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78S20394 KMP-D
By: West H.R. No. 162
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dan Hemphill, a former mayor of the city of Odessa,
died on August 18, 2003, at the age of 85, and with his death the
citizens of that city have lost a distinguished community leader,
renowned philanthropist, and valued neighbor and friend; and
WHEREAS, A native of Plainview, he was a 1941 graduate of West
Texas A&M University, and throughout his life he remained a strong
supporter of higher education in the Lone Star State, helping to
attract to the Odessa-Midland area two key institutions, The
University of Texas of the Permian Basin and the local branch of the
Texas Tech University Medical School; a highly accomplished area
business leader as well, he had served as president of Continental
Products of Texas since 1950 and also as president of the Odessa
Chamber of Commerce; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hemphill's commitment to the city of Odessa led
him to seek elected office, and by the early 1970s he had served as
both a city councilman and mayor; outspoken and forthright, he was
admired and respected by his constituents, and in his bid for a
second term as mayor he won with a landslide 70 percent of the vote;
and
WHEREAS, His belief in the value of public service, moreover,
extended into the realm of philanthropy; a man of great generosity
and compassion, he worked in partnership with his beloved wife to
establish the Dan and Hermine Hemphill Charitable Foundation for
the benefit of our state's youngest citizens; and
WHEREAS, This outstanding Texan will be greatly missed by the
people of Odessa, many of whom had the privilege of working with him
in his civic and charitable endeavors; those who knew Dan Hemphill
will long remember his unwavering devotion to the city he was so
proud to call home, and his memory will continue to live on in the
hearts of the many people whose lives he touched during his years on
this earth; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of
former Odessa mayor Dan Hemphill and extend profound sympathy to
the members of his family: to his wife, Hermine Hemphill; to his
daughters, Alecia Self and Ricki Shackelford; and to his many other
relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dan
Hemphill.