Fort Worth Business Press - Texas Wesleyan School of Law - Texas ...

Terry Means was only 8 when he became hooked on
politics watching the Republican and Democratic
national conventions on television.
By 14, Means was volunteering in his first political campaign.
And he was pretty sure he wanted to go to law school.
“Politics is always connected to the law,” said Means, now a
U.S. district judge in Fort Worth.
Because his home state of New Mexico had no law school
until 1954, many lawyers in Means’ ranching community had
attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
So that’s where Means applied – unaided by a family with
no college attendees. He arrived at SMU “sight unseen and
scared to death,” he recalled.
An experienced student government leader, Means jumped
into an evolving SMU governance system, helping design the
University Assembly, which spread powers among students,
faculty and administrators.
It took Means five years to earn a double major in political
science and history. But along the way, he worked with two
powerful political mentors – before they became Gov. Bill
Clements and President George H.W. Bush.
Clements, a member of the SMU board of trustees, appointed
Means to the state appellate court in 1988. Bush, whose
1970 U.S. Senate campaign Means helped run, appointed
Means to his federal bench in 1990.
Means also learned to mentor other students during the
height of anti-war protests and fraternity hazing while an
undergraduate at SMU.
“It taught me about leadership by example, trying to get
young men to do what they ought to do and become better
people,” he said.
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Means continues to quietly mentor young people, from law
students to soccer players.
Those qualities were cited by Texas Wesleyan School of Law
officials who selected Means for the Excellence in Justice
Award created by the school in 2009.
Casey Dyer Oliver, a 2006 Wesleyan alumna who heads the
school’s alumni relations and external affairs department, said
Means emulates the characteristics the school promotes.
Each year, Means administers an oath and offers advice to
incoming Wesleyan law students.
“That’s a huge moment in their lives,” Oliver said. “Judge
Means opens the door for them to come to his chambers,
talk about the cases. I know some alumni still have that
relationship with him. He is really genuine about his caring
for our students.”
Means said he welcomes the opportunity to offset bad
influences with good influences. He said he gladly wrote
a glowing recommendation for a young attorney seeking
a new position.
“He’s not alone,” he said. “I don’t have time to go out and look
for them. But if they happen into my life, I go out of my way to
help them because I know they’re not being helped by a lot of
ruthless people in this world.”
Means is just as proud of the young soccer players he has
coached. Boosting the confidence of an unskilled player is
among his major accomplishments, he said.
“Of all the things that people have called me, the one I most
value is ‘Coach,’” he said. “I think there’s more impact there
than just about anything you can do.”.
“Of all the things that people have called me, the one I most value is ‘Coach,’
… I think there’s more impact there than just about anything you can do.”