This website will be unavailable from Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, June 3, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.

                                                                                

78S20354 JHS-D

By:  Pitts                                                        H.R. No. 184



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Howard D. Graves has distinguished himself as a 
visionary leader and administrator throughout his illustrious 
career in the military and higher education, and his four years of 
service as chancellor of The Texas A&M University System have been 
characterized by the continuation of his legacy of success; and
	WHEREAS, Chancellor Graves took on the responsibilities of 
his current role on August 1, 1999, after a year as a visiting 
professor at The University of Texas at Austin's Lyndon B. Johnson 
School of Public Affairs; as chancellor, he oversees the system's 
nine universities, eight state agencies, and health science center, 
managing more than 23,000 faculty and staff members and a budget of 
approximately $2 billion; and
	WHEREAS, A 1961 graduate of the United States Military 
Academy at West Point, Chancellor Graves has an impressive academic 
background that includes bachelor and master of arts degrees and a 
master of letters degree from Oxford University as well as 
extensive course work at the Army Professional Schools for 
Executive Development; in 1993 he received a doctor of human 
letters degree from the University of North Alabama, and in 2001 he 
was honored with the West Point Distinguished Graduate Award; and
	WHEREAS, Chancellor Graves has held numerous important 
leadership positions, including assistant to the chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, commandant of the United States Army War 
College, deputy director for strategy, plans and policy for the 
United States Army, and military assistant to the secretary of 
defense; in addition, he has excelled in a variety of command and 
staff positions with the army, including assistant professor and 
associate professor for international relations and comparative 
foreign governments at West Point; and
	WHEREAS, This esteemed gentleman demonstrated remarkable 
diplomacy during his various assignments as an officer in the army, 
and this management skill has served him well in the arena of higher 
education; in addition, he has used his arsenal of talents as 
director of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and as a senior 
associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in 
Washington, D.C.; and
	WHEREAS, Chancellor Graves is the recipient of numerous 
accolades, including the Silver Anvil Award from the Public 
Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the Big Apple Award from the 
New York chapter of the PRSA; he has been fortunate to work with an 
array of highly regarded individuals during the course of his 
career, including former Secretary of State James Baker and current 
Secretary of State Colin Powell, and he has gained praise and 
recognition for his outstanding efforts; and
	WHEREAS, Integrating intelligence, innovation, and integrity 
into his professional and personal pursuits, Chancellor Graves has 
earned further respect from colleagues and friends alike for his 
courageous and inspiring battle against cancer; throughout this 
ordeal he has demonstrated great faith and a positive attitude, 
relying on the support of his beloved wife, Gracie, his children, 
Gigi and Gregory, his five grandchildren, and his many friends; and
	WHEREAS, The Texas A&M University System is fortunate to have 
a man of Howard Graves's stature and ability at its helm; some 
97,000 students and more than four million individuals are reached 
through the system's vast network of educational facilities and 
state agencies, and Chancellor Graves has helped to ensure that 
each and every one of those people has a positive experience; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby honor Howard D. Graves for 
his service as chancellor of The Texas A&M University System and 
commend him for his exemplary career; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Chancellor Graves as an expression of high regard by 
the Texas House of Representatives.