KEY EVENTS IN JUDGE SAM SPARKS’ LIFE

1956-57: Though he never was interested in a political career, Sam Sparks once ran for office, winning a vote to be the Austin High School class president. At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Sparks was also accomplished in basketball and swimming in high school.

1963: After graduating from the University of Texas with a law degree, Sparks headed to El Paso to be a law clerk for U.S. Judge Homer Thornberry. Sparks stuck around El Paso and was a prominent civil defense lawyer.

November 1991: Sparks decided to move to Austin to be a federal judge after twice turning down the opportunity.

April 1995: Sparks had not seriously dated since his wife, Arden, died of brain cancer in 1988. He was set up on a blind date with Melinda and married her seven months later.

1996: Sparks was diagnosed with prostate cancer and received treatment for several years.

October 2010: Only three judges have received the Sandra Day O’Connor Jurist Award, and Sparks was the second. He calls it the greatest honor he’s received because it recognizes someone on the bench who has demonstrated independence in his or her rulings.

December 2017:

Members of the Austin legal community were surprised when Sparks announced he had taken senior status and would scale back his workload. The decision was triggered by Melinda’s cancer