82R14205 JGH-D
 
  By: Hardcastle H.R. No. 965
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Texas aviation pioneer and entrepreneur Henry
  Leland Snow of Wichita Falls passed away on February 20, 2011, at
  the age of 80; and
         WHEREAS, Leland Snow was born in Brownsville on May 31, 1930,
  to Henry Evans Snow and Carrie Beth Sewell Snow; raised in the Rio
  Grande Valley, he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering at
  Texas A&M University in 1952; and
         WHEREAS, Widely regarded as the creator of the modern
  crop-dusting airplane, Mr. Snow designed and constructed his first
  agricultural aircraft, the S-1, in 1951; he flew the plane himself
  on crop-dusting jobs in Texas and Nicaragua before founding Snow
  Aeronautical in 1955; a few years later, he opened a factory in
  Olney, where he manufactured the next generation of crop dusters,
  the S-2A and S-2B; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Snow sold his company to Rockwell-Standard in
  1965, but stayed on as vice president of the Aero Commander division
  and helped to design the Thrush aircraft; he left Rockwell in 1972
  to start Air Tractor, eventually opening a new factory in Olney;
  today, Air Tractors are used the world over for crop dusting,
  firefighting, cleaning up oil spills, and more; president of the
  company until his death, Mr. Snow also remained active in
  engineering; and
         WHEREAS, This esteemed businessman received many awards and
  recognitions over the course of his illustrious career; he was
  inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2005,
  Air Tractor earned the International Torch Award for Marketplace
  Ethics from the Better Business Bureau; he contributed generously
  to the National Agricultural Aviation Association, in particular to
  its pilot safety and drift minimization programs; and
         WHEREAS, Among Mr. Snow's many interests were classical
  music, playing the piano, and running; he supported the Wichita
  Falls Symphony Orchestra, as well as local arts, and he
  participated in three marathons, including the famous New York City
  Marathon, after the age of 65; and
         WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Snow enjoyed the love
  and support of his wife, the former Nancy Bacon, whom he married in
  1946; together they were blessed with two daughters, Kara and
  Kristin, as well as two grandchildren, Brennan and Elisabeth; and
         WHEREAS, Leland Snow will long be remembered, not only for
  his remarkable innovations in aviation and his contributions to his
  community, but also for the kindness, determination, and charity
  with which he lived his life; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Henry Leland Snow
  and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
  wife, Nancy Snow; to his daughters, Kara East and Kristin Edwards
  and her husband, Trevor; to his grandchildren, Brennan Edwards and
  Elisabeth East; to his sister, Marihelen Snow; to his
  brother-in-law, John Bacon, and his wife, Patricia; to his nephews,
  Conan McCarty, Kevin McCarty and his wife, Margaret, John Charles
  Bacon, Jr., and his wife, Paige, and John Franklin Bacon; and to his
  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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Leland
  Snow.