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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Legendary aviation research scientist Dr. Leo |
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Windecker of Cedar Park passed away on February 13, 2010, at the age |
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of 88, and residents of Texas and beyond mourned his passing; and |
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WHEREAS, This remarkable man, who was born on July 9, 1921, in |
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Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, grew up in Karnes City, where his father |
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served as a pastor to the German-speaking communities in the area; |
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demonstrating a fascination with aviation even as a teen, he and his |
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brother began making parachutes out of their mother's tablecloths |
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and launching small animals off the steeple of their father's |
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church; and |
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WHEREAS, Leo Windecker served as a medic during World War II |
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and received a commendation for discovering the cause of the |
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amoebic dysentery that was plaguing troops in the South Pacific |
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theater; after being discharged with a Purple Heart for injuries |
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sustained in a Japanese bombing attack, he returned stateside and |
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graduated from The University of Texas Dental School in Houston; he |
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opened his first dental practice in Lake Jackson in 1948; and |
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WHEREAS, Still passionate about aviation, Dr. Windecker took |
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his first flying lesson in 1956 and subsequently started |
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experimenting with composite materials to make stronger and safer |
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airplanes; he eventually closed his practice to concentrate |
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full-time on aviation projects, and in 1960, he earned a research |
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grant from the Dow Chemical Company in Freeport; that same year, his |
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wife, Dr. Fairfax Moody Windecker, also closed her dental practice, |
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and the two spent the rest of their careers on aerodynamic research; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The Windecker Eagle made its first flight in 1967 |
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and won Federal Aviation Administration Certification two years |
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later, setting a standard for all-composite aircraft; three |
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Windecker Eagles are now housed in museums, including the |
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Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Windecker |
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donated his personal Eagle, which he had flown throughout the |
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United States and Canada, to the Lake Jackson Historical Museum, |
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where it is displayed in the rotunda; and |
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WHEREAS, Based on his knowledge that radar passed through |
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fiberglass composites, Dr. Windecker had another world-changing |
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idea and proposed building a radar-invisible airplane for the U.S. |
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Air Force; after two years of research and development, he |
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delivered the YE-5 Stealth prototype in 1973; his company, |
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Windecker Industries of Midland, also contracted with the military |
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to design and build a remotely piloted vehicle for Lockheed |
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Missiles and Space Company; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Windecker received 22 U.S. patents and many |
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foreign patents for composite aircraft construction and is widely |
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respected as an aviation pioneer; in 2003, he was inducted into the |
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Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, and he has since been nominated for the |
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National Aviation Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Windecker's wife and longtime collaborator, |
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Fairfax, passed away in 1990; fortunate enough to find love again, |
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he married Julia Kay, and the couple enjoyed a wonderful retirement |
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together, before settling in Cedar Park to be near family; and |
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WHEREAS, Through his extraordinary insights and inventions, |
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Leo Windecker brought great honor to the Lone Star State, and he |
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left behind an inspiring legacy that will continue to resonate for |
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many years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Dr. Leo Windecker and |
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extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, |
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Julia Windecker; to his sons, Moody "Skipper" Hamilton and his |
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wife, Deni, Robert Windecker and his wife, Judy, Ted Windecker and |
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his wife, Charlotte; to his "bonus" children, Dr. Charles "Chocky" |
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Kay and his wife, Kathy, Linda Fulkerson and her husband, Skip, and |
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Anne Hill; to his siblings, the Reverend Arnold Windecker, Dr. |
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Roland Windecker, and Anita Windecker; to his six grandchildren, |
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five "bonus" grandchildren, one great-grandson, and seven "bonus" |
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great-grandchildren; and to his other relatives and friends; and, |
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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 House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Leo |
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Windecker. |
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Bonnen |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1035 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on April 21, 2011. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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