By Cook                                                H.R. No. 718

         75R12676 SAJ-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, The passing of David Rudolph Wintermann on February

 1-2     4, 1997, at the age of 86, has brought a great loss to the family

 1-3     and many friends of this distinguished Texas businessman and

 1-4     philanthropist; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, A longtime resident of the Eagle Lake community,

 1-6     Mr. Wintermann was graduated summa cum laude from Princeton

 1-7     University in 1930; he  went on to excel in family-owned rice and

 1-8     irrigation businesses and had a profound effect on issues vital to

 1-9     his chosen field as an officer of both the Texas Rice Council and

1-10     the Texas Rice Improvement Association and as a member of the Blue

1-11     Mill Rice Board; and

1-12           WHEREAS,  Mr. Wintermann's outstanding accomplishments

1-13     brought him well-deserved acclaim, for he was appointed to the

1-14     National Rice Advisory Council of the U.S. Department of

1-15     Agriculture during President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration and

1-16     also served on the Rice Advisory Council of the Texas A&M Research

1-17     and Extension Center; and

1-18           WHEREAS, Through the years, he demonstrated an abiding

1-19     commitment to his community by aiding several worthy causes;

1-20     president of the Eagle Lake Community Center for a quarter-century,

1-21     he was also active with Ducks Unlimited and the Attwater Prairie

1-22     Chicken Advisory Committee, and his exemplary involvement in

1-23     natural resource issues earned him numerous prestigious accolades,

1-24     including the Perry A. Bass Award from the Texas Parks and Wildlife

 2-1     Board, the Lifetime Achievement Conservation Award from the Nature

 2-2     Conservancy, and the Conservationist of the Year Award from

 2-3     American Motors; and

 2-4           WHEREAS, Along with his wife, Eula Goss Wintermann, he helped

 2-5     to acquire land for the local golf course, donated much of the land

 2-6     for the area's airport, and led fund-raising efforts to benefit the

 2-7     Community Hospital; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, The Wintermanns' altruism also extended to the areas

 2-9     of literature and the arts, for they generously assisted Rice

2-10     University's Fondren Library and Shepherd School of Music and the

2-11     Houston Museum of Fine Arts, where 62 paintings from their private

2-12     collection are permanently housed, and they gave a completely

2-13     equipped library to the Eagle Lake community; and

2-14           WHEREAS, A man of great vision and generosity, David

2-15     Wintermann left an indelible mark on the community he was proud to

2-16     call home, and though his presence will be deeply missed, his

2-17     memory will long endure in the hearts and minds of all who knew and

2-18     loved him; now, therefore, be it

2-19           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

2-20     Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of David Rudolph

2-21     Wintermann and extend sincere sympathy to his beloved wife, Eula

2-22     Goss Wintermann, and to his many other friends and relatives; and,

2-23     be it further

2-24           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

2-25     prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas

2-26     House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of

2-27     David Rudolph Wintermann.