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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost an admired business leader, |
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conservationist, and public servant with the passing of former |
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railroad commissioner and state representative Arthur "Buddy" |
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Temple III of Lufkin on April 14, 2015, at the age of 73; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Texarkana, Arkansas, on February 26, 1942, |
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Buddy Temple was the son of Mary Temple and Arthur Temple Jr.; he |
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grew up in Lufkin, where he began his education, and he later |
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attended St. Stephens Episcopal School in Austin before graduating |
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from the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey; after studying at The |
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University of Texas at Austin, he enlisted in the United States Army |
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in 1961; he served in the First Cavalry Unit of the First Armored |
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Division as a crew chief and helicopter copilot; and |
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WHEREAS, Following his military service, Mr. Temple returned |
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to East Texas to join Temple Industries and other family-owned |
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businesses; he served on the board of Temple-Eastex and |
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Temple-Inland, and he was president and chair of the Exeter |
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Investment Company and chair of First Bank and Trust East Texas; |
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moreover, he served on the Memorial Health System board, and as |
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chair of the T. L. L. Temple Foundation, he guided numerous |
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philanthropic efforts; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Temple was dedicated to the betterment of East |
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Texas, and he began his career in public service in 1966 as a member |
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of the Diboll school board; during his tenure, he helped marshal the |
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integration of local schools; he went on to represent District 6 in |
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the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 1981, and in |
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addition to serving on numerous committees, he was a cosponsor of |
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the 1973 State Code of Ethics and Financial Disclosure for Elected |
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and Appointed Officials, instituted in response to the Sharpstown |
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banking scandal; subsequently, he was a member of the Texas |
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Railroad Commission for five years, and he served a term as its |
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chair; one of his strengths as a leader was his willingness to |
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listen to others; and |
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WHEREAS, After leaving public office, Mr. Temple worked ever |
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more diligently in behalf of his great passion, the preservation of |
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the natural environment in East Texas; he coordinated with the |
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Conservation Fund and International Paper to protect more than |
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19,000 acres of the hardwood forest and wetlands known as Boggy |
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Slough, and he was also on the advisory board of the Caesar Kleberg |
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Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville; in 2014, he received |
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both the Texas Forest Country Silver Bucket Award from the Texas |
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Forest Country Partnership and the R. E. Jackson Conservation |
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Award from the Big Thicket Association, and his myriad accolades |
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also included the Award for Lifetime Conservation Achievement from |
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the Texas Conservation Alliance, the Texas Leopold Conservation |
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Award for the Temple Ranch from the Texas Parks and Wildlife |
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Department, and the Award for Outstanding Achievement for Neches |
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River Bottomland Conservation from the Houston Audubon Society; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Temple was devoted to his family; he shared |
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nearly 45 years of marriage with his wife, Ellen Clarke Temple, and |
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he was the proud father of four children, Whitney, Susan, Hannah, |
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and John; above all, he treasured time spent with his six |
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grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, A visionary steward of Texas lands and a |
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distinguished public servant, Buddy Temple left a tremendous legacy |
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for generations to come, and his life was an inspiring example of |
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all the good that one person can accomplish; 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 the Honorable |
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Arthur "Buddy" Temple III and extend sincere condolences to the |
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members of his family: to his wife, Ellen Clarke Temple; to his |
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children, Whitney Sage Temple, Susan Helen Temple and her husband, |
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Rob Feagin, Hannah Lea Temple and her husband, Christopher Sanders, |
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and John Clark Hurst Jr.; to his grandchildren, Lillian Katherine |
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Duquette, Walter Temple Duquette, Helen Terrell Feagin, Margaret |
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April Grace, Mary Ellen Sanders, and Robert Abney Sanders; to his |
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mother, Mary Denman; to his sister, Charlotte "Chotsy" Temple; and |
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to his many 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 Buddy |
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Temple. |