R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Though Jim Truitt of Grapevine is turning 50 on July 1-2 1, 2001, he remains far from qualified to serve as the poster boy 1-3 for Modern Maturity magazine; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Born on July 1, 1951, in Sterling, Colorado, 1-5 Mr. Truitt was raised Catholic, and after spending a good deal of 1-6 his formative years in a confessional, he weathered several 1-7 suspensions to graduate with pomp, if not circumstance, from St. 1-8 Anthony's High School; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Continuing his education at a school that would 1-10 nurture his spiritual side, he attended Southern Methodist 1-11 University, and while a student there, did his level best to 1-12 determine whether the institution's reputation as a party school 1-13 was truly warranted before earning his B.S. degree in 1973; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Mr. Truitt exhibited an interest in public affairs 1-15 early on in his career, when he worked for a certain senator from 1-16 Colorado on Capitol Hill; the position not only gained him full 1-17 senate floor privileges and the weighty responsibility of 1-18 depositing staff payroll checks, but also afforded him the 1-19 opportunity to take advantage of his premature baldness to buy beer 1-20 for United States senators and staff; and 1-21 WHEREAS, In a stroke of genius unmatched to this day, 1-22 Mr. Truitt married Vicki Eggleston on August 31, 1979, and has been 1-23 happily harried ever since as the doting father of her two 1-24 beautiful daughters, Lisa and Rebecca, whom he adopted and reared 2-1 as his own; with the arrival of granddaughters Hailey and Ravyn, 2-2 Mr. Truitt would have been seriously outnumbered were it not for 2-3 his grandson, Bryson, his male bonding partner for life; and 2-4 WHEREAS, In 1980 he moved to Tarrant County and discovered 2-5 the "laid back" lifestyle that was his true destiny; limiting 2-6 himself to several pots of coffee each morning, he embraced his 2-7 wife's decision to run for public office with an intensity that can 2-8 only be born by too much caffeine and, determined to make his wife 2-9 proud, has since joined the Legislative Ladies Club, proclaimed 2-10 himself president of its Unofficial Male Caucus, and 2-11 single-handedly, with the help of others, established its first 2-12 biannual fashion show; and 2-13 WHEREAS, Mr. Truitt, who has and deserves his two 2-14 mothers-in-law, Mona Gaddy and Lucille Eggleston, also has true 2-15 grit and is not afraid to be himself and mix metaphors with 2-16 abandon, though he has occasionally been known to skate on thin 2-17 eggs, live fat on the pig, kill a couple of birds with the same 2-18 rock, and back out of projects because he got wet feet; and 2-19 WHEREAS, With a hankering for large, manly trucks, Shiner 2-20 Bock beer, and a penchant for cowboy boots so strong he wears them 2-21 with suits, tuxedoes, and possibly swimwear, Mr. Truitt hopes to 2-22 one day pass for a gen-u-ine Texan, and while this event seems 2-23 highly unlikely, it is hoped that he'll at least have many more 2-24 years with which to further refine his act; now, therefore, be it 2-25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 2-26 Legislature hereby congratulate Jim Truitt on the sobering occasion 2-27 of his 50th birthday and extend to him best wishes for a 3-1 celebration he won't soon forget. Truitt _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1424 was adopted by the House on May 28, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House