By Junell                                      H.C.R. No. 123

      75R7172 SAJ-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas Legislature is proud to honor former

 1-2     Senator Bill Sims for the many significant contributions he has

 1-3     made to the agriculture and livestock industries in our state and

 1-4     congratulate him on his most recent honor as the recipient of the

 1-5     Texas A&M Distinguished Texan in Agriculture Award; and

 1-6           WHEREAS, This prestigious accolade, which is sponsored by the

 1-7     Agriculture Program at Texas A&M University, recognizes an

 1-8     individual's outstanding leadership, contributions, and

 1-9     achievements in behalf of the state's agribusiness industry; and

1-10           WHEREAS, A native of Paint Rock, Senator Sims has earned

1-11     distinction as a statesman, civic leader, businessman, farmer, and

1-12     rancher, and his noteworthy achievements have left an indelible

1-13     mark on both the agriculture industry and the people of Texas; and

1-14           WHEREAS, He represented his fellow citizens with integrity

1-15     and honor as a member of the Texas Senate from 1983 to 1996 and was

1-16     selected by his colleagues as the senate's president pro tempore in

1-17     1992; he drew on his extensive experience in the field of

1-18     agriculture to benefit our state as chair of the Senate Natural

1-19     Resources Committee, and he sought solutions to other important

1-20     matters as a member of several other committees, including finance,

1-21     criminal justice, education, and economic development; and

1-22           WHEREAS, This eminent gentleman was also involved with many

1-23     committees of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the

1-24     Southern Legislative Conference, and the American Legislative

 2-1     Exchange Council, where his abundant knowledge and experience

 2-2     benefited the entire nation; and

 2-3           WHEREAS, In addition to Senator Sims's outstanding work in

 2-4     these areas, he is also highly regarded for his long and rewarding

 2-5     career in agriculture; a former county extension agent, he served

 2-6     for nearly 30 years as the executive secretary of both the Texas

 2-7     Sheep & Goat Raisers' Association and the Texas Wool & Mohair

 2-8     Warehouse Association; the former managing editor of The Ranch

 2-9     Magazine, he has been a rancher and farmer in Concho County for

2-10     many  years; and

2-11           WHEREAS, Senator Sims has further worked for the betterment

2-12     of his state and community as director of the High Plains Research

2-13     Foundation and as an esteemed member of several boards and

2-14     organizations, including the Free Market Foundation Advisory Board,

2-15     the Texas International Livestock Exposition Advisory Board, and

2-16     the Texas Energy Council; and

2-17           WHEREAS, His remarkable contributions have earned him

2-18     well-deserved acclaim and numerous prestigious accolades during his

2-19     lifetime; in the past year alone, he was honored with the Texas

2-20     Farm Bureau's Distinguished Service Award and the Central Texas

2-21     Council of Governments' Appreciation Award, and he was also named

2-22     Man of the Year by the Texas County  Agricultural Agents

2-23     Association and Citizen of the Year by the San Angelo Chamber of

2-24     Commerce; and

2-25           WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, he has enjoyed the love and

2-26     support of his devoted wife, Sue Sims, and the couple's children,

2-27     Billy Lowe Sims and Sue Ann Sims Setzler; and

 3-1           WHEREAS, For more than 40 years, Senator Sims has dedicated

 3-2     himself to enhancing the agriculture and livestock industries in

 3-3     our state, and he is most deserving of special praise and

 3-4     recognition on the occasion of his most recent honor; now,

 3-5     therefore, be it

 3-6           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

 3-7     hereby commend the Honorable Bill Sims for the many significant

 3-8     contributions he has made to the agribusiness industry in Texas and

 3-9     congratulate him on his receipt of the Texas A&M Distinguished

3-10     Texan in Agriculture Award; and, be it further

3-11           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

3-12     prepared for Senator Sims as an expression of high regard by the

3-13     Texas House of Representatives and Senate.