By Geren                                               H.R. No. 452
         77R8543 GMW-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives joins with the
 1-2     citizens of Fort Worth and all the family and friends of John
 1-3     Sullivan Justin, Jr., in mourning the death of this Cowtown icon,
 1-4     who passed away on February 26, 2001, at the age of 84; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, Along with Amon Carter, Perry Bass, and Charles
 1-6     Tandy, John Justin was part of a legendary group of civic leaders
 1-7     who contributed so greatly to shaping the character of Fort Worth;
 1-8     and
 1-9           WHEREAS, Born in Nocona on January 17, 1917, Mr. Justin
1-10     attended Oklahoma A&M University and Texas Christian University and
1-11     served his country in the merchant marine during World War II; and
1-12            WHEREAS, He was the third generation in a family of boot
1-13     makers whose business had been founded in 1879, but  his father,
1-14     feeling that there was no future in boots, converted the company to
1-15     making shoes; using borrowed money, Mr. Justin and a partner
1-16     started the Justin Barton Belt Company in 1938; and
1-17           WHEREAS, The belt business prospered, but the new shoe line
1-18     did not, and the family turned to Mr. Justin; facing strong
1-19     skepticism, he promptly ordered the shoemaking equipment removed
1-20     and soon introduced the popular "Roper" boot; today, Justin is the
1-21     best-known name in Western and work boots in the country; and
1-22           WHEREAS, He was a board chairman who knew all the products
1-23     that his company made and how to make them and who always had an
1-24     open-door policy; before he retired in 1999, he had seen his
 2-1     business prosper, and then boom, in the wake of Urban Cowboy, had
 2-2     bought out several well-known competitors, including Tony Lama, and
 2-3     had successfully fended off Wall Street raiders; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, Not only an exceptional businessman and Texas
 2-5     Business Hall of Fame inductee, but also the man who virtually
 2-6     personified the Fort Worth Stock Show and its rodeo, he was
 2-7     inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in
 2-8     1998 and the Hall of Great Westerners in Oklahoma City's Cowboy
 2-9     Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in 1999; he and his wife
2-10     were named Man and Woman of the Year by the National Cowboy Hall of
2-11     Fame in 1984, and his statue, depicting him riding his favorite
2-12     Grand Entry horse, is at the southeast end of the Will Rogers
2-13     Complex; and
2-14           WHEREAS, A former mayor and city councilman and a longtime
2-15     trustee of Texas Christian University, John Justin made exceptional
2-16     contributions to the citizens of Fort Worth, and the profound
2-17     impact he had on the lives of many ensures that his legacy will
2-18     long endure; now, therefore, be it
2-19           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-20     Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of John Sullivan Justin,
2-21     Jr., and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to
2-22     his wife, Jane; to his son, David; to his daughter, Mary; and to
2-23     his other relatives and countless friends; and, be it further
2-24           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-25     prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
2-26     Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of John
2-27     Sullivan Justin, Jr.