|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The life of an admired civic leader drew to a close |
|
with the passing of Earl Charles Lairson of Houston on April 2, |
|
2015, at the age of 87; and |
|
WHEREAS, Born and raised on a farm in Pottawatomie County, |
|
Oklahoma, Mr. Lairson graduated from Tecumseh High School as |
|
valedictorian of his class; he joined the United States Army at the |
|
age of 17, as World War II was drawing to a close, and he |
|
subsequently served for two years in the Oklahoma Air National |
|
Guard; while completing his bachelor's degree in accounting at the |
|
University of Oklahoma, he enrolled in ROTC, and he achieved the |
|
rank of first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Lairson settled in Houston and was employed by |
|
Ernst & Ernst; in 1970, he founded his own CPA firm, Earl Lairson |
|
and Company, which became Null-Lairson following a merger in 1997; |
|
dedicated to the advancement of his profession, he was a charter |
|
member of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, and he |
|
served on its board and as president of its Houston Chapter; he was |
|
also a founding member of the Texas Association of CPAs, and during |
|
two terms on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, he served |
|
for a year as chair; moreover, he was a life member of many CPA |
|
organizations, among them the American Institute of CPAs and the |
|
Texas Society of CPAs; and |
|
WHEREAS, Active in the Republican Party from 1960 onward, |
|
Mr. Lairson worked on the Draft Goldwater campaign and on the first |
|
congressional campaign of George H. W. Bush; he served as a precinct |
|
chair for 35 years and as a member of the Texas State Republican |
|
Executive Committee for a decade; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Lairson further benefited his community through |
|
his involvement in numerous organizations; he was a director of the |
|
Houston Club and chair of its finance committee, and he was a |
|
charter member of the Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce and of the |
|
Greater Houston Pachyderm Club; the founding president of the |
|
Pachyderm Club of Northwest Houston, he received the group's Tough |
|
Tusk Award; for many years, he served as president and program chair |
|
of the Northwest Executive Round Table, and he was a charter member |
|
and vice president of the Magic Circle Exchange Club of Houston; he |
|
was also a trustee of the Educational Advancement Foundation and a |
|
longtime advisory board member and accountant for the Free |
|
Enterprise Institute; and |
|
WHEREAS, Deeply committed to serving others, Mr. Lairson was |
|
a life member of the American Legion and an endowed member of the |
|
Oak Forest Masonic Lodge No. 1398, and he belonged to Arabia Temple |
|
Shriners, Tranquility Lodge 2000, the Sam Houston Hall of Fame, |
|
Ruthven Commandery No. 2, the Washington Chapter of Royal Arch |
|
Masons, and Houston Council No. 1; he was an active member of First |
|
Methodist Church of Houston as well, and he served as a Sunday |
|
school teacher and as a member of the administrative board and the |
|
finance and audit committees; in 2008, he joined Candlelight Church |
|
of Christ, which he served as a trustee; and |
|
WHEREAS, Above all, Mr. Lairson was devoted to his wife, |
|
Virginia, with whom he shared 63 years, and their cherished family; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, Earl Lairson gave generously of his time and talents |
|
to better his community, and he leaves behind a record of service |
|
that his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Earl Charles Lairson |
|
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his |
|
wife, Virginia Lou Cagle Lairson; to his children, Karen Hurst and |
|
her husband, Randy, Mark Earl Lairson, Eric Charles Lairson, and |
|
Dawn Welch and her husband, David; to his grandchildren, Erin |
|
Hencey and her husband, Edward, Steven Hurst and his wife, |
|
Stephanie, Dr. Candace Powell and her husband, Erik, William Wells |
|
III, Carrie Hurst, Michael Earl Hurst and his wife, Grace, and |
|
Hannah, Josh, and Rachel Welch; to his great-grandchildren, Erik |
|
and Emily Hencey, Carson, Wyatt, and Claire Powell, and Steven, |
|
Sophia, and Kate Hurst; to his sisters, Earline Ellen Childers and |
|
Rosie Brightwell; and to his many other relatives and friends; and, |
|
be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Earl |
|
Charles Lairson. |
|
|
Bohac |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 2290 was unanimously adopted by a |
|
rising vote of the House on May 21, 2015. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|