In My Own Words: An Extraordinary Life

Terry Lord, J.D. ’66

In the fall of 1963, I was a first-year student in the School of Law at The University of Texas at Austin. It was a turbulent era, with civil rights protests across the nation and, of course, a dreadful day in American history. I remember exactly where I was on November 22. My roommate and I were with some friends in our apartment watching television, waiting to go downtown to witness President Kennedy’s motorcade. I still recall seeing — and hearing — Walter Cronkite tell the nation the sad news.

I had been inspired to pursue a life of public service by President Kennedy and by my father, a Dallas police officer who was head of security when President and Mrs. Kennedy arrived at Love Field. Both men had a tremendous influence on me.

I chose to attend UT’s School of Law because of its national and global reputation, and because I knew it could provide me with opportunities and a career I would be proud of. I wanted to fill my mind with as much information as I could, create my own values and be the person I wanted to be.

My three years at the School of Law were filled with optimal experiences and opportunities to learn. Beyond the classes with my outstanding professors, I went to football games and basketball games and had such good times. I remember going to lectures at very small gatherings and meeting important people — writers and literary celebrities — and making great friends I still have to this day.

“I feel great joy at being an alumnus of this university.”

In all, I spent three years in the Army and then was finally able to start the career I’d always wanted. For about nine months, I worked in the city attorney’s office in Dallas, handling misdemeanors and other traffic violations before I was hired to work in Chicago in the organized crime section of the Department of Justice. I never had tried a federal case, and there I was, at age 27, prosecuting mob figures, using electronic surveillance, dealing with undercover agents and doing sting operations for all types of federal criminal cases. I was thrown right into that world and I learned with each case. I learned quickly because I had been to law school at UT. My education had given me the confidence to do what I needed to do.