79S20700 MMS-D



By:  Martinez                                                     H.R. No. 233







R E S O L U T I O N

	WHEREAS, Sam Sparks of Santa Rosa, one of the most esteemed 

civic and business leaders in the Rio Grande Valley, has been chosen 

as the 2005 Distinguished Citizen by the Rio Grande Council, Boy 

Scouts of America; and

	WHEREAS, Born on December 24, 1928, in Haleyville, Alabama, 

Mr. Sparks moved to Santa Rosa with his family when he was two; he 

began farming in 1945, and in 1947, with the insurance money he 

received for a broken leg, he purchased his first tractor; and

	WHEREAS, Over the next several decades, Mr. Sparks built a 

successful career working the land and earned the high regard of his 

neighbors for his constructive involvement in a host of 

agricultural and civic organizations; he was listed in the 1965 

edition of Outstanding Young Men of America and was runner-up for 

the Outstanding Young Farmer of Texas award; today he serves as 

president of the B&P Bridge Company, which operates the 

International Bridge at Progreso; and

	WHEREAS, Sam Sparks has long given unstintingly of his time 

and talents to the people of his region and the State of Texas; he is 

currently an advisory trustee of the Valley Baptist Medical Center 

and a member of the boards of trustees of Abilene Christian 

University, the Golden Palms Retirement and Health Center, and 

Sunny Glen Children's Home; and

	WHEREAS, This notable Texan has also served as director of 

the Valley Farm Bureau, member of the Valley Acres Irrigation 

District Board of Directors, board member of the Rio Grande Valley 

Sugar Growers, leader of the Texas Vegetable Seed Improvement 

Association, and chairman of Rio Farms, Inc., an agricultural 

research facility; moreover, he has chaired the advisory committee 

to the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension 

facility in Weslaco; and

	WHEREAS, Possessing a keen interest in education, Mr. Sparks 

has served on the boards of both the Santa Rosa and South Texas 

Independent School Districts and chaired the Target 2002 project of 

The Texas A&M University System; and

	WHEREAS, In addition, he has served as a director of the San 

Antonio branch board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 

director of the First National Bank of Harlingen, chairman of the 

Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce, and board member for the 

Salvation Army; a staunch supporter of the Boy Scouts for many 

years, he is a past president of the Santa Rosa Kiwanis Club, a 

Mason, and a valued member of the Church of Christ; and

	WHEREAS, Sam Sparks married Seanne Busch in 1948 and the 

couple have enjoyed a fulfilling marriage for more than five 

decades; they take pride in a close-knit family that includes four 

children, John Sparks, Bobby Sparks and his wife, Judy, Elizabeth 

Johnson and her husband, Alan, and Karen Guenther and her husband, 

Mark, as well as nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; 

and

	WHEREAS, Deeply devoted to the welfare of his fellow 

citizens, Sam Sparks exemplifies the qualities of citizenship that 

create strong, vibrant, and caring communities, and it is indeed a 

pleasure to recognize him at this time; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 

Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby congratulate Sam Sparks on 

the occasion of his selection as the 2005 Distinguished Citizen by 

the Rio Grande Council, Boy Scouts of America, and extend to him 

profound appreciation for his immeasurable contributions to the 

Lone Star State; and, be it further

	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 

prepared for Mr. Sparks as an expression of high regard by the Texas 

House of Representatives.