H.R. No. 458


R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and a host of friends are mourning the loss of W. G. Ragley of Plano, who passed away on April 26, 2006, at the age of 73; and WHEREAS, A driving force behind the Republican Party in Collin County, Mr. Ragley was born in Dallas on October 5, 1932; he graduated from Jesuit High School and the graduate school of banking at Southern Methodist University; and WHEREAS, Over a career that spanned more than 40 years, Mr. Ragley served as a vice president of Mercantile Bank in Dallas and other banks in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, and as president of banks in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Euless, and Plano; he went into mortgage banking in 1994; and WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan began his lifetime involvement in the Republican Party while still a student in high school; together with his wife, Dotty, he became active with the party in Collin County in the 1980s, and the couple played an instrumental role in its growth there; Mr. Ragley worked with the Republican Men's Club, assisted with a number of campaigns, and chaired the Collin County Republican Party from 1998 to 2001; and WHEREAS, "Buddy" Ragley figured prominently in expanding the scope of the party's efforts, helping the county organization reach out to minorities and develop a focus on national races, and he was one of those responsible for the acquisition of new party headquarters; in 2005, he and his wife received the John King McVeigh Award, the Collin County Republican Party's highest honor; and WHEREAS, A member of the chamber of commerce in every community where he lived and worked, Mr. Ragley served as president pro-tem of the Dallas junior chamber in 1964 and as president for two years of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford chamber; and WHEREAS, Endowed with a bold and exuberant spirit, Mr. Ragley brought to his many endeavors an unfailing integrity and purposefulness that won him the affection and esteem of countless fellow citizens, and his memory will be forever treasured by those who were privileged to share in his friendship; 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 W. G. "Buddy" Ragley and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife of 50 years, Dotty Ragley; to his daughter and son-in-law, Maribeth and Brian Cullen; and to his other relatives and many 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 W. G. "Buddy" Ragley. McCall Laubenberg Paxton Madden ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 458 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 12, 2006. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House