1-1                                     1                                  
 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 556
 1-3                                  In Memory
 1-4                                     of
 1-5                             Tom E. Turner, Sr.
 1-6           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the
 1-7     citizens of San Antonio in mourning the loss of Tom E. Turner, Sr.,
 1-8     who died January 24, 2001, at the age of 87; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, Born in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 28, 1913,
1-10     Tom Turner was one of San Antonio's most successful and respected
1-11     businessmen; and
1-12           WHEREAS, In 1934, he married his first wife, Mary, and
1-13     the couple moved to San Antonio in 1935 with their young son,
1-14     Tom, Jr.; and
1-15           WHEREAS, When Mr. and Mrs. Turner had a second son, Fred,
1-16     in 1939, Tom found a job working for Sigfried Moore in a gas
1-17     station for $10 a week; he worked 12-hour shifts, seven nights
1-18     a week; when Mr. Moore sold his service station in 1943, he lent
1-19     Tom $350 to buy it, and Mr. Turner named his company after his
1-20     mentor, calling it Sigmor; and
 2-1           WHEREAS, By the late 1950s, Mr. Turner and his partner
 2-2     owned 30 service stations, and the company grew into the nation's
 2-3     largest independent gasoline retailer; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, In 1983, when Mr. Turner sold his company, Sigmor, to
 2-5     Diamond Shamrock, the operation owned 600 service stations; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, In the early 1970s, Mr. Turner bought a radio
 2-7     station in San Antonio, giving it a country-western format and
 2-8     naming it KBUC, and soon it became the number one radio outlet
 2-9     in the San Antonio area; KBUC and several other stations owned by
2-10     Mr. Turner were sold in 1985; and
2-11           WHEREAS, A man with excellent foresight, Mr. Turner
2-12     knew that the north side of San Antonio would grow rapidly and
2-13     purchased a large tract of land, which he developed into the
2-14     successful Sonterra Country Club; and
2-15           WHEREAS, The founder, senior chairman, and chief executive
2-16     officer of the gasoline convenience store chain, Tetco,
2-17     Incorporated, Mr. Turner was also chairman of Mission Petroleum
2-18     Carriers, Incorporated, and a partner in V. K. Knowlton Paving
2-19     Contractors; and
2-20           WHEREAS, Widely known as a generous man who helped many
2-21     individuals from different walks of life, Mr. Turner was founder
2-22     of the Bob Lilly Scholarship Fund at Texas Christian University;
2-23     he helped many young people with their college educations, gave
 3-1     major donations to the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, and
 3-2     contributed generously to Scott and White Hospital in Temple; and
 3-3           WHEREAS, One who sought to return value to his community,
 3-4     Mr. Turner served on the Board of Visitors of Scott and White
 3-5     Clinic, was Director Emeritus and Life Member of the San Antonio
 3-6     Livestock Exposition, and was a Director of the Southwest
 3-7     Foundation for Biomedical Research; and
 3-8           WHEREAS, An exemplary and distinguished figure, Mr. Turner
 3-9     was respected for his many accomplishments and was a dynamic and
3-10     visionary man; he had a profound influence on all whose lives he
3-11     touched, and he will be greatly missed; now, therefore, be it
3-12           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
3-13     77th Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to
3-14     the family of Tom E. Turner, Sr.:  his wife, Brenda; his
3-15     sons, Tom Turner, Jr., and Fred Turner; his stepdaughter,
3-16     Jacquelyn Hatten; and his eight grandchildren and his 16
3-17     great-grandchildren; and, be it further
3-18           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
3-19     the members of his family as an expression of deepest sympathy
3-20     from the Texas Senate, and that when the Senate adjourns this day,
3-21     it do so in memory of Tom E. Turner, Sr.
3-22                                                               Wentworth
3-23                                  ______________________________________
3-24                                         President of the Senate
 4-1                                       I hereby certify that the above
 4-2                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate
 4-3                                  on March 22, 2001, by a rising vote.
 4-4                                  ______________________________________
 4-5                                         Secretary of the Senate
 4-6                                  ______________________________________
 4-7                                           Member, Texas Senate