Congressman Jack Brooks
December 18, 1922 - December 4, 2012

The Department of Political Science has been deeply enriched by the life and service of Congressman Jack Brooks.  Congressman Brooks endowed the Jack Brooks Chair in Government and Public Service as well as the Jack Brooks Scholarship Program.  The Brooks Scholarship Program has allowed countless undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to study, research, and publish in the areas of public service, community leadership, and public policy.

The Department of Political Science has been deeply enriched by the life and service of Congressman Jack Brooks.  Congressman Brooks endowed the Jack Brooks Chair in Government and Public Service as well as the Jack Brooks Scholarship Program.  The Brooks Scholarship Program has allowed countless undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to study, research, and publish in the areas of public service, community leadership, and public policy.

Congressman Brooks was deeply committed to Lamar University and the principle of equal educational opportunity.  Because of his tireless efforts in the Texas Legislature, Lamar was propelled from a two-year college to a four-year university – a contribution that would later prove indispensable to the university’s current prestigious standing as a Carnegie Doctoral Research University.  He was among the first members of the U.S. Congress to incorporate interns into his office staff, giving students hands-on learning opportunities as far back as the 1960s and extending throughout every year of his service in Congress.

In the interest of continuing his three decade long commitment to experiential learning, the Brooks Scholars Program was established to provide financial assistance to Lamar students who intern with the Texas Legislature during its legislative sessions.  Educational opportunities have also been greatly expanded through the Congressman’s sponsorship of significant pieces of national legislation.  Among a very long list of legislative contributions, Congressman Brooks sponsored both the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and helped in the writing and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Department offers this tribute in recognition of a life devoted to public service, and to Congressman Brooks’ deep belief that quality education and educational opportunities are essential to the health of the American democratic experience.

Faculty Senate Resolution

Prepared by the Department of Political Science
Unanimously approved by the Faculty Senate, December 7, 2012

The Lamar University Faculty Senate, on behalf of the faculty of Lamar University, hereby issues this Resolution in commemoration of the life of Congressman Jack Brooks.

Congressman Brooks was elected to represent Jefferson County in the Texas Legislature in 1946, and later represented the Second Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 through 1966, and the Ninth Congressional District from 1967 to 1995.

Congressman Brooks’ record demonstrates his deep commitment to Lamar University and the principle of equal educational opportunity.  Because of his tireless efforts in the Texas Legislature, Lamar was propelled from a two-year college to a four-year university – a contribution that would later prove indispensable to the university’s current prestigious standing as a Carnegie Doctoral Research University.

Congressman Brooks was an enthusiastic supporter of public education and of providing educational opportunities to Lamar students.  He endowed the Jack Brooks Chair in Public Service as well as the Jack Brooks Scholarship Program that has allowed  undergraduate and graduate students alike the opportunity to study, research, and publish in the areas of public service, community leadership, and public policy.

Congressman Brooks was among the first members of the U.S. Congress to incorporate interns into his office staff, giving students hands-on learning opportunities as far back as the 1960s and extending throughout every year of his service in Congress.  In the interest of continuing  his three decade commitment to experiential learning, the Brooks Scholars Program was established to provide financial assistance to Lamar students who intern with the Texas Legislature during its legislative sessions.  Educational opportunities have also been greatly expanded through the Congressman’s sponsorship of significant pieces of national legislation.  Among a very long list of legislative contributions, Congressman Brooks sponsored both the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and helped in the writing and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In recognition of a life devoted to public service, and to his deep belief that quality education and educational opportunities are essential to the health of the American democratic experience,

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Lamar University Faculty Senate issue this resolution in recognition and honor of the life and service of Congressman Jack Brooks.

Dr. Terri Davis is honored to have had the opportunity to hear firsthand the Congressman's many stories of politics and political history. He was among the first acquaintances she made upon her arrival at Lamar in 1996, and she counts her friendship with the Congressman and his family to be among her life's greatest treasures.

Some lessons and knowledge cannot be gained by reading a book.