In Memory

Claude Daniel Hippard - Class Of 1973

Claude Daniel Hippard

August 7, 1955 - July 10, 2012

 

Claude Daniel Hippard passed away suddenly on the 10th of July 2012, at 57 years of age.

He was born on the 7th of August 1954 in Houston, Texas. After graduating from Westchester High School in 1973, Claude received a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Southwest Texas State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Houston Law Center. After a few years in private practice, Claude started working at the United States Attorney's Office in Houston in January 1989. He was one of the office's experts in federal forfeiture and money laundering laws. He became an outstanding instructor of financial investigations to an entire generation of federal law enforcement officers, both nationally and within the Southern District of Texas. He was most recently assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force prosecuting major drug and money laundering organizations.


Claude touched everyone who knew him with his gratitude for life. His kindness, humor and generosity gave everyone around him a sense of comfort and ease. He was the ultimate gentleman and a role model for all.


Claude is preceded in death by his grandparents, Margaret Way Cheesman and Dale Carroll Cheesman, Sr.; and, Frances Wheeler Hippard and George Garver Hippard; his parents Carolyn Cheesman Hippard and James Joseph Hippard, Sr. He is survived by his wife, Helena Karlberg Hippard; his children, Carolyn H. Hippard and Jaclyn Hippard; sisters, Ellen Hippard, Margaret Brand and husband Jim; and brothers, James J. Hippard, Jr., and wife Mary Lou Keel, and George C. Hippard and wife Allie.


The memorial service is to be conducted at two o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 13th of July, at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Martin J. Bastian, Senior Associate Rector for Pastoral Care, is to officiate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Bagby Parish Hall.


In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in Mr. Claude Hippard's name may be directed to the University of Houston Law Foundation, 100 Law Center, Houston, TX, 77201; the American Heart Association , Houston Chapter, 10060 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX, 77054; or to the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 900 Portway Dr., Houston, TX, 77024.


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Published in Houston Chronicle from July 11 to July 12, 2012

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/claude-hippard-obituary?pid=158481742



 
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07/16/12 01:07 PM #1    

Pamela Ann Mudd (Conlan) (1973)

Claude Hippard, federal prosecutor, dies at 57

Updated 07:52 p.m., Friday, July 13, 2012

Claude Daniel Hippard, a veteran federal prosecutor who became a leading expert in forfeiture laws and spent most of his career in the Houston office of the U.S. attorney, died suddenly Tuesday. He was 57.

Hippard was the son of a lawyer and law professor and began his prosecutorial career in 1989 after several years in defense practice. His sudden death hit his boss, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, especially hard.

"He was part of a generation of lawyers who grew up together in Houston," Magidson said. "We were sort of partners and shared offices together over the years. He was a career guy who loved what he did. I saw him every day. We joked and laughed and cried together. It hurts. He was here and now he's not."

Magidson said that Hippard found his niche when he moved away from private practice.

"I remember the day he started," Magidson said. "He liked it because of the reasons that all prosecutors like it: You get up every day and are representing the American people. You have a sense of giving back to your community and doing the right thing."

Service motivated

Hippard developed expertise in asset forfeiture laws, which began to be used in the 1990s as an adjunct to drug-trafficking prosecutions. Later, these laws began to be used in a range of criminal prosecutions. Hippard became so well-versed in the laws that he taught law enforcement personnel the procedures needed to successfully make these cases.

In recent years, Magidson said, Hippard had moved on to the office's drug enforcement task force, prosecuting large-scale drug trafficking organizations and rings involved in the illegal distribution of prescription narcotics.

Hippard was born Aug. 7, 1954, in Houston. He graduated from Westchester High School and later from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in criminal justice. He received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Family tradition

His late father, James Joseph Hippard Sr., was a law professor at UH and a lawyer who was revered for his role in pursuing racial integration and proper treatment of all people. All three of his sons became lawyers. His mother, Carolyn Cheesman Hippard, died last month.

"In his case, the apple didn't fall far from the tree," said Phil Hilder, a former colleague in the U.S. Attorney's Office who now practices civil and criminal law. "His dad set an excellent tone for Claude. He was very popular, very likable. He treated everyone with courtesy and respect, even those he was prosecuting. He never had an ax to grind or a personal agenda."

Like many who knew him, Hilder described Hippard as always upbeat, pleasant, jovial and sincere in asking after the families of those with whom he worked.

"I never heard him speak ill toward anyone," Hilder said. "He was just a wonderful fellow. He will really be missed by his colleagues."

Hippard is survived by his wife, Helena Karlberg Hippard; daughters Carolyn Hippard and Jaclyn Hippard; brothers James J. Hippard Jr. and George C. Hippard; and sisters Ellen Hippard and Margaret Brand.

Services were held Friday.

mike.tolson@chron.com


12/02/13 04:08 PM #2    

Samuel Lawrence Haynes (1970)

Miss you Claude. Truly, the pleasure of your company was a pleasure. Having even a slight family connection brought us together and that friendship always remained. Proud to call you a friend.


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