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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 994
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In Memory |
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of |
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Trammell Crow |
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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 |
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in humble circumstances, one of eight children of a bookkeeper; |
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he 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 United States |
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Navy during World War II, serving as an auditor, and attained the |
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rank of 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 |
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hometown; he built more than 50 warehouses and sculpted the |
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commercial landscape with numerous projects, among them the |
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city's largest hotel, the world's biggest wholesale trade center, |
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and the 50-story Trammell Crow Center and five other downtown |
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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 |
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was widely adopted for myriad prominent office buildings and |
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hotels around the country; his revolutionary business model |
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enabled him to help shape the skylines of Atlanta, San Francisco, |
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and dozens of other United States cities; the World Trade Center |
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transformed Dallas into a center for international commerce, |
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while the Peachtree Center brought dramatic growth to Atlanta's |
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downtown; one of the first United States developers to operate |
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globally, Mr. Crow expanded his empire to reach from Europe and |
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the Middle East to South America, the Far East, and the South |
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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 |
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of the properties he built over the long term, and he was known |
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for his responsiveness to the needs of his tenants; at one time, |
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he had interests in some 8,000 properties in more than 100 |
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cities, and he was named the biggest landlord in the United |
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States by Forbes magazine and The Wall Street Journal; he also |
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founded the Wyndham Hotel Company and developed its chain of |
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first-class hotels; and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan stepped down as chief |
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executive of the Trammell Crow Company in 1977, but he remained |
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involved in deals for some time and was long active in politics, |
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the arts, and philanthropy; he and his wife supported many |
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cultural organizations and established the Trammell and Margaret |
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Crow Collection of Asian Art in 1998, leaving an indelible |
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imprint on the Dallas Arts District, and donated funds for |
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construction of a business school building at Southern Methodist |
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University; moreover, Mr. Crow created the National Tree Trust |
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and turned the family farm in East 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 |
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loyal friend as well; members of his circle, which included |
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business titans and presidents, admired his wit, good humor, and |
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optimism, and he will long be remembered not only as a giant of |
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commerce, but also as a man of uncommon generosity and sterling |
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character; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st |
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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 |
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of 66 years, Margaret Crow; to his children, Robert, Howard, |
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Harlan, and Stuart Crow, Trammell S. Crow, and Lucy Billingsley; |
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to his 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and to his |
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other 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 Senate adjourns |
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this day, it do so in memory of Trammell Crow. |
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Carona |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on May 23, 2009, by a |
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rising vote. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |