|
|
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 513
|
|
WHEREAS, During his many decades as an elected official and |
|
community business leader in McAllen, the Honorable Othal E. |
|
Brand, Sr., has had a lasting . . . and lasting . . . and |
|
lasting influence on the city of McAllen; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The mayor of McAllen from 1977 until 1997, this |
|
tireless public servant helped guide the city through two |
|
eventful decades that witnessed great economic and civic |
|
progress in South Texas; while Mayor Brand may not have succeeded |
|
in his valiant campaign to rid the city of grackles, there is no |
|
denying that his efforts have made an indelible mark on his |
|
adopted hometown; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Othal Brand was born on August 12, 1919, in |
|
Grayson, Georgia, and began his love affair with vegetables soon |
|
after his mother fed him his first spoonful of mushy peas; a born |
|
entrepreneur, he entered the business world at a young age, and |
|
he and his brother Bill established Brand Brothers Produce in |
|
Atlanta, the city where he grew up; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Opting to put his budding fruit and vegetable |
|
empire on hold during World War II, he enlisted in the United |
|
States Marine Corps and served his nation in the South Pacific; |
|
he returned stateside at war's end, and he and his wife, Kathryn |
|
Louise, were joined in matrimony in 1945; whether it was due to |
|
Mrs. Brand's good sense or some other factor, the couple moved in |
|
the mid-1950s to McAllen, a town Mr. Brand had first visited in |
|
the late 1930s; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Warm weather makes most people slow down a step or |
|
two, but Othal Brand is not most people; once settled beneath the |
|
South Texas sun, he went to work, teaming with Jack Griffin to |
|
found Griffin & Brand of McAllen; the company grew into one of the |
|
nation's largest vegetable producers, processors, and shippers, |
|
and Mr. Brand became a titan of agriculture, eventually earning a |
|
place in the Texas Heritage Hall of Honor for his contributions |
|
to farming and ranching; in time, he sought elective office, |
|
serving as a member of the school board and as a city commissioner |
|
in addition to his 20 years as McAllen's mayor; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Juggling numerous business and governmental |
|
responsibilities was apparently not enough of a challenge for |
|
Mayor Brand, so he found other jobs that needed doing; he played a |
|
key role in establishing organizations such as the Boys and Girls |
|
Clubs of McAllen and the McAllen Economic Development |
|
Corporation, and he has been a member of numerous boards and |
|
committees; all in all, this mover and shaker has proven himself |
|
capable of excelling in darn near anything he sets his mind to, |
|
and McAllen has become a better place as a result; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Through the years, Mayor Brand has also |
|
cultivated a fine family; he and his wife have four children and |
|
also relish the time they spend with their numerous grandchildren |
|
and great-grandchildren; and |
|
WHEREAS, In his many decades as a community leader, Othal |
|
Brand has time and again demonstrated an unwavering |
|
determination to follow his convictions and to bring others along |
|
for the ride, and he has become a legendary figure whose |
|
achievements will continue to resonate in South Texas for decades |
|
to come; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st |
|
Legislature, hereby commend the Honorable Othal E. Brand, Sr., |
|
for his dedicated service to the city of McAllen and extend to him |
|
sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be |
|
it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
|
prepared for Mr. Brand as an expression of high regard from the |
|
Texas Senate. |
|
|
Hinojosa, Lucio |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
________________________________ |
|
|
President of the Senate |
|
|
|
|
|
I hereby certify that the |
|
|
above Resolution was adopted by |
|
|
the Senate on March 25, 2009. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
________________________________ |
|
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
________________________________ |
|
|
Member, Texas Senate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
________________________________ |
|
|
Member, Texas Senate |