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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of a remarkable figure in the annals of |
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American business drew to a close on January 14, 2009, with the |
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death of legendary developer Trammell Crow at the age of 94; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Dallas on June 10, 1914, Mr. Crow grew up in |
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humble circumstances, one of eight children of a bookkeeper; he |
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began taking odd jobs as an enterprising 10-year-old and later |
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helped his family through the Depression; after graduating from |
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Woodrow Wilson High School in 1932, he worked in a bank and took |
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night classes, becoming a teller and then studying accounting at |
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Southern Methodist University; he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during |
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World War II, serving as an auditor, and attained the rank of |
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commander; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Crow demonstrated bold vision with his first |
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real estate deal in 1948, pioneering the practice of speculative |
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building; he constructed a warehouse for the Rayovac Company and |
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added extra space, for which he later found a second tenant; his |
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acumen soon made him a major industrial developer in his hometown; |
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he built more than 50 warehouses and sculpted the commercial |
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landscape with numerous projects, among them the city's largest |
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hotel, the world's biggest wholesale trade center, and the 50-story |
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Trammell Crow Center and five other downtown skyscrapers; and |
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WHEREAS, Ever the innovator, Mr. Crow featured an atrium in |
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the one-million-square-foot Dallas Trade Mart, and this concept was |
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widely adopted for myriad prominent office buildings and hotels |
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around the country; his revolutionary business model enabled him to |
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help shape the skylines of Atlanta, San Francisco, and dozens of |
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other U.S. cities; the World Trade Center transformed Dallas into a |
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center for international commerce, while the Peachtree Center |
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brought dramatic growth to Atlanta's downtown; one of the first |
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U.S. developers to operate globally, Mr. Crow expanded his empire |
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to reach from Europe and the Middle East to South America, the Far |
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East, and the South Pacific islands; and |
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WHEREAS, Although many real estate developers quickly sold |
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off their projects for fast profits, Mr. Crow retained ownership of |
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the properties he built over the long term, and he was known for his |
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responsiveness to the needs of his tenants; at one time, he had |
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interests in some 8,000 properties in more than 100 cities, and he |
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was named the biggest landlord in the United States by Forbes |
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magazine and The Wall Street Journal; he also founded the Wyndham |
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Hotel Company and developed its chain of first-class hotels; and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan stepped down as chief executive |
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of the Trammell Crow Company in 1977, but he remained involved in |
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deals for some time and was long active in politics, the arts, and |
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philanthropy; he and his wife supported many cultural organizations |
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and established the Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian |
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Art in 1998, leaving an indelible imprint on the Dallas Arts |
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District, and donated funds for construction of a business school |
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building at Southern Methodist University; moreover, Mr. Crow |
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created the National Tree Trust and turned the family farm in East |
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Texas into a tree nursery; and |
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WHEREAS, A mentor to countless real estate magnates and |
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successful executives, Mr. Crow was a devoted family man and loyal |
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friend as well; members of his circle, which included business |
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titans and presidents, admired his wit, good humor, and optimism, |
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and he will long be remembered not only as a giant of commerce, but |
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also as a man of uncommon generosity and sterling character; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Trammell Crow and |
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extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife of |
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66 years, Margaret Crow; to his children, Robert, Howard, Harlan, |
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and Stuart Crow, Trammell S. Crow, and Lucy Billingsley; to his 16 |
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grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; and to his other relatives |
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and friends; and, be 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 Trammell |
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Crow. |