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H.R. No. 268
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The passing of former Williamson County Judge Calvin
Luther Chance, Sr., on November 6, 2004, at the age of 96, brought
to a close an exceptional life that touched countless individuals;
and
WHEREAS, Born on a small Texas farm, Judge Chance had deep
Texas roots; his great-grandfather, Captain Joseph Bell Chance,
came to Texas from Tennessee in 1831 and settled at
Washington-on-the-Brazos as part of Stephen F. Austin's Second
Colony; both his great-grandfather and his grandfather fought for
an independent Texas, the former against General Santa Anna at the
Battle of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto, and the latter as a
soldier in the Second Texas Infantry; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Liberty Hill High School,
Luther Chance attended The University of Texas for two years before
financial concerns made it necessary for him to discontinue his
studies; he returned to Liberty Hill where he met Jayne Beatrice
McFarland, who became his wife; they remained inseparable for 74
years until her death in 2004; and
WHEREAS, With jobs scarce, Judge Chance managed to find work
with the newly formed Texas Department of Public Safety as a
motorcycle patrolman in Hillsboro; it was during his early years
with the DPS that he met Judge James Alexander, chief justice of the
Court of Civil Appeals and the man who would serve as his mentor;
Judge Alexander provided the young law enforcement officer with
access to his law library, which ultimately enabled him to take and
pass the 16-part State Bar of Texas examination and receive his
certification to practice law; and
WHEREAS, In 1941, Judge Chance left the DPS to serve in the
U.S. Coast Guard; after completing his military service, he
returned to the Lone Star State and began a successful private
practice as a tax attorney; years later, he was elected county judge
of Williamson County, serving three terms and initiating multiple
improvements within the county, including the incorporation of the
city of Cedar Park, the development and installation of the first
countywide 9-1-1 service, and the creation of the first county
ambulance service to Cedar Park; he also oversaw the revitalization
of the Liberty Hill Cemetery and wrote the constitution and bylaws
of the Liberty Hill Cemetery Association; and
WHEREAS, A man of wide-ranging interests, Judge Chance was an
avid gardener and, today, thousands of trees, bushes, and
shrubberies that he began dot yards and parks throughout the Cedar
Park area; he also read music and played the violin, baked the
world's best cornbread, and was a feared adversary at the domino
table; and
WHEREAS, Judge Luther Chance lived a full and happy life,
filled with many memorable events; he was an inspiration to family
and friends, and his legacy of success and achievement will long
live in their hearts; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Calvin Luther Chance,
Sr., and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to
his daughter, Alma Mangelsdorf; to his son, Joseph Edgar Chance; to
his sister, Mary Ruth Strandtmann; to his brother, Truett Chance;
and to the many other relatives and friends of this esteemed
gentleman; 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 Calvin
Luther Chance, Sr.
Gattis
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus
Dukes King of Parker Swinford
Dunnam King of Zavala Talton
Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor
Edwards Krusee Thompson
Eiland Kuempel Truitt
Eissler Laney Turner
Elkins Laubenberg Uresti
Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Farabee Luna Veasey
Farrar Madden Villarreal
Flores Martinez Vo
Flynn Martinez Fischer West
Frost McCall Wong
Gallego McClendon Woolley
Gattis McReynolds Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 268 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on February 24, 2005.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House