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H.R. No. 270
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Mr. Wilton Turnerhill of Abilene has owned and
operated Turnerhill House of Bar-B-Que for 40 years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Turnerhill has sold the restaurant to another
Abilene resident, Mr. Chris Young, to enter retirement from the
restaurant business at the age of 81 years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Turnerhill grew up in Rule, Texas, as the son of
a farmer and a homemaker and overcame at a young age a severe case of
rheumatic fever, an obstacle that taught him that he could overcome
his future struggles in life since he fought the battle of
overcoming the fever; and
WHEREAS, He moved to Abilene in 1939, where he gained
experience as a chef working for various catering and restaurant
businesses, such as at the Westwood Club, at a local country club,
at McMurry University, and at Abilene Christian University; and
WHEREAS, He opened up the first location of his own
restaurant, the Turnerhill House of Bar-B-Que, in 1963 on Grape
Street in Abilene, but later relocated to North 1st Street, and then
to Treadaway Boulevard in 1980, its current location; and
WHEREAS, The Turnerhill House of Bar-B-Que is famous for
serving delicious butter rolls along with pork ribs, barbecue, and
seafood favorites; the restaurant has served thousands of Abilene
and Texas residents, along with former heavyweight champion George
Foreman, legendary blues musician B. B. King, and former United
States President Gerald Ford; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Turnerhill has been an exemplary example of
success to the community of Abilene through his entrepreneurship
and his leadership in the African-American community, for which he
has been honored by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce and the Abilene
Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association; he also is very
involved in his community, where he has cooked Thanksgiving and
Christmas dinners for the homeless and barbecues for the Ben Richey
Boys Ranch; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Wilton Turnerhill on his retirement as
owner of the Turnerhill House of Bar-B-Que after 40 years of
operation; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Turnerhill as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Hunter
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 270 was adopted by the House on
October 8, 2003, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House