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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 104
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In Memory |
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of |
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R. Vic Mathias |
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the |
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citizens of Austin in mourning R. Vic Mathias, who died January |
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14, 2013, at the age of 86; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Mathias was born on March 5, 1926, in Copperas |
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Cove; he attended Texas Tech University and later earned a |
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bachelor's degree in business administration from The University |
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of Texas at Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, Like many of America's Greatest Generation, Mr. |
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Mathias joined the stream of young patriots who enlisted for |
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service during World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, As a combat infantryman bound for the Battle of |
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the Bulge, he witnessed a Christmas Eve torpedo attack that |
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claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 soldiers in his convoy; Mr. |
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Mathias never forgot the experience, and many decades later, his |
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steadfast commitment to supporting fellow veterans prompted him |
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to organize the first Honor Flight Austin trip to Washington, |
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D.C.; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Mathias was a beloved businessman and key |
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player in Austin's economic development from the 1950s onward; as |
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chief executive officer of the Austin Chamber of Commerce for |
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more than 25 years, he helped attract the first wave of high-tech |
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companies to the area; and |
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WHEREAS, His business acumen also led him to help create |
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and operate such entrepreneurial entities as the Austin Economic |
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Development Council, the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, |
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and Leadership Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Mathias was also a leading light in community |
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groups as diverse as the Rotary Club of Austin, the Austin |
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Symphony, the Town Lake Study Committee, the Beautify Texas |
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Council, and the Austin United Service Organization; and |
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WHEREAS, A man of great faith, Mr. Mathias served as a |
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president of Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Austin; he was equally |
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devoted to his wife of 63 years, Helen Thoresen Mathias, and |
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their children; his selflessness, wisdom, and counsel will long |
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serve as an inspiration to others; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd |
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Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved |
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family of R. Vic Mathias; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas |
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Senate, and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in |
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memory of Vic Mathias. |
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Watson |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on February 4, 2013, by |
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a rising vote. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |