1-1 By: Dutton (Senate Sponsor - West) H.C.R. No. 236 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2001; 1-3 May 7, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Administration; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 3, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Shelton Smith of Houston has had a profound impact 1-8 on the State of Texas over the course of his distinguished career; 1-9 and 1-10 WHEREAS, A prominent Lone Star attorney, he is a graduate of 1-11 St. Mary's University School of Law, where his accomplishments 1-12 included being elected to the Order of the Barristers, serving as 1-13 president of the Board of Advocates, winning the State Moot Court 1-14 Championship, and earning the International Academy of Trial 1-15 Lawyers' Award for Excellence in Advocacy; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Following graduation, Mr. Smith joined the Houston 1-17 law firm of Fisher, Roch and Gallagher and, from 1981 through 1985, 1-18 handled hundreds of complex cases, including work in the Howard 1-19 Hughes heirship trial, and did extensive appellate work in both 1-20 state and federal courts across the United States; and 1-21 WHEREAS, He established his own firm in 1985, a venture that 1-22 in the first year alone received the highest rating possible, and 1-23 today his firm remains one of the most respected firms in Texas; 1-24 elected president of the Houston Trial Lawyers' Association in 1-25 1989, he founded the Houston Trial Lawyers' Foundation during his 1-26 tenure, and this charitable organization has since made a positive 1-27 difference in the lives of countless young students at John F. 1-28 Kennedy Elementary School in inner-city Houston; and 1-29 WHEREAS, For more than a decade, Mr. Smith has specialized in 1-30 representing the rights of working Texans and their families, and 1-31 his well-known advocacy in behalf of his fellow Texans led to his 1-32 appointment in 1993 as special counsel to Governor Ann Richards, 1-33 who sent him to Washington, D.C., to work on the Superconducting 1-34 Super Collider (SSC) project; after the project failed to pass the 1-35 U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Smith was appointed chair of the 1-36 Texas National Research Laboratory Commission and assigned the 1-37 monumental task of recovering the state's investment in the SSC; 1-38 and 1-39 WHEREAS, For 15 months, this dedicated public servant devoted 1-40 himself full-time to his weighty mission, during which period he 1-41 paid all of his own living and travel expenses and performed his 1-42 legal work for Texas on a pro bono basis; settling the claim for 1-43 $720 million in cash and property, he saved the taxpayers of this 1-44 state nearly $600 million in future SSC bond payments; and 1-45 WHEREAS, The recipient of the 1994 Governor's Award for 1-46 Distinguished Service to Texas, Mr. Smith was also the Texas 1-47 nominee for the National Governors' Association annual award for 1-48 public service; and 1-49 WHEREAS, In addition to his law practice, this accomplished 1-50 Texan owns and operates a small oil and gas company and gives 1-51 generously of his time and talent to benefit the Democratic Party 1-52 and numerous civic organizations; and 1-53 WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Shelton Smith has set an 1-54 outstanding example of leadership and public service, and his 1-55 exemplary record of achievement is an inspiration to all who know 1-56 him; now, therefore, be it 1-57 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-58 hereby honor Shelton Smith and extend to him best wishes for 1-59 continued success and happiness; and, be it further 1-60 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 1-61 prepared for Mr. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas 1-62 House of Representatives and Senate. 1-63 * * * * *