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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The people of Texas lost a visionary steward of the |
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state's resources with the passing of former land commissioner and |
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state representative Robert Landis Armstrong of Austin on March 1, |
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2015, at the age of 82; and |
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WHEREAS, Bob Armstrong began his long career in public |
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service as an assistant attorney general, and he was elected to the |
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Texas Legislature in 1962; one of that body's earliest champions of |
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the environment, he created the Interagency Council on Natural |
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Resources, the Texas State Parks Advisory Committee, and the Texas |
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Conservation Foundation; he also carried the constitutional |
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amendment allowing the Permanent University Fund to diversify its |
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portfolio by investing in stocks as well as bonds; and |
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WHEREAS, Elected land commissioner in 1970, Mr. Armstrong |
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increased the Permanent University Fund by billions of dollars as |
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chair of the Board for Lease of University Lands; he raised royalty |
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payments to the fund and saved the state some $300 million by |
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shielding state and university lands from federal attempts to |
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collect windfall profits tax; in addition, he played a key role in |
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the crafting of the Coastal Zone Management Program; and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan was appointed to the Parks and |
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Wildlife Commission in 1985, when the state ranked a dismal 47th in |
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the nation in park acreage per person; accomplishing a long-held |
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dream, he guided the purchase of 212,000 acres for Big Bend Ranch |
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State Park, which doubled the state's total park acreage; he was |
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later appointed natural resources and energy advisor to Governor |
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Ann Richards; during the Clinton administration, he served for five |
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years as assistant secretary for land and minerals management at |
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the United States Department of the Interior, with responsibility |
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for the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service, |
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and the Office of Surface Mining; and |
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WHEREAS, After returning to Austin, Mr. Armstrong served on a |
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number of presidential committees regarding land and resource |
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management; he continued to work in behalf of conservation |
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organizations, including the local chapter of the Sierra Club, |
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which he had established in 1968, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife |
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Foundation, of which he was a founding member; he remained involved |
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with the Western States Land Commissioners Association, which he |
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had served as president, and he was on the board of Trustees for |
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Alaska, a nonprofit environmental law firm; moreover, he gave |
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generously of his time and expertise to the board of The First Tee |
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of Greater Austin, an organization that teaches golf and life |
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skills to disadvantaged youth; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Armstrong was the recipient of numerous |
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accolades, among them the Field and Stream Conservation Award, the |
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Nature Conservancy President's Public Service Award, the Texas |
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Nature Conservancy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Chevron |
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Conservation Award; in 2014, the headquarters building at Big Bend |
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Ranch State Park was renamed the Bob Armstrong Visitor Center; he |
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further held a distinction best appreciated by his fellow Austin |
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natives, namely, a popular queso dip named in his honor at the |
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iconic Matt's El Rancho restaurant; and |
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WHEREAS, The only child of Robert and Louise Armstrong, |
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Mr. Armstrong was born on November 7, 1932; he graduated from The |
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University of Texas at Austin and served his country as a lieutenant |
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in the U.S. Navy for two years before completing his law degree at |
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UT; and |
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WHEREAS, A gifted consensus builder, Bob Armstrong combined a |
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strong sense of purpose and a formidable work ethic with a warm, |
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easy-going manner and respect for all viewpoints; although he will |
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be deeply missed by those who were privileged to share in the |
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richness of his life, his tremendous legacy of achievement will |
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continue to benefit the citizens of Texas for years to come; now, |
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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 Robert Landis |
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Armstrong and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
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family: to his wife of 31 years, Linda Aaker; to his children, |
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Martha Louise, Shannon, Landis, and Will; to his grandsons, Landis |
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and Finn Hagerty; and to his many other relatives and friends; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House |
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of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bob |
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Armstrong. |