79R6672 MMS-D

By:  Hartnett                                                   H.C.R. No. 125



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The certain knowledge of a life well lived may 
temper the sorrow felt at the passing of the Honorable Frederick 
Joseph Agnich of Dallas on October 28, 2004, at the age of 91; and
	WHEREAS, A successful business executive and prominent civic 
leader, Mr. Agnich was also a longtime Republican activist and a 
former nine-term member of the Texas Legislature; and
	WHEREAS, Fred Agnich was born in Eveleth, Minnesota, on July 
19, 1913; after earning a degree in geology from the University of 
Minnesota in 1937, he moved to Dallas and joined a petroleum 
prospecting firm, Geophysical Service, Inc. (GSI); he served as 
president of GSI from 1955 to 1959 and as an officer and director of 
its parent company, Texas Instruments, Inc., from 1953 to 1961; and
	WHEREAS, Following his departure from TI, Mr. Agnich turned 
his attention to independent oil and gas ventures and ranching; and
	WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan played a key role in building the 
Republican Party in Dallas County; in addition to his longtime 
fund-raising, which he first undertook in 1952, he served as county 
chairman from 1967 to 1969, as a member of the state executive 
committee from 1969 to 1972, as a Texas committeeman for the 
Republican National Committee (RNC) from 1972 to 1976, and as vice 
chairman of the RNC from 1974 to 1976; he also served as Dallas 
County chairman for Barry Goldwater and John Connally in their 
presidential bids; and
	WHEREAS, Elected to nine consecutive terms in the Texas House 
of Representatives, Mr. Agnich displayed his characteristic 
boldness during his first term, when he joined a reform-minded 
coalition of Republicans and Democrats known as the Dirty Thirty; 
later, as chair of the Environmental Affairs Committee, he authored 
the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1983, which entrusted the fish and 
wildlife of the state to the care of biologists and professional 
managers; he also served on the appropriations and energy 
committees; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Agnich gave generously of his time and talents 
to the Greenhill School, holding the posts of director and chairman 
of the board of governors, and was instrumental in establishing the 
school at its present site; he also served as a trustee for the 
Southwest Center for Advanced Studies, now The University of Texas 
at Dallas, and as a director for the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 
Dallas Civic Opera, Dallas Historical Society, and Dallas Petroleum 
Club; and
	WHEREAS, Bearing the name of this esteemed gentleman are a 
ship in the GSI fleet, a scholarship administered by the Texas 
Association of Professional Geoscientists, and the science 
building at Greenhill School; and
	WHEREAS, Fred Agnich was married to Ruth Welton Agnich, who 
died in 1975, and to Brooksie Penland Agnich, who survives him; and
	WHEREAS, Held in high regard by individuals across the 
political spectrum, Mr. Agnich embraced life and adventure and 
brought to all his pursuits a hearty zestfulness and unshakeable 
integrity; he is sorely missed and will be forever treasured by 
those who were privileged to be a part of his world; now, therefore, 
be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby pay special tribute to the life of Frederick Joseph Agnich 
and extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family:  to his 
wife, Brooksie Penland Agnich; to his sons and their spouses, 
William Agnich, Richard and Tory Agnich, and James and Betsy 
Agnich; to his stepchildren and their spouses, Annette and Hal 
Steinman, Pebble and Zach Fry, Julia and Jerry Klein, Raymond and 
Toby Willie, and Brook Willie; to his grandchildren, Robert, 
Jonathan, Barbara, and Sarah Agnich, Michael Agnich and his wife, 
Kelli, Bruce Agnich and his wife, Traci, Travis Vaden, Brandon and 
Heather Gonzales, and Brooklyn and Raylee Willie; to his 
great-grandchildren, Samantha and Dylan Agnich; to his sister, 
Dorothea Grigg; 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 and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of 
former State Representative Frederick Joseph Agnich.