Elected to the Texas legislature at twenty-four, he’s spent half his life in politics—which he considers a noble calling. Last August and September, along with Houston’s mayor and thousands of volunteers, he was responsible for the largest evacuation shelter in U.S. history (the Astrodome) when Hurricane Katrina displaced hundreds of thousands. Esquire Magazine named him a 2005 Citizen of the Year, describing him as “an island of competence in the face of catastrophe.” He graduated from UH in 1980 with a B.S. in business technology.

The University of Houston Magazine recently had a conversation with Harris County Judge Robert A. Eckels.

What was it like to be named one of Esquire Magazine’s “Best and Brightest” for 2005?
I was flattered by the recognition from a national publication. The recognition I received was not for what I did, but for what the city, the county, the University of Houston, the Texas Medical Center, the state of Texas, the 60,000 Astrodome volunteers, and the tens of thousands of people who were part of that response did. It was humbling to represent such a phenomenal group of people.

Was there a particular professor who was influential during your time at UH?
There were a number of great professors whose classes I really enjoyed, such as Dick Murray. I joke that I still owe him a paper from my Houston Politics class. The courses I enjoyed most were outside my core curriculum. If I were to go back to school, I would get a degree in the social sciences— sociology or political science. I did enjoy the marketing classes because, essentially in life, we are selling ideas. In politics, you are selling ideas—intangibles.

What part of your UH experience has been the most beneficial?
There are two parts to a UH education—strong academic programs and community involvement. As a student, I was involved in various community organizations, like Ripley House, which I continue to work with today. (Ripley House, in Houston’s East End, houses a charter school, a community center for families, and a Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates’ clinic.)

What would Houston be like without UH?
There would be a big hole. It’s an integral part of the fabric of the city and is often underappreciated. UH provides a different educational experience and opportunity for a lot of folks, like me, who worked while in college; and for those who want to pursue advanced degrees while working in the Houston region.

There are so many opportunities to leverage the assets of this city with the university, particularly in engineering, energy, biotech, aerospace, the Medical Center, and others—nobody in America has such a partnership, including its strategic alliances with other universities and institutions of higher education.

If you could increase the University’s presence in one area, what would it be?
Perhaps with some of the social issues such as programs dealing with youth—education, juvenile justice, and more. How we deal with an influx of new people into the community after an event like Katrina—their impact on the community; how they react in the schools; neighborhood issues; the comparisons and approaches to societal problems in New Orleans versus Houston. It would be an opportunity for UH to look at how we adjust to accommodate migration of a new population into our city. We have been more focused on the symptoms. Now, we can go back and find ways to solve the problems associated with such an event.

What drives your passion for UH?
It goes beyond being a UH alum. A strong hometown university deserves the support of this community. It’s in our own self-interest to continue to build upon those strengths. We sometimes take for granted what we have in our backyard.

What are the biggest challenges facing Houston?
All the problems of any urban area: the crime rate, educational and environmental issues, and issues involving our youth. UH is uniquely positioned to deal with all these issues and has stepped forward.

Our challenge is not so much how we move people, but how we grow.

What did we learn from the hurricanes and their aftermaths?
Our response to Katrina and Rita served as a shock absorber for America and worked well, but we need to be even more prepared. We’re working on improving the communication flow and on evacuation plans—in Houston and across the state.

Any final thoughts?
Remember to get a hurricane kit, support UH, and Go Coogs!