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79S11112 MMS-D
By: Swinford H.R. No. 357
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Earl James Halfmann of the Vancourt community is
marking a notable milestone on August 18, 2005, with the
celebration of his 80th birthday; and
WHEREAS, Born in 1925 and raised on his family's farm in West
Texas, Mr. Halfmann graduated from Price College in Amarillo, where
he played on the school basketball team; he subsequently enlisted
in the U.S. Army and served in the Pacific Theater during World War
II and in Okinawa with the Army of Occupation; and
WHEREAS, Following his discharge from the service, Mr.
Halfmann returned home in 1948 to begin farming in the Vancourt
community; he married Mary Ann Glass in Rowena on January 4, 1949,
and the couple became the parents of six children, Wanda, Ruth,
Debbie, Charles, Kevin, and Joan; and
WHEREAS, During one challenging 19-year stretch, Mr.
Halfmann and his wife had anywhere from one to four teenagers living
under their roof, but they met the trials and tribulations of that
time with more than a little grace, forbearance, and love; for Mr.
Halfmann, who coped resolutely with broken tractors, pig scours,
Johnson grass, boll weevils, drought, inflation, and hailstorms, it
may even have been a welcome change of pace to monitor such domestic
matters as his sons and their fast cars, his daughters' penchant for
hoeing cotton in their swimsuits, and the roller-coaster sagas of
young romance; and
WHEREAS, However vexing, comic, or tumultuous, none of those
distractions prevented Mr. Halfmann from staying abreast of the
latest innovations in cotton farming; he was the first to do
parallel terracing and one of the first to have a basket cotton
stripper; his sense of humor remained intact as well, as evidenced
by a sign in his house boasting that strippin' is what cotton
farmers keep on doing; and
WHEREAS, A fourth-degree Grand Knight in Council 4316 of the
Knights of Columbus, Mr. Halfmann took over some of the remodeling
responsibilities at his church when the parish priest relocated;
since stepping into the breach, he has been known fondly throughout
the community as Father Earl; and
WHEREAS, For relaxation, this esteemed Texan loves dancing to
polka and country music, so much so that he belongs to two different
dance clubs; he is also a ringleader in his 42 club, where, he
assures his grandchildren, he never loses, and he enjoys hunting
and fishing with family and friends; in family competition, he has
won, and defends to this day, the proud title of Washer Pitcher
Champion; and
WHEREAS, The long arc of Mr. Halfmann's career has taken him
from farming with horses to farming with computerized machinery;
through it all, he has hewed to the motto, "If I'm awake, I should be
working," and so it is understandable that after eight decades he
has only been able to get so far as semiretirement; nevertheless, he
has nudged just far enough into the realm of leisure that he has
been able to pick up one new hobby--reading--and the San Angelo
Public Library is herewith put on notice; and
WHEREAS, Not least, Mr. Halfmann takes infinite delight in
being a grandfather to Heather, Shanna, Allison, Amber, Ty, Kayla,
Jessica, Jake, Julianne, James, Thomas, and Elizabeth, and a
great-grandfather to Jordan, Brandon, and Ashlynn; and
WHEREAS, Endowed with a heart truly as large as Texas, this
beloved gentleman continues to enrich the lives of his family and
friends and to brighten immeasurably the world around him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby warmly congratulate Earl
James Halfmann on the joyous occasion of his 80th birthday and
extend to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Halfmann as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.