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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, An eminent jurist and a respected civic leader, |
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State District Judge Carl Pendergrass, Jr., passed away on January |
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13, 2013, at the age of 69; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Victoria on October 29, 1943, to Carl |
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Pendergrass, Sr., and Belle Matthews, Carl Pendergrass played |
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defensive tackle for Palacios High School and helped guide his team |
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to the state championship football game; he was offered a football |
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scholarship but instead chose to attend Texas A&M University, where |
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he majored in accounting and became a proud member of the Corps of |
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Cadets and the Marine Corps Reserve; during his summers, he |
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supported himself in the oil field, picking cotton on Southeast |
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Texas farms, and shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico before hitchhiking |
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his way back to College Station to continue his studies; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1965, Mr. Pendergrass married Carol Halamicek, |
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and after his graduation from A&M, the couple moved to Houston; |
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there, Mr. Pendergrass worked at Superior Oil Company by day and |
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attended law school at South Texas College of Law at night; and |
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WHEREAS, He began his law career in Del Rio in 1970; in |
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addition to serving as county attorney from 1971 to 1978, he opened |
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a private practice; he had accumulated nearly three decades of |
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experience when he was tapped to serve as the 83rd Judicial District |
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Court judge by Governor George W. Bush in 1999, and he remained in |
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that post until his passing; during his time on the bench, he was |
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committed to ensuring that all who entered his court received a fair |
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and compassionate decision; and |
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WHEREAS, This dedicated public servant further distinguished |
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himself through his involvement in his community; he served as the |
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Worshipful Master of the Val Verde Masonic Lodge No. 646, and he |
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shared his time and expertise with the Val Verde Hospital Board and |
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the Del Rio Housing Authority; moreover, he was a member of the |
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Lions Club and the Elks Lodge, and he was an enthusiastic supporter |
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of local 4-H youth; and |
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WHEREAS, A man of numerous talents and hobbies, he raised |
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cattle and goats on his farm, owned several racehorses, and earned a |
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pilot's license; he also took pleasure in fishing, hunting, |
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gardening, and barbecuing, and he always delighted in cheering on |
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his beloved Aggies; in all of his endeavors, Judge Pendergrass |
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enjoyed the love and support of his wife and their 4 children, and |
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he was proud to welcome 12 grandchildren into his family; and |
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WHEREAS, Carl Pendergrass served the people of South Texas |
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with dedication and integrity, and he leaves behind a legacy that |
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will forever be treasured by all those whose lives he touched; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Carl Pendergrass, |
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Jr., and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to |
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his wife, Carol Pendergrass; to his children, Lisa Rogenes and her |
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husband, Dr. Vince Rogenes, Dr. Douglas Pendergrass and his wife, |
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Toni, David Pendergrass, and John Pendergrass and his wife, |
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Rebecca; to his grandchildren, Jenson, Jonathan, and Mila Rogenes, |
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and Douglas, Raylee, Hadley, Savannah, Kati, Aiden, Bannon, |
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Elizabeth, and John Reed Pendergrass; to his mother, Belle |
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Matthews; to his sisters, Patsy Metting and Carol Ann Petrakos; to |
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his aunt, Josie Lenz; to his uncle, Arthur Lenz, and his wife, Mary; |
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and to his other relatives and 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 the |
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Honorable Carl Pendergrass, Jr. |