By Brown of Kaufman                                    H.R. No. 348
         76R7694 BE-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, For many decades, native Texan Paul Mathews has
 1-2     committed himself to bettering his community and his state, and his
 1-3     efforts in education, civic improvement, and conservation justly
 1-4     merit special legislative recognition; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, He was born on January 3, 1905, in Floyd, in western
 1-6     Hunt County; following in his father's tradition, Mr. Mathews
 1-7     entered the field of banking and enjoyed a 49-year career with
 1-8     First Greenville National Bank, working his way up from teller to
 1-9     chairman of the board; and
1-10           WHEREAS, His concern and ability earned him an  appointment
1-11     to the Greenville School Board, which soon led to his presidency of
1-12     that organization in the 1940s; shortly after, he ran for office
1-13     and began a notable 35-year tenure with the State Board of
1-14     Education; and
1-15           WHEREAS, His high standards and great dedication to local and
1-16     state education have earned him much respect, and today the
1-17     Greenville High School auditorium is named in his honor; and
1-18           WHEREAS, Mr. Mathews has been equally committed to civic and
1-19     charitable concerns, and he has been an invaluable member of many
1-20     organizations, including DrugFree Greenville, the Texas Society for
1-21     Crippled Children, and the Greenville Rotary Club, with which he
1-22     holds a 52-year perfect attendance record; and
1-23           WHEREAS, He was an integral part of the CLEAN Greenville
1-24     organization when that group received the Governor's Award for Keep
 2-1     Texas Beautiful, and he has been instrumental in the preservation
 2-2     and continuity of the American Cotton Museum in Greenville, which
 2-3     is dedicated to preserving the history and importance of cotton
 2-4     production and manufacturing in the United States; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, In 1998, Mr. Mathews was recognized as the state's
 2-6     top Lone Star Land Steward in a Texas Parks and Wildlife program
 2-7     that honors private landowners for their accomplishments in habitat
 2-8     management and wildlife conservation; and
 2-9           WHEREAS, "Mathews Prairie" is 100 acres of true native
2-10     Blackland Prairie that has never been "broken out," and offers
2-11     visitors today and for generations yet to come a glimpse of the
2-12     Texas tallgrass prairies that once reached from the Gulf of Mexico
2-13     into Canada; and
2-14           WHEREAS, Though his beloved wife of many years, Carrie Beth
2-15     Dowell Mathews, passed away in 1991, Mr. Mathews has three beloved
2-16     granddaughters and five great-grandchildren who keep him young and
2-17     cause him to look with joy on the years ahead; and
2-18           WHEREAS, This remarkable gentleman's commitment and loyalty
2-19     to his community and to his state are resolute; in light of his
2-20     celebrated accomplishments and the amazing legacy he has crafted
2-21     through hard work and real concern for the future, it is indeed
2-22     appropriate to recognize him at this time; now, therefore, be it
2-23           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
2-24     Legislature hereby honor Paul Mathews and extend to him warm best
2-25     wishes for great happiness and success in all his endeavors; and,
2-26     be it further
2-27           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
 3-1     prepared for Mr. Mathews as an expression of high regard by the
 3-2     Texas House of Representatives.