By Hunter                                              H.R. No. 781
         77R13059 MMS-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, William P. Wright, Jr., of Abilene, successful
 1-2     businessman, eminent civic leader, and accomplished photographer,
 1-3     has contributed immeasurably to his community and to the Lone Star
 1-4     State; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, Mr. Wright's business accomplishments alone would
 1-6     inspire respect, for he is the owner and board chairman of Western
 1-7     Marketing, Inc., as well as a board member for many other companies
 1-8     and the past officer of several petroleum-related organizations,
 1-9     serving as president of the Texas Oil Marketers Association; and
1-10           WHEREAS, The city of Abilene has benefited tremendously from
1-11     his service as president and 12-year member of the Abilene
1-12     Independent School District Board, chairman of the Abilene Chamber
1-13     of Commerce, and founding director of the Community Foundation of
1-14     Abilene; and
1-15           WHEREAS, His leadership in educational and cultural arenas
1-16     has been equally remarkable; a trustee of Hardin-Simmons
1-17     University, he has also headed the boards of the Abilene Cultural
1-18     Affairs Council and The Abilene Fine Arts Museum, and he serves as
1-19     curator of photography for the Center for Contemporary Art; and
1-20           WHEREAS, At the state level, he has been appointed by
1-21     Governor George W. Bush to a six-year term on the Texas Commission
1-22     on the Arts, is a member of The University of Texas Press Advisory
1-23     Committee and the executive board of the Texas State Historical
1-24     Association, and is a past president of the Philosophical Society
 2-1     of Texas; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Wright to the
 2-3     National Council for the Humanities, where he served for six years;
 2-4     he presently serves as a founding director of the National Trust
 2-5     for the Humanities and has served as president of the Texas Council
 2-6     for the Humanities; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, Mr. Wright's passion for outdoor adventure, travel,
 2-8     and photography has led to his involvement with Outward Bound and
 2-9     to numerous photographic expeditions around the world; the subjects
2-10     of his work have ranged from the sociocultural to natural history,
2-11     and his images have beguiled viewers at a host of group and solo
2-12     shows in the United States and abroad; and
2-13           WHEREAS, A selection of Mr. Wright's photographs will be on
2-14     view in the Capitol Extension from April 23 to April 29, 2001,
2-15     sponsored by the State Preservation Board; the exhibit is a preview
2-16     of a traveling exhibition of his work that the Texas Council for
2-17     the Humanities will present beginning in June; and
2-18           WHEREAS, This multitalented individual has published a number
2-19     of books, including several on the Big Bend of Texas and the Tigua
2-20     and Kickapoo Indians; his most recent work is People's Lives:  A
2-21     Photographic Celebration of the Human Spirit, which accompanies his
2-22     exhibition of the same name; and
2-23           WHEREAS, Bill Wright has rendered incalculable service to the
2-24     people of this state through his many years of dedication to civic
2-25     endeavors and through his extensive photographic record of Texas
2-26     and its people; now, therefore, be it
2-27           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
 3-1     Legislature hereby honor William P. Wright, Jr., for his myriad
 3-2     achievements and extend to him its deep appreciation for his
 3-3     contributions to our state; and, be it further
 3-4           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
 3-5     prepared for Mr. Wright as an expression of high regard by the
 3-6     Texas House of Representatives.