H.C.R. No. 126

	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The people of Texas lost an exemplary public servant
	and a universally beloved member of the house of representatives
	with the passing of the Honorable Edmund Kuempel of Seguin on
	November 4, 2010, at the age of 67; and
	WHEREAS, Representative Kuempel was born in Austin on
	November 29, 1942, and graduated from Austin High School; after
	earning a degree in business from Texas Lutheran College in 1964, he
	went to work for Structural Metals, now CMC Steel Texas, in Seguin,
	where he spent his entire career; and
	WHEREAS, In 1982, Edmund Kuempel won the first of 15
	consecutive terms in the house of representatives; enormously
	popular in his district, he frequently ran unopposed in the general
	election; at the statehouse, he quickly gained the respect of his
	colleagues, securing an appointment to the Ways and Means Committee
	during his freshman term and the Appropriations Committee during
	his second; at the time of his passing, he was the third most senior
	member of the house, chair of the Licensing and Administrative
	Procedures Committee, and a senior member of the Calendars and
	Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committees; he had previously
	chaired the Committees on Retirement and Aging, State Recreational
	Resources, and House Administration; in the latter capacity, he
	helped to oversee extensive restoration of the Capitol and the
	construction of the underground Capitol Extension; and
	WHEREAS, A tireless champion of his constituents' interests,
	Representative Kuempel also supported the development of the
	state's parks and recreation areas, played a vital role in shaping
	and passing environmental regulations, and was similarly
	instrumental in crafting and shepherding legislation relating to
	state, teacher, municipal, and county retirement funds; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout his 28 years in the house of
	representatives, Edmund Kuempel consistently reflected the
	greatest honor on that chamber; selfless, hardworking, and
	scrupulously honest, he also had a boundless capacity for
	friendship, one that was never constrained by differences of
	opinion or of party affiliation; Edmund Kuempel simply loved
	people, and he treated every single individual he encountered with
	unfailing graciousness and good cheer; his warm smile and jovial
	nature were legendary, as were his infinite kindness and
	generosity; those qualities engendered tremendous respect and
	affection and enabled him to build the kind of bridges between
	political camps that foster good governance; and
	WHEREAS, Among the host of accolades bestowed on
	Representative Kuempel were the John Traeger Award from the Texas
	Municipal Retirement System, Man of the Year Award from the Texas
	County Agricultural Agents Association, Career Achievement Award
	and Legislative Leadership Award from the Texas Chamber of
	Commerce, and Leader of Excellence Award from the Free Market
	Committee; Texas Lutheran University conferred on him its
	Distinguished Service Award and inducted him into its Athletics
	Leadership Wall of Honor Class of 2009; and
	WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan remained deeply engaged in the
	life of his district, where his myriad activities included speaking
	at community functions and wielding the auctioneer's gavel at
	fund-raising events for worthy causes; together with his wife,
	Roberta "Birdie" Blumberg Kuempel, he was an active and valued
	member of Faith Lutheran Church; and
	WHEREAS, Representative Edmund Kuempel was the genuine
	article, a gentleman and statesman in every sense of those words,
	and his colleagues in the house of representatives will forever
	remember his joyous spirit and his unwavering devotion to the Lone
	Star State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
	hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Edmund Kuempel and
	extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
	wife, Roberta "Birdie" Kuempel; to his daughter and son-in-law,
	Margaret and Walter Brady; to his son and daughter-in-law, John and
	Michelle Kuempel; to his grandchildren, Rose Brady and Will and Sam
	Kuempel; to his father, Henry Kuempel; to his brother and
	sister-in-law, Robert and Jamie Kuempel; to his aunt, Marilyn
	Kuempel Smith; and to his many other relatives and friends; and, be
	it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
	Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of
	the Honorable Edmund Kuempel.
	Thompson Geren
	Aliseda Allen
	Alonzo Alvarado
	Anchia Anderson of McLennan
	Anderson of Dallas Aycock
	Beck Berman
	Bohac Bonnen
	Branch Brown
	Burkett Burnam
	Button Cain
	Callegari Carter
	Castro Chisum
	Christian Coleman
	Cook Craddick
	Creighton Crownover
	Darby J. Davis of Harris
	S. Davis of Harris Davis of Dallas
	Deshotel Driver
	Dukes Dutton
	Eiland Eissler
	Elkins Farias
	Farrar Fletcher
	Flynn Frullo
	Gallego Garza
	Giddings Gonzales of Williamson
	Gonzales of Hidalgo Gonzalez
	Gooden Guillen
	Gutierrez Hamilton
	Hancock Hardcastle
	Harless Harper-Brown
	Hartnett Hernandez Luna
	Hilderbran Hochberg
	Hopson Howard of Fort Bend
	Howard of Travis Huberty
	Hughes Hunter
	Isaac Jackson
	Johnson Keffer
	King of Parker King of Taylor
	King of Zavala Kleinschmidt
	Kolkhorst Kuempel
	Landtroop Larson
	Laubenberg Lavender
	Legler Lewis
	Lozano Lucio III
	Lyne Madden
	Mallory Caraway Margo
	Marquez Martinez Fischer
	Martinez McClendon
	Menendez Miles
	Miller of Comal Miller of Erath
	Morrison Munoz, Jr.
	Murphy Naishtat
	Nash Oliveira
	Orr Otto
	Parker Patrick
	Paxton Pena
	Perry Phillips
	Pickett Pitts
	Price Quintanilla
	Raymond Reynolds
	Riddle Ritter
	Rodriguez Schwertner
	Scott Sheets
	Sheffield Shelton
	Simpson Smith of Tarrant
	Smith of Harris Smithee
	Solomons Strama
	Straus Taylor of Galveston
	Taylor of Collin Torres
	Truitt Turner
	Veasey Villarreal
	Vo Walle
	Weber White
	Woolley Workman
	Zedler Zerwas
	Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
	Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
	Allen Gooden Murphy
	Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
	Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
	Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
	Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
	Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
	Aycock Harless Parker
	Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
	Berman Hartnett Paxton
	Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
	Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
	Branch Hochberg Phillips
	Brown Hopson Pickett
	Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
	Burnam Howard of Travis Price
	Button Huberty Quintanilla
	Cain Hughes Raymond
	Callegari Hunter Reynolds
	Carter Isaac Riddle
	Castro Jackson Ritter
	Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
	Christian Keffer Schwertner
	Coleman King of Parker Scott
	Cook King of Taylor Sheets
	Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
	Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
	Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
	Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
	Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
	J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
	S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
	Deshotel Lavender Strama
	Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
	Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
	Dutton Lozano Thompson
	Eiland Lucio III Torres
	Eissler Lyne Truitt
	Elkins Madden Turner
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Margo Villarreal
	Fletcher Marquez Vo
	Flynn Martinez Walle
	Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
	Gallego McClendon White
	Garza Menendez Woolley
	Geren Miles Workman
	Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
	Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 126 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the House on May 27, 2011.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 126 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the Senate on May 29, 2011.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: __________________
	Date
	__________________
	Governor