R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, John Burgess Merrifield of Fort Worth, a young man
1-2 of exceptional goodness who lost his life on July 19, 1997, at the
1-3 age of 16, traced a shimmering arc of love, laughter, and kindness
1-4 through the lives of countless people, and the memory of him
1-5 remains bright and warm in the hearts of all who knew and loved
1-6 him; and
1-7 WHEREAS, Born March 26, 1981, in Little Rock, Arkansas,
1-8 Mr. Merrifield moved with his family to Fort Worth in 1984; he
1-9 loved sports, playing soccer as a youngster and later switching to
1-10 basketball and football; at the time of his death, this
1-11 six-and-a-half-foot athlete was looking forward to taking his place
1-12 on the Crowley High School varsity football team; and
1-13 WHEREAS, An avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping,
1-14 Mr. Merrifield was especially drawn to the ocean and the mountains;
1-15 he was a Life Scout, was a member of the Order of the Arrow, and
1-16 had nearly attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest level in
1-17 the scouting program; and
1-18 WHEREAS, Mr. Merrifield was a valued member of the Church of
1-19 Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which had conferred on him its
1-20 highest religious award; he served in many leadership positions,
1-21 including that of president of the quorum of his male peers; and
1-22 WHEREAS, In his spare time, Mr. Merrifield volunteered at the
1-23 Cook Children's Medical Center and worked with the company his
1-24 father founded, becoming acquainted with the insurance profession
2-1 and with the firm he eagerly anticipated joining; and
2-2 WHEREAS, Among the many things that endeared Mr. Merrifield
2-3 to his family and friends were his huge, radiant smile; his
2-4 gentleness and unaffected generosity with compliments, kind words,
2-5 and hugs; and the way he lived his deep faith in his daily actions;
2-6 and
2-7 WHEREAS, So numerous were the contributions after his passing
2-8 that Cook Children's Medical Center dedicated a room in his memory;
2-9 the Crowley High School football team retired his jersey and wore
2-10 his number on their helmets throughout the 1997 season, and when
2-11 his class graduated, they paid tribute to him in many ways; the
2-12 Burgess Merrifield Memorial Football Scholarship, created by his
2-13 parents, has already helped six students to attend college; and
2-14 WHEREAS, The blessing of his life will be forever cherished
2-15 by his parents, John and Skylar Merrifield, by his sister, Matilda
2-16 Merrifield, by his brothers, Will Merrifield and John Merrifield,
2-17 Jr., and by his other relatives and innumerable friends, and it is
2-18 indeed a privilege to add the respects of this chamber to all that
2-19 have been paid this beloved young man; now, therefore, be it
2-20 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-21 Legislature hereby join the family of John Burgess Merrifield in
2-22 honoring the life of their treasured son and brother; and, be it
2-23 further
2-24 RESOLVED, That when the Texas House of Representatives
2-25 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of John Burgess Merrifield.
Goolsby
Laney Goodman Merritt
Alexander Goolsby Miller
Allen Gray Moreno of Harris
Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso
Bailey Grusendorf Morrison
Berman Gutierrez Mowery
Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat
Bosse Hamric Najera
Brimer Hardcastle Nixon
Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega
Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira
Burnam Heflin Olivo
Callegari Hilbert Pickett
Capelo Hilderbran Pitts
Carter Hill Puente
Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay
Chisum Hochberg Rangel
Christian Hodge Raymond
Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar
Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas
Cook Hopson Ritter
Corte Howard Sadler
Counts Hunter Salinas
Crabb Hupp Seaman
Craddick Isett Shields
Crownover Janek Smith
Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis
Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons
Delisi Junell Swinford
Denny Keel Talton
Deshotel Keffer Telford
Driver King of Parker Thompson
Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery
Dunnam Kitchen Truitt
Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman
Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris
Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher
Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti
Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal
Ellis Longoria Walker
Farabee Luna West
Farrar McCall Williams
Flores McClendon Wilson
Gallego McReynolds Wise
Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth
George Marchant Wolens
Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley
Giddings Maxey Yarbrough
Glaze Menendez Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1051 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 15, 2001.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House