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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas political scene has lost an insightful and |
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articulate voice with the death of legendary journalist Sam Kinch, |
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Jr., of Austin on February 1, 2011; and |
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WHEREAS, A seventh-generation Texan, Sam Kinch was born in |
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Fort Worth on February 18, 1940, to Sam Kinch, Sr., a newspaperman, |
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and Harriet Stokes Kinch, an educator; he grew up in Austin, where |
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he learned to love Texas politics at an early age, thanks in part to |
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the influence of his father, who covered the Capitol for the Fort |
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Worth Star-Telegram; the young Sam got his first taste of working |
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under the pink dome in 1954, when he served as a page in the Texas |
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House of Representatives during a special session; he graduated |
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from McCallum High School in 1958; and |
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WHEREAS, After serving in the U.S. Army, Mr. Kinch earned |
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both a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in |
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journalism and history from The University of Texas at Austin; |
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along the way, he worked for the Daily Texan, covering his first |
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session of the Texas Legislature in 1961 and his first |
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gubernatorial primary in 1962 and later serving as the paper's |
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editor; he also worked part-time and during the summers for |
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newspapers in Austin, Temple, and Fort Worth; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Kinch married his high school sweetheart, the |
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former Lilas Janice Shelby, in 1963, and the following year, they |
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moved to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Kinch reported on national |
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politics for the National Observer, the Dallas Times-Herald, and |
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the Dallas Morning News; he and his family returned to Texas in |
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1970, and for the next 15 years he served as the chief state |
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political reporter for the Morning News; during that time, he won a |
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number of awards, including one for a story about his ride on a |
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plane that was hijacked to Cuba and another for his book Texas Under |
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a Cloud, which he coauthored with Ben Proctor, about the Sharpstown |
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investment fraud scandal; and |
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WHEREAS, Building on his experience covering the statehouse, |
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Mr. Kinch founded the newsletter Texas Weekly in the mid-1980s with |
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two friends; he was involved with the publication for 14 years |
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before selling his interest in it and entering semiretirement; Mr. |
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Kinch went on to coauthor two more books, Too Much Is Not Enough, |
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about state reform of campaign finance laws, and Crapshoot Justice, |
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about judicial election reform; and |
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WHEREAS, While he continued writing and consulting |
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part-time, Mr. Kinch also took great pleasure in traveling with his |
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wife, spending time outdoors, and listening to country and gospel |
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music; he especially enjoyed sharing laughs with his loved ones, |
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including his daughter and two sons, of whom he was extremely proud; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, To the end of his life, Sam Kinch remained |
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fascinated by Texas politics and history, and for more than 40 |
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years, he informed and entertained the reading public with his |
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passion, intellect, and expertise; 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 memory of Sam Kinch, Jr., and |
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extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his |
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wife, Lilas Kinch; to his children, Keary Anjanette Kinch, Samuel |
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Sean Kinch, and Ashby McDalton Kinch; to his daughters-in-law, Jill |
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Savola Kinch and Amy Fowler Kinch; to his son-in-law, Tim |
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Evgenides; to his granddaughters, Amani Janice Kinch Alexander, |
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Shelby Auchincloss Kinch, Katherine Victoria Kinch, and Helen |
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Joanna Kinch Evgenides; to his grandsons, Griffin Ashby Kinch and |
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Samuel Rice Kinch; to his sister, Ann Walden, and her husband, Jack; |
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and to his other relatives and many 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 House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sam Kinch, |
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Jr. |
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Raymond |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1100 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on April 14, 2011. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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