By Counts                                              H.R. No. 784
       74R12079 SAJ-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, The passing of E. B. Whorton, Sr., at the age of 88,
    1-2  has brought a great loss to the many friends and relatives of this
    1-3  distinguished gentleman; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, A native Texan, Elbert Benjamin Whorton, Sr., was
    1-5  born August 26, 1905, in the community of Cryer Creek in Navarro
    1-6  County, and he settled with his family in Rule in 1906; and
    1-7        WHEREAS, Mr. Whorton attended McMurry University in Abilene,
    1-8  where he was well known for his athletic prowess and led his team
    1-9  to numerous victories in football and baseball, earning a coveted
   1-10  position on the All-American team; he played guard on the 1926
   1-11  National Championship football team, and after college, he enjoyed
   1-12  a career in semiprofessional baseball; and
   1-13        WHEREAS, Mr. Whorton also was well known throughout the Rule
   1-14  community as a movie theater proprietor, a business he entered into
   1-15  as a teenager in the 1920s with his older brother, Robert Ford, and
   1-16  his mother; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, After Mr. Ford's passing in 1935, Mr. Whorton and
   1-18  his mother became the dual owners of the family's growing theater
   1-19  business; under their wise and thoughtful guidance, the venture
   1-20  continued to prosper, and the Whortons came to own cinemas and
   1-21  drive-in theaters in the towns of Haskell, San Saba, Llano, and
   1-22  Spur, as well as Rule; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, In 1952,  Mr. Whorton and his lovely wife, Allene,
   1-24  built the Tower Drive-In Theater in Rule, which was one of the
    2-1  first drive-in theaters in Texas; in testament to their outstanding
    2-2  business skills, the enterprise continues to operate today after
    2-3  more than 40 years in business; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Whorton shared their many fond memories
    2-5  of their business as featured guests on several broadcasts of "The
    2-6  Eyes of Texas" television show and have been the topic of numerous
    2-7  articles in newspapers across the state; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, Mr. Whorton also will be fondly remembered for his
    2-9  devotion to his four children, and he worked tirelessly to enhance
   2-10  the recreational opportunities for youngsters in his community; he
   2-11  was active in numerous youth athletic programs and  served as a
   2-12  scoutmaster with the Chisholm Trail Boy Scout Council, leading a
   2-13  delegation of Explorer Scouts on an unforgettable canoeing and
   2-14  fishing trip through the wilds of Minnesota and Canada; and
   2-15        WHEREAS, This warm and caring gentleman greatly enjoyed the
   2-16  many close friendships he developed as an esteemed member of the
   2-17  Texas Grand Masonry; a member of the Masonic Lodge for 67 years, he
   2-18  attained the rank of 32nd Degree Mason and was a lifetime member of
   2-19  the Rule Masonic Lodge; and
   2-20        WHEREAS, Mr. Whorton also was a member of the York Rite and
   2-21  the Scottish Rite and was affiliated with the Shriners; deeply
   2-22  committed to helping those in need, he was an ardent supporter of
   2-23  the Crippled Children's Hospitals program of the Masonic Lodge of
   2-24  Texas; and
   2-25        WHEREAS, Mr. Whorton was a man of immense vision and energy
   2-26  who greatly benefited the local community; though his special
   2-27  presence will be deeply missed, his unique spirit will surely live
    3-1  on in the hearts and minds of the many people whose lives he
    3-2  touched; now, therefore, be it
    3-3        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
    3-4  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of E. B. Whorton, Sr.,
    3-5  and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his
    3-6  beloved wife of 56 years, Allene B. Allen Whorton; to his three
    3-7  sons, Elbert Benjamin Whorton, Jr., Robert Allen Whorton, and Jack
    3-8  Alston Whorton; to his daughter, Mary Katherine Whorton Morris; to
    3-9  his brother, Joe Whorton; to his sisters, Orene Goodwin and Jimmie
   3-10  Whorton Spain; to his five grandchildren, Lalise Loessin
   3-11  Whorton-Mason, Anna Linae Loessin Whorton, Robert Allen Whorton,
   3-12  Jr., Emily Suzanne Whorton, and Nathan "Chip" Morris II; to his
   3-13  great-grandchildren, A. J. and Robert Allen Whorton III; and to his
   3-14  many other friends and relatives; and, be it further
   3-15        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   3-16  prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
   3-17  House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
   3-18  E. B.  Whorton, Sr.