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Emerson “Buddy” Banack Jr.

Emerson “Buddy” Banack, Jr. was a legal legend whose career and service to the community were unparalleled. His accolades included a Texas Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award, membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America honors and most recently the 2019 Joe Frazier Brown, Sr. Award of Excellence. The Texas legal community lost one of the greats.

Emerson “Buddy” Banack Jr., “a humble gentleman lawyer,” passed away on July 31, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas. We celebrate a lifetime of leadership, service, and love. He was born in Galveston Texas on January 11, 1938. Buddy graduated from the University of Texas School of Business in 1961, joined Phi Kappa Psi, and graduated in the top 10% at the University of Texas School of Law in 1965. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. He practiced his entire legal career as an attorney with the Langley & Banack law firm in San Antonio.

Buddy leaves behind his wife of 59 years, Rose Marie, his son Trey, married to Stacie Skillman Banack, his daughter Courtney, married to Chris Lynn Schultz, his grandchildren Ramsey and McKenzie Schultz, and his sister Jackie Andress and her family. He loved watching his children and grandchildren grow up and they all loved his unconditional love. His son and daughter learned how to have a great work ethic by his example, watching him read countless depositions in the backyard by the pool.

Buddy developed a deep love for the Lord as a teenager in Odessa Texas. He also learned to have a strong work ethic working in the oil fields. He first went to Hardin Simmons, serving as class president, before transferring to UT. He transferred to UT where he went on a blind date with his true love, Rose Marie. He loved practicing law, spending time with his family, playing golf, running, skiing, traveling, and watching Texas Longhorn football. He was a consummate professional and a mentor to many young lawyers in his community.

Because of Buddy’s love of law and his dedication to excellence, Buddy received many accolades during his distinguished career. Buddy was named one of the Best Lawyers in America in Litigation for 23 years as well as a Texas Super Lawyer for 12 years. He was selected as a Best Lawyer in San Antonio in Commercial Litigation by Scene in SA magazine since 2004; San Antonio’s 2009 Lawyer of the Year for Bet-the-Company Litigation; a Lifetime Achievement Award winner for the San Antonio Business Journal Best Lawyer Awards in 2010; San Antonio’s 2012 Lawyers of the Year for Construction Litigation; and the Texas Bar Association recipient of the Professional Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award winner in 2018. He has also been selected as the 2019 recipient of the San Antonio Bar Association Joe Frazier Brown, Sr. Award of Excellence.

Buddy had a strong since of civic duty and served on many boards. Buddy was a member of the Board of Governors for the Cancer Therapy Research Center for the UT Health Science Center. He served as a State Chairman of the American College of Trial Lawyers, President of the Board of Governors of Oak Hills Country Club, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Plaza Club, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, and President of the San Antonio Chapter of the UT Exes.