81R587 JGH-D

By: Hilderbran H.R. No. 25

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost an admired athlete, coach, and youth development leader with the passing of former Olympic swimmer Tex Julian Robertson on August 27, 2007, at the age of 98; and

WHEREAS, Tex Robertson was born in Sweetwater on April 23, 1909, to Frank G. Robertson and Nancy Emerson Robertson; as a boy, he learned to swim in a flooded creek and was known to practice his aquatic skills in a horse trough; and

WHEREAS, A graduate of Sweetwater High School, Mr. Robertson attended the University of Southern California and Los Angeles Junior College, and he received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of science degree from The University of Texas; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Robertson demonstrated his impressive swimming skills at the University of Michigan, where he won Big 10 and NCAA championships, and he was a member of the 1932 United States Olympic Team; from the mid-1930s to 1943 and again from 1946 to 1950, he coached swimming at The University of Texas, where he led the UT team to the Southwest Conference championship in each of the 13 seasons that he served as coach; and

WHEREAS, During World War II, he interrupted his coaching career to serve in the United States Navy as a swimming instructor and a trainer of underwater demolition teams; and

WHEREAS, In 1939, Mr. Robertson married Pat Hudson, and together they founded Camp Longhorn; the summer camp began with one guest and 17 counselors but grew steadily through the years to become a well-known and well-loved Texas institution; today, it continues to host more than 4,000 campers each summer at two locations; Mr. Robertson also played an important role in founding the Camping Association for Mutual Progress to promote youth camping in Texas; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his life, he was an influential swimming advocate, founding the organizations Working Exes for Texas Swimming and Texas Age Group Swimming and actively supporting the growth of the sport at the high school level; for his efforts as an athlete, coach, and swimming ambassador, he was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1965 and received the Gold Medallion Award from the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Robertson won national and international titles in Masters Swimming competitions and continued to engage in his favorite sport well into his 90s; in 2007, he was recognized with the Texas Masters Swimming Lifetime Achievement Award; and

WHEREAS, This energetic and caring man was also active in the life of his community; he was instrumental in the creation of a range of organizations and events, including the Burnet Community Center, the Honor Citizen Program, and Citizens of Burnet Schools; he was honored by the Lower Colorado River Authority in 1998 with his induction into the LCRA Walk of Honor; and

WHEREAS, In the course of the many years that he lived in the Lone Star State, Tex Robertson promoted the joys and rewards of aquatic exercise and the outdoors, and he played an important role in the growth of competitive swimming; he will be deeply missed, but he will live on in the fond memories of the generations of swimmers and campers whose lives he enriched; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Tex Julian Robertson and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife of 67 years, Pat Robertson; to his sons, John Robertson and his wife, Donna, Robby Robertson and his wife, Deidra, and Bill Robertson and his wife, Carol; to his daughters, Sally Lucksinger and Nancy Manning and her husband, Bobby; to his 18 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; 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 Tex Julian Robertson.