August 10, 2005

A friend I will sadly miss

I had a good friend in Dallas, a fellow attorney. He was the smartest guy I have ever known and had a heart filled with compassion. I needed to contact him for some assistance and did a quick internet search. I came across this:

A Black History Month tribute to... R.D. Rucker: A man who made a difference

By David Robison / Independent Editor

R. D. Rucker was the 10th child of Kirk and Demora Rucker of Swifton, born on Jan. 14, 1950. During his lifetime, he achieved success in several areas and stood as a stalwart example to the African American community as one from Jackson County who lived to make a difference in the lives of others.

Rucker's educational career began at Tuckerman East Side High School, from there, he went to Blacksville School before graduating from W. F. Branch School in Newport. His interest in history and pursuing a degree in law led him to the University of Arkansas, obtaining a B.A. in History and Sociology in three years. He went to Columbia University to do graduate studies from 1976-1978 completing 24 hours with a 3.6 grade point average. That led to studies in St. Petersburg, Russia as part of the International Research and Exchange Board scholarship program. That achievement was followed by a Ph.D. in History in 1981 from the University of Iowa with a 3.83 G.P.A. He then went on to complete a Juris Doctorate degree in Law in two years from the University of Texas in 1985.

His legal career led him to serve as assistant Attorney General of Texas in 1985 and assistant district attorney in Waco, Texas in 1986-1987. He was the first assistant Public Defender from 1987-1988, practicing private law in Dallas, Texas from 1988-2001. While working in the District Attorney's Office in Waco, he handled the death penalty appeals for the state of Texas. He also defended over 1,400 cases during that time, more than 180 before the court or jury.

He self published several books, all of which were you might find worth reading:

  • Abraham Lincoln's Social and Political Thought
  • Drugs, Drug Addiction, and Drug Dealing: The Origin and Nature Of, and the Solution To, the American Drug Problem
  • Eros and the Sexual Revolution
  • Jesus Christ and the Origin of Christianity
  • Marriage, love, and the family: An investigation into the role of the Black woman in the African-American family*
  • Sweet land of liberty: A poetical journey through America, 1996-1998*

    • It is hard to find someone to really admire that you know closely. It is so sad that we almost always wait until they are gone to point it out to everyone else. RIP R. D.

    * out of print, might be difficult to find.

    Posted by Tiger at August 10, 2005 08:45 PM | TrackBack
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