By:  Finnell                                           H.R. No. 162
       73R3666 NBM-F
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, After an outstanding 25-year career as a law
    1-2  enforcement officer and a 15-year tenure as Clay County Sheriff,
    1-3  Jake Bogard  recently announced that he would step down from his
    1-4  post, much to the regret and sorrow of the area residents whom he
    1-5  has served with exemplary vigor and dedication; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Informed by his doctors that he had become afflicted
    1-7  with cancer, Sheriff Bogard made the painful decision to step down
    1-8  when he realized that his illness and the ongoing treatment that it
    1-9  entailed prevented him from performing to the best of his ability,
   1-10  and that anything less than his utmost dedication would be a
   1-11  disservice to the citizens of Clay County; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, That decision brought to an untimely close a chapter
   1-13  in a law enforcement saga that began more than a quarter of a
   1-14  century ago in Hockley County when he took on the job of deputy
   1-15  sheriff and that in the ensuing years was to earn him the lasting
   1-16  respect and admiration of all who had the privilege of working with
   1-17  him; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, After serving in the sheriff's departments in Lynn,
   1-19  Yoakum, and Wichita counties, he ran for sheriff of Clay County in
   1-20  1976 and won, beginning the first of several successive terms in
   1-21  January 1977; and
   1-22        WHEREAS, A former ranch hand and an expert horseman riding
   1-23  tall in the saddle when the need arose, Sheriff Bogard was cut in
   1-24  the classic mold of a Texas peace officer and he has proven himself
    2-1  a consummate professional who has transformed the Clay County
    2-2  Sheriff's office into a well-staffed, well-equipped, up-to-date
    2-3  department capable of responding to the constant forces of change
    2-4  affecting the North Texas community; and
    2-5        WHEREAS, Beginning his first term with only a deputy to
    2-6  assist him, he oversaw the consolidation of the sheriff's office
    2-7  with the police department and then gradually built his staff to
    2-8  the point where it could provide vital law enforcement services
    2-9  throughout the county with greater speed and efficiency; and
   2-10        WHEREAS, The exemplary diligence and dedication with which he
   2-11  has approached his profession has left an indelible mark on the
   2-12  department he headed for so many years, and the citizens of Clay
   2-13  County undoubtedly will continue to benefit from his outstanding
   2-14  legacy of service to the community for years to come; it is
   2-15  appropriate, then, for the members of this body to join with those
   2-16  citizens in an appropriate tribute to this exceptional public
   2-17  servant on the occasion of his retirement; now, therefore, be it
   2-18        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
   2-19  Legislature hereby honor Clay County Sheriff Jake Bogard on his
   2-20  commendable record of service to the community and extend to him
   2-21  best wishes for a full recovery and victory in his courageous fight
   2-22  against cancer; and, be it further
   2-23        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-24  prepared for Sheriff Bogard as an expression of high esteem by the
   2-25  Texas House of Representatives.