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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Former U.S. Congressman Charlie Stenholm of |
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Granbury, a major architect of the nation's agricultural policy, |
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passed away on May 17, 2023, at the age of 84, bringing a great loss |
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to his family and many friends across West Texas and beyond; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Lambert and Irene Stenholm, Charles |
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Walter Stenholm was born in Stamford on October 26, 1938, and grew |
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up on the family farm in the Swedish Lutheran community of |
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Ericksdahl; he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in |
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agricultural education at Texas Tech University and began teaching |
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in Avoca while also helping his father grow cotton and wheat and |
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raise cattle; hired to advocate for Rolling Plains Cotton Growers, |
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he also served as president of the Texas Rural Electric Cooperative |
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Association; he was appointed to the Texas State Agricultural |
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Stabilization and Conservation Service, now the Farm Service |
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Agency, and in 1978, he was elected to represent the 17th |
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Congressional District; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Stenholm was an ardent champion of rural Texas |
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and played a key role in shaping and passing every farm bill during |
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his 26 years in the U.S. House of Representatives; in the 1980s, he |
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helped formulate legislation that rescued the Farm Credit System |
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from financial distress; he assisted in drafting legislation that |
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reorganized the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Clinton |
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administration, and he was instrumental in reforming the federal |
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crop insurance system to better protect family farmers; and |
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WHEREAS, A conservative Democrat and founder of the Blue Dog |
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Coalition, Mr. Stenholm was known for his ability to work across |
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the aisle in Washington, staying genial, calm, and patient no |
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matter how heated the discussion; he helped garner Democratic |
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support for President Ronald Reagan's tax cuts and fervently |
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supported a balanced budget amendment; as ranking member on the |
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House Committee on Agriculture, he teamed with the chair, Lubbock |
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Republican Larry Combest, to win passage of a new farm bill that |
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doubled subsidies for Texas agribusiness; the pair often worked |
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together on such legislation as the Water Pollution Program |
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Improvement Act and the Carousel Retaliation Act; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Stenholm valued the opinions of others but stood |
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firmly by his principles even when inconvenient; although the |
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flag-burning amendment had local support, his belief in the |
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constitutional protection of free expression led him to vote |
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against it; those who might disagree with his position on an issue |
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nevertheless respected his honesty and integrity; he remained close |
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to his commonsense upbringing, and whenever he felt he might be |
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straying too far into the Washington mindset, he spent some time |
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riding a tractor on his 2,000-acre cotton and cattle farm; |
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colleagues described him as the kind of citizen-legislator the |
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nation's founders envisioned; and |
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WHEREAS, Redistricting cost Mr. Stenholm his seat in 2004, |
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but he continued to work on behalf of agricultural development and |
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safety and to promote fiscal conservatism and bipartisanship; he |
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became a senior policy advisor for the Washington firm Olsson Frank |
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Weeda Terman Matz PC and later joined the faculty of Tarleton State |
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University as an adjunct professor; in addition, he took a |
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leadership role with Farm Foundation, moderating many of its forums |
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at the National Press Club to increase understanding of farm and |
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food issues; much in demand as a public speaker, he also wrote |
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newspaper articles and served on the boards of such organizations |
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as the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Concord |
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Coalition; he was a man of faith and a member of both Emmanuel |
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Lutheran Church in Granbury and Bethel Lutheran Church of |
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Ericksdahl; among many accolades, he received a Distinguished |
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Alumni Award from Tarleton, and he was inducted into the |
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Cooperative Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Charlie Stenholm devoted his career to the |
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advancement of farming and rural communities, and although he is |
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deeply missed by those he left behind, his exceptional |
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contributions will continue to resonate in the years to come; now, |
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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 life of the Honorable Charles |
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Walter Stenholm and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his |
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family: to his wife of 58 years, Cynthia Stenholm; to his children, |
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Chris, Carey, and Courtney; and to all others who mourn his passing; |
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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 Charlie |
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Stenholm. |