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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Longtime Texas newspaper editor, publisher, and |
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columnist William Everett Dozier, Jr., of Kerrville passed away |
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February 12, 2007, leaving behind a legacy of notable |
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accomplishments; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on June 12, 1922, in Delhi, Louisiana, William |
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Dozier embarked on his lifelong career in journalism at the age of |
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13, working as an apprentice to the printer and as a sports reporter |
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at a local newspaper; just two years later, he became the paper's |
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editor and the youngest person in the state's history to ever hold |
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such a position; he went on to pursue a degree in journalism and |
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graduated cum laude from Louisiana Tech University in 1943; and |
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WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. Dozier was a communications |
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officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific on the USS |
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Murray; he later saw duty during the Korean War and was a commander |
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in the Navy Reserve; his tours of duty sparked an interest in |
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preserving the history of World War II, and he worked with the |
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Admiral Nimitz Foundation for more than 25 years, including a |
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period as its director; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1952, he became the editor of the Tyler |
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Courier-Times and Morning Telegraph; he continued to guide these |
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East Texas papers until 1965, when he and his wife, Eleanor Dozier, |
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and other investors purchased the Kerrville Daily Times; he served |
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as editor and publisher until the newspaper was sold in 1988 and |
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continued to write his column "The Hilltopper" in the years that |
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followed; Mr. and Mrs. Dozier also founded Frio-Nueces Publications |
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and Hills O' Texas Publications, which published weekly newspapers |
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in a variety of Texas towns between 1976 and 1999; and |
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WHEREAS, Respected both within the State of Texas and |
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nationally, Mr. Dozier participated in numerous professional |
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organizations, including the Texas Press Foundation, the Texas AP |
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Managing Editors Association, the American Society of Newspaper |
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Editors, and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association; in |
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addition, he received accolades for his contributions as a |
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publisher and writer, including the George Washington Honor Medal |
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for Editorial Writing in 1963 and the 1986 Texas Daily Newspaper |
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Association Pat Taggart Award for Texas Newspaper Leader of the |
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Year; in 1991, his alma mater, Louisiana Tech, honored him with its |
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Tower Medallion Award for Service and in 1994 named him one of the |
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100 distinguished graduates of the university's first century; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Dozier played a strong role in supporting many |
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community organizations over the years, including the Sid Peterson |
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Memorial Hospital, the Texas State Arts & Crafts Fair, and the Tyler |
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YMCA; moreover, he was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Tyler and the |
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Riverside Nature Center, a founding director of the Kerrville |
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Performing Arts Society, and a former trustee and board member of |
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the Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler and the Kerrville First |
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United Methodist Church; and |
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WHEREAS, A publisher and journalist of great skill and |
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insight, William Dozier had a large and positive influence on the |
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communities in which he worked, and his achievements stand as an |
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inspiring example of professional excellence; 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 William Everett |
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Dozier, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
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family: to his wife, Eleanor Dozier; to his daughter, Rebecca |
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Dozier and her husband, Angelo Di Berardino; to his grandchildren, |
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Matthew, Carrie, and James Hunnicutt; to his sister, Sue Shoemaker; |
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and to his other 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 William |
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Dozier. |