H.R. No. 1736

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The people of Texas lost a visionary steward of the
	state's resources with the passing of former land commissioner and
	state representative Robert Landis Armstrong of Austin on March 1,
	2015, at the age of 82; and
	WHEREAS, Bob Armstrong began his long career in public
	service as an assistant attorney general, and he was elected to the
	Texas Legislature in 1962; one of that body's earliest champions of
	the environment, he created the Interagency Council on Natural
	Resources, the Texas State Parks Advisory Committee, and the Texas
	Conservation Foundation; he also carried the constitutional
	amendment allowing the Permanent University Fund to diversify its
	portfolio by investing in stocks as well as bonds; and
	WHEREAS, Elected land commissioner in 1970, Mr. Armstrong
	increased the Permanent University Fund by billions of dollars as
	chair of the Board for Lease of University Lands; he raised royalty
	payments to the fund and saved the state some $300 million by
	shielding state and university lands from federal attempts to
	collect windfall profits tax; in addition, he played a key role in
	the crafting of the Coastal Zone Management Program; and
	WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan was appointed to the Parks and
	Wildlife Commission in 1985, when the state ranked a dismal 47th in
	the nation in park acreage per person; accomplishing a long-held
	dream, he guided the purchase of 212,000 acres for Big Bend Ranch
	State Park, which doubled the state's total park acreage; he was
	later appointed natural resources and energy advisor to Governor
	Ann Richards; during the Clinton administration, he served for five
	years as assistant secretary for land and minerals management at
	the United States Department of the Interior, with responsibility
	for the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service,
	and the Office of Surface Mining; and
	WHEREAS, After returning to Austin, Mr. Armstrong served on a
	number of presidential committees regarding land and resource
	management; he continued to work in behalf of conservation
	organizations, including the local chapter of the Sierra Club,
	which he had established in 1968, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife
	Foundation, of which he was a founding member; he remained involved
	with the Western States Land Commissioners Association, which he
	had served as president, and he was on the board of Trustees for
	Alaska, a nonprofit environmental law firm; moreover, he gave
	generously of his time and expertise to the board of The First Tee
	of Greater Austin, an organization that teaches golf and life
	skills to disadvantaged youth; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Armstrong was the recipient of numerous
	accolades, among them the Field and Stream Conservation Award, the
	Nature Conservancy President's Public Service Award, the Texas
	Nature Conservancy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Chevron
	Conservation Award; in 2014, the headquarters building at Big Bend
	Ranch State Park was renamed the Bob Armstrong Visitor Center; he
	further held a distinction best appreciated by his fellow Austin
	natives, namely, a popular queso dip named in his honor at the
	iconic Matt's El Rancho restaurant; and
	WHEREAS, The only child of Robert and Louise Armstrong,
	Mr. Armstrong was born on November 7, 1932; he graduated from The
	University of Texas at Austin and served his country as a lieutenant
	in the U.S. Navy for two years before completing his law degree at
	UT; and
	WHEREAS, A gifted consensus builder, Bob Armstrong combined a
	strong sense of purpose and a formidable work ethic with a warm,
	easy-going manner and respect for all viewpoints; although he will
	be deeply missed by those who were privileged to share in the
	richness of his life, his tremendous legacy of achievement will
	continue to benefit the citizens of Texas for years to come; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert Landis
	Armstrong and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
	family: to his wife of 31 years, Linda Aaker; to his children,
	Martha Louise, Shannon, Landis, and Will; to his grandsons, Landis
	and Finn Hagerty; and to his many other relatives and friends; and,
	be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
	of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bob
	Armstrong.
	Naishtat
	Straus González Paddie
	Allen Guerra Parker
	Alonzo Guillen Paul
	Alvarado Gutierrez Peña
	Anchia Harless Phelan
	Anderson of Dallas Hernandez Phillips
	Anderson of McLennan Herrero Pickett
	Ashby Howard Price
	Aycock Huberty Raney
	Bell Hughes Raymond
	Bernal Hunter Reynolds
	Blanco Isaac Riddle
	Bohac Israel Rinaldi
	Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Rodriguez of Bexar
	Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rodriguez of Travis
	Burkett Keffer Romero, Jr.
	Burns Keough Rose
	Burrows King of Hemphill Sanford
	Button King of Parker Schaefer
	Canales King of Taylor Schofield
	Capriglione King of Uvalde Schubert
	Clardy Klick Shaheen
	Coleman Koop Sheets
	Collier Krause Sheffield
	Cook Kuempel Simmons
	Craddick Landgraf Simpson
	Crownover Larson Smith
	Cyrier Laubenberg Smithee
	Dale Leach Spitzer
	Darby Longoria Springer
	Davis of Dallas Lozano Stephenson
	Davis of Harris Lucio III Stickland
	Deshotel Márquez Thompson of Brazoria
	Dukes Martinez Thompson of Harris
	Dutton Martinez Fischer Tinderholt
	Elkins McClendon Turner of Collin
	Faircloth Metcalf Turner of Harris
	Fallon Meyer Turner of Tarrant
	Farias Miles VanDeaver
	Farney Miller of Comal Villalba
	Farrar Miller of Fort Bend Vo
	Fletcher Moody Walle
	Flynn Morrison White of Bell
	Frank Muñoz, Jr. White of Tyler
	Frullo Murphy Workman
	Galindo Murr Wray
	Geren Naishtat Wu
	Giddings Nevárez Zedler
	Goldman Oliveira Zerwas
	Gonzales Otto
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1736 was unanimously adopted by a rising
	vote of the House on April 13, 2015.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House