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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Tyler lost a respected businessman and |
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treasured member of the community with the death of Walden P. |
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Little, who passed away on May 6, 2009, at the age of 89; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Limestone County on March 14, 1920, to |
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Wilmer and Georgia Cates Little, "Red" Little graduated from |
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Grosbeck High School and Westminster Junior College; he answered |
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his nation's call to duty with service in the U.S. Army Air Corps |
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during World War II and moved to Tyler in 1950; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Little purchased a small insurance company in |
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1954 and established it in Tyler as the East Texas Life and Accident |
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Insurance Company; business went well, and in 1965 the firm changed |
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its name to the Combined Underwriters Life Insurance Company and |
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continued its growth; by the turn of the 21st century, it had 35,000 |
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customers and 64 employees and held in force more than $80 million |
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in insurance; the company merged with Citizens Inc., an Austin |
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holding company, in 2002; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of his distinguished career, Mr. |
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Little served as president of Texas Association of Life |
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Underwriters and the Texas Legal Reserve Officials Association; he |
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was twice elected to the Tyler City Commission and also twice served |
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a term as the city's mayor; he was a director of Rotary |
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International and the founder of the Reading Enrichment and |
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Development Program at First Christian Church, where he was a |
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longtime member; moreover, he gave generously to Tyler Junior |
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College, Texas College, and The University of Texas at Tyler; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Little and his wife, Kim, joined together in |
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philanthropic projects, and in 2004, the couple funded the |
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establishment of the Red and Kim Little Healthy Aging Lecture |
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Series; its annual presentations in Tyler continue to help senior |
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Texans lead active lives; and |
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WHEREAS, Red Little was a man of vision, compassion, and |
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limitless good humor who endeared himself to all he met with his |
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positive outlook and creativity; although he will be deeply missed, |
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his legacy of skilled business leadership and civic service will |
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long resonate in the Tyler community; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of |
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Walden P. "Red" Little and extend sincere sympathy to the members of |
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his family: to his wife, Kim Little; to his daughter, Regina Rooney, |
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and her husband, Mark; to his grandchildren, Laura, Stacye, |
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Shannon, and Cameron; to his great-grandchildren; to his brother, |
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W. Sherill Little; and to his other relatives and friends; and, be |
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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 Red Little. |