H.R. No. 79 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of Richard Dillard, of Abilene, on 1-2 January 5, 1995, at the age of 51, has brought a great loss to the 1-3 many friends and relatives of this distinguished Texan; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Born in Big Spring, he earned his bachelor's degree 1-5 in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin before 1-6 settling with his family in Abilene in 1970 when he became the 1-7 first manager of the city's convention and visitors bureau; he 1-8 developed close ties to the Abilene community and left the area 1-9 only briefly to work with Fort Worth's convention center in 1974; 1-10 and 1-11 WHEREAS, A man of many interests and talents, Mr. Dillard 1-12 also was well regarded for his work as an educator, and in 1990 he 1-13 began a deeply fulfilling four-year career as a photography teacher 1-14 at Cooper High School; and 1-15 WHEREAS, He continued to make many lasting and significant 1-16 contributions to the Abilene community through his noteworthy work 1-17 in historic preservation; he spearheaded efforts to save and 1-18 restore both the Paramount Theatre and the Grace Hotel, which 1-19 reopened as the Grace Cultural Center after its renovation and 1-20 stands as a cornerstone of the community's downtown revitalization 1-21 efforts; and 1-22 WHEREAS, With the help of his gracious wife, Kay, he worked 1-23 tirelessly to restore the old Henry Sayles house to its former 1-24 glory and was amply rewarded for his efforts when the couple 2-1 established the home as their residence; this remarkable gentleman 2-2 was also mindful of his state's proud military history and worked 2-3 to preserve the site of Fort Phantom Hill, a frontier fort built in 2-4 the 1850s; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Mr. Dillard continued to make vital contributions to 2-6 the field of historic preservation through his work with several 2-7 prestigious organizations, including the Abilene Preservation 2-8 League, the Taylor County Historical Commission, the Texas 2-9 Historical Commission, and the West Texas Genealogical Society; in 2-10 addition, he worked to preserve our state's proud heritage by 2-11 helping to nominate many of its most revered sites to the National 2-12 Register of Historic Places; and 2-13 WHEREAS, Mr. Dillard also will be remembered as a man of 2-14 boundless compassion who gave generously of his time, talents, and 2-15 energies to help those less fortunate; he was one of the founders 2-16 of Our House, a drug rehabilitation center that later became the 2-17 Human Relations Center, and also served with distinction as 2-18 executive director of the West Central Texas chapter of the 2-19 Alzheimer's Association; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Richard Dillard was a man of great vision who 2-21 dedicated much of his life to serving the needs of his community; 2-22 though his special presence will be missed by all who knew him, his 2-23 spirit will surely live on in the hearts and minds of the many 2-24 people whose lives he touched; now, therefore, be it 2-25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-26 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Richard Dillard and 2-27 extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his 3-1 beloved wife, Kay; to his son, Tom, of Ellsworth Air Force Base, 3-2 South Dakota; to his daughter, Ginger, of Abilene; to his 3-3 granddaughter; and to his many other friends and relatives; and, be 3-4 it further 3-5 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-6 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas 3-7 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of 3-8 Richard Dillard.