By Telford                                      H.C.R. No. 87

      75R5639 SAJ-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The passing of the Honorable Alex H. Short, Jr., on

 1-2     March 10, 1996, at the age of 49, brought a great loss to the many

 1-3     friends and relatives of this distinguished Austin resident and

 1-4     former member of the Texas House of Representatives; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, A native Texan, he first won election to the house

 1-6     in 1982; he was well regarded for his integrity, professionalism,

 1-7     and dedication and went on to serve his fellow citizens in District

 1-8     1 for two terms before completing his tenure in 1987; and

 1-9           WHEREAS, Representative Short provided crucial leadership as

1-10     vice chairman of both the Public Health Committee and the House

1-11     Administration Committee, and he also served the people of our

1-12     state with diligence as a member of the State Affairs, Law

1-13     Enforcement, and Labor and Employment committees; and

1-14           WHEREAS, In addition to his career as a legislator, he will

1-15     also be remembered for his outstanding work in the private sector;

1-16     a former public school teacher, he embarked on a rewarding

1-17     association with Short Realtors, Inc., in 1973 and ran his family's

1-18     enterprise in Texarkana for several years before moving to Austin

1-19     in 1987; and

1-20           WHEREAS, After leaving public office, Representative Short

1-21     continued to work for the betterment of Texas as a legislative

1-22     consultant; the former director of governmental relations for the

1-23     Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, he later

1-24     joined the Texas Medical Association as director of both political

 2-1     education and the TEXPAC, the association's political action

 2-2     committee, and he served as coordinator of the 1988 "Clean Slate"

 2-3     campaign for the Texas Supreme Court; and

 2-4           WHEREAS, This remarkable gentleman began his tenure with the

 2-5     Texas Civil Justice League in 1991, and for the next five years, he

 2-6     dedicated himself to building the organization's political action

 2-7     committee into the largest, and what many consider to be the most

 2-8     effective, state tort reform PAC in the country; and

 2-9           WHEREAS, Alex Short was a man of great vision who dedicated

2-10     much of his life to the betterment of his community and state, and

2-11     as the first anniversary of his death approaches, it is indeed

2-12     fitting that we reflect on the many accomplishments he left behind;

2-13     now, therefore, be it

2-14           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-15     hereby honor the memory of former State Representative Alex H.

2-16     Short, Jr., and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his

2-17     family: to his beloved wife, Rebecca Ruth Dees Short; to his son,

2-18     Christopher Alex Short; to his mother, Bernice Marie Short; to his

2-19     sister, Jan Sneed; to his uncle and aunt, Roy and Janelle Tucker;

2-20     to his nephews, Larry Hermance and Kirk Sneed; and to the many

2-21     other friends and relatives of this eminent Texan; and, be it

2-22     further

2-23           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

2-24     prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas

2-25     House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in

2-26     memory of the Honorable Alex H. Short, Jr.