H.C.R. No. 18 


HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The citizens of Houston lost a visionary business and civic leader with the passing of Walter Max Mischer on December 18, 2005, at the age of 83; and WHEREAS, A native Texan, Mr. Mischer was born on July 4, 1922, in Karnes County, the son of Walter and Georgia Mischer; growing up in South Texas, he struggled with the early, sudden loss of his father and the economic difficulties of the Great Depression, but with the same resolve that he would exhibit for the rest of his life, Mr. Mischer worked hard to earn the necessary tuition to study engineering at the Texas College of Arts and Industries in Kingsville; and WHEREAS, Mr. Mischer contributed to the American cause in World War II by supervising the construction of naval bases before turning his talent for building and planning to peaceful purposes in his new hometown of Houston; his innovative approach to residential development aided several generations of Texans in fulfilling their dreams of home ownership, and the respected name of Mischer Investments, his primary business, became synonymous with the growth of Houston into one of the premier cities of Texas and the United States; and WHEREAS, Walter Mischer's business acumen was also proven in banking, where his adept management led to the creation of Allied Bancshares in 1971; moreover, he was one of the founders of the Marathon Manufacturing Company, an important energy-services provider, and his enlightened stewardship of his land holdings in West Texas contributed to the creation of Big Bend Ranch State Park, an awe-inspiring preserve that can now be enjoyed by all; and WHEREAS, This thoughtful and perceptive man took an intense interest in the affairs of local, state, and federal government; providing assistance and guidance to a long line of legislators and executives, both Republican and Democrat, Mr. Mischer played an integral role in promoting the careers of some of the most esteemed political figures to hail from Texas, from Lyndon B. Johnson to George H. W. Bush; and WHEREAS, Mr. Mischer's contributions to his state and to the city of Houston were recognized by the prestigious awards he received in his lifetime, which included being named Outstanding Citizen of Houston in 1965, being inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 1985, and winning the Impact Award from the West Houston Association in 2004; and WHEREAS, Walter Mischer's unique mix of entrepreneurial genius, civic responsibility, and influential ideas made him a sterling example of what one dedicated individual can accomplish by immersing himself in the political process, not to gain personal glory but to make a positive difference in the world around him; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of Walter Max Mischer and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife of 62 years, Mary Alford Mischer; to his children, Paula Mischer and Walter M. Mischer, Jr., and his wife, Leila; to his grandchildren, Candace Watson, Robert L. Corson and his wife, Olivia, Walter R. Corson and his wife, Jodie, Duncan M. Watson, Walter M. Mischer III, Lawson W. Mischer, and Morgan J. Mischer; to his great-grandsons, Nicholas A. Corson and Andrew Corson; to his sisters, Edna Kerlick and Marilyn Russell and her husband, Tom; and to his many other relatives and friends; 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 and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of Walter Max Mischer. Callegari Woolley Craddick Giddings McReynolds Allen Gonzales Menendez Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Merritt Anchia Goodman Miller Anderson Goolsby Moreno Bailey Griggs Morrison Berman Grusendorf Mowery Blake Guillen Naishtat Bohac Haggerty Nixon Bonnen Hamilton Noriega Branch Hamric Oliveira Brown of Kaufman Hardcastle Olivo Brown of Brazos Harper-Brown Orr Burnam Hartnett Otto Callegari Hegar Paxton Campbell Hernandez Pena Casteel Herrero Phillips Castro Hilderbran Pickett Chavez Hill Pitts Chisum Hochberg Puente Coleman Hodge Quintanilla Cook of Navarro Homer Raymond Cook of Colorado Hope Reyna Corte Hopson Riddle Crabb Howard of Fort Bend Ritter Crownover Howard of Travis Rodriguez Davis of Harris Hughes Rose Davis of Dallas Hunter Seaman Dawson Hupp Smith of Tarrant Delisi Isett Smith of Harris Denny Jackson Smithee Deshotel Jones of Lubbock Solis Driver Jones of Dallas Solomons Dukes Keel Strama Dunnam Keffer of Dallas Straus Dutton Keffer of Eastland Swinford Edwards King of Parker Talton Eiland King of Zavala Taylor Eissler Kolkhorst Thompson Elkins Krusee Truitt England Kuempel Turner Escobar Laney Uresti Farabee Laubenberg Van Arsdale Farrar Leibowitz Veasey Flores Luna Villarreal Flynn Madden Vo Frost Martinez West Gallego Martinez Fischer Wong Gattis McCall Woolley Geren McClendon Zedler ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 18 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 2, 2006. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 18 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the Senate on May 4, 2006. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________ Date __________________ Governor