HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, August 13, 1998, marks the 50th anniversary of a
1-2 long and prestigious association between The Odessa American and
1-3 Freedom Communications, Inc., a union that has benefited the
1-4 citizens of West Texas greatly; and
1-5 WHEREAS, A free and unfettered press is perhaps our nation's
1-6 best defense against injustice, an idea made clear by the man who
1-7 founded Freedom Communications, Inc., R. C. Hoiles, Sr., when he
1-8 vowed that his new paper's policy would "attempt to merit the name
1-9 American"; and
1-10 WHEREAS, Hoiles, V. L. DeBolt, and associated employees of
1-11 the Hoiles Newspaper group bought the afternoon daily from Ridder
1-12 Publications, Inc., on August 13, 1948, as an attractive addition
1-13 to a number of papers the group already owned in cities from
1-14 California to Ohio; Hoiles spoke highly of the area's potential and
1-15 the great confidence the purchasers had in the future of Odessa,
1-16 Ector County, and the Permian Basin; and
1-17 WHEREAS, The Odessa American already had a long and
1-18 illustrious history in the region and the new owners, with Hoiles
1-19 and DeBolt at the helm, continued the successful story, regularly
1-20 raising circulation and revenue; and
1-21 WHEREAS, Hoiles concentrated his astute efforts on increasing
1-22 the parent company's media holdings, while DeBolt stayed in his
1-23 hands-on position as publisher until his death in 1974, when his
1-24 son, Lyle, took over; and
2-1 WHEREAS, By 1983, the paper's great success and long history
2-2 began to catch up with it, in a sense; the landmark building
2-3 downtown was overcrowded, there was a lack of adequate parking, and
2-4 the facade was crumbling, but its proximity to city hall and the
2-5 courthouse, and the location's central convenience for residents,
2-6 made a proposed move to a site northeast of town less inviting; and
2-7 WHEREAS, The Odessa American instead embarked on a $1.25
2-8 million renovation and enlargement of its downtown building,
2-9 preserving the value of a centrally located daily paper, improving
2-10 work space and parking, and readying the premises for a second
2-11 phase of the project, new pressroom equipment and computerized
2-12 production; and
2-13 WHEREAS, Serving Permian Basin readers is its foremost goal,
2-14 but the paper has maintained a keen competitive edge among state
2-15 and national newspapers as well, earning a remarkable and enviable
2-16 number of awards and citations, including a 1988 Pulitzer Prize for
2-17 photographic coverage of the Jessica McClure story; and
2-18 WHEREAS, The profitable partnership between Freedom
2-19 Communications, Inc., and The Odessa American has brought about
2-20 great things for one and all; the paper now serves more than
2-21 40,000 readers daily in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, one
2-22 of the largest geographic service areas of any similarly sized
2-23 paper in the United States; Freedom Communications, Inc., currently
2-24 holds interests in newspapers, magazines, and television stations
2-25 across the nation and is highly regarded throughout the industry,
2-26 and it is indeed fitting to recognize their partnership at this
2-27 time; now, therefore, be it
3-1 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-2 hereby honor the 50th anniversary of the association between
3-3 Freedom Communications, Inc., and The Odessa American, and that
3-4 sincere wishes for continued success, prosperity, and service in
3-5 the future be extended to all those involved; and, be it further
3-6 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-7 prepared for Freedom Communications, Inc., and The Odessa American
3-8 as an expression of high regard by the Legislature of the State of
3-9 Texas.
West
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 69 was adopted by the House on
April 8, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 69 was adopted by the Senate on
April 21, 1999, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor