The Texas Tech University School of Law has received a $1 million gift establishing
the W. Frank Newton Endowed Professorship. The gift was made by Wayne Reaud (pronounced:
Ree-Oh), a prominent trial lawyer and School of Law alumnus.
The W. Frank Newton Endowed Professorship will be associated with the Law School dean’s
position and will be first held by current dean Walter Huffman.
“We appreciate Wayne’s most generous gift to the Texas Tech Law School,” said Kent
Hance, Texas Tech University System chancellor. “The law school produces outstanding
attorneys and Wayne Reaud is certainly a fine example. His gift will greatly enhance
Dean Huffman’s ability to continue the school’s fine work.”
Reaud, who resides in Beaumont, graduated from the School of Law in 1974, and was
recognized as Distinguished Alumnus in 1998.
The gift honors W. Frank Newton, who served as dean of the Texas Tech School of Law
from 1985 to 2001. As the School of Law’s longest serving dean, he was a driving force
behind many School of Law initiatives and improvements. He is a former president of
the State Bar of Texas who throughout his career was recognized for his efforts to
further access to justice for poor and low-income Texans.
“Wayne Reaud’s gift is a symbol of the tremendous impact the School of Law has on
its students, alumni and our community,” said Jon Whitmore, president of Texas Tech
University. “We are humbled by Wayne’s generosity, and we look forward to honoring
Frank Newton with this very distinguished tribute.”
Huffman joined the Texas Tech School of Law in 2002 after a distinguished 25-year
career in public service culminating in his selection as The Judge Advocate General
and the top military lawyer for the U.S. Army. During his tenure as head of the nation’s
largest legal organization, Huffman also was the first uniformed lawyer since World
War II selected to serve on the Texas State Bar Board of Directors.
“Frank Newton is a mentor and friend, and it is a signal honor for me to hold this
Dean’s Professorship created in tribute to his leadership and service,” Huffman said.
“This generous gift is a significant step forward for Tech Law, and we deeply appreciate
Wayne Reaud’s consistent and extraordinary support to his law alma mater.”
In 2005, Huffman completed an appointment to a congressionally directed panel to examine
legal services in the Department of Defense. He teaches National Security Law and
has been interviewed as an expert on national security law issues by national radio
and print media. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he was the commander of
a field artillery battery, and Desert Storm, where he was the senior lawyer for U.S.
Army’s VII Corps.
CONTACT: Casey Carson, director of alumni relations, Texas Tech School of Law, (806)
742-3990 or casey.carson@ttu.edu