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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Homer E. Dean, Jr., of Alice, a distinguished |
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attorney and an admired community leader, passed away on August 18, |
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2008, at the age of 89; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Kaufman to Homer E. Dean, Sr., and Ivor |
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Connell Dean on September 18, 1918, Homer Dean attended the |
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two-room schoolhouse where his mother was a teacher; he eventually |
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set his sights on a legal career and worked five jobs while earning |
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his bachelor's and law degrees at Baylor University; in November |
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1941, he married fellow Baylor graduate Barbara Roberts, and the |
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couple moved to Alice, where Mr. Dean had been offered a job with |
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the firm of Lloyd and Lloyd; and |
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WHEREAS, The newlyweds' lives soon changed course following |
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the attack on Pearl Harbor; Mr. Dean enlisted in the U.S. Army, and |
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he was assigned to military language institutes in New York City and |
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Berkeley, California; after the war ended, he and his wife returned |
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to Alice, though he continued to serve in the Army Reserves until |
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his retirement as lieutenant colonel; and |
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WHEREAS, Dedicated to the field of law, Mr. Dean was named the |
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1969 General Practitioner of the Year by the State Bar Association |
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in the first year the award was bestowed; he practiced actively for |
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more than half a century, arguing cases before the Texas Supreme |
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Court and numerous state and federal appellate courts, and |
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thoroughly enjoyed his chosen profession; along the way, he served |
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as board chair of the State Bar of Texas and mentored numerous |
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attorneys, including a grandson and a niece; and |
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WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan entered public service in 1947 |
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as Jim Wells County attorney and went on to work as the county's |
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election chair for the U.S. Senate campaign of Lyndon Baines |
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Johnson; he subsequently served as district attorney from 1950 to |
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1952 and cofounded the Security Federal Savings and Loan |
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Association, which made low-cost home loans to returning |
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servicemen; a visionary civic leader, he helped found the Alice |
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Water Authority in 1962 and later negotiated the city's first |
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contract for water from Lake Corpus Christi; the Homer E. Dean, Jr., |
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Alice Water Plant was dedicated on his 80th birthday in 1998 in |
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recognition of his more than 35 years of service to the water |
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authority; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Dean further shared his time and talents with |
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the Alice Industrial Foundation, the Jim Wells County Master |
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Planning Association, the Kiwanis Club, the Masons, and the South |
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Texas Children's Home, which he served as a board member; he was a |
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faithful member of First Baptist Church, where he was a longtime |
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deacon and Sunday school teacher who was respected for his |
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extensive knowledge of the Bible; and |
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WHEREAS, Demonstrating an adventurous spirit, Mr. Dean took |
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great pleasure in traveling the world with his wife and family; |
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moreover, he was known for his love of nature and his stewardship of |
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the land; and |
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WHEREAS, Homer Dean brought to his many endeavors enthusiasm |
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and a desire to make a positive difference; although he is deeply |
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missed, he leaves behind a legacy that will long resonate in the |
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community and state he was proud to call home; now, 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 Homer E. Dean, Jr., |
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and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his |
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wife of 66 years, Barbara Dean; to his daughters, Barbara Dean |
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Hendricks and her husband, Bill, Ruth Dean Brillhart and her |
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husband, Don, and Grace Elizabeth Black and her husband, John; to |
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his grandchildren, Burton Dean Brillhart and his wife, Amy, Robert |
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Martin Brillhart and his wife, Kim, Katherine Lee Steele, Jack |
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Calloway Steele, Elizabeth Shields and her husband, Brad, and |
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William Connell Black; to his great-grandchildren, Annie Mitschke |
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Brillhart, Peden Burton Brillhart, and Calloway Thompson Steele; to |
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his sister, Mettie Dean Corley; to his nieces and nephews, Dean |
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Corley Myane, Terry McClaugherty Josey, and General John Donald |
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Wesley Corley; to his cousin, Jana Barr Brown; and to his other |
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relatives 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 Homer Dean. |
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Gonzalez Toureilles |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2152 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on May 21, 2009. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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