78R11402 MDM-D

By:  Goolsby                                                      H.R. No. 800



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The untimely passing of Sam Attlesey of Austin on 
April 2, 2003, at the age of 56, has deeply saddened the family and 
many friends of this esteemed journalist; and
	WHEREAS, A native of Sulphur Springs, Mr. Attlesey graduated 
from Baylor University with a degree in government and from East 
Texas State University, now Texas A&M University--Commerce, with a 
degree in journalism; and
	WHEREAS,  Early in his career, he worked as a general 
assignment reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, where he won 
a Headliners Award in 1974 for a profile of a gubernatorial 
candidate; the following year he joined the Dallas Morning News, 
which was to become his journalistic home for nearly three decades; 
originally assigned to cover local government and politics, he was 
named political reporter in 1981, transferred to the Capitol bureau 
in 1985, and appointed deputy Capitol bureau chief in 1989; and
	WHEREAS, The Columbia Journalism Review designated Mr. 
Attlesey a Sage of the Statehouse, in tribute to his extensive 
knowledge of Texas politics and its practitioners; in addition to 
his comprehensive understanding of the state's political 
landscape, he was also admired for his fairness; the weekly 
political column he wrote reflected the utmost integrity with which 
Sam Attlesey lived his life and for which he was widely admired by 
colleagues as well as by the subjects of his reporting; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Attlesey enjoyed a particular camaraderie with 
Governor Bill Clements, with whom he shared a deep love of Texas 
history; he faithfully attended the annual reenactment of the 
Battle of the Alamo and could recite from memory John Wayne's 
soliloquies from the 1960 movie; a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball 
team, one of his few non-Texas-related interests, Mr. Attlesey was 
also a regular with a group of friends at the Texas Chili Parlor in 
downtown Austin; and
	WHEREAS, The life of Sam Attlesey has been an immeasurable 
blessing to his family, his friends, and the citizens of Texas, and 
he will long be remembered for his honesty, gentle spirit, and 
decency by all who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Sam Attlesey and 
extend sincere sympathy to his mother, Judy Attlesey; to his 
sister, Carole Wilks; to his nephew, Damon Wilks; and to all those 
who mourn the passing of this beloved man; 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 Sam 
Attlesey.