79S30033 MW-D

By:  Woolley                                                      H.R. No. 31 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The death of Richard J. V. Johnson of Houston on 
January 14, 2006, at the age of 75, has brought a great loss to his 
family and to the many friends and admirers of this distinguished 
Texas newsman; and
	WHEREAS, Born on September 22, 1930, in San Luis Potosi, 
Mexico, Mr. Johnson moved with his family to the United States at 
the age of seven and settled in Houston; a gifted athlete at San 
Jacinto High School, he enrolled at Texas A&M University in 1948 
with a basketball scholarship; the following year, he transferred 
to The University of Texas at Austin, where he was voted an 
outstanding athlete; after graduating from UT, he served two years 
in the U.S. Army; and
	WHEREAS, In 1955, Mr. Johnson joined the Texas Daily 
Newspaper Association as an assistant to the executive director; 
the next year, he began his outstanding career at the Houston 
Chronicle, working his way up from copywriter in the promotion 
department to director of sales and marketing to executive vice 
president; in 1973, he became the youngest president of a major 
daily newspaper in the United States; after the Chronicle was sold 
to the Hearst Corporation in 1987, he served as the newspaper's 
chair and publisher until his retirement in 2002; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson shared his talents with others in his 
profession through his service as director of the Houston Chapter 
of the American Marketing Association, the National Newspaper 
Promotion Association, and the Houston Advertising Club; the 
president and chair of the American Newspaper Publishers 
Association and the executive committee of the Texas Daily 
Newspaper Association, he received the Pat Taggart Newspaper Leader 
of the Year Award and the Houston Advertising Federation's Silver 
Medal and Trailblazer Award; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to his myriad professional 
contributions, Mr. Johnson had a record of public service that 
included service on the board of trustees of the Texas Medical 
Center and the board of visitors of The University of Texas M. D. 
Anderson Cancer Center; he also distinguished himself as a director 
of the State Fair of Texas, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, Texas 
Taxpayers Research, and Mutual Insurance Company, Limited, which he 
further served as chair and chief executive officer; and
	WHEREAS, Equally impressive was his voluminous list of 
accolades, which included awards from the Sam Houston Area Boy 
Scouts of America, the National Conference of Christians and Jews 
Brotherhood, the B'nai Brith Anti-Defamation League, the Rotary 
Club of Houston, the American Diabetes Association, the Texas 
Society to Prevent Blindness, and The University of Texas 
Ex-Students' Association; and
	WHEREAS, Richard Johnson made the most of his time in this 
life, and he leaves behind a legacy of professional achievement and 
civic engagement that will undoubtedly continue to inspire others 
for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of 
Richard J. V. Johnson and extend sincere sympathy to the members of 
his family: to his wife of 50 years, Belle Griggs Johnson; to his 
daughter, Shelley Gottschalk and her husband, Art; to his son, Mark 
Johnson and his wife, Laura; to his grandchildren, Paige, Morgan, 
and Cameron; to his sister, Bette Burkett and her husband, Jeff; to 
his nephews, Brian James, Clark James, and Bill Hodge; to his 
sister-in-law, Gloria Hodge; and to his 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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Richard J. 
V. Johnson.