Pro Texana Medal of Service – Judge Ed Kinkeade, B.A. ’74, J.D. ’74

The Honorable Ed Kinkeade grew up in Irving, Texas, where his father served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Irving for 32 years. Godly parents inspired him to want to be a servant leader. As a young man, he saw lawyers making important decisions that affected many people in Irving and thought he could help people in that role.

“I noticed this amongst any dispute, the lawyers were running everything, and I thought, I want to do that. And I think I can do it well and do a lot of good, and help folks that are wanting to do the right thing. So from the time I was in about the seventh grade, I wanted to be a lawyer.”

This started Kinkeade’s path to a career marked by fairness and sound judgment in service to his community.

Kinkeade earned a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor in five years at Baylor. His experience was characterized by joyful friendships and impactful mentors. He walked on and played one year for the men’s basketball team, pledged a fraternity and met his wife, Melissa Doran, B.A. ’73, in his first class on the first day of school.

“Latin and trigonometry and other classes were things that I needed to learn. But the big thing I gained was finding out there were kids from all over the country there that had a witness.”

After graduation, Kinkeade began his career in private practice and later earned an L.L.M. from the University of Virginia. His career path met a new trajectory, though, when he filled in for a visiting municipal judge who was out of town.

“I had a fun time practicing law, but, oh, I fell in love with being a part-time judge.”

Kinkeade ran for County Criminal Court No. 10 judge in Dallas and won the seat. A short eight months later, the Governor appointed him to the 194th Judicial District Court in Dallas, where at 29 years old, he was the youngest judge in the state at the time. After seven years on the district bench, Governor Clements appointed Kinkeade to the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas in 1988. President George W. Bush elevated him to the federal bench as a U.S. District Judge in 2002.

Kinkeade maintains a close connection with Baylor Law School where he teaches Professional Responsibility and travels with the school to St. Andrews, Scotland, mentoring law students from all parts of America. He loves the Baylor Law faculty and admires the way they live and work.

“These folks don’t take their witness lightly. They’re more than happy to live the life that the Lord wants us to live. That’s what I love about staying connected with Baylor, and I think that’s what draws me back.”

Service in his community is deeply important to Kinkeade. He served on the Baylor Medical Center at Irving board of trustees and the Dallas Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Alcoholism. He has served more than 30 years on the board of Baylor Scott & White Health and is a national board member of Canine Companions, an organization that trains service dogs and donates them at no cost to those in need.

“I think where you see a problem, you need to step in,” Kinkeade said. “You can’t say, ‘That’s somebody else’s problem.’ It’s always our problem.”

The Kinkeades are active members of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, where he also helps as a volunteer coach for the PCA high school baseball team.