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  H.R. No. 2559
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
 
         WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost an accomplished native son
  with the passing of the Honorable Richard C. Slack of Pecos, a man
  who retired as Dean of the Texas House after 28 years of outstanding
  service only to later share his leadership again to the benefit of
  all as a member of the Texas Ethics Commission for more than a
  decade; and
         WHEREAS, The grandson of Henry Slack, one of the contestants
  in the world's first rodeo, held in Pecos, Dick Slack was also a
  trailblazer; he was born on December 20, 1914, to Ruby Stephens and
  Henry Clay Slack, Jr., and as a young man earned his bachelor's
  degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University; he
  returned to his hometown and worked as a roughneck before
  purchasing the Magnolia Oil distributorship there, and in 1940, he
  joined the U.S. Army as a member of the Texas 36th Division; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Slack saw combat during World War II, on
  deployments to North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany, and he was
  awarded the Bronze Star for valor for his courageous actions during
  an artillery exchange in Italy in 1944; after the war, he joined the
  Texas National Guard and helped organize and lead the 124th Cavalry
  Recon Squadron headquartered in Pecos, and in 1965, he entered the
  Retired Reserve with the rank of colonel; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Slack began his career in public service in
  1948, when he was elected to the first of two terms as county judge
  of Reeves County; he successfully ran for state representative in
  1952 and soon became known among his fellow legislators for his dry
  wit, his intelligence, and his independent conservative thinking;
  juggling the demands of his new role with his professional
  responsibilities, he added law school to his priorities, and
  following graduation from St. Mary's, he was admitted to the state
  bar in 1956; he was chosen as speaker pro tem for the 64th and 65th
  Legislative Sessions, and he was recognized as Dean of the House
  during his last years in office; along the way, he served on more
  than 35 committees, chairing many, and he helped to establish The
  University of Texas of the Permian Basin and the Texas Tech
  University Health Sciences Center in Odessa; and
         WHEREAS, A leader in business and civic life as well, Mr.
  Slack was the founder of Presidio Bank and a member of the board of
  directors of the First National Bank of Pecos and the Red Bluff
  Water Power Control District; he returned to statewide service in
  1992 with his appointment to the Texas Ethics Commission, which he
  served on for 11 years and chaired for two of those years before
  stepping down in 2003; and
         WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan met his wife, the former
  Charlotte Tonroy, during his freshman year in the house of
  representatives, where she was a third-year law student working as
  a legislative clerk; the couple married in August 1953, and through
  the years, they were blessed with three children, Anne, Clay, and
  Cynthia; they later delighted in welcoming into their family seven
  grandchildren and a great-granddaughter; and
         WHEREAS, Vibrant and engaged, Dick Slack lived life to the
  fullest, pursuing his love of skeet shooting even in his late
  nineties, and his penchant for storytelling spoke volumes about the
  enthusiasm he brought to all his endeavors over the course of nearly
  a century of purposeful achievement; and
         WHEREAS, The State of Texas benefited immensely from the
  vision, initiative, and dedication of Dick Slack, and he leaves
  behind a record of public service that will continue to inspire
  others for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Honorable
  Richard C. Slack and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his
  family: to his wife, Charlotte Tonroy Slack; to his children, Anne
  Mackey and her husband, Doug, Clay Slack and his wife, Ann, and
  Cynthia Shaw and her husband, Stan; to his grandchildren, Sarah
  Faulkner Staley and her husband, Mark, Dugger Faulkner, Trey and
  Robert Slack, and Margaret, David, and Sara Shaw; to his
  great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Staley; and to his other relatives
  and friends; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of former
  state representative Dick Slack.
 
  Nevarez
 
 
Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira
 
Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr
 
Alonzo Gooden Otto
 
Alvarado Guerra Paddie
 
Anchia Guillen Parker
 
Anderson Gutierrez Patrick
 
Ashby Harless Perez
 
Aycock Harper-Brown Perry
 
Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips
 
Bohac Herrero Pickett
 
Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts
 
Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price
 
Branch Huberty Raney
 
Burkett Hughes Ratliff
 
Burnam Hunter Raymond
 
Button Isaac Reynolds
 
Callegari Johnson Riddle
 
Canales Kacal Ritter
 
Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
 
Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis
 
Clardy King of Parker Rose
 
Coleman King of Taylor Sanford
 
Collier King of Zavala Schaefer
 
Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets
 
Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell
 
Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell
 
Creighton Krause Simmons
 
Crownover Kuempel Simpson
 
Dale Larson Smith
 
Darby Laubenberg Smithee
 
Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer
 
J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson
 
S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland
 
Deshotel Longoria Strama
 
Dukes Lozano Taylor
 
Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria
 
Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris
 
Elkins Martinez Toth
 
Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin
 
Farias McClendon Turner of Harris
 
Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant
 
Farrar Miles Villalba
 
Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal
 
Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
 
Frank Moody Walle
 
Frullo Morrison White
 
Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman
 
Giddings Murphy Wu
 
Goldman Naishtat Zedler
 
Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 2559 was unanimously adopted by a rising
  vote of the House on May 24, 2013.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House