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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Gil Wilson is retiring from the Texas Department of |
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Transportation Rail Division in March 2019, drawing to a close an |
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exemplary career in the railroad industry that has spanned four and |
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a half decades; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Wilson brought more than 27 years of experience |
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in railroading to his tenure with TxDOT; beginning in 1974, he |
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worked his way up through positions of increasing responsibility at |
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the Republic Steel Railroad, Mahoning Valley Railway, and N&T |
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Railway, where he served as general supervisor of maintenance and |
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transportation for 11 years; his numerous accomplishments include |
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testifying as an expert witness at Federal Railroad Administration |
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hearings and serving as a workshop instructor for car repair |
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seminars with the American Association of Railroads; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2001, Mr. Wilson relocated to Texas and joined |
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TxDOT as an assistant rail planner; in his most recent position as |
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rail programs administrator, he has overseen TxDOT rail facilities |
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and operations, played a vital role in state infrastructure |
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inspection and analysis, and contributed to the development of the |
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state rail plan; over the years, he has been instrumental in several |
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rail acquisition and improvement projects and studies throughout |
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Texas, including the development and management of more than $52 |
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million in rehabilitation initiatives on the South Orient Rail |
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Line, which enabled traffic to increase from approximately 2,000 |
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carloads per year to more than 38,000 in the course of just eight |
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years; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Wilson has received a number of accolades in |
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recognition of his outstanding service; he earned the 2010 Service |
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and Safety State Partner Award from Amtrak, and he was a member of |
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the TxDOT teams that garnered the 2002, 2013, and 2015 President's |
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Transportation Awards for excellence in rail transportation from |
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the American Association of State Highway and Transportation |
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Officials; and |
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WHEREAS, Gil Wilson's dedication, professionalism, and |
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commitment to excellence have greatly benefited his fellow Texans, |
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and he may indeed reflect with pride on a career well spent as he |
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embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Gil Wilson on his retirement from |
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the Rail Division of the Texas Department of Transportation and |
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extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Wilson as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |