the island, where it remained until the night before the Baker test, when it put to sea, along with many other ships to be in a position to safely witness the underwater explosion. The Baker test was conducted on July 25, 1946 (Bikini time).
About a week or 10 days after the Abel test, the island and surrounding sea was declared to be safe, and all were given an opportunity to go ashore on the island, and inspect it, and either that day or soon thereafter we were taken on a boat ride among the ships that survived the blast. (Most of them did, although some had considerable damage to their super structures. We were assured that it was safe, and that we would not be harmed by any remaining radiation.
On the night before the Baker test, I was ordered aboard the U.S.S. Cumberland Sound for guard duty along with a superior officer, at a laboratory where the final electronic control switch was thrown to activate the detonation device for the Test Baker bomb. The activation occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. on July 25, 1946.
As I recall we were some 5 miles from the LST where the bomb was suspended, but the sound of the explosion was heard and one could see clearly the water column and water vapor caused by the explosion. Again we were assured that no harmful radiation would reach us, and I was among many high ranking officials, military officers and nuclear scientists who were on board the ship.
Immediately after the test, we were transferred back to the Albermarle and later that day we departed Bikini and headed back to San Pedro, California arriving there the first week of August, 1946.
Insofar as I know I have never had any adverse effects from any radiation exposure that I might have had. While at Los Alamos, we had checks about every six months, which as I recall, involved a blood sample, and urinalysis. Upon discharge at Ft. Bliss, Texas, at the end of July 1947, I was given a physical, and was never told anything other than being in good health.
The only health problems I have had between 1947 and being diagnosed with Atypical Tuberculosis in 1998, was detection and treatment of a duodenal ulcer, in about 1960, gall bladder disease and surgery in 1969-70, and a bout with depression in 1977.
Several years ago a general request was made to all persons who had participated in government or military operations involving possible radiation to contact the Veterans Administration, but since I had no visible symptoms or any trouble I declined to do so.
Perhaps this information will be helpful to Dr. Llamport or other medical personnel in attempting to evaluate my present pulmonary condition.
Marion M. Lewis
The maternal family of Marion M. (called Mack) Lewis arrived in TX in 1853, from Muhlenberg Co. KY. They first settled in Gonzales, TX where the mother died in 1854. In 1855 the father and 5 children migrated on to what was then Goliad County, but later the county was divided and they lived in Bee County, TX where they established a ranch. His faternal parents didn't arrive in TX until the 1890's from the state of MS. Both families of his ancestors traveled by wagon and horse to reach Bee Co. TX. where Mack was born in 1927. He graduated from A.C. Jones High School in Beeville in 1944 and left the following day for the University of Texas. When he turned 18 he joined the Army and was stationed at Los Alamos New Mexico. While in service he was sent to on a Navy ship to Bikini Attol to witness the test for the Atom Bomb. After his discharge from dervice, he again entered the University of Texas and graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1950. After he passed his bar examination he opened his own law office, first in Sinton, TX and later moved to Goliad, TX where he practiced law and operated the Goliad County Abstract Company. While in Goliad, he served as City Attorney, County Attorney and served on the Goliad County School Board. His son Thomas Adair Lewis was born in Goliad in 1955 and in 1959 his daughter, Roxanne Lewis was born in Goliad. In 1965 he closed his law practice in Goliad and moved to Victoria, TX tobecame a partner in the law firm of Guittard & Henderson and served on the Victoria City Council in the 1970's . In 1981 he quit the practice of law when he became a District State Judge. He retired from the bench in 1995 but continued to be assigned to "Special Assignments" in different courts within the State of Texas. Marion and his sister, Anne Lewis Lucas continue to own the family ranch in Bee County, TX that is part of the original land purchased by their ancestors when they first came to TX. in 1855.
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BIOGRAPHY OF MARION McLEAN LEWIS
Marion McLean (Mack) Lewis was born in Beeville, Texas, on September 25, 1927, son of Thomas Armstrong Lewis and Carra Lou Robinson Lewis. He attended public schools in Live Oak, San Patricio and Bee Counties, Texas, and graduated from A. C. Jones High School, Beeville, Texas, in 1944.
He attended the University of Texas from July, 1944 to January, 1946, at which time he enlisted in the United States Army. While in the army, he served with the Manhattan District Engineers at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and took part in the Atomic Bomb Tests in the South Pacific area in the summer of 1946, and attained the rank of Technician, 4th Grade (equivalent of a Sergeant). He was discharged from the army in July, 1947, and returned to the University of Texas in September, 1947. He graduated from that institution in August, 1950, with a Bachelor of Laws Degree. He took the bar examination in July, 1950, and was licensed to practice law in the State of Texas on September 18, 1950.
