H.R. No. 731
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Words fail to adequately express the sorrow felt at
  the untimely loss of Michael Snow Stevens of Houston, who passed
  away on May 24, 2008, at the age of 58; and
         WHEREAS, Michael Stevens was born on November 2, 1949, to
  Darrell and Marianne Stevens; after graduating from Robert E. Lee
  High School, he earned a bachelor's degree in business
  administration from the University of Houston in 1973; answering
  his nation's call to service, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps; and
         WHEREAS, In his professional life, Mr. Stevens earned a
  reputation as a skilled businessman, and the company he created,
  Michael Stevens Interests, Inc., acquired and managed more than 80
  real estate projects; through his involvement in both commercial
  and nonprofit ventures at the local level, he helped advance the
  revitalization of downtown Houston, and he oversaw the financing
  and development of many important multimillion-dollar projects,
  including the Hilton Americas Convention Hotel, the Houston Astros'
  Minute Maid Park, and the Houston Texans' Reliant Stadium; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Stevens also played a central role in the
  creation of Homes for Houston, an initiative that led to the
  construction or improvement of some 20,000 units of affordable
  housing, and he was appointed as Houston's first assistant to the
  mayor for housing and inner city revitalization, a position for
  which he collected the nominal annual salary of one dollar; as chair
  of the Building and Interiors Committee at the Baylor College of
  Medicine, he was instrumental in the construction of many new
  campus buildings, including a one-million-square-foot hospital and
  clinic; and
         WHEREAS, This community-minded developer also shared his
  expertise in transportation issues through his service as chair of
  the Transportation Task Force of the Governor's Business Council,
  as vice chair of the Greater Houston Partnership Transportation and
  Infrastructure Advisory Committee, and as a member of many other
  state and local transportation committees; and
         WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Michael Stevens enjoyed the
  love and support of his wife, Kim, with whom he enjoyed 34 years of
  marriage, and he took great joy in the active role he played in the
  lives of three grandchildren, Grace Noel, Anthony Michael, and
  Kassidy Ann; he also found great comfort in his faith, serving as a
  deacon for Second Baptist Church and chairing both the church's
  Centurion Foundation and its Woodway Campus Building Committee; and
         WHEREAS, A generous and accomplished man committed to the
  betterment and continued prosperity of his community, Michael
  Stevens shared his zest for life with all who had the good fortune
  to know him, and he leaves behind a legacy that will long resonate
  in the city he loved; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Michael Snow Stevens
  and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his
  wife, Kim Stevens; to his grandchildren, Grace Noel, Anthony
  Michael, and Kassidy Ann MacKenzie; to his brother, Vance Stevens,
  and his wife, Bobbie, and their two children, Glenn and Dusty; to
  his sister, Leslie MacClean, and her husband, Chris, and their two
  children, Warren and Emily MacClean; to his sister-in-law, Linda K.
  Stevens; and to his other relatives and many 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 Michael
  Stevens.
 
  Bohac
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 731 was unanimously adopted by a
  rising vote of the House on March 19, 2009.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House