Death of George Hrdlicka 12/31/20 (1/3/21)

George Hrdlicka died on December 31, 2020.  His obituary is here; and his law firm bio is here.  George had an outstanding career and life.  George was a founder of the firm now known as Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams and Aughtry, founded by Hank Chamberlain, George Hrdlicka, Bob White and Bob Waters, all alumni of the Tax Division.  That firm (generally referred to as Chamberlain Hrdlicka) has had many DOJ Tax Division Alumni, including me, over the years and the founding partners there mentored and contributed to the professional and personal development of many of those alumni and to others in the firm.  Also among the DOJ Tax Alumni was Sidney Williams, now a named partner in the firm and still going strong in his 80s.

 Here are the key excerpts from his obituary related to his DOJ Tax experience and the professional trajectory thereafter.

 He started his law career at the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. in the late 1950s where he represented the Internal Revenue Service in the Federal Courts all over the Midwest. He met his lifelong partner, Judy Paulus, in D.C. and they married in 1964.

 In 1965, his former DOJ colleague Harold Chamberlain enticed George down to Houston where the opportunities were boundless. George and Judy packed it up, left D.C. and arrived in Houston. He co-founded what is now the law firm Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams and Aughtry with Hank Chamberlain, Robert White and Robert Waters. They worked in a small office handling all manner of tax cases and lived on nothing in the beginning. Judy would exclaim, “We ate eggs all week and chicken on Sunday.” Notably, George worked actively at the firm until his early 80s and never officially retired. He had lunch with his close friend and law partner Sidney Williams weekly for the better part of his career. Ever the teacher, mentor and counselor, George also taught at University of Houston Law Center for 30 years as an adjunct professor in Partnership Tax. His gift was to break down complicated tax concepts and teach them in a simple way that students and clients could understand.

And, indicative of his life, the following is an excerpt from the obituary:

His last adventure was in his home in Houston. There was nothing more important to him than his family whom he sacrificed opportunities once they entered his life. Resilient until the end, he waited until he could be in his home from the hospital to say goodbye. His final breath holding Judy’s hand whom he loved, always concerned that she would be taken care of for life. He left a legacy of kindness, intellect, hard work, insightful calm thinking, modesty and respect for others, a witty sense of humor, adventure, love, and generously enriching others. He will be missed and remembered as living a full life and going out with a bang on Judy’s 81st birthday, the perfect ending to their love story.

The obituary says:  "A service and Celebration of Life will be held at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Memorial Park when it is safe to gather."

On a personal note, while in my brief tenure with Chamberlain Hrdlicka, I worked substantially with George.  He was a class act.