While in high school and college, Lewis held a number of part-time and summer employments, including grocery and meat market clerk, newspaper boy, law office boy, maintenance laborer for the State Highway Department, waiter at college dormitory, law library assistant, farm hand and helper on a seismograph crew.
As a young lawyer, he began his practice in Sinton, Texas, in October, 1950, but moved to Goliad, Texas in May, 1951, and engaged in the general practice of law as a sole practitioner until June, 1965; at that time he moved to Victoria and joined the law firm of Guittard, Henderson, Jones and Lewis. In 1971, after the death of Frank Guittard, the firm was reorganized under the firm name of Guittard & Henderson. In April, 1980, the firm name was changed to Lewis and Kelly. In May, 1981, he was appointed by Governor Clements as the first judge of the newly created 267th Judicial District Court, and served until January 1, 1983, having failed to be re-elected to the judgeship. He rejoined his old law firm, which was then known as Kelly, Stephenson, Marr & Lewis. On January 1, 1985, he withdrew from the firm and resumed his earlier role as a sole practitioner until returning to the bench in August, 1988. When his predecessor decided to retire from the 135th District Court in 1988, Lewis announced for the position, and was unopposed for election to a term beginning in January, 1989. When the Judge of the court stepped down early in August, 1988, he was appointed to the position for the balance of the term. Lewis was re-elected and served until his retirement on December 31, 1996.
Marion Lewis was also authorized to practice in Federal Court in the Southern District of Texas, and the United States Tax Court. He was a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Victoria County Bar Association and a member and former director and officer of the Victoria Area Estate Planning Council. He served as President of the local bar association in 1970. While in law school he was elected to membership in Phi Alpha Delta, a national honorary legal fraternity. He served as County Attorney of Goliad County for 11 years as well as City Attorney for the City of Goliad for approximately 7 years. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Goliad Independent School District for two years. In 1962, he sought to be elected State Representative for Goliad, Bee, Live Oak and Refugio, Texas, but was defeated by the incumbent in a run-off election. In 1971 he was elected to the City Council of Victoria and served as Mayor Pro-Tem until 1973.
In his earlier years, Lewis engaged in the general practice of law, especially in the area of real estate, title examinations, banking and commercial law, and other areas of office practice. During the latter part of his practice he devoted his practice and engaged principally in estate planning, probate, trust administration, and oil and gas law. He was Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
While in private practice, Lewis was a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, beginning in January, 1985, indicating that he had completed more than 80 hours of Continuing Legal Education in 1982, 1983, and 1984, and more than 28 hours during each calendar year thereafter.
He was a member of District 12-C Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas, which investigates complaints and imposes sanctions on lawyers found to have engaged in unprofessional conduct, resigning this office when he returned to the judiciary.
He was elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, an organization of Texas lawyers giving financial support to worthwhile education and professional improvement projects, and remains a member of that group.
He has been a member of the Victoria 100 Club from its inception. This group has as its purpose the furnishing of financial help to families of law enforcement officers in the event of death or serious injury while on duty.
He was a member of the Goliad Presbyterian Church, Goliad, Texas at the time of his death. He was ordained as a Deacon and Elder in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Most recent active service was on the Session at First Presbyterian Church, Victoria, from 1984˜1986; during his term he served as Chairman of the Worship Committee; Chairman of the Interim Minister Search Committee, and Chairman of the congregational Nominating and served as one of the teachers of the Nellie Hudson Bible Class in the Victoria Church for over 20 years.
On September 15, 1951, he married the former Nell Adair in Sinton, Texas and in 2001 they celebrated their 50th anniversary together. They have two adult children, Thomas (Tom) Adair Lewis and Roxanne Lewis Miller. Tom and his wife, Martha, reside in Sacramento, California; Tom is in real estate development and Martha is a real estate appraiser. They have 2 children, John (Jack) Armstrong Lewis and Catherine (Katie) Adair Lewis.
Roxanne is married to Tracy Lynn Miller, who is in the Air Force Base Stationed at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. Roxanne is employed as a legal assistant with a Fayetteville, North Carolina law firm. They have one son, Hunter Thomas Miller.
Marion's hobbies were hunting, woodworking and woodcarving, and had a great appreciation of music, particularly guitar music.
