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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Tyler Morning Telegraph is celebrating its |
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centennial on November 18, 2009; and |
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WHEREAS, Part of a long newspaper tradition, the Tyler |
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Morning Telegraph is owned by the T. B. Butler Publishing Company, |
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Inc., which has been run by the same family for five generations, |
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starting on November 18, 1910, when Thomas Booker Butler purchased |
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the Tyler Courier-Times, an afternoon newspaper formed in 1906 with |
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the consolidation of the Daily Courier, founded in 1877 as a weekly, |
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and the Weekly Times; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Butler, a civic leader, businessman, and |
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attorney, served one term as county judge of Smith County and filled |
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an unexpired term as judge of the 7th Judicial District Court; he |
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made his mark in many aspects of commerce, most notably as the |
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founder and president of Guaranty State Bank and as publisher of the |
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Courier-Times, where he fostered a pattern of community engagement; |
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during his first four years at its helm, the paper successfully |
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campaigned for the construction of a modern streetcar system and |
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was instrumental in replacing an outmoded ward system with a city |
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manager form of government; and |
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WHEREAS, On November 14, 1929, Butler Publishing printed the |
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first edition of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, which featured |
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expanded coverage of East Texas cities, while the Courier-Times |
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retained its focus on matters in Tyler; the Sunday paper was renamed |
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the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph; eventually, the nationwide |
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shift toward morning newspapers took its toll on the Courier-Times, |
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and the company ceased publication of its afternoon newspaper in |
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1995; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, members of the Butler family |
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continued to guide Butler Publishing; Mr. Butler's daughter, Sarah |
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Butler, was succeeded by her nephew, Calvin Clyde, Jr.; Mr. Clyde's |
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son, Nelson Clyde III, began serving as president and publisher in |
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1990, while Nelson Clyde IV now serves as associate publisher; |
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other family members involved in the paper's management include |
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operations manager Andrew Clyde and board member Jim Bothwell; the |
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paper's stability and continuity of vision are also represented by |
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the remarkable tenures of two directors, W. E. "Buddy" Hendley, the |
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business manager and treasurer, and Everett Taylor, |
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editor-in-chief, who each joined the organization more than a |
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half-century ago; and |
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WHEREAS, The company has maintained its culture of quality, |
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earning numerous awards in recent years for editorial excellence, |
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public service, and philanthropy; in 2005, the Tyler Morning |
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Telegraph received a Charles E. Green Award for breaking news from |
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the Headliners Foundation of Texas, and it has won numerous |
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journalism honors from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors; |
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the paper's coverage of the judicial process has been recognized |
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multiple times with the Gavel Award from the Texas Bar Association, |
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and Baylor University named the Butler Publishing Company the Texas |
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Family Business of the Year for 2005 in the large-company division; |
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the Better Business Bureau recognized the newspaper with a Torch |
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Award for Marketplace Ethics, and in May 2008, the City of Tyler |
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selected founder T. B. Butler as the second honoree in Tyler's |
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Half-Mile of History; and |
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WHEREAS, The enduring success of the T. B. Butler Publishing |
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Company offers strong testimony to the business values and |
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journalism standards that Thomas Booker Butler established and |
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handed down to his descendants, and the 100th anniversary of the |
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newspaper provides a fitting opportunity to recognize the history |
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of the Butler family and the Tyler Morning Telegraph; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby congratulate the Tyler Morning Telegraph on the occasion of |
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its 100th anniversary and extend best wishes for continued success |
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to all those associated with this venerable newspaper; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Tyler Morning Telegraph as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |
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Berman |
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Flynn |
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Merritt |
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Hughes |
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Hopson |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 204 was adopted by the House on May |
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4, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 204 was adopted by the Senate on May |
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11, 2009, by a viva-voce vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |