| |
| |
|
|
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The noteworthy career of an accomplished prosecutor |
|
|
came to a close with the December 2006 retirement of district |
|
|
attorney Mark Taylor, who served the citizens of Wood County with |
|
|
considerable skill and dedication for more than a quarter-century; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Taylor proved himself a lawyer of rare talent |
|
|
and insight during his time in office, but as a young man, he |
|
|
initially set his sights on a much different profession; a recruit |
|
|
in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps while an undergraduate at |
|
|
Texas Tech University, he had dedicated himself to becoming a pilot |
|
|
in the U.S. Air Force; a last-minute change in orders delayed his |
|
|
military service, however, allowing Mr. Taylor the opportunity to |
|
|
attend law school at Southern Methodist University; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, After graduating from SMU in 1966, he fulfilled his |
|
|
military commitment by completing a four-year tour of duty in the |
|
|
Air Force; following his discharge in 1970, he returned to |
|
|
northeastern Texas and became an attorney in private practice in |
|
|
Winnsboro; he also entered public service by becoming a member of |
|
|
the school board and by serving as the town's mayor and chamber of |
|
|
commerce president; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mark Taylor first took his place in the district |
|
|
attorney's office after winning the approval of Wood County voters |
|
|
in a 1978 election; so began his 28-year tenure as the county's |
|
|
prosecuting attorney, and Mr. Taylor quickly earned a reputation |
|
|
for professionalism and careful preparation of his many criminal |
|
|
cases; his commitment was evident in the long hours he spent in his |
|
|
office at the Quitman courthouse, where he was often the first to |
|
|
arrive each morning and the one to lock up at the end of the day; his |
|
|
courtroom success helped to make the county a safer and more just |
|
|
place to live, and voters showed their support for Mr. Taylor by |
|
|
repeatedly reelecting him as district attorney; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mark Taylor also won the admiration of his legal |
|
|
colleagues who placed him in leadership positions in a number of |
|
|
professional organizations, and he received a prestigious honor |
|
|
from the State Bar of Texas in 2006, when he was named prosecutor of |
|
|
the year; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Throughout his time in office, he was guided by his |
|
|
spiritual faith and supported by his wife, Pam, whom he met during |
|
|
his studies at Texas Tech; the two were married in 1963 and have |
|
|
raised four children; Mr. Taylor looks forward to spending more |
|
|
time with all of his family members during his retirement, as well |
|
|
as traveling, tending the land he and Pam own near Winnsboro, and |
|
|
occasionally taking part in legal work; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, With his skill in directing the district attorney's |
|
|
office, Mark Taylor established an admirable record of professional |
|
|
achievement, and he may take justifiable pride in the excellent |
|
|
service he provided to the residents of Wood County; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby commend Mark Taylor for his distinguished career as the Wood |
|
|
County district attorney and extend to him best wishes for a |
|
|
productive and satisfying retirement; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Mr. Taylor as an expression of high regard from the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |
| |
|
|
Hughes |
| |
| |
| |
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
| |
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
| |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.C.R. No. 50 was adopted by the House on |
|
|
February 22, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.C.R. No. 50 was adopted by the Senate on |
|
|
February 28, 2007, by a viva-voce vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
|
APPROVED: __________________ |
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
|
|
__________________ |
|
|
Governor |