Origins
I was born in Dallas in 1931. All four of my grandparents had careers in public education. Both grandfathers wrote autobiographies. All their ancestors were somewhere in the United States before 1776; one ancestor, Rebecca Nurse, was executed as a witch when a medical expert testified to finding evidence that she had been suckling the Devil. The only other one anyone has heard of was Pocahontas. For descendants, I have an illustrated history about some of the mothers. Mothers I Never Knew
My father, Paul (1894-1988) grew up in Jefferson City and Springfield, Missouri, and retained a strong memory of the World’s Fair held in Saint Louis in 1904 that I have recorded. Growing Up Political was a graduate of the University of Missouri and the Harvard Law School. In 1917-1919, he was a military aviator. As a lawyer, he enjoyed one of the largest practices in the city. He was also a leader in many community organizations and in the organized bar. In 1951, I went with friends to play handball at the Houston YMCA. I went to the counter to pay a dollar to play. The manager looked at my card and asked if I was related to a Dallas lawyer by the same name. I allowed as how I was. He said, “Son, with him for a dad. you can play handball in this Y every day for the rest of your life and we wouldn’t think of charging you for it.”
My dad had been pro bono attorney for the Texas Y for forty years, and he had served in the same way his church, the Boy Scouts of Texas, and the Baylor Hospital (when it was a charity). He wrote an account of his 63 years at the bar; it abides in the SMU library. At the age of 79, he commenced an academic career at SMU, serving that law school for 8 years. They awarded him an honorary degree.
My mother, Frances Dewitt Carrington (1896-1992) was a graduate of Wellesley; she had a long and happy life, enjoying family and many friends, and devoting time and effort to diverse community causes. Her brother Roscoe was a Dallas architect. Her two sisters were quite close to her; they were married but without children. Ireline was married to Charles McCormick who had a distinguished career as a law professor at Northwestern University and the University of Texas. My sister Frances was a distinguished student at the University of Texas, married and had four children. She still lives in Dallas with her husband, Dan Henry Lee, and amid her descendants. Her son-in-law, Dick Sayles, is prospering as a lawyer in Dallas. I see them all from time to time and remain close to her oldest, Dan Henry Lee III, who lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and amid his descendants. He, his wife, and son-in-law are all lawyers. We all celebrated the Lees 50th anniversary together in Texas in 1995.