By:  Montford                                           S.R. No. 82
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, Arvin Stafford served with distinction as Justice
    1-3  of the Peace of Precinct 2 in Slaton, Texas, for 24 years, and the
    1-4  Texas Senate is pleased to express its appreciation to him for his
    1-5  invaluable contributions to the citizens of West Texas; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Throughout his long career, Judge Stafford worked
    1-7  diligently to provide the residents of Precinct 2 with fair
    1-8  and impartial decisions; he was recognized for his honesty and
    1-9  integrity as well as his ability to work well with people; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, A resident of Slaton since 1965, Judge Stafford
   1-11  moved from Brownfield with his wife, Mary, to operate Slat-Co
   1-12  Printing; he was appointed city judge in 1968, a position he
   1-13  still holds; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, With the retirement of the former Justice of
   1-15  the Peace of Precinct 2, he was approached by several people
   1-16  who asked him to run for the office in 1970, and he took office
   1-17  on January 1, 1971; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, The stress of holding three positions at one time
   1-19  took its toll, and Judge Stafford sold his printing business after
   1-20  suffering a heart attack in 1974; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, As the job of justice of the peace continued to
   1-22  expand and the number of cases filed in small claims court grew
   1-23  dramatically, the office became the largest income-producing
    2-1  court in the county by 1986; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, Although considering partial retirement, the
    2-3  municipal judge expects to continue working a 20-hour week dealing
    2-4  with similar cases as a justice of the peace and still have time
    2-5  to spend with his family of five children and 11 grandchildren; and
    2-6        WHEREAS, Throughout his long and successful career as
    2-7  Justice of the Peace of Precinct 2, the esteemed public servant
    2-8  served the citizens tirelessly and capably; he earned the respect
    2-9  and gratitude of those who appeared in his court; now, therefore,
   2-10  be it
   2-11        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-12  74th Legislature, hereby commend Judge Arvin Stafford for his
   2-13  notable achievements and extend best wishes to him in his future
   2-14  endeavors; and, be it further
   2-15        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
   2-16  the distinguished gentleman as an expression of the high regard
   2-17  of the Texas Senate.
   2-18                               ______________________________________
   2-19                                       President of the Senate
   2-20                                    I hereby certify that the above
   2-21                               Resolution was adopted by the Senate
   2-22                               on January 25, 1995.
   2-23                               ______________________________________
   2-24                                       Secretary of the Senate
   2-25                               ______________________________________
    3-1                                        Member, Texas Senate