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The following article appeared in the Victoria Advocate newspaper on Sunday, July 07, 2002:
LEWIS REMEMBERED FOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY
By CATHERINE BROWN Victoria Advocate
Judge Marion M. ’Mack" Lewis was remembered this week as a man who dedicated his life to serving his community in anyway he could.
Lewis died Friday at the age of 74. "He loved the communities of Victoria and Goliad, where he spent his adult life," said Tom Lewis, the judge s son. "He was very active and truly had a deep love for these communities."
Marion Lewis served as county attorney of Goliad County for 11 years and as city attorney in Goliad for seven years. He al so served on the board of trustees of the Goliad Independent School District for two years. He was elected to the Victoria City Council in 1971 and served as mayor pro-tem until 1973. "He took great pride in trying to be fair in both his personal and professional life," his son said this week.
Lewis was born in Beeville on Sept. 25, 1927, andlived there until he left for college at the University of Texas in July 1944. In January 1946, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with the Manhattan District Engineers at Los Alamos, N.M. He took part in the atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific in the summer of 1946, and attained the rank of technician, 4th grade, which is the equivalent of a sergeant.
Lewis returned to the University of Texas in September 1947, and got his law degree in August 1950. Lewis was in private practice until June 1965, when he moved to Victoria tojoin the law firm of Guittard, Henderson, Jones and Lewis. By April 1980, the firm s name was changed to Lewis and Kelly. "He is one of those shining stars in the law profession," said Judge Patrick Kelly of the 24th District Court. "He enriched my life by teaching me law and was in strumental in helping me become a judge. He was dear to me in the profession and personally:" Kelly worked with Lewis for almost 13 years at the firm of Kelly, Stephenson, Marr & Lewis and said he ad mired Lewis for his con cern for proper ethics. "He embodied, in my eyes, the highest ideas for the practice of law," Kelly said. "He went to extended measures to find what the right thing is to do."
In May 1981, Lewis was appointed as the first judge of the newly created 267th Judicial District Court, and served until January 1, 1983. He rejoined his old law firm on Jan. 2, 1983, but later resumed his private practice. "I practiced law with him for a couple of years. He was a very meticulous lawyer," Attorney Mike Meier said. Meier inherited many of Lewis' clients and said that he always noticed the files were in order and nothing was missing. "It gave me confidence," he said.
Attorney George Filley said he has known Judge Lewis for years. "He was the presiding judge when I was the district attorney on many cases. He was al ways a pleasure to work with and was fair and gentlemanly in rulings," Filley said. "Both sides knew they would get a genuinely fair and unbiased ruling out of Mack Lewis. I hated to see him go." Meier said that Lewis was a very courteous and professional judge with the lawyers who practiced before him.
He held the position of the 135th District Court Judge from August1988 until he re tired on Dec. 31, 1996.
Lewis was a member of the Goliad Presbyterian Church at the time of his death. He was ordained as a deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church. He served as one of the teachers of the Nellie Hudson Bible Class at First Presbyterian Church in Victoria for more than 20 years.
"He was very involved in both churches and served as deacon in both for many years," his son said.
Lewis hobbies were hunting, wood-working and woodcarving, and had a great appreciation of music, particularly guitar music.
"He was a lover of the outdoors," Lewis said. "He loved to hunt at the ranch in Beeville, which has been in the family since the 1800s." Lewis married the former Nell Adair of Sinton in 1951 and they celebrated their .50 th anniversary together in 2001. They have two adult children, Thomas (Tom) Adair Lewis and Roxanne Lewis Miller, and three grandchildren.
Longtime friend Robert Connally said he and Lewis go back a long way. They hunted and camped together, and both were best man at the other s wedding. "He was a good man who was always around when you needed him. He was a good Christian man and a great friend," he said.
Catherine Brown is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6511 or by e-mail at cbrown@@vicad.com.
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The following report was written by Marion McLean Lewis upon the request of his Pulminary Doctor, Dr. Llompart, when Marion became ill in June 2002, in hopes that it would help to explain why Marion had so much lung scaring that he had accumulated over the years.
MILITARY SERVICE REPORT of Marion McLean Lewis
Military Service:
January 1946 to July 1947 or approximately 19 months
I was inducted at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. About 2 weeks later I was transferred, as a volunteer for such duty, to Los Alamos National Laboratory, north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, as an enlisted man in the Corp of Engineers, assigned to The Manhattan District.
