By Hunter                                             H.R. No. 1021
         77R14136 MMS-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, Curtis Dale Tunnell of Austin, a central figure in
 1-2     Texas archeology and historic preservation for some 40 years,
 1-3     passed away on April 13, 2001, at the age of 67, having achieved
 1-4     the status of a much-loved Texas legend; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, Born January 24, 1934, in Turkey, Hall County,
 1-6     Mr. Tunnell earned an M.A. in anthropology from The University of
 1-7     Texas at Austin and spent his early career in Texas, Illinois,
 1-8     Kansas, and Arizona; in 1965 he became the first person appointed
 1-9     to the office of state archeologist, a position he held until 1981,
1-10     when he was named director of the Texas Historical Commission
1-11     (THC); he retired from the latter post in 1999, but remained
1-12     involved with the commission in an advisory capacity until his
1-13     death; and
1-14           WHEREAS, His role in the development of Texas archeology has
1-15     been enormous; he was instrumental in the creation of the state's
1-16     Antiquities Code, which protects historic resources on state land,
1-17     including shipwrecks within the state's offshore jurisdiction, and
1-18     was an active member of the Texas Antiquities Committee, which was
1-19     established by the code to oversee such resources; moreover, by
1-20     encouraging and funding archeological studies at numerous early
1-21     historic sites, he helped expand the focus of this discipline to
1-22     include historic as well as prehistoric remains; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Mr. Tunnell's field work ranged across the state; he
1-24     explored the vast reaches of the Texas Panhandle, the canyons of
 2-1     the Big Bend, and the area of Lake Amistad; he worked at the Alamo
 2-2     and at other locations important in Spanish colonial history, and
 2-3     at Washington-on-the-Brazos, he directed the first major excavation
 2-4     of a 19th-century Texas site; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, Over the course of his career, Mr. Tunnell undertook
 2-6     significant studies of stone toolmaking, documented the crafts of
 2-7     numerous artisans in the Texas-Mexico border region, and taped oral
 2-8     history interviews with many early Texas archeologists; he waged a
 2-9     battle on behalf of the state to save important shipwreck artifacts
2-10     from private salvagers, and he gave impassioned support to the
2-11     cause of historic preservation; and
2-12           WHEREAS, Multidisciplinary and collaborative by nature,
2-13     Curtis Tunnell valued the diverse endeavors of the THC and sought
2-14     to cooperate with other state agencies in saving and interpreting
2-15     our historic and cultural resources; his huge enjoyment of his work
2-16     and of the people he met was palpable and infectious, and he will
2-17     long be revered for his professional contributions and for his
2-18     humane and genial spirit; 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 Curtis Dale Tunnell
2-21     and extend sincere sympathy to his wife, Nancy Tunnell, to his
2-22     brother, Gary Tunnell, and to his other relatives and countless
2-23     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 Curtis
2-27     Dale Tunnell.