| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The distinguished career of a respected oilman is |
|
|
being honored as William Donald Kleine is posthumously inducted |
|
|
into the Petroleum Hall of Fame on April 14, 2011; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Petroleum Hall of Fame, which is based at the |
|
|
Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, recognizes individuals |
|
|
who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the |
|
|
petroleum industry or who have inspired others through their |
|
|
achievements, service, or strength of character; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Bill Kleine was born in Slater, Missouri, on July 4, |
|
|
1928; before making a name for himself in the petroleum industry, he |
|
|
was a member of the Missouri Valley College football team, famous |
|
|
for its 41-game winning streak; he also played for the school's |
|
|
basketball team and was recognized in Ripley's Believe It or Not! |
|
|
for playing a football game in one state at night after having |
|
|
played a basketball game in a different state that same afternoon; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Basketball proved to be his entry into the oil |
|
|
business; after graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in |
|
|
business administration, he was hired by Phillips 66 to play for its |
|
|
famous company basketball team, the 66ers; after a few years of |
|
|
traveling the country with the team, he settled in Midland as a |
|
|
Phillips 66 purchasing agent; in 1956, he took a job with the |
|
|
Western Oil Transportation Company; this small trucking company |
|
|
evolved into the Permian Corporation, a crude oil marketing firm; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Kleine rose to the post of vice president of |
|
|
marketing with Permian as the 22-truck operation grew into a large |
|
|
enterprise with 600 trucks and 6,000 miles of pipelines; the |
|
|
company became the first Midland-based firm to be listed on the New |
|
|
York Stock Exchange; Mr. Kleine retired as president and chief |
|
|
executive officer in 1989; by that time, Permian employed 2,000 |
|
|
people and was the largest crude oil marketing firm in the United |
|
|
States; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Known for his humility, Mr. Kleine was always |
|
|
helpful to those on their way up in the industry and freely shared |
|
|
his expertise and wisdom with his peers; he was a central force in |
|
|
the Midland oil business for more than five decades and a leading |
|
|
figure in the community, serving on the boards of many civic, |
|
|
church, and charitable organizations, such as the High Sky |
|
|
Children's Ranch, the Cerebral Palsy Board, and the Midland |
|
|
Memorial Foundation; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Midland community lost an esteemed business and |
|
|
civic leader when Bill Kleine passed away on June 25, 2010, at the |
|
|
age of 81; through his leadership, he distinguished himself as a |
|
|
successful and influential figure in an industry that is such a |
|
|
vital part of the Texas economy; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor the memory of William Donald Kleine on the |
|
|
occasion of his induction into the Petroleum Hall of Fame and pay |
|
|
tribute to his many admirable contributions; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Mr. Kleine's family as an expression of high regard by |
|
|
the Texas House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Craddick |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 321 was adopted by the House on |
|
|
February 24, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |