H.R. No. 32
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Family farms and ranches are vital to the economic
  and cultural prosperity of the Lone Star State, and the
  Beckendorff-Sword Home Place of Harris County is being recognized
  for its role in this proud tradition with its induction into the
  Family Land Heritage Program on October 18, 2023, at a ceremony at
  the State Capitol; and
         WHEREAS, Sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture,
  the program honors farms and ranches that have been in continuous
  agricultural operation by the same family for a century or more;
  since 1974, TDA has recognized over 5,000 families whose proud
  Texas legacy has passed from generation to generation and who have
  served as dedicated stewards of their land; and
         WHEREAS, The Beckendorff-Sword Home Place traces its origins
  to April 1922, when Maggie Davis Mansell purchased 160 acres in
  Harris County; she and her husband, Richard A. Mansell, were the
  parents of seven children, William Aaron, Robert E. Lee, Bonnie
  Mae, Jessie, M. L., Richard Davis, and Richard Guy, and they raised
  swine and peanuts on their land; on December 12, 1940, the Mansell
  farm was struck by a tornado; tragically, Mrs. Mansell's husband
  was killed in the incident, and she was seriously injured; in 1967,
  the property was divided among her children, and Jessie Beckendorff
  and her husband, Roy, began farming some 32 acres; and
         WHEREAS, In 1973, Mrs. Beckendorff's children, Leland,
  Richard, and Ruby, inherited the land; three years later, Richard
  Beckendorff traded his third of the property to his children, Kay
  Beckendorff Sword and Randall Beckendorff, who harvested rice and
  soybean crops before transitioning to hay and cattle production;
  today, the Katy-area farm continues on under the ownership of
  Ms. Beckendorff Sword, great-granddaughter of founder Maggie Davis
  Mansell, who oversees a hay operation; and
         WHEREAS, For more than 100 years, the Beckendorff-Sword Home
  Place has played an important role in Harris County while helping to
  preserve the rich agricultural history of Texas, and it is indeed
  fitting that Kay Beckendorff Sword and the members of her family be
  recognized for their outstanding stewardship; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the induction
  of the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place into the Texas Department of
  Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program and extend to all those
  associated with the farm sincere best wishes for the future; and, be
  it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for Kay Beckendorff Sword as an expression of high regard
  by the Texas House of Representatives.
 
  Schofield
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 32 was adopted by the House on
  November 1, 2023, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House