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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 44
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In Memory |
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of |
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Robert Lee Moody Sr. |
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WHEREAS, The city of Galveston lost a titan of business and |
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philanthropy with the death of Robert Lee Moody Sr. on |
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November 7, 2023, at the age of 88; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on Galveston Island on July 28, 1935, Bobby |
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Moody was the son of Shearn Moody Sr. and Frances Moody Newman; |
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his father died the following year, and he and his brother, |
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Shearn, were educated at boarding school; Bobby Moody graduated |
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as the top cadet at Valley Forge Military Academy and served his |
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country in the U.S. Army; mentored by his grandfather, W. L. |
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Moody, the founder of American National Insurance Company, he |
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possessed similar business acumen and established National |
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Western Life Insurance Company in 1956; he eventually rose to |
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become chair and president/CEO of ANICO and built it into one of |
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the country's premier insurance firms; in addition, he created an |
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affiliated company that developed the South Shore Harbour |
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subdivision, hotel, and conference center in League City; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Moody also held other key roles in the family |
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business empire, including chair of Moody National Bank; while |
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earning esteem as one of the city's most prominent citizens, he |
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was known for treating everyone around him with respect and |
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empathy; he encouraged the professional development of his |
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employees, and many stayed on for decades; and |
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WHEREAS, Devoted to his hometown, Mr. Moody guided the |
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charitable Moody Foundation and found numerous ways to make a |
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positive impact; he established the Moody Neurorehabilitation |
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Institute to help brain trauma patients, and in 1992, he |
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spearheaded construction of Moody Gardens; one of the |
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Southwest's premier educational and leisure facilities, Moody |
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Gardens draws some two million visitors annually, spurring the |
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local economy while providing horticultural therapy, education, |
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and employment for individuals with disabilities; he further |
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benefited the disability community by creating the Moody |
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Endowment; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Moody maintained a healthy balance between |
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his myriad ventures and his home life; he and his wife of 53 |
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years, Ann McLeod Moody, raised a blended family of eight |
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children, and they broadened their horizons with extensive |
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travel; on Saturday mornings, he was coach, pitcher, and umpire |
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for baseball games with all the neighborhood children; he was |
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preceded in death by an infant son and by his wife; and |
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WHEREAS, An ardent champion of Galveston, Bobby Moody |
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worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for its citizens, |
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through both his professional and philanthropic endeavors, and |
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his contributions will continue to resonate in the years to come; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life |
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of Robert Lee Moody Sr. and extend sincere condolences to the |
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members of his family: to his children, Robert L. Moody Jr. and |
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his wife, Ingrid, Russell S. Moody, Ross R. Moody, Frances Anne |
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"Francie" Moody-Dahlberg and her husband, Kevin, Edwin Vince |
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"Vic" Matthews and his wife, Cindi, Lea McLeod Matthews and her |
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wife, Jennifer, Allan Watkins Matthews and his wife, Lori, and |
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Dorothea "Dotsy" Matthews Balentine and her husband, David; to |
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his grandchildren, Elizabeth Lee "Elle" Moody and her husband, |
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James Gray, Frances Moody Buzbee and her husband, Tony, Robert L. |
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Moody III, Jackson Davis "Jack" Moody, Maggie Grace Moody, |
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Russell Shearn "Rusty" Moody II, William Charles McLeod "Will" |
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Matthews and his wife, Emma, Katherine Leanne "Kit" Matthews, |
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Tiffany Nicole Bastow, Kimberly McLeod Almon and her husband, |
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Jackson, Marissa Ann Matthews, Lauren Anne Balentine, Alexis |
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Gabrielle Moody-Dahlberg, and Ashton Lee Moody-Dahlberg; to his |
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great-grandchildren, Ella Ann Grant, Jackson "Pierce" Almon II, |
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Brooks Woodson Almon, and Ann McLeod "Annie" Almon; and to his |
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other relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns |
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this day, it do so in memory of Robert Lee Moody Sr. |
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Middleton |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on November 30, 2023, |
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by a rising vote. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |