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  H.R. No. 351
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Former governor Mark White passed away on August 5,
  2017, at the age of 77, leaving an admirable legacy of visionary
  leadership; and
         WHEREAS, Elected to the state's highest office in 1982,
  Governor White worked tirelessly to address a number of challenging
  issues, including the diversification of the Texas economy and the
  implementation of comprehensive education reform, and his
  achievements have had an important and lasting influence on the
  Lone Star State; and
         WHEREAS, The son of Sarah Elizabeth White and Mark White Sr.,
  Mark Wells White Jr. was born in Henderson on March 17, 1940, and
  grew up in Houston; the focus he would later place on education
  stemmed in part from the influence of his mother, who taught first
  grade; after graduating from Houston's Lamar High School, he worked
  his way through Baylor University, where he earned degrees in
  business and law; and
         WHEREAS, In 1966, Mr. White began his career in public
  service as an assistant attorney general, and in that role, he
  handled some of the state's first consumer protection
  investigations; he then became a partner in private law practice in
  Houston before being appointed as Texas Secretary of State by
  Governor Dolph Briscoe in 1973; just 32 years old when he took
  office, he worked to modernize the state's voter registration
  system, and after five years on the job, he ran for attorney
  general; though considered an underdog, he triumphed in the 1978
  Democratic primary and went on to win the office in the November
  election; his ability to defy the odds in political races was
  repeated four years later, when he challenged incumbent governor
  Bill Clements and was elected as the state's chief executive; and
         WHEREAS, Over the course of his tenure, Governor White was
  able to win support for a number of groundbreaking initiatives; his
  bold education reforms, highlighted by House Bill 72 enacted in
  1984, included pay raises for educators and funding increases for
  property-poor school districts, as well as the establishment of
  class size limits and teacher competency tests to improve
  elementary schools; he also intensified the focus on student
  achievement, championing the landmark no-pass, no-play policy that
  required students to pass all of their classes in order to
  participate in school sports, and he demonstrated similar resolve
  in securing funding for school and highway improvements; to
  diversify a state economy that had been prone to wrenching
  boom-and-bust cycles, he spearheaded the recruitment of a major
  research conglomerate, Microelectronics and Computer Technology
  Corporation, setting the stage for Austin's emergence as a
  high-tech center; and
         WHEREAS, After leaving office in 1987, Governor White
  returned to the private sector, continuing his legal practice in
  Houston and serving GeoVox Security as its chair; moreover, he
  shared his expertise and commitment to service as a member of the
  boards of the Baylor College of Medicine, the San Jacinto Monument
  and Museum of History, the Armed Forces Foundation, and the Texas
  Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and he chaired the Houston
  Independent School District Foundation; the school district
  appropriately named an elementary campus in his honor in 2014, and
  his numerous other accolades included a Distinguished Alumnus award
  from the Baylor Alumni Association and Baylor University's Pro
  Texana Medal of Service; and
         WHEREAS, Governor White shared a long and happy marriage with
  his college sweetheart, the former Linda Gale Thompson; he was the
  proud father of three children, Mark, Andrew, and Elizabeth, and in
  later years, he delighted in the company of his nine grandchildren;
  and
         WHEREAS, Gregarious, collegial, and charismatic, Mark White
  loved the give-and-take of politics, but he was guided above all by
  an unwavering sense of responsibility to the people of Texas; he
  embraced Sam Houston's admonition to "do right and risk the
  consequences," and his commitment to caring and principled
  governance will remain a source of inspiration for years to come;
  now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
  Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
  of the Honorable Mark White and extend sincere condolences to Linda
  Gale, their children, and all who mourn his passing; 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 Governor
  White.
 
  Thompson of Harris
  Davis of Dallas
  Smithee
  Dutton
  Oliveira
  Johnson of Dallas
 
 
Straus Goldman Oliverson
 
Allen Gonzales of Williamson Ortega
 
Alonzo González of El Paso Paddie
 
Alvarado Gooden Parker
 
Anchia Guerra Paul
 
Anderson of Dallas Guillen Perez
 
Anderson of McLennan Gutierrez Phelan
 
Arévalo Hefner Phillips
 
Ashby Hernandez Pickett
 
Bailes Herrero Price
 
Bell Hinojosa Raney
 
Bernal Holland Raymond
 
Biedermann Howard Reynolds
 
Blanco Huberty Rinaldi
 
Bohac Hunter Roberts
 
Bonnen of Brazoria Isaac Rodriguez of Bexar
 
Bonnen of Galveston Israel Rodriguez of Travis
 
Burkett Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
 
Burns Johnson of Harris Rose
 
Burrows Kacal Sanford
 
Button Keough Schaefer
 
Cain King of Hemphill Schofield
 
Canales King of Parker Schubert
 
Capriglione King of Uvalde Shaheen
 
Clardy Klick Sheffield
 
Coleman Koop Shine
 
Collier Krause Simmons
 
Cook Kuempel Smithee
 
Cortez Lambert Springer
 
Cosper Landgraf Stephenson
 
Craddick Lang Stickland
 
Cyrier Larson Stucky
 
Dale Laubenberg Swanson
 
Darby Leach Thierry
 
Davis of Dallas Longoria Thompson of Brazoria
 
Davis of Harris Lozano Thompson of Harris
 
Dean Lucio III Tinderholt
 
Deshotel Martinez Turner
 
Dukes Metcalf Uresti
 
Dutton Meyer VanDeaver
 
Elkins Miller Villalba
 
Faircloth Minjarez Vo
 
Fallon Moody Walle
 
Farrar Morrison White
 
Flynn Muñoz, Jr. Wilson
 
Frank Murphy Workman
 
Frullo Murr Wray
 
Geren Neave Wu
 
Gervin-Hawkins Nevárez Zedler
 
Giddings Oliveira Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 351 was unanimously adopted by a rising
  vote of the House on August 10, 2017.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House