Extracted from The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX)
WHITTINGTON, JUDGE JOHN HAROLD
Beloved husband, father, brother and grandfather died peacefully on December 20, 2006 in Irving, Texas. He was born October 22, 1919 in Bloomington, Illinois and came to Texas at the age of six with his parents, John and Marie Whittington and his sister, Mary Lou. The family lived in North Dallas where he was active in sports at North Dallas High School and served as an altar boy at Christ the King Catholic Church. He earned his undergraduate degree at Southern Methodist University and then went on to law school at the University of Texas. While at UT, he pursued the sport of boxing that he had begun in high school and ultimately became the featherweight champion at the University. His picture still hands in Gregory Gym where his grandson, a current UT student, recently found the picture and proudly showed it to his friends. In 1941, Pearl Harbor changed everyone's plans and Judge Whittington volunteered for the Marines. He was told by the Marine recruiting officer that the Marines were not interested in “lawyers or home economics majors” so he went next door to the Navy. He always said that was one of the best things to ever happen to him because the Navy allowed him to graduate in June 1942 and then go to officer candidate school. After completing officer candidate school, he was commissioned an ensign and immediately sailed from Boston harbor for the Pacific theater. He would spend the next three and half years in the Pacific aboard the destroyer escort USS Steele. He was a gunnery officer in charge of one of the Steele's guns and saw action at Saipan, Tinian, Tarawa, the Phillippines and numerous other locations. After the war, he continued his career in the Naval Reserve as a lawyer, ultimately retiring with the rank of Captain, USN. When he returned to Dallas, Judge Whittington went to work in the legal department of the Veterans Administration.
In the summer of 1946, he met Margaret Briggs and they married on Valentine's Day 1947. They moved to the small town of Irving (population 3000) thinking it would be a great place to live and raise a family. By this time, Judge Whittington had left the VA and gone into law practice with an old friend in Dallas. Around the time his first child was born, in 1951, he moved his practice to Irving and became involved in the community there. He was president of the Lions Club and active in his church, St. Luke's Catholic Church where he remained a member for 59 years. He was active in the Serra Club and made annual retreats to Montserat at Lake Dallas for prayer and study. Judge Whittington made his first bid for public office in the early 1960's and won a seat on the Irving City Council when Irving was the fastest growing city in Texas. He served several terms on the council, ultimately rising to mayor pro-tem. By this time, there were children in school and he entered into their activities, especially Scouting with his son for which he received the Order of the Arrow. He also received a life membership in the Irving High School PTA for his help there. In 1970, Judge Whittington resigned from his position on the Irving City Council to run for Dallas County Commissioner Precinct One. After a successful campaign, he served in that position for four years. At the urging of civic leaders, he decided to run for Dallas County Judge in 1974. This was a daunting task as a Republican had not won a countywide race in Dallas for roughly one-hundred years. After a difficult but rewarding campaign, he was elected the first Republican Dallas County Judge since reconstruction following the Civil War. After serving as Dallas County Judge, he was subsequently appointed by Governor Bill Clements as Judge of the 302nd District Court, a family law court. After a term as a family law judge, he ran for and was elected Judge of the 193 rd District Court, a civil district court. This was his favorite judicial position where he presided over many jury trials which are the centerpiece of the American judicial system. He was always impressed and gratified by the ability of a jury comprised of citizens to seek the truth and resolve the most complex of situations. Judge Whittington was one of the most respected judges in Dallas and was known for his fair, even-handed temperament towards both the litigants and lawyers who appeared before him. To conclude his judicial career, he was elected a Justice, Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas where he wrote legal opinions which are now found in law books and studied by lawyers of the next generation.
Judge Whittington is survived by his loving wife, Margaret of Irving; son Mark Whittington and wife Brenda of Irving; daughter Lynne Whittington of Austin; daughter Jeanne Ann Whittington of Dunbarton, New Hampshire; daughter Maria Malcolm and husband David of Portland, Oregon and four wonderful grandchildren Stephen Whittington, Patrick Whittington, Liza-Jane Malcolm and Evan Malcolm.
Judge Whittington will be in state at 11:00 AM Saturday, December 23rd until 5:00 PM at the funeral home. He will be in state again at 5:00 PM Monday, December 25th. A Rosary will be held at 7:00 P.M. Monday. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, December 26th at St. Luke's Catholic Church with Father Doug Deshotel as celebrant. Interment to follow at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens, Irving.
If desired, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke's Catholic Church 202 S. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, TX 75060. Ben F. Brown's Memorial Family Owned For Over 50 Years 707 N. MacArthur Blvd. Irving (972) 254-4242
Saturday, December 23, 2006