Blair Cherry, Jr.
| Johnson Blair Cherry, Jr. | |
 | |
| In office September 13, 1988 – January 31, 2006 | |
District Attorney for the
72nd Judicial District | |
| In office 1969–1973 | |
| Born | June 2, 1939 Austin, Texas |
|---|---|
| Died | August 18, 2023 (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Texas State Cemetery in Austin |
| Political party | Not available |
| Spouse(s) | Sheila Mitchell Cherry |
| Children | Catherine Anne Cherry Parents: |
| Alma mater | Monterey High School (Lubbock) University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | Judge, Attorney |
Johnson Blair Cherry, Jr. (June 2, 1939 – August 18, 2023), was a Texas state district judge in Lubbock from 1988 to 2006.
Background
His father, Blair Cherry, Sr. (1901-1966), was a football and baseball coach at Amarillo High School and the University of Texas at Austin. He coached Tom Landry, later the champion coach for the Dallas Cowboys.Because Coach Cherry wore suit and tie to the football games, Landry maintained that practice as well. The senior Cherry was the only coach to have led teams to statewide championships at the high school and the Southwest Conference levels. In his last years, Cherry, Sr., engaged in the petroleum business.[1]l His mother, the former Florence Snodgrass (1910-1998), was a native of Amarillo, Texas, a graduate of what is now West Texas A&M University in Canyon, and the daughter of a Christian Church pasto, who married the couple.[2] Judge Cherry has a sister, Rosemary Cherry Patterson (born 1940) of Plano, Texas.
Life and career
Judge Cherry was born in Austin and moved to Lubbock in 1951. He graduated from Monterrey High School in Lubbock in 1957, the University of Texas in 1962, and the UT Law School in 1964. He practiced law and for two years taught school part-time in Midland, Texas.[3]After serving two years as an assistant District Attorney, Cherry was appointed in 1968 as the District Attorney of the 72nd District encompassing Lubbock and Crosby counties and served a single term. He then returned to his private law practice and also managed the family oil and gas business begun earlier by his father. He was appointed judge of the 72nd District on September 13, 1988, and won election to the post the following November. In 1998, the court became a civil court only, but it had been both criminal and civil for his first ten years on the bench.[4][3]
Cherry noted there was formerly a backlog of both criminal and civil casesnd district. But "we have worked hard, and I am proud to say the courts are current". Upon his retirement, Cherry credited his successes to the assistance that he received from city officials during his term of service to the county. "I could not do my job alone. All of the judges work together as a team and the commissioners have provided us with the right personnel to succeed as judges."[5]
Cecil Gale Puryear (born 1944), the former 137th district court judge, worked with Cherry from 1983 to 2006. He called his friend the most patient of all the Lubbock judges at the time. "I have known him on a personal level since I graduated from law school. He always listens to what people have to say. He gives people the opportunity to be heard no matter who they are."[5]
Personal life
As a young man, Cherry was an avid fly-fisherman and relished his time trout fishing in Montana. He treasured his dogs, Irish and English Setters, which were like his “best friends." He was voracious reader, student of history, and a storyteller who engaged in conversations with family and friends about all things political. He had a passion for Texas Longhorns football and Texas courthouses and the judicial profession.[4]
Cherry was married to the former Sheila Mitchell, a native of Oxford, Mississippi. The couple has a daughter, Catherine Anne Cherry of Cleburne, Texas. In his later years, Judge Cherry relocated to Granbury in Johnson County in suburban Fort Worth and continued as a Senior District Judge, sitting by assignment around the state. He died in Fort Worth more than two months after his 84th birthday and is interred at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. His family requested donations to the Austin-based Texas Center for the Judiciary to advance judicial education or to the donor's church or charity.[4]
References
- ↑ Johnson Blair Cherry (1901-1966) - Find a Grave Memoria, accessed August 26, 2023.
- ↑ Florence Snodgrass Cherry (1910-1998) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed August 26, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Blair Cherry - Senior District Judge - State of Texas Judiciary | LinkedIn, accessed August 26, 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 J. Blair Cherry, Jr. Obituary - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (lubbockonline.com), accessed August 26, 2023.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 District judge says 25 years 'is enough' | Archives | dailytoreador.com, accessed August 27, 2023.
