SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1086
 
 
  In Memory
  of
  Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr.
 
         WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the
  citizens of Texas and classical music aficionados around the
  world in mourning the loss of legendary pianist Harvey Lavan
  "Van" Cliburn, Jr., who died February 27, 2013, at the age of
  78; and
 
         WHEREAS, Van Cliburn was an exceptional Texan who made Fort
  Worth an international mecca for classical musicians; he was
  beloved the world over for both his talent and his humility; and
 
         WHEREAS, As a young man of 23, he won the hearts and minds
  of Soviet citizens when he claimed the first Tchaikovsky
  International Piano Competition title in Moscow in 1958; his
  performance elicited an eight-minute standing ovation; soon
  after that triumph, his recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano
  Concerto No. 1 became the first classical album to go platinum;
  in 1962 the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano
  Competition was launched in Fort Worth, and it has become a
  prestigious event that now rivals its Russian counterpart; and
 
         WHEREAS, Born July 12, 1934, Van Cliburn began playing
  piano at the age of three; coached by his mother, Rildia, who was
  a talented pianist in her own right, he gave his first public
  performance at the age of four; when he was 12 years old, he
  debuted with the Houston Symphony, and when he was 20, he played
  his first Carnegie Hall concert; he won a Grammy Award at the age
  of 23; and
 
         WHEREAS, Despite his acclaim, Van Cliburn was exceedingly
  humble; he performed for every American president from Harry
  Truman to Barack Obama, yet he was unfailingly modest and
  gracious; a man of great warmth and sincerity, he was a faithful
  member of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth; and
 
         WHEREAS, Mr. Cliburn inspired loyalty and affection among
  people from all walks of life; he was presented with the Order of
  Friendship by Russian President Vladimir Putin and was awarded
  the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and
  the National Medal of the Arts by President Barack Obama; he also
  received the Kennedy Center Honors and the Grammy Lifetime
  Achievement Award; Van Cliburn was beloved by millions, and he
  will long be revered for his outstanding contributions to
  classical music and to Texas culture; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
  Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved
  family and friends of Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn and declare the
  dates of the upcoming quadrennial Van Cliburn International
  Piano Competition, May 24 through June 9, 2013, as Van Cliburn
  Days in Texas; and, be it further
 
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  his loved ones as an expression of deepest sympathy from the
  Texas Senate, and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so
  in memory of Van Cliburn.
 
  Davis, Birdwell,
  Hancock, Nelson
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on May 26, 2013, by a
    rising vote.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate