HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, Shelton Smith of Houston has had a profound impact
1-2 on the State of Texas over the course of his distinguished career;
1-3 and
1-4 WHEREAS, A prominent Lone Star attorney, he is a graduate of
1-5 St. Mary's University School of Law, where his accomplishments
1-6 included being elected to the Order of the Barristers, serving as
1-7 president of the Board of Advocates, winning the State Moot Court
1-8 Championship, and earning the International Academy of Trial
1-9 Lawyers' Award for Excellence in Advocacy; and
1-10 WHEREAS, Following graduation, Mr. Smith joined the Houston
1-11 law firm of Fisher, Roch and Gallagher and, from 1981 through 1985,
1-12 handled hundreds of complex cases, including work in the Howard
1-13 Hughes heirship trial, and did extensive appellate work in both
1-14 state and federal courts across the United States; and
1-15 WHEREAS, He established his own firm in 1985, a venture that
1-16 in the first year alone received the highest rating possible, and
1-17 today his firm remains one of the most respected firms in Texas;
1-18 elected president of the Houston Trial Lawyers' Association in
1-19 1989, he founded the Houston Trial Lawyers' Foundation during his
1-20 tenure, and this charitable organization has since made a positive
1-21 difference in the lives of countless young students at John F.
1-22 Kennedy Elementary School in inner-city Houston; and
1-23 WHEREAS, For more than a decade, Mr. Smith has specialized in
1-24 representing the rights of working Texans and their families, and
2-1 his well-known advocacy in behalf of his fellow Texans led to his
2-2 appointment in 1993 as special counsel to Governor Ann Richards,
2-3 who sent him to Washington, D.C., to work on the Superconducting
2-4 Super Collider (SSC) project; after the project failed to pass the
2-5 U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Smith was appointed chair of the
2-6 Texas National Research Laboratory Commission and assigned the
2-7 monumental task of recovering the state's investment in the SSC;
2-8 and
2-9 WHEREAS, For 15 months, this dedicated public servant devoted
2-10 himself full-time to his weighty mission, during which period he
2-11 paid all of his own living and travel expenses and performed his
2-12 legal work for Texas on a pro bono basis; settling the claim for
2-13 $720 million in cash and property, he saved the taxpayers of this
2-14 state nearly $600 million in future SSC bond payments; and
2-15 WHEREAS, The recipient of the 1994 Governor's Award for
2-16 Distinguished Service to Texas, Mr. Smith was also the Texas
2-17 nominee for the National Governors' Association annual award for
2-18 public service; and
2-19 WHEREAS, In addition to his law practice, this accomplished
2-20 Texan owns and operates a small oil and gas company and gives
2-21 generously of his time and talent to benefit the Democratic Party
2-22 and numerous civic organizations; and
2-23 WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Shelton Smith has set an
2-24 outstanding example of leadership and public service, and his
2-25 exemplary record of achievement is an inspiration to all who know
2-26 him; now, therefore, be it
2-27 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-1 hereby honor Shelton Smith and extend to him best wishes for
3-2 continued success and happiness; and, be it further
3-3 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-4 prepared for Mr. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas
3-5 House of Representatives and Senate.
Dutton
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 236 was adopted by the House on May
5, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 236 was adopted by the Senate on
May 22, 2001, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________________
Date
__________________________
Governor