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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A full and generous life drew to a close with the |
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passing of former state representative James Parker McCollough of |
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Austin on October 31, 2024, at the age of 74; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of J. C. McCollough and Norma Jim Cornett |
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McCollough, Parker McCollough was born in Amarillo on October 18, |
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1950, and he grew up with three sisters, Randa, Kay, and Gail; he |
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attended South Plains College on a track scholarship and |
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transferred to Texas Tech University, where he earned a bachelor's |
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degree in business and a law degree; during summers, he expanded his |
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horizons by working at the YMCA in Estes Park, Colorado, and selling |
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textbooks across the eastern United States; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough joined a Georgetown law firm, and |
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while raising his two oldest children, he became involved in the |
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local community; he frequently worked on a pro bono basis and served |
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as a public defender and municipal judge; in addition, he refereed |
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high school football games and ran the clock at Southwestern |
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University basketball games; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1988, Mr. McCollough won election to the Texas |
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House of Representatives; he served as chair of the Criminal |
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Jurisprudence Committee and the Judicial Affairs Subcommittee on |
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Budget and Oversight, and he was a member of the Redistricting |
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Committee and the Task Force on State and Local Drug Control; having |
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developed a love of politics, public policy, and |
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relationship-building, he became a regulatory lobbyist following |
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his two terms in office; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough met the former Rhonda Puls at the |
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State Capitol, and they married on June 23, 1991; the couple became |
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the proud parents of two children, and Mr. McCollough enjoyed |
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coaching Little League teams, instilling a reverence for the game |
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along with great enthusiasm; deeply patriotic, he always cried |
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while singing the national anthem and took each of his children to |
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witness the peaceful transition of power at a presidential |
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inauguration; he helped them register to vote and brought them to |
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the polls as well; above all, he taught them to enjoy life to the |
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fullest and enable others to do the same; his relationships and his |
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faith were informed by his profound commitment to Alcoholics |
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Anonymous, and he attended a men's meeting at a local church every |
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Saturday; during 22 years of sobriety, he served as a sponsor for |
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countless people, always making himself available to those who |
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needed his support; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Parker McCollough is greatly missed, those |
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who held him dear will forever remember the warmth and compassion |
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that he brought into their lives; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Honorable James |
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Parker McCollough and extend sincere sympathy to his loved ones: to |
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his wife, Rhonda McCollough; to his children, Cory (Jaime |
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Villanueva), James (Audra Sharifi Isfahani), Murphy (Kolton |
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McDougald), and Chandler (John Holt); to his grandchildren, Lucia, |
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Anna, CJ, and Coco; to his sisters, Kay (Terry Milligan) and Gail; |
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and to his many other relatives and 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 Parker |
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McCollough. |