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construction accident. Raised by a single mother, Britton helped her run the
family grocery store throughout the Great Depression.
He served in the Army during WW II, rising to the rank of lieutenant, and
was in Japan with the occupation forces during which he witnessed the
Japanese surrender to Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo Bay.
Members of the 2017 graduating class
After returning to the U.S., Britton earned his undergraduate degree from
BAKER ’94 ENCOURAGES CLASS OF ’17 TO EMBRACE Penn State University in 1948; his LL.B. in 1951 from Southern Methodist
UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES OF A LEGAL CAREER University law school, graduating first in his class; and LL.M. in 1961 from
Meredith Attwell Baker encouraged 311 University of Houston Law Center Harvard Law School under a Ford Foundation Fellowship.
graduates to keep an open mind about their practice areas at the Law Prior to entering academe, he worked as an associate for the now defunct
Center Convocation at NRG Arena. The graduating class included 237 J.D. firm of Butler, Binion, Rice & Cook from 1953-58.
candidates and 74 graduates of the Law Center’s LL.M. program. He was practicing at Butler, Binion when then-Dean A.A. White hired him as
Baker, a 1994 alumna of the Law Center, is the president and CEO an adjunct professor. He joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1958,
of CTIA, a trade association and advocacy group for the wireless was promoted to associate professor in 1961 and full professor in 1966.
communication industry. He became active in labor arbitration early in his career, gaining national
“Our profession is designed to be adversarial,” she said. “But that does not recognition as an arbitrator and member of the National Academy of
make us adversaries. If you raise your voice, act out in frustration or anger, Arbitrators. He also served as a director of the board of the Houston Branch
you aren’t helping your cause and are only impacting your blood pressure. of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 1978 to 1983.
Plus it rarely, if ever, works. You should always strive to see the other side.
Make each other human and find compromise.” Professor Emeritus John Mixon notes in his book, “The Autobiography of a
Law School,” that Britton brought the computer age to the law school: “Ray
Baker used her own career trajectory as an illustration of how a law degree was the first of the faculty to join the computer generation with his state-
can lead to many paths. of-the-art Wang word processor.” Mixon also noted that Britton “attended
“I’m an example of what people mean when they say you can do anything every law graduation ceremony since he joined the faculty.”
with a law degree,” she said. “Upon reflection, at every stop along the way in He wrote numerous publications, including “Are We Beginning a New Day
my career, I was a lawyer, even if not a practicing one, and that’s important. for Management Rights;” “Law of Eminent Domain in Texas;” “Blue-Sky
Some of you will have traditional legal careers and others will chart more Sweat Shops;” “Texas Law of Condemnation” (with Rayburn); and “The
non-traditional careers, like me, or have a mix. Arbitration Guide.”
“There is no right path. But as I said, no matter what job you have, whether
it is your first or the one you’ll have 20 years from now, you will be a lawyer UHLC’S MARGARET WEBBER GRADUATES AND GIVES
every day of your life starting today.” BIRTH ON SAME DAY
Dean Leonard M. Baynes told graduates that the Law Center eagerly As Margaret Webber prepares to embark on a career in law, she is also
anticipates their success, and emphasized the long-term value of a law degree. beginning another lifelong journey — motherhood.
“Graduates, you have been taught by some of the best law professors in the On the afternoon of May 13, the 2017 University of Houston Law Center
country who have fundamentally transformed each one of you by teaching graduate and her husband, Hudson Webber, welcomed their newborn
you how to think like lawyers,” Baynes said. “You have learned to write son, Hudson Brian Webber Jr., who will be referred to as Beau. His birth
precisely, to analyze rigorously, to advocate persuasively and to conform to provided Webber a special reason to miss the Law Center Convocation
the highest professional standards. ceremony later that day.
“You can now take these tools and transform the world by representing “I am so proud of my J.D. and really wanted to walk across that stage, but
individual clients to secure justice and by providing the legal architecture of this was a great life achievement too,” Webber said. “Becoming a mother and
global, national social, political and economic movements.” graduating cum laude from UHLC all in one day was the best day of my life.”
Webber said while juggling a pregnancy with her final semester of law
UHLC PROF. RAYMOND L. BRITTON DIES AT 92 AFTER school proved to be challenging, the support of her husband helped her
59 YEARS IN THE CLASSROOM persevere.
Professor Raymond L. Britton, who taught Admiralty Law, Alternative “There’s no way I could have finished as strong as I did without the love and
Dispute Resolution, and business law courses at the University of Houston encouragement of my husband,” Webber said. “He was the best cheerleader
Law Center for 59 years, passed away on May 19 of complications resulting I could ask for. While the timing of the baby seemed a little crazy, I actually
from a broken leg. think it was completely perfect.
Britton was the second longest tenured professor in the history of the “I sat in the hospital bed the night of graduation holding my new son. I
law school. glanced at the clock at 6:45 p.m., and knew the ceremony was going on. I
Britton was born Aug. 20, 1924 in Charleroi, Pa., a steel-mining town think my heart almost burst with pride. Beau could not have picked a better
on the Monongahela River. When he was 3 years old, his father died in a birthday, even if it meant I had to take finals at 40 weeks pregnant.”

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