Beloved Baylor Law Professor Edwin Horner Dies at 92

Contact: Julie Carlson, Baylor Law School, (254) 710-6681

Edwin P. Horner, emeritus professor of law and an icon at Baylor Law School , died Friday, Feb. 1, at his home in Waco. He was 92. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at Lakewood Christian Church, 6509 Bosque Blvd. in Waco.

"We have lost a consummate gentleman who had a loving heart for all. Ed was devoted to the art and craft of teaching, which he regarded as the highest calling of a faculty member," said Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben. "He enjoyed nothing more than studying and discussing the law (especially oil and gas law and contracts) with all who shared his interest and passion for learning.

"Ed had a fabled knack for remembering not only the names of his students, but also their hometowns and some interesting piece of information about their background and experiences," Toben added. "He was a completely humble and unassuming man who was an icon within the Baylor Law community. Ed loved everyone, and everyone loved Ed."

Serving as a faculty member at Baylor Law School during five decades, Horner taught courses at Baylor during seven decades. He served as a co-editor of the Oil and Gas Reporter, and was an expert in Texas property and oil and gas law.

Horner received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1937. During World War II, he served in the Air Force for four years until he was discharged with the rank of first lieutenant. Horner attended Southern Methodist University and earned his LL.B., cum laude, in 1948.

Horner joined the Baylor Law School faculty in 1948, where he remained until 1960. In 1956, while on leave from Baylor, he served as an Assistant Attorney General of Texas. In 1960, he moved to San Antonio, where he was employed as a trust officer at Frost National Bank and taught evening courses at St. Mary's Law School.

He rejoined Baylor Law School in 1968 and taught until 1985, when he retired after 37 years of full-time teaching. He continued to teach oil and gas law on a part time basis as an adjunct law professor until 2004. He also served for many years as Baylor faculty representative for the Southwest Conference and NCAA.

He visited Baylor Law School on a near daily basis and continued to maintain his office in the faculty suite. Additionally, he continued to write for the Oil and Gas Reporter, penning his final article in 2005. He wrote more than 600 articles for the journal.

In 1990, Horner became the first person to be honored as Baylor Lawyer of the Year who was not a graduate of Baylor Law School.

He is survived by his wife, Arden, and children, Suzy, Roberts and Claudia.