Honorable Paul Ferguson

Senior District Judge
Of Counsel (1933-2025)

Judge Paul Ferguson graduated into the Kingdom of Heaven on April 23, 2025, surrounded by his family, at the age of 91.

Long before becoming the patriarch of an extensive and loving family, Judge Ferguson grew up in the oil fields of Burkburnett, Texas. As a teenager, he worked as the janitor for a local Baptist church that provided clothes and shoes for him and his brother to wear. He earned a Bachelor of Arts as a basketball player for Howard Payne University in 1954.

Judge Ferguson fought in the Korean War and received an honorable discharge from his military service as a commissioned Naval Officer. He thrived as an intelligence analyst and ultimately a section chief at the National Security Agency, where he was awarded a medal for his management of classified cryptanalysis projects. He carried President Eisenhower’s briefcase, played poker in the Capitol, and advocated for legislation to protect American interests. He went to American University Law School at night, made the law review, and graduated in 1960. At the NSA, Judge Ferguson met a fellow intelligence analyst named Mary “Tince” Wilson from Rutherfordton, North Carolina. They were soon married, had three children, and moved back to Texas, where they settled in Alvin.

He was best known for presiding over civil and criminal trials as a District Judge, a position he held for 56 years. With his first appointment by the governor, he became the youngest District Judge in Texas history. He presided over landmark litigation, including the first case in Texas to recognize the “crashworthiness” doctrine that forced automobile manufacturers to prioritize the safety of their customers during their design process. He served on the Board and the Ethics Committee of the Texas State Bar’s Judicial Section, as well as the Board of Visitors at Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, California. He founded and organized the Texas Association for Court Administration to promote respect for court staff. He acted as the chairman of Judicial Dispute Resolution Corporation, where he mediated hundreds of major civil lawsuits to settlement and garnered a reputation as the most successful mediator in Texas.

Judge Ferguson was also a legend outside the legal world. He worked as the editor of a newspaper, a college professor, and the president of a title company. He was elected as chairman of the deacons of First Baptist Church of Alvin, voted as little league commissioner in Alvin, and appointed as chief of staff at Second Baptist Church in Houston. He taught Sunday School lessons from every book of the Bible, founded the Cornerstone Commission that established 5,000 churches in Mexico, and – ever a Southern Baptist – owned a winery in North Carolina. He was a fixture at Second Baptist, a regular on the golf course, and a mentor in law offices across southeast Texas.

The Judge never forgot his roots. He dedicated his life to government service so he could help people in need. He advocated for the rights of everyday Texans in law practice, on the bench, and at the mediation table. It was his courtroom – at the courthouse, in church meetings, at basketball games, and everywhere in between. In 2010, the City of Burkburnett honored the boy from the oil fields with an induction into the BISD Hall of Fame as a Burkburnett Legend.

For all his achievements, Judge Ferguson’s greatest accomplishment was his abiding faith in Jesus Christ. He practiced the Great Commission and was known to resolve legal disputes with the directive of Ephesians 4:32, “Be ye kind.” He set a Christian example for his family, officiated many of their weddings, and loved to watch his grandchildren read Luke’s Christmas story from the family Bible.

Judge Ferguson served as Of Counsel to Schaper Law Firm from its inception in 2016 through his passing in 2025. His legacy lives on.