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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The city of Houston lost one of its most admired and |
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beloved artists with the death of Bert Long, Jr., on February 1, |
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2013, at the age of 72; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in the Bayou City in 1940, Bert Long helped |
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raise his siblings after his father died, picking cotton in the |
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summers as a young child and working at the Houston Club throughout |
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his years at Phillis Wheatley High School; he went on to serve his |
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country for six years as a member of the U.S. Marines and |
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subsequently attended culinary school in Los Angeles; he had a |
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successful career as an executive chef, at one point opening his |
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own restaurant, Big Bert's, in Oregon, and later working on the |
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staff of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas; and |
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WHEREAS, At the age of 39, with a wife and three children, |
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Mr. Long left kitchens behind to follow his long-held dream of |
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becoming an artist; he and his family traveled the western United |
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States in a motor home, stopping at every art festival they could |
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find; Mr. Long tried to support his loved ones from sales of his |
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artwork, but eventually was forced to fall back on his culinary |
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skills and took a job at the Chicago Ritz Carlton; returning to |
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Houston, he continued to cook for a living while persisting with his |
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creative endeavors; his paintings began to sell at the Westheimer |
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Arts Festival, and he soon became the recipient of awards and |
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grants; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Long won the prestigious Rome Prize in 1990 and |
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was invited to spend time at the American Academy in Rome, where he |
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further refined his artistic identity in the company of other |
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artists; he later lived and worked in Spain for a time, along with |
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his wife, and the couple came to deeply appreciate Spanish culture; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Back in his hometown, Mr. Long created several |
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permanent public projects, including a large mural titled Art/Life, |
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which is at the Looscan Neighborhood Library, and a sculpture |
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installation, Field of Vision, which is at Project Row Houses; as he |
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gained more attention, his work was acquired by the Metropolitan |
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Museum of Art in New York City, the Blanton Museum in Austin, the |
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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Galerie Dario Boccara in |
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Paris, France, among other institutions; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Long enjoyed a rewarding marriage with his first |
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wife, Connie, who passed away in 1998; fortunate to find love again, |
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he shared many years with his second wife, the artist Joan Batson; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, A Renaissance man who was also known for his wit, his |
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warmth, and his support of others, Bert Long saw the world as being |
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full of possibility and inspired countless people with his |
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artistry, vision, and determination to follow his dreams; 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 life of Bert Long, Jr., and |
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extend sincere condolences to his family, to his friends, and to his |
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many other admirers across the Lone Star State and beyond; and, be |
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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 Bert Long, |
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Jr. |