85S12591 BPG-D

By: Thompson of Harris 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.