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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Paul Bestor Woodruff, professor emeritus at The |
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University of Texas at Austin, has enriched the lives of |
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innumerable people through his outstanding work as a philosopher, |
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educator, translator, and author; and |
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WHEREAS, One of America's foremost interpreters of Plato, |
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Thucydides, Socrates, and other classical thinkers, Dr. Woodruff |
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has illuminated complex societal issues through his scholarship on |
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the ideas surrounding the ancient Greeks' first steps toward |
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democracy; his translations are used as standard references in |
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academia, and he has also reached a broader audience via public |
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television and the pages of the Washington Post; moreover, he has |
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added to the prestige of the university as the author of such books |
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as Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue and The Necessity of |
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Theater: The Art of Watching and Being Watched; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Woodruff joined the UT Austin faculty in 1973, |
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and while rising in his field, he also made an enormous impact on |
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the university in administrative roles; during his tenure as |
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inaugural dean of undergraduate studies, he charted a new path with |
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the introduction of an interdisciplinary core curriculum and |
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improved student support services; as director of the Plan II |
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honors program, he helped deliver an Ivy League-quality education |
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to thousands of young Texans; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, Dr. Woodruff further served as chair |
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of the Department of Philosophy, Darrell K. Royal Professor of |
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Ethics and American Society, and Mary Helen Thompson Centennial |
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Professor in the Humanities; he is the recipient of numerous |
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accolades, among them the Harry Ransom Teaching Award, the |
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Civitatis Award recognizing outstanding UT faculty, and Pro Bene |
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Meritis, the highest honor bestowed by the UT College of Liberal |
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Arts; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Woodruff earned bachelor's degrees from both |
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Princeton and Oxford University before serving as a captain in the |
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U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, an experience that has informed |
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his perspective on moral conflict; he completed his doctorate in |
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philosophy at Princeton University; since his retirement in the |
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fall of 2022, Dr. Woodruff has continued to write and to meet with |
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former students to discuss life and philosophy; and |
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WHEREAS, UT Austin has benefited immeasurably from Paul |
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Woodruff's visionary leadership, and his wisdom, humility, and |
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willingness to engage have inspired generations of students to |
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observe more acutely and think more deeply; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor UT Austin professor emeritus Paul Bestor |
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Woodruff for his contributions and extend to him sincere |
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appreciation for his many years of dedicated service; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Dr. Woodruff as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |