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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The many friends and admirers of the Honorable |
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William M. Hatten, retired judge of the 176th District Criminal |
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Court in Harris County, are gathering to celebrate his 97th |
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birthday and to honor him for his many years of public service; and |
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WHEREAS, A native of Houston, Bill Hatten was born on August |
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26, 1913, and graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1931; he |
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attended law school at night while working as a salesman and |
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deliveryman, graduating in 1934 and passing the state bar the |
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following year; and |
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WHEREAS, That same year, he entered into the practice of |
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civil and criminal law, and in 1943, he helped to defend German-born |
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Heinrich Meyer in the first denaturalization case in the Southern |
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District of Texas; a highly respected member of the legal |
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profession, he was appointed judge of a family law district court in |
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1964 by Governor John Connally; he was elected to the judgeship |
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later that year and reelected in 1968; and |
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WHEREAS, Three years later, Judge Hatten was appointed by |
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Governor Preston Smith to the 176th District Criminal Court; he was |
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elected the following year and returned to the bench by the voters |
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three more times; during his remarkable tenure, he was assigned the |
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high-profile multiple murder trial of Elmer Wayne Henley and David |
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Owen Brooks; Judge Hatten retired in 1988 at the age of 75 and has |
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since gone on to serve his fellow citizens as a senior and |
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substitute judge; and |
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WHEREAS, Equally accomplished as a community leader, this |
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esteemed Texan has shared his time and talents over the years with a |
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number of civic and charitable organizations; he has served as |
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president of the Texas Society for the Prevention of Blindness and |
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has distinguished himself as a member of the Harris County Juvenile |
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Board for more than two decades, chairing the buildings and grounds |
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committee; in addition, he led Boy Scouts Troop No. 138 and served |
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the scouts as a district vice chair; moreover, he is a former member |
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of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program board; and |
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WHEREAS, Judge Hatten has been a major force in the Fraternal |
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Order of Eagles for more than three quarters of a century, serving |
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as president of his local and state aeries as well as coordinating |
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the Fraternal Order of Eagles 1979 national telethon to raise money |
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for the Bob Hope School for children with disabilities in Port |
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Arthur; he also holds life membership in the American Legion and the |
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Veterans of Foreign Wars; and |
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WHEREAS, A man of strong faith, Judge Hatten is a longtime |
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member of All Saints Catholic Church in Houston and has been active |
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in the Knights of Columbus for more than 75 years; he helped to |
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organize the Catholic War Veterans of Houston and served as that |
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group's president and was the first president of the Northwest |
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Serra Club, an evangelical Catholic organization; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Bill Hatten enjoys the love |
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and support of his wife of more than 70 years, Dorothy, and they |
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take great pride in their family, which includes 5 children, 9 |
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grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren; together the couple |
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have collected more than 10,000 books and magazines for |
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distribution to jails and hospitals, and they have delighted in |
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creating a haunted house for area children each Halloween; and |
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WHEREAS, Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of a |
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man's life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark on the |
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world as they move through it, and Bill Hatten's contributions to |
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his fellow Texans continue to resonate in the lives of all who know |
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him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable William M. Hatten on |
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97 years of life well lived and extend to him profound appreciation |
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for his many good works; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Judge Hatten as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Farrar |
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Walle |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1133 was adopted by the House on April |
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6, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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