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The Honorable Michael Thomas McSpadden was born on July 24, 1944, to Frances Elizabeth Harlin McSpadden, RN and Ray Thompson McSpadden in Borger, Texas. He died at home in Houston, Texas on September 7, 2021.
Mike was a die-hard University of Oklahoma alumnus (undergraduate and J.D.), and his OU ring never left his finger. For three years he was a Big Eight Singles Champion; tennis was a not just a sport but a way to meet good people.
Like his cousin -- Navy veteran, congressman, and grandnephew of Will Rogers -- Clem McSpadden, Mike was drafted for military service. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marines in 1974 and always remembered lessons learned from General Rathvon M. Tompkins, a man who because a life-long friend. Mike worked for Philips Petroleum in Houston as in-house counsel for two years.
According to Carol Vance who was D.A. in 1977 when Mike started as an assistant district attorney of Harris County, "Mike was one of the two best trial attorneys in the history of our office." Of that career move Mike always said, "Best decision I ever made." Carol Vance was his mentor, his friend, and his favorite doubles partner.
Mike was appointed to the 209th Criminal District Court in 1982 and was elected and re-elected every term until leaving the bench in 2019. He was one of the highest rated criminal court judges in every Houston Bar Association Judicial Qualification Poll, and in 1986 he was at the top of the list. He conducted his court with old-school decorum: Every defendant was treated with dignity in a quiet and respectful courtroom. He was tough on crime but spoke up about the lunacy of jailing people for residue and less than one gram of drugs. "Address the underlying cause of drug abuse," he said.
Like many Harris County residents, Judge McSpadden thought the straight-ticket option catered to the uninformed. The Texas Legislature agreed and abolished that option in 2020. Non-partisan election of judges is something Mike hoped would come to pass. Voters need to do their homework on judges' track records and qualifications.
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Mike made a difference in this world is all of the at-risk children he spent time with -- at their schools (particularly Crawford) and in his courtroom -- who chose to become productive, law-abiding citizens. "These Friday visits have been the most fulfilling and satisfying work I have ever done," he wrote to HISD Superintendent Frank Petruzielo. In the Congressional Record, House of Representatives, September 21, 2012, the Honorable Ted Poe wrote: "Judge McSpadden is a positive mentor to young males at risk." Judge McSpadden urged his probationers to successfully complete their obligations and introduced them to resources that helped them in the present and in turning their lives around permanently.
Mike believed there was no better way to demonstrate one's commitment to the community than to serve others. He worked with the Baylor College of Medicine Teen Health Clinic, Chuck Norris KICKSTART Kids, the Childress Foundation, Assistance League, the Cherokee Nation, the University of Oklahoma, and he was president of the George Hermann Society when Hermann Hospital was still private. He loved the warmth and hospitality of all who participated in the annual RO Tennis Tournament and considered club members and staff as part of his family.
Left behind to honor his life are his many friends and colleagues from the courthouse, his sister, Judy McSpadden Houston and niece, Hilary Houston Casillas, plus a large tribe of Cherokee McSpaddens (descendants of Jesse Bushyhead, who led 1,200 Cherokees on the Trail of Tears) that gathered regularly at Mike's family home in Bartlesville for reunions.
Mike is going home to Oklahoma. If you are so inclined, please make a donation to Wounded Warriors, Sooners Helping Sooners, or Texas Children's Hospital in memory of Mike's baby brother, Tommy, who died in infancy from a heart defect.
Condolences may be shared at www.waltripfuneraldirectors.com
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