Angus Stewart Mcswain, Jr.

Angus Stewart McSwain, Jr. 1923-2011 Angus Stewart McSwain, Jr., of Waco died on Sunday, May 29, 2011. Services will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 1, at the Austin Avenue United Methodist Church, Rev. Chris Mesa officiating. Visitation will be 5:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 31, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Angus McSwain was born in Bryan, Texas, on November 26, 1923. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in Bryan, and then attended Texas A&M University from 1940-1943, when he enlisted in the United States Army. He reached the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. With his engineering training at A&M Angus was assigned to a Treadway Bridge Company, which was a unit that erected river bridges so that troops, equipment, and supplies could cross. His unit served with the Seventh Army in the European Theater of Operations, arriving in France in early 1945. His company had reached within 100 miles of Munich, Germany, when the war ended on May 5, 1945. Upon discharge from the Army after World War II, he reentered Texas A&M and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1947. Engineering was not to be his career, however. One of his duties during the war had been serving as a trial judge advocate in court martial proceedings in his unit, even though he wasn't a lawyer at the time. This "little taste of lawyering," as he referred to it, led to an illustrious career. Though he had never thought of becoming a lawyer before the war, Angus decided to attend law school. He received an LL.B. from Baylor University School of Law in 1949, with highest honors, and an LL.M. from the University of Michigan in 1951. Before he graduated from law school, McSwain's life took another change in direction. Judge Abner McCall, then Dean of Baylor Law School, approached him about joining the Baylor Law faculty. He was promoted to Professor of Law in 1956, and became the Dean of the Law School in 1965. He served in that capacity for 19 years. As Dean, McSwain was instrumental in integrating minority students into Baylor, and he led Baylor Law School to a position of preeminence in legal education, with a unique emphasis on teaching excellence. Recognized as an expert in Property Law, the course he taught for over forty years, Dean McSwain also taught courses in Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning, Administration of Estates, Texas Land Practice, Domestic Relations, Oil & Gas, Civil Procedure, Torts, Constitutional Law, Local Government, Insurance, and Jurisprudence. He co-authored four books and numerous articles in law reviews and legal journals. He was named a Master Teacher by Baylor University in 1990. He was named Baylor Lawyer of the Year in 1984. Chairing the committee of the State Bar of Texas responsible for codifying the modern era of marital property rights in the 1960's, Dean McSwain was the architect of numerous provisions of the Texas Family Code, drafting its marital property provisions. He retired from teaching in 2008, but continued to teach Texas Land Practice and Jurisprudence until recently. His students included the children and grandchildren of his prior students. Dean McSwain is revered by his colleagues, his students and all who had the privilege of working with him. Angus McSwain was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, the former Betty Ann McCartney. They had one son, Angus Earl "Andy" McSwain, who was born on Angus' birthday in 1958. Andy, also a graduate of Baylor Law School and a student of his father, practices law in Waco. Andy and his wife, Chris, have one son, Angus Stewart McSwain, of whom Angus was particularly proud. He was predeceased by his parents, Angus S. McSwain, Sr., and Lois Pipkin McSwain; as well as his two brothers, Edward Pipkin McSwain and James Brooks McSwain. Survivors include his sister, Mary Lois McSwain Bland; and her children Marsha, Bruce, Lisa, Gay, and their families. Angus and Betty Ann were long time members of the Austin Avenue United Methodist Church. He taught Sunday school, served on many church committees, and was a pillar of the church community. And as he said to the Sunday school class he taught: "It is not the work of a minute, or a week, or a year. The going is rough. But every day, as we make decisions that seem small and unimportant, we are fitting together the pieces of the pattern which will show the pictures of our real self." Angus McSwain created by his works a picture of his own life it is a genuine masterpiece. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Austin Avenue Methodist Church and the Baylor Law School McSwain McCartney Scholarship Fund will be appreciated. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com.