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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Houston lost a visionary business |
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and civic leader with the passing of Walter Max Mischer on December |
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18, 2005, at the age of 83; and |
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WHEREAS, A native Texan, Mr. Mischer was born on July 4, 1922, |
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in Karnes County, the son of Walter and Georgia Mischer; growing up |
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in South Texas, he struggled with the early, sudden loss of his |
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father and the economic difficulties of the Great Depression, but |
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with the same resolve that he would exhibit for the rest of his |
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life, Mr. Mischer worked hard to earn the necessary tuition to study |
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engineering at the Texas College of Arts and Industries in |
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Kingsville; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Mischer contributed to the American cause in |
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World War II by supervising the construction of naval bases before |
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turning his talent for building and planning to peaceful purposes |
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in his new hometown of Houston; his innovative approach to |
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residential development aided several generations of Texans in |
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fulfilling their dreams of home ownership, and the respected name |
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of Mischer Investments, his primary business, became synonymous |
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with the growth of Houston into one of the premier cities of Texas |
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and the United States; and |
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WHEREAS, Walter Mischer's business acumen was also proven in |
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banking, where his adept management led to the creation of Allied |
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Bancshares in 1971; moreover, he was one of the founders of the |
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Marathon Manufacturing Company, an important energy-services |
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provider, and his enlightened stewardship of his land holdings in |
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West Texas contributed to the creation of Big Bend Ranch State Park, |
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an awe-inspiring preserve that can now be enjoyed by all; and |
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WHEREAS, This thoughtful and perceptive man took an intense |
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interest in the affairs of local, state, and federal government; |
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providing assistance and guidance to a long line of legislators and |
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executives, both Republican and Democrat, Mr. Mischer played an |
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integral role in promoting the careers of some of the most esteemed |
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political figures to hail from Texas, from Lyndon B. Johnson to |
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George H. W. Bush; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Mischer's contributions to his state and to the |
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city of Houston were recognized by the prestigious awards he |
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received in his lifetime, which included being named Outstanding |
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Citizen of Houston in 1965, being inducted into the Texas Business |
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Hall of Fame in 1985, and winning the Impact Award from the West |
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Houston Association in 2004; and |
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WHEREAS, Walter Mischer's unique mix of entrepreneurial |
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genius, civic responsibility, and influential ideas made him a |
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sterling example of what one dedicated individual can accomplish by |
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immersing himself in the political process, not to gain personal |
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glory but to make a positive difference in the world around him; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Walter Max Mischer and |
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extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife of |
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62 years, Mary Alford Mischer; to his children, Paula Mischer and |
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Walter M. Mischer, Jr., and his wife, Leila; to his grandchildren, |
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Candace Watson, Robert L. Corson and his wife, Olivia, Walter R. |
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Corson and his wife, Jodie, Duncan M. Watson, Walter M. Mischer III, |
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Lawson W. Mischer, and Morgan J. Mischer; to his great-grandsons, |
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Nicholas A. Corson and Andrew Corson; to his sisters, Edna Kerlick |
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and Marilyn Russell and her husband, Tom; and to his many other |
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relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family, and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Walter Max |
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Mischer. |