H.R. No. 629
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The family and many friends of Baxter Redditt Grier,
1-2 a prominent citizen of Boerne, were deeply saddened by his passing
1-3 on September 7, 1992, at the age of 73; and
1-4 WHEREAS, A proud descendant of German pioneers who settled in
1-5 Texas during the 1840s, this fine gentleman was born on May 30,
1-6 1919, in Panama, where his father helped to build the Panama Canal
1-7 and worked as the superintendent of its electrical division; and
1-8 WHEREAS, Young Baxter Grier moved to Texas with his family
1-9 when he was seven, but he returned to the Panama Canal 14 years
1-10 later to work as a machinist; there, on the eve of World War II, he
1-11 also met Mary Lou, the woman who was to become his wife; and
1-12 WHEREAS, During the war, he served as an Army Air Force
1-13 aircraft machinist, eventually becoming an aeronautical engineer,
1-14 and made a number of important modifications to aircraft during
1-15 this time, including a bomb fin that was combat-tested during the
1-16 assault on Iwo Jima in 1945; and
1-17 WHEREAS, After the war, he returned to Texas and began a long
1-18 and successful career at Alamo Iron Works, where he was elected to
1-19 the board of directors in 1959 and served on two different
1-20 occasions as the company's president; and
1-21 WHEREAS, Mr. Grier was a man of seemingly inexhaustible
1-22 energy who kept an extensive journal dating back to his childhood,
1-23 published personal anecdotes, served as a talk show host for a
1-24 local radio station, painted, raised Koi in the ponds on his ranch,
2-1 and particularly loved flying his own airplane; and
2-2 WHEREAS, A dedicated civic leader as well, he belonged to the
2-3 American Cancer Society, serving one year as its president,
2-4 volunteered his time at the Therapy and Research Center of San
2-5 Antonio, worked as a volunteer at the Boerne Public Library, and
2-6 was an active member of the Boerne Shrine and Masonic Lodge, the
2-7 Rotary Club, the Boerne Airport Advisory Board, and the board of
2-8 trustees of Our Lady of the Lake University; and
2-9 WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Mr. Grier contributed
2-10 significantly to the betterment of the Boerne community and to its
2-11 unique character in countless ways; although his intelligence and
2-12 compassion will be greatly missed, his memory lives on in the
2-13 hearts of all who were privileged to know him; now, therefore, be
2-14 it
2-15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
2-16 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Baxter Redditt Grier
2-17 and extend profound sympathy to the members of his family: to his
2-18 wife, Mary Lou Grier of Boerne; to his children, Bonnie Grier and
2-19 Robert Grier, both of Boerne, and James Grier of Omaha, Nebraska;
2-20 to his granddaughter, Jennifer Grier of Boerne; to his sister,
2-21 Barbara Hughes of Fredericksburg; and to his nieces and nephews,
2-22 Brian Phillips, Rhonda Corley, Ellen Smith, Judy Kothe, and Steve
2-23 Hughes; and, be it further
2-24 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-25 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
2-26 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
2-27 Baxter Redditt Grier.
3-1 Baxter Redditt Grier.
3-2 Hilderbran
3-3 H.R. No. 629
3-4 _______________________________
3-5 Speaker of the House
3-6 I certify that H.R. No. 629 was unanimously adopted by a
3-7 rising vote of the House on May 7, 1993.
3-8 _______________________________
3-9 Chief Clerk of the House