87R26190 JGH-D
 
  By: Cook H.R. No. 1207
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Residents of Fort Worth lost a distinguished
  community leader with the death of former city councilperson Clyde
  Wendell Picht on January 1, 2021, at the age of 87; and
         WHEREAS, Born in Salt Lake City, Clyde Picht earned a
  bachelor's degree in forest management from Utah State University,
  where he was also a member of the ROTC; after working for the U.S.
  Forest Service as a firefighter and manager, he joined the U.S. Air
  Force and served for 22 years, including a combat tour as a pilot in
  Vietnam, where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with two
  oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters;
  he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1978;
  returning to civilian life, he trained flight crews for American
  Airlines for nearly two decades, including the crew of Air Force
  One; he retired in 1996; and
         WHEREAS, In 1997, Mr. Picht was elected to the Fort Worth
  City Council by only 10 votes, earning the ironic nickname
  "Landslide Clyde"; he served until 2005, winning the respect and
  admiration of his constituents and his colleagues for his
  dedication and thorough attention to detail; he ensured that every
  constituent call or letter was attended to, and he read massive city
  council binders straight through on the weekend before council
  meetings; and
         WHEREAS, Earlier in his life, Mr. Picht served as president,
  vice president, and treasurer of the Wedgwood East Neighborhood
  Association, and in retirement, he volunteered with the Salvation
  Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, the B-36 Peacemaker Museum, the
  Texas National Cemetery Foundation, and Friends of Texas Health
  Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest; and
         WHEREAS, In 1955, while still an ROTC student at Utah State
  University, he went into the hospital for minor surgery and met a
  nurse named Emeline Trujillo, and he claimed to be in more pain than
  he actually was so that she would spend more time with him; they
  married six months later and went on to share 65 years together
  until her death in 2020; they were the parents of four children and
  later welcomed three grandchildren into their family; all their
  lives, she called him by his middle name, Wendell, and he called her
  Tru, for her maiden name, Trujillo; and
         WHEREAS, A dynamic man with a keen intellect, Clyde Picht
  lived a rich and purposeful life devoted to his family, his
  community, and his nation, and he leaves behind a record of service
  that his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Clyde Wendell Picht
  and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and many friends;
  and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Clyde
  Picht.