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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, William M. Peña, a 1942 graduate of Texas A&M |
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University, was presented with the school's Distinguished Alumnus |
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Award at a ceremony in College Station in March 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Laredo in 1919, William Merriweather Peña |
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graduated from high school in 1937 and followed his older brother, |
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Gustavo, to Texas A&M, where he earned his bachelor's degree; an |
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active member of the university's Corps of Cadets, he quickly |
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answered his nation's call to duty in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor; |
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he graduated on a Friday, was sworn into the U.S. Army on Saturday, |
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and reported for duty at Fort Sam Houston on Sunday; and |
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WHEREAS, Lieutenant Peña served as a training officer in |
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California and Georgia before joining the fight in Europe in August |
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1944; he took part in the legendary Battle of the Bulge in the |
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Ardennes in December of that year, and as his unit pushed into |
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Germany that winter, he sustained serious injuries from a land |
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mine; promoted to captain, he spent two years recovering in |
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hospitals, and he earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1947, Mr. Peña resumed his studies at Texas A&M |
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and earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1948; he went to |
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work for Caudill Rowlett Scott in College Station, and by the |
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following year, he was a partner in the firm; he moved to Houston |
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with CRS in 1959 and played a leading role in its growth from its |
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four original partners to more than 3,000 employees in 32 offices |
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around the world; he took an active part in the design and |
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construction of many community schools and auditoriums, including |
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over two dozen educational and civic buildings in his native |
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Laredo; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Peña quickly became known as one of the foremost |
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experts in architectural programming, the process by which |
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architects systematically evaluate a client's values, goals, |
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facts, and needs in order to provide an appropriate and |
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well-conceived design; in 1969, he coauthored Problem Seeking: New |
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Directions in Architectural Programming, which was followed by |
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Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer, now in its |
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fifth edition and still the standard text on the subject; by the |
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time he retired in 1984, he had directed the programming for more |
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than 400 projects in 38 states and nine foreign countries, and he |
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has instructed and mentored countless young architects; and |
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WHEREAS, The William M. Peña Professorship in Information |
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Management was endowed in his name at Texas A&M in 1990, and his |
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many other honors include recognition as an Outstanding |
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Architecture Alumnus in 1998 and receipt of the first Thomas |
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Jefferson Award in 2000 from the Houston Chapter of the American |
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Institute of Architects; in November 2013, he was appointed a |
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chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, and he was one of the |
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veterans of the Battle of the Bulge honored by the "Texas Aggies Go |
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to War" exhibition in Bastogne, Belgium, in 2014; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of a remarkable life, this |
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accomplished man has earned great distinction for himself, his |
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profession, and his alma mater, and he is truly deserving of this |
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prestigious award; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate William M. Peña for receiving a |
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2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas A&M University and |
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extend to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Peña as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |