By West H.R. No. 728 74R11295 WMS-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of Colonel Claude W. Brown on August 10, 1-2 1993, at the age of 88, brought a great loss to the many friends 1-3 and relatives of this legendary Texas oilman and Permian Basin 1-4 civic leader; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Born December 7, 1904, in Talpa, he began his 1-6 71-year career in the oil business as a roustabout in the Mexia 1-7 fields of Central Texas and worked his way up to achieve the 1-8 pinnacle of success in the petroleum industry as an independent 1-9 producer and a founding father and former president of the Permian 1-10 Basin Petroleum Association; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Exceptionally generous with the fruits of his 1-12 success, Colonel Brown gave freely of his time and financial 1-13 resources to such worthy endeavors as the West Texas Chamber of 1-14 Commerce, the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, the Presidential 1-15 Museum, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Medical 1-16 School, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and the 1-17 Midland-Odessa Symphony, and his consistent support of these and 1-18 many other deserving concerns earned him the nicknames of 1-19 "Mr. McCamey" and "Mr. West Texas"; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Admired by all who knew him for his significant 1-21 contributions to the petroleum industry and his community, Colonel 1-22 Brown was designated the 1988 recipient of the prestigious Top Hand 1-23 Award; and 1-24 WHEREAS, A man of deep and abiding religious convictions as 2-1 well, he shared his faith as an active member of the McCamey United 2-2 Methodist Church; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Claude W. Brown was a man of rare vision and 2-4 generosity; although his presence has been deeply missed, his 2-5 remarkable spirit lives on in the hearts of the many people whose 2-6 lives he touched during his time on this earth; now, therefore, be 2-7 it 2-8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-9 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Claude W. Brown and 2-10 extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, 2-11 Nova Brown; to his sister, Ruby Lee Cook; to his brother, Marion 2-12 Brown; to his son-in-law, Ed Thorp; to his grandchildren, Claude 2-13 Wilson Thorp, James Edward Thorp, Terry Louise Dailey, and Christy 2-14 Persia; to his stepchildren, George Dickson, Frances Loveless, and 2-15 Margaret Jane Dickson Mosher; to his 10 great-grandchildren; and to 2-16 the many other friends and relatives of this beloved gentleman; 2-17 and, be it further 2-18 RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared 2-19 for the members of his family and that when the Texas House of 2-20 Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Claude W. 2-21 Brown.