81R28094 BPG-D

By: Craddick H.R. No. 1771

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Beal family of Midland has been honored with a 2009 Hearst Energy Award for lifetime achievement by the Midland Reporter-Telegram and its parent company, the Hearst Corporation; and

WHEREAS, In 1949, petroleum engineer Carlton Beal, Sr., drilled his first oil well in West Texas; the son of a California geologist and oilman, Mr. Beal was a Stanford graduate and had earned his master's degree in petroleum engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before going on to serve in the Petroleum Administration for War and teach at the University of Southern California during World War II; he moved his family to Midland in 1953, and the next year formed Beal, Trobaugh and Associates with a former student; and

WHEREAS, BTA became one of the most successful independent oil companies in the Permian Basin, and Beal family members took on leadership roles in the community; in 1959, Mr. Beal and his wife, Keleen, created the Beal Foundation that has generously supported educational, religious, and charitable causes; Mrs. Beal served as chair of the foundation, and the family and the foundation were honored by the establishment of Beal Plaza at Midland College in 1978; 20 years later, the foundation received the fifth annual Permian Basin National Philanthropy Day Outstanding Foundation Award; and

WHEREAS, The couple and their foundation made numerous significant donations to Midland College, and this tradition has been followed by their son, Spencer, who joined the Midland College Foundation Board in 1984 and served as its president from 1992 to 1996; for his contributions to the school and the community, he was recognized in 2005 with the Outstanding Volunteer Award on the 12th annual Permian Basin National Philanthropy Day; and

WHEREAS, Today, numerous members of the Beal family uphold the legacy of civic commitment established by Mr. Beal, who died in 1994, and Mrs. Beal, who passed away in 2006; the company, now known as BTA Oil Producers, continues to be a family enterprise, and the partners include Mr. and Mrs. Beal's four sons, Carlton "Carty" Beal, Jr., Barry Beal, Sr., and Spencer and Kelly Beal, as well as two of Barry Beal's sons, Stuart Beal and Barry "BJ" Beal, Jr., and Barry Beal's son-in-law, Bob Davenport; BJ Beal also serves as general manager; and

WHEREAS, Other members of this prominent and civic-minded family are Linda Kay Nanny Beal, wife of Carty Beal, and their children, Carl Beal III, Cristina Beal Johnstone, and Lauren Beal Sherry, Nancy Carruth Beal, wife of Barry Beal, and their other children, Elizabeth Beal Davenport and Stephen Beal, Karlene Beal Garber and her husband, Richard, and their children, Michele Garber, Chris Hinojosa, Laurie Garber Fulton, and Scott Beal, Karen Roberts Beal, wife of Spencer Beal, and their children, Spencer Beal, Jr., Kimberly Beal, and Rebecca Beal McClure, and Chrys Detmering Beal, wife of Kelly Beal, and their children, Robin Beal Bumstead, Leigh Beal Sheppard, and KC Beal; and

WHEREAS, For more than half a century, BTA Oil Producers has played a vital role in the prosperity of Midland and the Permian Basin and members of the Beal family have worked with admirable diligence to make a positive difference in their community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the Beal family on receiving the 2009 Hearst Energy Award for lifetime achievement and extend to the family members best wishes for continued success in their worthwhile endeavors; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the Beal family as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.