R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, D. R. Williams has served the people of Garland with 1-2 the utmost distinction as battalion chief of the Garland Fire 1-3 Department, and on April 17, 1999, he retired after nearly 42 years 1-4 of dedicated service to the Garland community; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Chief Williams was hired by the department on June 1-6 10, 1957, and during his lengthy career he has served the city as a 1-7 driver, lieutenant, captain, and ultimately the A-shift battalion 1-8 chief; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Affectionately known as "Shorty," Chief Williams was 1-10 part of the team that extinguished Garland's two largest fires, the 1-11 St. Regis Paper Fire in 1973 and the Service Merchandise Warehouse 1-12 Fire in 1987; his fire-fighting skills have earned him accolades 1-13 throughout his career, and in 1998, he was named "Firefighter of 1-14 the Year"; and 1-15 WHEREAS, Devoted to enhancing the quality of life for 1-16 firefighters, Chief Williams played a vital role in securing an 1-17 upgrade in firefighter retirement benefits, and he ably represented 1-18 his colleagues as president of the Garland Firefighters Association 1-19 for two terms; and 1-20 WHEREAS, During his more than four decades of service, Chief 1-21 Williams has witnessed much change in the Garland community; the 1-22 population of the town has increased from 18,000 to more than 1-23 200,000 residents, and the fire department has responded by 1-24 increasing its personnel from 23 to 234 employees and by adding six 2-1 fire stations to the three that were already present; and 2-2 WHEREAS, The citizens of Garland and the Garland Fire 2-3 Department have benefited tremendously from the leadership of Chief 2-4 Williams, and his legacy of outstanding service will long be 2-5 remembered by his colleagues, family, and community; now, 2-6 therefore, be it 2-7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-8 Legislature hereby commend D. R. "Shorty" Williams for his 2-9 extraordinary tenure with the Garland Fire Department and extend to 2-10 him sincere best wishes for many more years of continued success 2-11 and happiness; and, be it further 2-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-13 prepared for Chief Williams as an expression of high regard by the 2-14 Texas House of Representatives. Hill _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 670 was adopted by the House on April 30, 1999, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House