R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, June 30, 2001, will mark the occasion of Howard J. 1-2 Hicks's final day of work as a state employee, after 15 years as 1-3 the District 149 Aide to Representative Talmadge Heflin; and 1-4 WHEREAS, In attempting to find the right words for this 1-5 occasion, one has to be careful to avoid the word "retirement," 1-6 owing largely to the fact that in his 87-plus years of life, Howard 1-7 Hicks has never been known to be the retiring type; and 1-8 WHEREAS, Howard's 15 years in the District 149 Office have 1-9 been as fulfilling to his co-workers and his boss as they have been 1-10 to the numerous constituents he has served; Howard's style of 1-11 service more often than not has included involving himself 1-12 personally on behalf of his "customers," be it offering a ride to a 1-13 clinic or offering friendship; and 1-14 WHEREAS, His superlative performance in this job came as a 1-15 surprise to no one, given his more than a half-century dedication 1-16 to making whatever community he involved himself with a better 1-17 place; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Those community endeavors have earned him widespread 1-19 accolades, from the Lions Club to the Alief Independent School 1-20 District, which in 1996 opened the doors of Howard J. Hicks 1-21 Elementary School--a school that Howard regularly visits to read to 1-22 "his kids," and a school that is almost big enough to host all the 1-23 well-wishers who will want to send Howard off in style when they 1-24 gather there on his big day; now, therefore, be it 2-1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 2-2 Legislature congratulate Howard J. Hicks and thank him for his 2-3 service to the state and the community; and, be it further 2-4 RESOLVED, That the house designate June 30, 2001, as Howard 2-5 Hicks Day in Alief; and, be it further 2-6 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-7 prepared for Mr. Hicks as an expression of high regard by the Texas 2-8 House of Representatives. Heflin _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1383 was adopted by the House on May 27, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House