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.