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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of a legendary Texas business leader and |
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philanthropist drew to a close with the passing of B. J. "Red" |
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McCombs of San Antonio on February 19, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Born Billy Joe McCombs in Spur on October 19, 1927, |
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Red McCombs learned the importance of giving at an early age as his |
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parents made weekly donations at their church and helped people of |
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even more modest means survive the Great Depression; he attended |
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Southwestern University on a football scholarship before serving in |
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the army during World War II; subsequently, he studied business and |
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law at The University of Texas at Austin under the G.I. Bill; his |
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monumental career in auto sales began almost by accident; after |
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agreeing to take a corporate job, he found himself with time on his |
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hands before it started, and so he joined a friend who was selling |
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cars at a Corpus Christi Ford dealership; the work perfectly suited |
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his high energy, bigger-than-life personality, and he quickly |
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became a star salesman and then struck off on his own, opening |
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McCombs Used Cars in Corpus Christi in 1953; and |
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WHEREAS, When his former boss asked for his help with a |
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struggling San Antonio dealership, he restored it to profitability |
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and became the owner; Mr. McCombs also kept his promise to set up |
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his five founding salesmen with their own dealerships; eventually, |
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he expanded his auto holdings to more than 60 stores; applying his |
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business expertise to other fields, he cofounded a radio empire, |
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Clear Channel Communications, now known as iHeartMedia, and his |
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portfolio grew to include more than 400 businesses in such |
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industries as real estate, energy, and sports; and |
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WHEREAS, Having adopted San Antonio as his hometown, |
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Mr. McCombs sought to raise its profile; he used his connections to |
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enhance HemisFair '68 and began his quest to bring professional |
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sports to the city; with a group of bold speculators, he made a deal |
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to acquire an NBA team, and although the San Antonio Spurs endured |
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some difficult early years, they became a source of pride for local |
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residents; Mr. McCombs owned the team two separate times, finally |
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selling it when he had secured its future in the community; in |
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addition, he owned the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Vikings, |
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and he was a major investor in the Circuit of the Americas racetrack |
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in Austin, site of the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. McCombs was an extraordinarily generous |
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benefactor to UT Austin; in 1999, he gave $50 million to the |
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business school, which was renamed in his honor; he also helped fund |
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the UT softball stadium, which was named for him and his wife, |
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Charline, and the renovation and expansion of the north side of |
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DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, which was rebranded as the Red McCombs |
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Red Zone; he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Texas |
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Exes in 1998; named a Distinguished Alumnus by Southwestern |
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University as well, he chaired its board of trustees from 1992 to |
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2000, and he and his family made the largest alumni gift in the |
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school's history to build the Red & Charline McCombs Campus Center; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 2005, Mr. and Mrs. McCombs donated $30 million to |
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MD Anderson to establish the Institute for the Early Detection and |
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Treatment of Cancer; moreover, he gave tens of millions of dollars |
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to San Antonio organizations, often to alleviate a dire need he had |
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read or heard about; learning of a fire at Mary Hull Elementary |
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School, which was already in danger of closure, he became an |
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enthusiastic supporter of the campus, hosting pep rallies before |
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school tests and mentoring teachers; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. McCombs shared a deeply fulfilling marriage of |
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69 years with the love of his life, the former Charline Hamblin; |
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they made every major decision as partners, whether in business |
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ventures or charitable endeavors; the couple were the proud parents |
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of three daughters, Lynda, Marsha, and Connie, and through the |
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years, their treasured family grew to include 8 grandchildren and |
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11 great-grandchildren; Mrs. McCombs passed away in 2019; and |
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WHEREAS, While the death of Red McCombs has deprived the |
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state of one of its foremost entrepreneurs and philanthropists, his |
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remarkable legacy will resonate for years to come, and those he |
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leaves behind will forever treasure their memories of time spent in |
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his company; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of B. J. "Red" McCombs |
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and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his |
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daughters, Lynda McCombs, Marsha Shields and her husband, John H., |
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and Connie McNab and her husband, Sandy; to his grandchildren, |
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Carson Rubey IV and his wife, Cristina, Chloe Shands and her |
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husband, Matt, Anna Turner and her husband, Chris, Joe Shields and |
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his wife, Andrea, Charles McNab, Sita McNab, Ian McNab and his wife, |
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Alicia, and Easton McNab and his wife, Claire; to his |
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great-grandchildren, Carson Rubey V, Townsend Shands, Christopher |
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Turner, Zachary Turner, Charlotte Shields, Stella McNab, Wylie |
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McNab, Ewan McNab, Billie McNab, Marianne McNab, and Isabella |
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McNab; to his sister, LaWanda McCombs; and to his other relatives |
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and many friends; 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 Red |
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McCombs. |