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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Donald J. Dunlap of Corpus Christi, general manager |
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and president of KEDT, is marking a half century in broadcasting in |
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2022; and |
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WHEREAS, A Robstown native, Don Dunlap joined KEDT at its |
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inception in 1972; he was employed as an engineer, television |
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production manager, operations manager, and assistant general |
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manager before taking the helm of the station in 1996; partnering |
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with the Texas State Aquarium and the Art Museum of South Texas, he |
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served as executive producer on two nationally distributed public |
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television series, Wonders Under the Sea and Art Journeys; his |
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tenure has brought a wealth of local programming, including the |
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documentary Justice for My People: The Hector P. Garcia Story; the |
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high school quiz show Challenge, now in its 17th season, and The |
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KEDT Edition, a discussion forum for community leaders; |
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WHEREAS, his engineering and fundraising acumen enabled the |
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South Texas Public Broadcasting System to add a second radio tower |
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in Victoria to deliver high-definition television and digital radio |
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programming; In 2016, Mr. Dunlap guided the station into a new era |
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with the relocation of KEDT-TV and KEDT-FM to the $48-million KEDT |
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Center for Educational Broadcasting at Del Mar College; moreover, |
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during the COVID-19 pandemic, the station expanded digital services |
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to the Valley and instituted daily radio health newscasts and |
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launched PBS Learning Media, a free distance-learning tool for |
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teachers and students; it collaborated with the Corpus Christi |
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Independent School District on Operation Stay Connected, providing |
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basic math and reading instruction for prekindergarten through the |
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second grade, taught by CCISD teachers; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Dunlap serves on advisory committees for PBS and |
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the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; he has worked tirelessly |
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at the local, state, and national levels on the digital conversion |
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of public television, and he has given generously of his time and |
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expertise in numerous leadership roles, among them chair of the |
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National Educational Telecommunications Association and member of |
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the Del Mar College curriculum advisory board; and |
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WHEREAS, Few in broadcasting can claim a career as long and |
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impactful, and through his outstanding contributions to KEDT and |
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the communities it serves, Don Dunlap has earned the admiration and |
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appreciation of countless South Texans; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Donald J. Dunlap for a half century of |
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service to public broadcasting and extend to him sincere best |
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wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Dunlap as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |