79S10798 JTR-D

By:  Hopson                                                       H.R. No. 257



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Robert Nichols is retiring in 2005 after eight years 
of exemplary service as a member of the Texas Transportation 
Commission; and
	WHEREAS, First appointed to the commission by Governor George 
W. Bush in 1997, Mr. Nichols was reappointed by Governor Rick Perry 
in 2003, and his tenure has been characterized by the  same 
diligence and integrity he brings to all his endeavors; and
	WHEREAS, The recipient of a degree in industrial engineering 
from Lamar University, Mr. Nichols was the founder and chief 
executive officer of four different plastics-related companies in 
Jacksonville between 1975 and 1996; and
	WHEREAS, His participation in public life has extended beyond 
his work on the Texas Transportation Commission to encompass his 
service as mayor and city council member in Jacksonville and as 
chair of the Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation; 
moreover, he has shared his leadership on the boards of the 
Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the East Texas Medical Center, 
the Nan Travis Hospital Foundation, Lon Morris College, and Austin 
Bank; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Nichols has been honored with a number of 
well-deserved accolades during his life, having been named Citizen 
of the Year and Businessman of the Year by the Jacksonville Chamber 
of Commerce and honored with the Small-Business Person of the Year 
award from the Dallas region of the U.S. Small Business 
Administration and the Governor's Industrial Expansion Citation 
from Governor William P. Clements; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout the years, he has enjoyed the love and 
support of his close-knit family, which includes his wife, Donna, 
and their three children, Brittney, Joshua, and Collynn; and
	WHEREAS, Those who give of themselves to benefit the greater 
good are truly deserving of our admiration and appreciation, and 
through his service on the Texas Transportation Commission, Robert 
Nichols has distinguished himself as one such individual; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby honor Robert Nichols for 
his outstanding tenure on the Texas Transportation Commission and 
commend him for the many significant contributions he has made to 
the betterment of the Lone Star State; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mr. Nichols as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.