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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, An esteemed World War II veteran and the oldest |
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living alumnus of Texas A&M University, Tom Clint Morris of San |
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Antonio is celebrating his 107th birthday on August 1, 2017; and |
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WHEREAS, Known as "Ike" to his family and friends, Mr. Morris |
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was born in 1910 and grew up on a farm in Forreston with his three |
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brothers and two sisters; he graduated from Waxahachie High School |
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before enrolling at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas |
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in 1929; there, he served as advertising manager of the college |
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annual, a member of the Corps of Cadets and the Aggie Ring |
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committee, and senior class president, all while carrying a full |
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course load, waiting tables in the athletes' dining hall, taking |
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tickets at events, and performing a number of other odd jobs; and |
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WHEREAS, After graduating in 1933 with a bachelor's degree in |
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agriculture, Mr. Morris was commissioned as a second lieutenant in |
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the U.S. Army Reserve; he returned to his hometown and accepted a |
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job as principal and coach for the Forreston School; on June 1, |
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1934, he was joined in matrimony to the former Margaret Calvin, whom |
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he had known since high school, and they went on to share a loving |
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marriage that spanned 76 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Morris worked as a civil servant with the |
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Department of Agriculture before being called up in 1941 for what |
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was scheduled to be a year of active military duty; nine months |
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later, the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into |
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World War II, and he was among the valiant Americans who would serve |
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for the duration of the conflict; following training in the United |
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States, he said goodbye to Margaret and his young son, Tommy, and |
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was deployed to the European theater as an officer with the 38th |
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Infantry Regiment of the Second Infantry Division; his unit landed |
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in Normandy shortly after D-Day and helped capture Trevieres, the |
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first sizable town liberated from Nazi control during the invasion; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Over the next 11 months, he and his men took part in |
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operations in Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Battle |
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of the Bulge, and Central Europe, playing a key role in the ultimate |
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defeat of Nazi Germany; a skilled and courageous leader, he became a |
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battalion commander and was promoted from major to lieutenant |
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colonel during his service in Europe; after the war, he remained in |
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the reserve until 1963, when he retired at the rank of colonel; in |
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recognition of his efforts during the war, he was awarded the French |
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Legion of Honor, that country's highest decoration, in 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, In his civilian life, Mr. Morris enjoyed several |
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lines of work, including co-owning Waxahachie Frozen Foods and |
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raising Black Angus cattle; in 1952 he returned to his prewar career |
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in federal civil service and eventually retired from that field; |
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dedicated to giving back to his fellow Texans, he served as |
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president of the Waxahachie school board, and he is a longtime |
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supporter of the Texas A&M Association of Former Students; and |
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WHEREAS, This remarkable man has lived life to the fullest |
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for well over a century, and it is indeed a pleasure to honor him for |
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his many contributions to our nation and to the State of Texas; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Tom "Ike" |
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Morris on his 107th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes |
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for continued happiness; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Morris as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |