H.R. No. 78 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of Harold Lester Crawford, of Abilene, 1-2 on January 6, 1995, at the age of 77, has brought a great loss to 1-3 the many friends and relatives of this distinguished Texas 1-4 businessman and civic leader; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A graduate of Baylor University, Mr. Crawford began 1-6 his distinguished career in business as a tire salesman with 1-7 Montgomery Ward before embarking on a deeply rewarding 23-year 1-8 career with Firestone Tire and Rubber Company; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Widely respected by colleagues and supervisors for 1-10 his hard work, dedication, and professionalism, he received several 1-11 promotions and worked his way up the corporate ladder to become a 1-12 district manager; and 1-13 WHEREAS, In 1964, he joined with a partner to purchase one of 1-14 the company's local dealerships in Abilene; under the pair's 1-15 inspired leadership the enterprise flourished and in eight years it 1-16 had grown to encompass 23 stores, making it the largest Firestone 1-17 dealership in the world; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Mr. Crawford's unswerving commitment to customer 1-19 service and his keen business acumen helped the business to 1-20 continue to thrive; when the partners sold their enterprise back to 1-21 Firestone in 1987, the number of stores they had owned more than 1-22 tripled to 91; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Well respected by colleagues throughout his chosen 1-24 profession, he also made substantial contributions to the business 2-1 community through his leadership efforts with the Abilene Chamber 2-2 of Commerce and the Abilene Downtown Association; he also offered 2-3 his valued insight as a board member of McMurry University, First 2-4 Abilene Bankshares, First Security Savings, Abilene Aero, Chaparral 2-5 Airlines, and Hankamer School of Business at Baylor; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Crawford 2-7 maintained close ties to the Abilene community and generously gave 2-8 his time, talents, resources, and energies to the benefit of 2-9 several worthy organizations, including the Hendrick Medical Center 2-10 Foundation, West Central Texas Municipal Water District, the YWCA, 2-11 the Salvation Army, Disability Resources, Business Aid, and the 2-12 United Way, which honored him with its Volunteer Service Award in 2-13 recognition of his outstanding contributions; and 2-14 WHEREAS, A devoutly religious man, he was guided throughout 2-15 life's endeavors by an abiding religious faith, which he eloquently 2-16 expressed as a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, where 2-17 he also served as a member of the board of directors; and 2-18 WHEREAS, Mr. Crawford was a man of great vision who dedicated 2-19 much of his life to serving the needs of his community; though his 2-20 special presence will be missed by all who knew him, his spirit 2-21 will surely live on in the hearts and minds of the many people 2-22 whose lives were touched by this exceptional gentleman; now, 2-23 therefore, be it 2-24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-25 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Harold Lester 2-26 Crawford and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: 2-27 to his beloved wife of 55 years, Pat Neff Parker Crawford; to his 3-1 daughter, LuRuth Evily; to his three sons, Charles Crawford, Joe 3-2 Crawford, and John Crawford; to his sister, Leona Rankin; to his 3-3 two brothers, Warren Crawford, and Charles Crawford; to his 3-4 grandchildren; and to his many other friends and relatives; and, be 3-5 it further 3-6 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-7 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas 3-8 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of 3-9 Harold Lester Crawford.