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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 626
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WHEREAS, The strength of our communities depends on the |
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dedicated efforts of public officials, and over the years, Rod |
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Ponton of Presidio has served the citizens of West Texas in a |
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number of important roles; and |
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WHEREAS, A prominent lawyer with four decades of |
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experience, Mr. Ponton has served as Presidio County attorney |
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since 2017, and he is city attorney for the Cities of Alpine and |
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Balmorhea; previously, Mr. Ponton was the 83rd District |
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attorney, serving Brewster, Jeff Davis, Pecos, and Presidio |
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Counties; he was also employed as city attorney for the Cities of |
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Pecos and Presidio, and he served as chair of the West Pecos |
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Management District; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Ponton is the founder of a private civil |
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practice, Big Bend Law; the firm handles a wide range of matters |
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for its clients, including real estate transactions, civil |
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litigation, family law, probate law, and estate planning; and |
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WHEREAS, Early in his career, Mr. Ponton worked in |
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criminal defense law in El Paso; he successfully represented |
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Henry Lee Lucas in one of the state's most high-profile capital |
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murder cases, and in 1987, he was named the Criminal Defense |
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Lawyer of the Year by the State Bar of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Ponton grew up in Alpine; after receiving his |
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bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1973, |
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he went on to graduate from the Texas Tech University School of |
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Law in 1982; and |
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WHEREAS, Now forever renowned as "the Cat Lawyer," Mr. |
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Ponton appeared in a Zoom call video that went viral in February |
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2021, when he proclaimed for what would become a global audience, |
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"I'm here live, I'm not a cat," as a wayward filter imposed the |
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image of a kitten over his face; this led to an interview on |
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television's TODAY show and other major media coverage; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, Rod Ponton has demonstrated a |
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deep commitment to the legal profession and to public service, |
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and his accomplishments have earned the admiration and |
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appreciation of his fellow West Texas residents; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby honor Rod Ponton for his contributions to |
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West Texas and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; |
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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 Mr. Ponton as an expression of high regard from the |
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Texas Senate. |
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Gutierrez, Blanco |
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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 May 22, 2023. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |