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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Texas honors and |
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commemorates the lives of John Clinton Formby and Margaret Clark |
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Formby; and |
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WHEREAS, This distinguished couple was widely admired |
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throughout the Panhandle and the state for their many contributions |
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to their community and their respective fields of endeavor; and |
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WHEREAS, John Clinton Formby, known as Clint Formby, was born |
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December 23, 1923, in McAdoo; after graduating from McAdoo High |
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School, he entered Texas Tech University; he left school to enlist |
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in the United States Army during World War II, and he served as a |
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staff sergeant and medic at the 235th General Hospital in |
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Marseille, France; and |
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WHEREAS, Margaret Clark Formby was born July 12, 1929, in Van |
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Horn; salutatorian of her 1946 class at Van Horn High School, she |
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attended Texas Tech University, where she became the first Miss |
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Texas Tech; and |
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WHEREAS, After the war, Clint Formby returned to Texas Tech |
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University, where he met Margaret, and they were married; while |
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attending school, he worked with his uncle on the construction of |
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the KPAN-AM radio station in Hereford, and his was the first voice |
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heard on the air when the station began broadcasting; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Formby had a lifelong interest in the role |
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women have played in western culture, and she built an impressive |
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collection of western and rodeo artifacts; to highlight the many |
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contributions that women made to the legacy of the West, she founded |
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the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Hereford, using her |
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collection as its foundation; the museum has since moved to the |
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heart of the Fort Worth cultural district, where it continues to |
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delight visitors from across the nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Formby crafted a long and illustrious career in |
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the radio industry; known on-air as the "Old Philosopher," he did a |
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daily broadcast on a wide variety of topics that ran for more than |
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half a century on KPAN-AM and FM, the longest-running daily radio |
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broadcast by a single host in the country; and |
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WHEREAS, The couple was active in numerous civic |
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organizations and each won numerous accolades for community |
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service; Mr. Formby served as president of the Deaf Smith County |
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Chamber of Commerce and of the Kiwanis Club, was named Citizen of |
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the Year, and in 1984 was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Texas |
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Association of Broadcasters; Mrs. Formby worked with the American |
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Cancer Society and the Kings Manor Methodist Home, and she helped to |
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establish the Cowboy Symposium held at Texas Tech University, where |
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she served on the board of the National Ranching Heritage Center; |
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she was also the first woman elected to the Texas Tech University |
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Rodeo Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Formby enjoyed more than 50 years of |
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marriage and raised five children, Larry, Marshall, Ben, and Scott |
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Formby, and the late Linda Kay Formby; and |
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WHEREAS, They were beloved by their family and countless |
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friends, and although they are deeply missed, their generosity of |
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spirit and their many accomplishments will continue to live in the |
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hearts and minds of those they left behind; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby pay tribute to the lives and shared legacy of Margaret Formby |
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and Clint Formby; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared for |
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their family as an expression of admiration and tribute from the |
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Texas Legislature, and that when the Senate and the House of |
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Representatives adjourn this day, they do so in memory of Margaret |
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and Clint Formby. |