By Dutton H.C.R. No. 236 77R11743 PCM-D 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.