By Counts H.R. No. 534 74R9458 SAJ-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor 1-2 John W. "Bill" Longley for the many significant contributions he 1-3 has made to the citizens of Stamford; and 1-4 WHEREAS, A resident of that city for the past 63 years, he 1-5 has been well regarded by all who have known him as a dedicated and 1-6 industrious member of the community, and he served his fellow 1-7 citizens with integrity and distinction as a member of the Stamford 1-8 City Council for four years; and 1-9 WHEREAS, His tenure was marked by many accomplishments, the 1-10 most noteworthy of which was the construction of Lake Stamford; the 1-11 lake will ensure that the community will have an adequate water 1-12 supply well into the coming century; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Mr. Longley continued to work for the betterment of 1-14 the community outside of public office, serving for six years as 1-15 chairman of the city's Cemetery Board; his reputation for 1-16 civic-mindedness was further established by his long tenure as an 1-17 esteemed board member of the Texas Commission for the Blind; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Mr. Longley is well regarded in political circles 1-19 for his exemplary service to the Democratic party, and he 1-20 contributed greatly to its strength in the region as party chairman 1-21 of Jones County in 1975; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Mr. Longley began his deeply fulfilling service to 1-23 the people of the 17th Congressional District as manager of U. S. 1-24 Representative Charlie Stenholm's campaign in 1978, and he capably 2-1 and efficiently responded to constituents' concerns as manager of 2-2 the congressman's district office for 16 years until his retirement 2-3 on March 31, 1995; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Throughout his lifetime, he has demonstrated an 2-5 abiding commitment to civic concerns, and he marshalled his 2-6 abundant energy to serve as chairman of Stamford Goodfellows for 2-7 five years; he also worked to address issues vital to the local 2-8 business community as president of the Stamford Chamber of 2-9 Commerce, which honored him for his many outstanding contributions 2-10 as its Man of the Year in 1992; and 2-11 WHEREAS, A warm and caring individual, he has enjoyed the 2-12 many close friendships he has formed over the years as a 33-year 2-13 member of the Stamford Lions Club, and he has graciously served his 2-14 fellow members both as president and as district governor; he was 2-15 honored for his outstanding work with the Ambassador of Good Will 2-16 Award, which is the highest accolade bestowed by Lions 2-17 International, and he further distinguished himself by being the 2-18 first Texan to receive this prestigious honor without holding an 2-19 international office with the organization; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Mr. Longley is a man who has worked tirelessly for 2-21 the betterment of his community throughout his distinguished 2-22 lifetime, and he is truly worthy of special praise and recognition 2-23 at this time; now, therefore, be it 2-24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-25 Legislature hereby commend John W. "Bill" Longley for the many 2-26 significant contributions he has made to the citizens of Stamford 2-27 and extend to him warmest best wishes for continued success and 3-1 happiness in the future; and, be it further 3-2 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-3 prepared for Mr. Longley as an expression of high regard by the 3-4 Texas House of Representatives.