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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a much-admired lawmaker and |
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a friend to many with the death of former House Speaker Pro Tempore |
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D. R. "Tom" Uher of Bay City on March 9, 2019, at the age of 81; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Alfonso A. Uher and May Bittick Uher, Tom |
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Uher was born in Bay City in 1937, and he grew up with the |
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companionship of three siblings, Doris, LaVerne, and Myrna; he |
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attended The University of Texas, earning a bachelor's degree in |
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business administration in 1960 and a doctor of jurisprudence in |
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1962; he went on to establish his own law practice in Bay City and |
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continued to serve his clients for 55 years; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1967, Representative Uher won a special election |
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to the House on his 30th birthday, December 16; his constituents in |
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Matagorda, Wharton, and Brazoria Counties would reelect him 17 |
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times, and he served as speaker pro tempore from the 73rd through |
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77th Legislatures; over the course of more than three decades in |
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office, he chaired a number of committees, among them State Affairs |
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and Redistricting, and he served on many others as well, such as the |
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Public Education, Higher Education, and Ways and Means Committees; |
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he was instrumental in the passage of Senate Bill 438, which |
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excepted the expansion of Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium |
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from the Capitol view corridor guidelines, and he also took special |
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pride in the passage of a bill he authored that granted MD Anderson |
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Cancer Center patients access to care without referrals; and |
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WHEREAS, Charming and collegial, Representative Uher earned |
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the affection of all his colleagues; he commonly ended |
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conversations by calling others "a great American," and he himself |
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became fondly known as "the Great American"; he left the |
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legislature in 2003 as the dean of the house, and he continued to |
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share his wisdom and experience as a mentor to his friends and |
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fellow elected officials; when not working, he enjoyed spending |
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time outdoors, coaching Little League, teaching Bible study at the |
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First Presbyterian Church, and watching football, especially his |
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beloved Longhorns; and |
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WHEREAS, Representative Uher shared a rewarding marriage of |
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more than five and a half decades with his wife, Ann Hagaman Uher, |
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and they were blessed with two daughters, Christi Joe and Catherine |
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Ann, and a son, Robert, as well as two grandsons, Christopher Joseph |
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and Noah Carl Uher; and |
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WHEREAS, Through his steadfast dedication to public service, |
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Tom Uher made a lasting, positive impact in the lives of innumerable |
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Texans, and his contributions will be remembered for years to come; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Honorable D. R. |
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"Tom" Uher and extend sincere condolences to the many people in |
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Texas and beyond whose lives he forever enriched; 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 House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Tom Uher. |