78S30335 MDM-D

By:  Callegari                                                    H.R. No. 97 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The passing of John F. "Dude" Callender on August 
22, 2003, at the age of 84, has brought a great loss to his family 
and many friends; and
	WHEREAS, Born on July 24, 1919, in Bedias, he later attended 
Texas A&M University for one year before being offered a job by 
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Houston, beginning a 
successful career that spanned more than 60 years; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Callender served his country during World War II 
as a member of a combat engineering battalion in the Third Army; at 
the end of his military service, he resumed his career with 
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and worked with the company for 
14 years in Rosenberg; and
	WHEREAS, In 1954, he joined the Fort Bend Telephone Company 
as plant superintendent and ultimately became president and chief 
executive officer; retiring in 1999, he changed careers to become a 
public relations officer for Southwest Bank in Katy; and
	WHEREAS, Active in civic endeavors, he was an organizer of 
the Rosenberg/Richmond area, Katy, and Needville chambers of 
commerce, and was active with Optimist International, the 100 Club 
of Fort Bend County, the United States Telephone Association, and 
the Texas Chapter of the Independent Telephone Pioneer Association; 
Mr. Callender was instrumental in bringing Little League to the 
Rosenberg/Richmond area and coached for many years; further, he 
served as a USA Goodwill Ambassador in a People to People Tour of 
Russia in 1976, and helped establish the initial telecommunications 
engineering technological training that was the first degreed 
course in telephone technology offered by Texas A&M University; and
	WHEREAS, His many honors include being named an outstanding 
citizen by the Rosenberg/Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce and 
Optimist International, and receiving the prestigious Neville 
Haynes Award from the Texas Telephone Association; and
	WHEREAS, Those who were privileged to know Dude Callender 
will long miss his delightful sense of humor, his honesty and 
courage, and his deep commitment to his loved ones, and he will 
surely be remembered with great affection for many years to come; 
now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of 
John F. "Dude" Callender and extend sincere sympathy to his wife of 
nearly 61 years, Thelma Kennelly Callender; to his daughter and 
son-in-law, Connie and Colonel G. C. Lindsay; to his son and 
daughter-in-law, Katy Mayor Doyle Callender and Kay Callender; to 
his grandchildren, Cambrey Dori Lindsay, Kyle Jenkins Callender, 
and John Kennelly Callender; and to his other relatives and 
friends; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of 
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of John F. 
"Dude" Callender.