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Note: Notes by Caroline Sue Lewright Vosseller in December, 1997: Walter Martin Lewright attended Interlaken Academy, and San Antonio Academy. After reading law in lieu of attending classes at UT, passed the bar of the State of Texas with the highest mark to that date. Moved to Cuero, Texas (Sam Lackey's hometown) to form a law partnership with his University of Texas friend, Sam Lackey.
In early days of his youth, learned the construction business well enough that he later designed and constructed many buildings and homes, including those at the Eagle Nest ranch and the Oleander house in Corpus Christi, as well as all the buildlings on the 400 acres near Yorktown, TX. (The latter passed to him from his father, James Bruce Lewright -- having received this parcel of land in leiu of attorney's fees for services rendered.)
Lucy and Sue recall that each time they would call his office to speak with him, he would answer the paige with a gruff, "Hello!" -- then, upon hearing one of his children's voices, he would quickly change to a "Oh, HI, Honey!!", with a lilt and a smile in his voice.
Relationship with the Pueblo, Navajo (?) Indians of Taos, New Mexico: Agreed to allow tribe members to pass through the ranchland at Eagle Nest en route to their ceremonial grounds on Wheeler Peak Mountain; agreement between Walter and the tribe for them to gather the remains of any dead cattle or horses. Rumored that Walter had attended the religious ceremonies of this tribe from time to time.
Walter acquired two massive draft horses for work on the ranch. Sue's first horse, Brownie, a three-gaited, well trained animal, stood 17 hands high. In order to ride Brownie, Sue's saddle being very, very small, her legs had to stick straight out, from side to side. Lucy was an excellent rider; her first horse, a paint pony named Babe, loved to pitch and buck, and frequently ran Lucy along barbedwire fencing in an effort to wipe her off. Lucy stuck and won!
Walter was reknowned for his disreputable old slouch hat he loved and wore in favor of all others which might be handy. Sue recalls the old thing as being sweaty around the hatband, smelly as all getout and just tacky!
Was an accomplished horseman; sat a saddle like John Wayne wished he could; never wore blue jeans, but always required freshly starched, pleated kahki trousers, boots, matching shirt, his old slouch hat, and a pack of Camel cigarettes.
He and the hired man at Moreno Ranch provisioned and provided guides to huntsmen and fishermen to backpack on horses up the side of Wheeler Peak. On one such occasion, Walter being absent, one rider who was far larger than his horse was seriously injured as he did not know how to ride worth a dang! On a steep climb, he leaned back in the saddle instead of leaning forward to assist the horse, and pulled the poor animal over backwards onto his chest. Survived, but he long remembered that trip, no doubt.
Sue, Lucy, and Walter frequently attended the Taos Pueblo tribal ceremonies. In those days, the ceremonies were more than a tourist attraction, thus with much more impact.
Walter brought the family to Corpus Christi in 1936 to practice law with Judge Kemp, later forming the law firm of Kemp, Lewright, Dyer, and Sorrell. They lived in Ocean Drive apartment while the house on Oleander Street was being built. Oleander Street was the last developed street at that time. Horace Caldwell, George Crider, and Willard Perkins built their homes on Chandler Lane in the next few years, then the last developed street for many years.
Walter collected colloquialisms/quotations: "That do make the cheese more binding." "Don't know him from Adam's off ox." "...said the old lady as she kissed the cow." "If all persons were the same, what a dull boy Jack would be." "Most men live lives of quiet desperation."
Loved his grandchildren, but when faced with the possibillity of their lingering in his presence, he would thrust them into the proper parent's arms, saying, "He's a cute little fart, but take him, Honey." ...
Loved, adored, succeeded with dogs!!! Sue recalls living only one year of her life with Walter that there was not a wonderful dog or more around the house. There was a Scottie named Boo Boo, Lucy & Sue's first dog.
Tremendously well read, Walter had a photographic memory and was reknowned in the courts for his ability to cite law from memory, often stating volume, page, and paragraph.
One notable suit involved a claim against an oil company, represented by Walter and his firm. In order to prove his case, he built a replica of an oil rig in the court room, which had a mezzaned second floor. He won. Another in which he represented the Coca Cola bottling company in Corpus Christi, involved a personal inury case. A small child had lost her eye when a Coke bottle exploded. Walter won the case as he was able to prove the case of Cokes containing the cited bottle had been dropped by a school employee. It nearly broke his heart that the family of this child did not receive recompense for the child.
As stated above, Walter's favorite garb when in the country or at the ranch was a slouch hat, old boots, and a pair of kahki pants. On the other hand, his "tonsorial splendor" in for professional purposes left little to be desired. Mr. Luchessee, the brother of the famous booter who made his boots, by the way!, came to the house or to the office for personal fittings for his suits, as an example. He wore only black nylon knee-hi stockings, held up by calf garters. SS# 449-66-5054 Issued in Texas
Walter Martin Lewright was Buccaneer Days' King Alonso XII in 1965. He belonged to the Nueces County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Judicature Society, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, and the American Colege of Trail Lawyers, of which he was a fellow.
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