Emphatically, if unnecessarily to my ear, asserting his amateur proficiency, Professor Sullivan played especially to honor his father-in-law, Floyd Allen Shumpert. In 2008, Professor Sullivan dedicated a law review article to Justice Shumpert, writing:
This article honors my father-in-law, Floyd A. Shumpert of
Terrell, Texas, who served as an Associate Justice on the Texas Court of
Appeals for the Fifth Judicial District from his appointment in 1983 until his
defeat in the 1984 general election. Judge Shumpert began his career in public
service following his return to Kaufman County, Texas, after World War II.
During the War, he served in the 8th Infantry Division, 28th Infantry Regiment,
2nd Battalion of the United States Army. He suffered a severe injury requiring
amputation of his lower leg when he stepped on a land mine in the Huirtgen
Forest in Germany only a few days before commencement of the German
counter-offensive known today as the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the
Silver Star and Purple Heart. Upon his return from Europe, he was elected
County Clerk and later, after earning his law degree from Baylor University,
County Judge. He left the bench for private practice for over fifty years in
Kaufman County, interrupted only by his appointment to the court of appeals. He
is the most courageous and the kindest man I have ever known.
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