H.R. No. 108

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The death of Norman Brinker of Dallas on June 9, 2009, at the age of 78, has deeply saddened the family and many friends of this restaurant industry icon and civic leader; and

WHEREAS, A native of Denver, Mr. Brinker was born to Kathryn and Eugene Brinker on June 3, 1931; he grew up on a farm in Roswell, New Mexico, where he demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit at an early age, raising rabbits and delivering newspapers; he paid his own tuition at the New Mexico Military Institute and went on to serve his country in the United States Navy for two years; during that time, he was selected by the 1952 U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team and competed in the 1954 Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Budapest, Hungary; he married the tennis legend Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly in June 1955 and they shared 14 years together before her untimely passing; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Brinker earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from San Diego State University in 1957 and joined Jack-in-the-Box, eventually becoming a major partner and helping it expand from five locations into a national chain; after moving to Dallas in 1964, he opened his first restaurant, Brink's Coffee Shop, and two years later launched Steak & Ale, the restaurant that popularized the salad bar concept; by the time the company went public in 1971, the chain had grown to more than 100 restaurants; when it merged with the Pillsbury Restaurant Group, Mr. Brinker became an executive vice president and board member of that company and created the Bennigan's Tavern concept, launching the "fern bar" trend; and

WHEREAS, In 1983, Mr. Brinker recognized the potential in Chili's, Inc., a small restaurant company; building the parent company up in his role as chief executive officer and board chair, he took it public the next year; changing its name to Brinker International in 1990, the company became a restaurant giant that set standards for the casual dining industry; today, Brinker International owns more than 1,700 restaurants and employs more than 125,000 people in 27 countries and two territories through its three chains, Chili's Grill & Bar, Maggiano's Little Italy, and On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina; it also holds a stake in Romano's Macaroni Grill; Mr. Brinker retired in 2001, but he remained active as chair emeritus; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his remarkable career, Mr. Brinker exerted tremendous influence on the dining industry through his mentorship of young restaurateurs; a role model and mentor to innumerable people, he impressed on each employee his philosophy of customer service by treating everyone with respect and consideration and taking every opportunity to make others feel special; many major restaurant companies can count Brinker alumni among their past and present leadership, and his myriad protégés included the founders of Outback Steakhouse and Houston's; leaders in other industries from real estate to finance also count him as an inspiration; and

WHEREAS, This influential entrepreneur gave generously of his time, talent, and financial resources to a wide variety of civic and charitable organizations; a longtime member of the Young Presidents' Organization and the World Presidents' Organization, he provided guidance and funding to assist his former wife, Nancy Brinker, in establishing Susan G. Komen for the Cure and continued to serve as an advisor; he joined with his wife, Toni Brinker, to help found the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts and to organize and support the Brinker International Forum; the couple also supported such organizations as the Salvation Army and the Ruth Sharp Altshuler Circle of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; and

WHEREAS, Having brought his favorite sport to North Texas with the opening of the Willow Bend Polo & Hunt Club in 1972, Mr. Brinker won the United States Polo Association Gold Cup and the U.S. Open polo competition and continued to support American polo through the years, serving as chair of the United States Polo Association and winning membership in the Polo Hall of Fame; his numerous accolades included the Horatio Alger Award, the Elliot Mentor Award from the Elliot Leadership Conference, the Augie Award from the Culinary Institute of America, and membership in the Culinary Institute of America Hall of Fame; he won both the Pioneer Award and the Operator of the Year Award from Nation's Restaurant News and was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Southern Methodist University; in May 2009, he accepted the prestigious Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award from the Methodist Health System Foundation in Dallas; and

WHEREAS, Norman Brinker not only left an indelible mark on the restaurant industry, but made a positive impact in countless lives through both his professional leadership and his personal example of generosity, integrity, and compassion; although he will be profoundly missed, this extraordinary Texan will long be remembered with the greatest affection and admiration by all who were privileged to know him; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of Norman Brinker and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his devoted wife, Toni Brinker; to his daughters, Cindy Brinker Simmons, Brenda Brinker Bottum and her husband, Steve, and Christina Brinker-Aschtgen and her husband, Chad; to his sons, Eric Brinker, Mark Brinker, and Bryan Clark and his wife, Kristin; to his six grandchildren, William Simmons, Connor Bottum, Connolly Bottum, Caleb Brinker-Aschtgen, Emma Brinker-Aschtgen, and Devin Clark; to his cousin, Barbara Brock; and to his other relatives and host of 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 Norman Brinker.

Branch

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 108 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on July 2, 2009.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House