|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, The 100th birthday of an esteemed Texan is indeed a |
|
special occasion, and retired teacher C. C. Turner of Longview is |
|
celebrating this momentous milestone in his life on May 9, 2015, to |
|
the delight of his family, friends, and former students; and |
|
WHEREAS, Born in Pritchett in 1915 to parents who were |
|
farmers, Cleo C. Turner attended a number of different schools |
|
while growing up; he graduated from the 10th grade in Glenwood as |
|
salutatorian of his class and then completed high school in Gilmer, |
|
staying in an auditorium dressing room with several other boys on |
|
weeknights and traveling home on the weekends; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Turner received his associate's degree from the |
|
College of Marshall and began his career in a small school in |
|
Independence Springs, where he was both one of two teachers and the |
|
principal; subsequently, he taught at West Mountain Elementary |
|
School and Harmony Consolidated School; during the summers, he |
|
waited tables at Baylor University while earning his bachelor's |
|
degree, and he later attained a master's degree at East Texas State |
|
University; and |
|
WHEREAS, In 1942, Mr. Turner enlisted in the United States |
|
Army Air Forces and was assigned to the Weather Service; he was |
|
stationed in England, where he created maps for use by fighter |
|
pilots, and he was also posted to Missouri, Oklahoma, Washington, |
|
D.C., and finally Montgomery, Alabama, where he married his Texas |
|
sweetheart, Eva Mae Raynes; the couple became the parents of three |
|
children, Merrilyn, Linda, and Jerry, and they shared a fulfilling |
|
relationship of 57 years before Mrs. Turner's passing in 2000; and |
|
WHEREAS, C. C. Turner joined the faculty at Longview High |
|
School in 1946; over the years, he won the enduring respect and |
|
affection of countless students through his kindness, patience, and |
|
ability to help them grasp and retain difficult concepts in |
|
mathematics; he also became the district's first driver's education |
|
instructor, a role in which his calm demeanor was a distinct |
|
advantage; in addition, he taught classes at the Longview campus of |
|
Kilgore College and at Trinity Day School; many of his students went |
|
on to become teachers themselves; and |
|
WHEREAS, A pillar of his community, Mr. Turner was named |
|
Educator of the Year by the Longview Civitans, and he was selected |
|
as 1978 Longview Teacher of the Year by his colleagues; moreover, |
|
the city proclaimed May 22 as C. C. Turner Day in both 1984 and 1987, |
|
under two different mayors, and he was accorded the Rotary Citizen |
|
of the Year award in 1984; and |
|
WHEREAS, In his later years, Mr. Turner has continued to |
|
serve as a role model with his active lifestyle, participation in |
|
church functions, and attendance at numerous class reunions, always |
|
impeccably attired; he is a source of wisdom and inspiration to all, |
|
and it is truly a pleasure to honor him for having joined an elite |
|
group of Texans who can look back on 100 years of meaningful |
|
achievements; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby congratulate C. C. Turner on his 100th birthday |
|
and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, |
|
be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for Mr. Turner as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
House of Representatives. |