80R12039 JNC-D

By: Cook of Colorado H.R. No. 1273

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Residents of Elgin lost an esteemed local businessman and civic leader with the death of Dr. W. H. Cardwell on February 25, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Born in the town of Salty in Milam County on May 10, 1926, Dr. Cardwell served his country in the United States Navy and went on to attend the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine; after graduating in 1951, he moved to Elgin, where he established the first animal clinic in the county, Cardwell Veterinary Hospital, later known as Elgin Veterinary Hospital; he expanded his business interests in later years, opening Elgin Breeding Service in 1954; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cardwell was a life member of the American and Texas Veterinary Medical Associations, the latter of which he served as president, and he was a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which he also led as president; moreover, he was commissioned by Governor Dolph Briscoe to head the creation of the first veterinary practice law for the State of Texas; and

WHEREAS, His dedication to his profession earned Dr. Cardwell a host of honors; recognized for his expertise by his peers in the Society for Theriogenology, he was honored with its inaugural NANDI Award, and he was named the Veterinary Diagnostician of the Year in 2000 by the TVMDL; the TUMA, which had honored him in 1983 as the recipient of its Outstanding Food Animal Practitioner Award, also bestowed on him its President's Award for his leadership in bovine reproduction, and in 2001, his alma mater named him an Outstanding Alumnus of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine; and

WHEREAS, An active congregant of the First United Methodist Church of Elgin, this esteemed Texan served his fellow congregants in a number of leadership positions during the course of his 55 years of membership; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cardwell also made significant contributions to the greater community through his work as a member and president of the Elgin ISD school board; he had further served his fellow citizens as president of the Greater Elgin Chamber of Commerce, president of the local Kiwanis Club, vice president of the board of directors for Elgin National Bank, and chair of that institution's loan review committee; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cardwell shared 54 years of marriage with his wife, Ardeth, and they were blessed with two children, Brenda and Brad, and five grandchildren; in a tribute to this beloved patriarch, his family established a scholarship in his honor to benefit students studying bovine medicine at Texas A&M; and

WHEREAS, W. H. Cardwell lived a caring and purposeful life, and he leaves behind memories that will be forever cherished by his family and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Dr. W. H. Cardwell and extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Ardeth Cardwell; to his children, Brenda and Brad; to his daughter-in-law, Marilyn; to his grandchildren, Zack, Hailey, and Hillary Voelker and Cody and Faith Cardwell; to his sister and brother-in-law, Shirley and Clyde Luetge; to his brother and sister-in-law, Lyngle and Veronica Cardwell; to his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Richard and Lois Worthey; to his father-in-law, N. P. Worthey; and to his other relatives and 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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dr. W. H. Cardwell.