After arrival in New Mexico, and a two week bout with Pneumonia in the base hospital, I was assigned to the Security Division, as a guard. The duties of our group were to be armed guards protecting radio active materials, principally U-235 and Plutonium at any time it was removed from secure storage. This entailed one of our group being with such material 24 hours a day when out of such storage; performing such duty required us to be in the labs with the material while being used in various experiments, most of which we had absolutely no understanding. We were also required to enforce security in an area where plutonium was processed. In the plutonium processing area we were required to wear protective clothing, shoe coverings and in certain areas, were required to use respirators. At this processing site we were advised that there were radioactive particulates in the air, and that it would be wise not to eat, drink or smoke in such areas; however, most of us were 18-20 years of age, and were at the stage that if we could not see it, feel it, eat it, or drink it, it really did not exist; as a result most of us drank sodas, ate candy & cookies and smoked in such areas. So far as I know none of us were ever ordered not to do such things, and if we did, no disciplinary action was taken.
At sites other than the plutonium processing area, no protective clothing or breathing devices were required of anyone, our group or the persons conducting experiments.
At all sites we wore film badges issued to us, and checked from time to time to determine if we had been overexposed to radiation. To my knowledge, only 1 person out of our group was ever found to receive an overdose, and he was present when an experiment went bad that overexposed one of the scientists, who died about a week later of radiation poisoning.
In the summer of 1946, I was selected as one of my group to go to Kwajalien and Bikini atolls for Operation Crossroads, the atom bomb tests conducted in the South Pacific. There were 3 groups of approximately 10 men each, composed of officers, NCOs, and enlisted men. Each group was assigned the necessary fissionable Material for 1 bomb, and had such material in its possession from the time we left Los Alamos until it was placed in the bomb, and was either placed on the plane, as in the case of Operation Abel, or suspended from an LST as in Operation Baker. Such material was small enough in size that it could be carried and transported in a lead shielded container approximately 12 inches wide, 12 inches long and 12 inches deep. Since only two explosions were had, the remaining material for the third bomb remained in our possession until it was replaced into secure storage back at Los Alamos.
When we arrived at Kwajalien we were transferred to the U.S.S. Albemarle, a converted sea plane tender, which had been made into a Laboratory Ship where the bombs were assembled. At least one of our group remained with such material until shortly before explosion as stated above.
The Abel test (air drop from plane) was on July 1, 1946; none of our group was in or near the test, but remained aboard the Albermarle docked at Kwajalien, a distance (as I recall) of about 90 - 100 miles from Bikini. Just hours after the Abel test, the ship left Kwajalien and sailed for Bikini arriving the next day and anchored some distance (1 - 2 miles) off the island, where it remained until the night before the Baker test, when it put to sea, along with many other ships to be in a position to safely witness the underwater explosion. The Baker test was conducted on July 25, 1946 (Bikini time).
About a week or 10 days after the Abel test, the island and surrounding sea was declared to be safe, and all were given an opportunity to go ashore on the island, and inspect it, and either that day or soon thereafter we were taken on a boat ride among the ships that survived the blast. (Most of them did, although some had considerable damage to their super structures. We were assured that it was safe, and that we would not be harmed by any remaining radiation.
On the night before the Baker test, I was ordered aboard the U.S.S. Cumberland Sound for guard duty along with a superior officer, at a laboratory where the final electronic control switch was thrown to activate the detonation device for the Test Baker bomb. The activation occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. on July 25, 1946.
As I recall we were some 5 miles from the LST where the bomb was suspended, but the sound of the explosion was heard and one could see clearly the water column and water vapor caused by the explosion. Again we were assured that no harmful radiation would reach us, and I was among many high ranking officials, military officers and nuclear scientists who were on board the ship.
Immediately after the test, we were transferred back to the Albermarle and later that day we departed Bikini and headed back to San Pedro, California arriving there the first week of August, 1946.
Insofar as I know I have never had any adverse effects from any radiation exposure that I might have had. While at Los Alamos, we had checks about every six months, which as I recall, involved a blood sample, and urinalysis. Upon discharge at Ft. Bliss, Texas, at the end of July 1947, I was given a physical, and was never told anything other than being in good health.
The only health problems I have had between 1947 and being diagnosed with Atypical Tuberculosis in 1998, was detection and treatment of a duodenal ulcer, in about 1960, gall bladder disease and surgery in 1969-70, and a bout with depression in 1977.
Several years ago a general request was made to all persons who had participated in government or military operations involving possible radiation to contact the Veterans Administration, but since I had no visible symptoms or any trouble I declined to do so.
Perhaps this information will be helpful to Dr. Llamport or other medical personnel in attempting to evaluate my present pulmonary condition.
Marion M. Lewis