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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The citizens of El Paso lost an esteemed political |
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and civic leader with the passing of Thomas Mulford Diamond on July |
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8, 2017, at the age of 94; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Long Beach, California, on March 28, 1923, |
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Tom Diamond was the son of Violet and Thomas Diamond; after |
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graduating from Dorsey High School in West Los Angeles in 1942, he |
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enlisted in the United States Army and served his country proudly in |
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the Pacific theater of World War II; following his military |
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service, he earned an engineering degree at Stanford University, |
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where he met his future wife, Carolyn; the couple married on New |
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Year's Day in 1949 and went on to share nearly seven decades |
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together; and |
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WHEREAS, A member of the active reserve, Mr. Diamond was |
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called to duty again during the Korean War, and while stationed at |
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Fort Bliss, he was assigned to the guided missile program; he went |
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on to study law at Baylor University, graduating with honors in |
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1957; two years later, he arrived in El Paso and began his career as |
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a highway engineer; he accepted a position as an assistant to County |
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Judge Woodrow Bean, and he worked on such projects as the |
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construction of Sun Bowl Stadium and Transmountain Road; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Diamond eventually transitioned into the |
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private practice of law, and over the course of his career, his keen |
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legal acumen earned him the respect and admiration of his peers; |
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along the way, he became an active member of the Democratic Party |
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and formed friendships with both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. |
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Johnson; he believed strongly in the power of diplomacy to promote |
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peace, and he used his own skills as a negotiator to advocate for |
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the Tigua Indians of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, helping them to attain |
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both state and federal recognition as a Native American tribe in the |
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1960s; and |
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WHEREAS, For many years, Mr. Diamond had the pleasure of |
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operating a cattle ranch alongside his son, Jack, and in |
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retirement, he authored two novels, Rimfire and Apache Tears, and |
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an autobiography, Moon Spell; he was a loving and supportive family |
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man who cherished his wife and son, and his later life was blessed |
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with the affection of many grandchildren, step-grandchildren, and |
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great-grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, Tom Diamond was an exceptional attorney, a force for |
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positive change, and a leading figure in the modern history of El |
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Paso, and his legacy will continue to be an inspiration to all those |
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whose lives he touched; now, 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 pay tribute to the memory |
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of Thomas Mulford Diamond and extend sincere condolences to his |
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loved ones; 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 Tom |
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Diamond. |