By Farabee H.R. No. 22 76R3088 BE-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of former Wichita Falls State 1-2 Representative Deno Arthur Tufares on November 24, 1998, at the age 1-3 of 76, has brought a great loss to the family and many friends of 1-4 this esteemed Texan; and 1-5 WHEREAS, The spirit of Deno Tufares may best be described by 1-6 an event that took place in 1948 and landed him a spot in Ripley's 1-7 "Believe It or Not"; he was driving a truck carrying a large load 1-8 of nitroglycerine destined for the oil fields of West Texas when 1-9 the vehicle overturned, rolled several times, and scattered the 1-10 explosives over a wide area; Mr. Tufares emerged unscathed and 1-11 celebrated his narrow escape and a chance at his "new life" every 1-12 January 15 thereafter; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Mr. Tufares was a Wichita County native and attended 1-14 Wichita Falls schools before earning a boxing scholarship to Allen 1-15 Military Academy in Bryan; he would remain active in the Texas 1-16 Association of Boxing for the next 50 years as a judge, timer, and 1-17 official, but the highlight of his long love of the sport was 1946, 1-18 when he won the title State Golden Gloves Champion; and 1-19 WHEREAS, He was also married that year, on April 19, 1946, 1-20 and surely no boxing ring ever challenged the marriage bonds that 1-21 joined him with his beloved wife, Juanita; the pair were blessed 1-22 with three children, and their years together were truly happy 1-23 ones, filled with much love and many joyful family memories; and 1-24 WHEREAS, He served proudly with the 44th Tank Battalion in 2-1 the Pacific Theater during World War II and was awarded the Silver 2-2 Star Medal for his role in battle on the Philippine island of 2-3 Luzon; and 2-4 WHEREAS, After returning home, Mr. Tufares attended Hardin 2-5 Junior College and was graduated from Midwestern State University 2-6 with a bachelor's degree in history and government in 1950; he also 2-7 attended The University of Texas Law School and was president of 2-8 UT's first integrated freshman law class; and 2-9 WHEREAS, In 1948, Mr. Tufares successfully ran for a seat in 2-10 the Texas House of Representatives; he served in the house from 2-11 1949 to 1952 and was the author of an amendment to the Gilmer-Aikin 2-12 law that changed membership on the State Board of Education from an 2-13 appointed position to an elected one; and 2-14 WHEREAS, After returning to Wichita Falls, Mr. Tufares began 2-15 a respected 30-year tenure at Sheppard Air Force Base as a civil 2-16 service instructor; following his retirement in 1985, he served as 2-17 the 13th Congressional District vote coordinator for the American 2-18 Association of Retired Persons and as a member of the North Texas 2-19 delegation to the Silver-Haired Legislature; and 2-20 WHEREAS, The former statesman was also a clown and a 2-21 trickster; Mr. Tufares was past president of the Clown Arounds, a 2-22 group that performed in local parades, fund-raisers, and birthday 2-23 parties, and a 35-year member of the Wichita Falls chapter of the 2-24 International Brotherhood of Magicians, who named him Wizard of the 2-25 Year in 1977 for his work with the group at hospitals, senior 2-26 centers, and children's homes; and 2-27 WHEREAS, Mr. Tufares possessed a deep and committed social 3-1 conscience and he was a valued member of many civic and community 3-2 groups, including the Boys and Girls Club, the board of directors 3-3 of the Community Action Corp., the Masonic Lodge, Veterans of 3-4 Foreign Wars, and All Saints Episcopal Church; the counsel, warmth, 3-5 and gentle humor of Deno Tufares will always be deeply missed, but 3-6 surely his spirit lives on in the hearts and memories of the many 3-7 people whose lives he touched; now, therefore, be it 3-8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 3-9 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Deno Arthur Tufares 3-10 and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his 3-11 wife, Juanita; to his son, Deno Tufares; to his daughters, Terri 3-12 Tufares and Suzie Chase Tufares; to his sister, Marie Tucker; to 3-13 his two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and to the 3-14 many other relatives and friends of this admirable gentleman; and, 3-15 be it further 3-16 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-17 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas 3-18 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of 3-19 the Honorable Deno Arthur Tufares.