E. DOUGLAS MC LEOD - DEAN FOR THE DAY - MARCH 14, 2008

The announcement came in last week's mail.  It was from the South Texas College of Law in Houston.

On March 14, 2008, my life long friend, E. Douglas McLeod, was named the college's Dean for the Day.  That's quite an honor, but it's very definitely one that's properly placed and noted.

<<=== E. DOUGLAS MC LEOD

I've written before about Doug along with my friends Victor, J.E. and Ward.  We've been a support team for a long time.  Far more than fifty years.  Here's that story.

In real life Doug is the Director of Development for the billion dollar Moody (Charitable) Foundation.  And he's an officer and director of many of the insurance companies that are owned one way or the other by the Moody Family, all descendants of William L. Moody, Jr., who built a fortune in cotton, insurance, banking, ranching and hotels, and then with his wife, Libbie Shearn Moody, gave most of it to the Moody Foundation for the purpose of making life better for the people of Texas.

Doug's sister Ann is the wife of the current family patriarch, Robert L. Moody.  Mr. Moody has exercised an uncanny ability to pick the right people as the caucus for taking the foundation's assets and exponentializing them.  Doug was one of his choices.  Forget he's Ann's brother.  I assure you that was nothing more than a coincidence.

Doug has overseen the building of the very famous Moody Gardens in Galveston, a multi-million dollar investment that includes a botanical garden, hotel and conference center, water park, and on and on.  It's Galveston's most famous and popular tourist attraction.  Hundreds of thousands come there every year.

But here's what's interesting.  Doug decided a couple of years after joining the Moody Foundation that he ought to have his own profession; one that would allow him to stand apart, stand alone and stand on his own laurels. Through night school and studying during the lunch hour in a law firm's library, Doug attained his law degree and followed it up with a Masters of Laws in international economic law. 

After getting the law school's announcement, I Googled Doug's name, and nowhere did I find anything that really told about him or listed his accomplishments.  So I decided I'd not only write about him, but list his affiliations.  Here are some of them:

• Former State Legislator - Texas House of Representatives
• South Texas College of Law - Member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and Distinguished Fellow
• Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity - Member and Past Inn Magister
• College of State Bar of Texas - Member of the Board of Directors
• State Bar College - Honored Endowment Fund Scholar

Epilogue:  Just before Thanksgiving in 2000, my book Bill Cherry's Galveston Memories was put in bookstores.  I was very apprehensive when my publisher insisted that I do the obligatory book signings in the stores.  I had never figured the book had any merit in the first place, much less that very many people would actually buy a copy.  In fact I had seriously speculated that VanJus would be lucky if they could dump 500 of them.  Interestingly, the thing has sold many thousands.

The first book signing was on a Saturday, and the rain was coming down very hard.  The streets were flooded, and Patty and I, trying to be troupers, made our way to the store for the signing.  We knew no one would show up, and we would be horribly embarrassed.  Interestingly a lot of people did come, but the ones I remember the most were Doug and our friend Victor.  They both weathered the storm to make sure I wouldn't be there alone. That's friendship that's the result of personal character; it can't be bought or affectively encouraged.

So congratulations, Dean Doug McLeod.  The South Texas College of Law Board of Directors along with Mr. Alfini the president and dean, and Mr. Jordan the school's chairman, made a superb choice.

GOD Blesses!