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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Corpus Christi lost a remarkable |
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citizen with the passing of entrepreneur Wilford George Wilcox on |
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January 18, 2015, at the age of 100; and |
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WHEREAS, Bill Wilcox was born on May 25, 1914, in Iowa, and he |
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was introduced to the furniture business at an early age; his |
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mother's family owned Bekins Moving and Storage, and during the |
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Great Depression, he sold furniture for the company in its Sioux |
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City store; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1953, when he was 39, Mr. Wilcox and his wife, |
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Marcia, moved with their three children, George, Kaye, and Norman, |
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to Corpus Christi; a few years later, their fourth child, Ray, was |
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born; and |
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WHEREAS, In Corpus Christi, Mr. Wilcox opened his own |
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furniture store in a 4,000-square-foot Quonset hut with no running |
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water, and in the beginning, he delivered furniture himself with a |
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trailer pulled behind his Chevy; within 10 years' time, the |
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business had grown to employ 40 people and use four delivery trucks, |
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and by 1995, Wilcox Furniture had expanded to several locations; |
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Mr. Wilcox ran the company himself until just before his 95th |
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birthday in 2009, and it continues to be a thriving, family-run |
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enterprise today, with three locations; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Wilcox became a widower in March 1990, and he |
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was later fortunate to find love again with Helen Magill, who owned |
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a rival furniture company; the couple lived together in Trinity |
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Towers, where on Monday nights, Mr. Wilcox led sing-alongs of old |
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favorites such as "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Carolina in the |
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Morning"; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Mr. Wilcox was an engaged and |
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caring member of his community; in 1970, he helped found and lead |
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Family Debt Counselors to assist local citizens with debt issues, |
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and for many years, he provided furniture to the Women's Shelter of |
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South Texas as well as rocking chairs to local maternity wards; he |
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also established the Marcia K. Wilcox Scholarship Fund after his |
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first wife's death, which was formed to enable cancer patients from |
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Driscoll Children's Hospital to attend college; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of his long life, Bill Wilcox raised |
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a fine family and built a business that became an institution in |
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Corpus Christi, and he leaves behind a record of hard work, |
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integrity, and compassion that will continue to inspire all those |
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who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Wilford George |
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Wilcox and extend sincere condolences to his children, George |
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Wilcox, Kaye Wilcox West, Norman Wilcox, and Ray Wilcox, and to his |
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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 Wilford |
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George Wilcox. |