Judge Bruce Wayne Wettman

Bruce Wayne Wettman was born in Springfield, Illinois on June 5, 1948 to Betty and Wayne Wettman. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Danville, Illinois where Bruce's two younger brothers were born. The family then moved to Champaign, Illinois just before Bruce started 5th grade. Bruce was a gifted athlete even as a boy. When he was 12, he hit 3 home runs in the city Little League championship game which resulted in him taking home 3 gallons of root beer and 3 gallons of ice cream. He went on to play quarterback and point guard for Champaign High School. Though offered multiple athletic scholarships by smaller schools, he opted to fulfill his dream and proceeded to make the University of Illinois basketball team as a freshman walk-on. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and graduated from University of Illinois in 1970 with a degree in economics. He was an avid Illini fan for the rest of his life. After visiting Houston on a family vacation in 1965, he decided that University of Houston is where he wanted go to law school. He graduated from Bates College of Law at the University of Houston with a J.D. in 1973. He was also a lifetime Cougar fan. Bruce received his law license in May 1973 and went to work for what would soon become Smith, Schulman, Rawitscher and Wettman. He had a busy and successful practice there until September 1, 1977, when after being appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe, he was sworn in as the first judge of the 247th Family District Court of Harris County, becoming the youngest state judge ever to serve in Texas at the age of 29 years and 88 days.

Judge Wettman was retained by election in 1978 and reelected in 1982. While on the bench, he served with distinction and was known as one of the fairest and most knowledgeable jurists in Harris County. He did manage to make the national news twice while on the bench. In one case, the attorney for one side tried to get a delay by making a last minute request for a jury trial, knowing that the jury pool had already been released for the day. Bruce told his bailiff to go to the Star of Hope Mission, a special place to him, and assemble a jury panel. A jury from that group was picked and the case was tried. Bruce always said that specific jury was as attentive and serious about their work as any jury he ever saw. A reporter from the Houston Chronicle got wind of what was happening, came to observe the trial and put the story on the national wire.

On another occasion, Bruce was in the middle of his annual Christmas party in his courtroom where he would invite a group of needy children for punch and cookies. Bruce would take the bench in his full Santa outfit and have each child come up on the bench, have their picture taken with Santa and receive a gift from a stockpile that had been donated by attorneys. It was Christmas Eve and a young couple with a marriage license came in and said the clerk's office told them he was the only judge left in the courthouse and they wanted to get married. Without hesitation, Bruce agreed and they were married by Santa in front of the whole party. It was the final story that day on the CBS Evening News.

For the next thirty years after that, Bruce would don that same Santa suit every Christmas Eve as he and his friends (The Elves) would drive around downtown after dark giving away food, blankets and other treats to the Houston homeless.

In October of 1983, Bruce left the bench to become a partner in O'Quinn, Hagans and Wettman. In June 1984, Bruce joined his brother, Greg, to form Wettman & Wettman. They had a heavy trial practice with offices in Houston and Galveston. In 1994, Bruce took former judge status and began sitting as a visiting judge in several counties. He was also one of the pioneers in the mediation/arbitration world in Texas. He became an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law teaching mediation and eventually the director of the Frank Evans Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution. Bruce loved teaching and loved his students and they loved him. He was voted Adjunct Professor of the Year several times by his students. Bruce later took Senior Judge status and served South Texas until his death.

Bruce was a lifelong music lover, particularly Pink Floyd and reggae. He was a talented poet with an incredible sense of humor that he expressed through his poetry. He was a drummer and a harmonica player with many, many jam sessions at his house. He loved the French Quarter and Jamaica. He loved Brennan's and their brandy milk punch. Bruce enjoyed skiing in Colorado with the A-Team for over twenty years and boating on Lake Livingston in the "Ho-Ho”. He loved sunsets on any beach, especially in Siesta Key, Florida where he often vacationed. Bruce was a lifelong Democrat and loved a good political "discussion.” Bruce was a believer. Most of all, Bruce loved his family. His kids and his grandkids were his pride and joy and he never let them forget it, always reminding them of how much he loved them and how proud he was of them.

Preceding Bruce in death are his parents, Wayne and Betty Wettman. Bruce is survived by the love of his life, his devoted wife Seona Wettman of Houston, TX; his daughter Brittany King and husband Craig of Houston, TX; his son Jakob Wettman and wife, Anne of Katy, TX; his two best friends, his brothers Greg Wettman of Houston, TX and Louis Wettman of Sarasota, FL; his very favorite people, his grandchildren Nate (13), Evie (10), Laurel (11) and Carter (9) as well as his loving nieces and nephews and many, many friends who are like family.

A celebration of Bruce’s vibrant life will be planned for a later time.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond.