79R2273 JNC-D

By:  Chisum                                                       H.R. No. 25 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The family and friends of Bill Wyatt Waters were 
deeply saddened by the passing of this distinguished lawyer and 
longtime Pampa civic leader on August 4, 2004, at the age of 79; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Waters was born in Idalou on November 23, 1924; 
he graduated from Pampa High School in 1943, studied engineering at 
New York University while a member of the armed forces, and received 
a law degree from The University of Texas in 1949; and
	WHEREAS, Answering his country's call to service, he 
distinguished himself as an engineer in the U.S. Army in Europe from 
1944 to 1945, where his exceptional bravery earned him multiple 
Bronze Stars; and
	WHEREAS, After completing law school, Mr. Waters returned to 
Pampa to establish a practice; one year later, in 1950, he won 
election as county attorney of Gray County, and after four years in 
that post he served 14 years as district attorney; he returned to 
private practice on a full-time basis in 1969 and continued to work 
as an attorney for more than three decades, retiring from the firm 
of Waters, Holt & Fields shortly before his death; and
	WHEREAS, During his remarkable career, this esteemed 
gentleman was active in a host of professional organizations; his 
service included terms as president of the Texas District and 
County Attorneys Association, district director of the State Bar of 
Texas, and member of the State Bar of Texas Professional Ethics 
Committee; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Waters lent his time and talents to many worthy 
civic endeavors, serving as a director of the Canadian River 
Municipal Water Authority, trustee and chairman of the M. K. Brown 
Foundation, trustee and secretary of the Gray-Pampa Foundation, and 
board member for the Fairview Cemetery Association, Pampa 
Industrial Foundation, Pampa Youth and Community Center, and Pampa 
Economic Development Corporation; in addition, he was a charter 
member of the Mary Ellen and Harvester Church of Christ, where he 
taught a Bible class and held the office of deacon; and
	WHEREAS, Named Pampa Citizen of the Year in 1989, Mr. Waters 
received further accolades from Rotary International and the 
Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas; he was inducted into the Pampa 
Harvester Hall of Fame in 2000 and inducted posthumously into the 
Panhandle Veterans Hall of Honor; and
	WHEREAS, Bill Waters was married to Elaine Carlson Waters 
from 1946 until her passing in 1979; in 1982 he married Sandra 
Enloe; a devoted husband, he was also the proud father of two sons 
and a stepdaughter; and
	WHEREAS, Over the course of more than half a century, Bill 
Waters embodied the highest standards of his profession while 
contributing immeasurably to the civic spirit and progress of his 
community, and the blessing of his life will be forever cherished by 
those who were privileged to share in the warmth of his love and 
friendship; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Bill W. Waters and 
extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, 
Sandra Waters; to his sons, Leland Wyatt Waters and Steven David 
Waters; to his stepdaughter, Julianna Enloe Gilbert; to his 
grandsons, Colbert Wyatt Waters, David Daniel Waters, Samuel 
Jennings Waters, George Armstrong Waters, and Braden Christopher 
Gilbert; to his granddaughters, Kellen Elaine Brown, Emily Diane 
Waters, Grace Adele Waters, Katharine Alexis Gilbert, and Madeline 
Grace Gilbert; and to his two great-grandchildren; and, be it 
further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House 
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bill W. 
Waters.