H.R. No. 1597       R E S O L U T I O N            WHEREAS, The Honorable L. DeWitt Hale, a distinguished former   member of the Texas House of Representatives, is celebrating his   100th birthday on June 10, 2017, and this momentous milestone is   indeed deserving of special recognition; and          WHEREAS, Born in Caddo Mills in 1917, DeWitt Hale grew up in   Farmersville; while still a student at The University of Texas at   Austin, he was elected to represent Collin County in the Texas   House, and at the age of 21, he was the youngest member of the 46th   Legislature; he served one term, from 1939 to 1940, and having   completed his law degree, he joined the Office for Emergency   Management in Washington, D.C., in 1941; during World War II, he   served in the United States Army Air Forces, rising to the rank of   first lieutenant; and          WHEREAS, Following his return to civilian life, Mr. Hale   settled in Corpus Christi to practice law, and in 1952, he was   elected to the Texas House from Nueces County; serving in that   office until 1963 and again from 1965 until 1978, he proved himself   a master parliamentarian and persuasive advocate with an extensive   knowledge of the issues of the day; he held many leadership roles,   among them speaker pro tempore, chair of the House Judiciary   Committee, co-chair of the Constitutional Convention Planning   Committee, delegate to the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974,   and chair of the Convention Judiciary Committee; he led the House   Select Committee on Impeachment that engineered the state's first   impeachment since 1923, and he chaired the Committee of the Whole   House, which handled the Articles of Address against a justice of   the Texas Supreme Court; in addition, as chair of the House General   Investigating Committee, he led a probe into the East Texas   slant-hole scandal, a history of illicit drilling that involved the   theft of some $100 million worth of oil; and          WHEREAS, During his legislative tenure, Mr. Hale played a   vital role in the passage of a wide range of significant   legislation; in 1953, he authored a proposition, subsequently   approved by the voters, amending the Texas Constitution to permit   women to sit on juries; he was also instrumental in the adoption of   the Hale-Aiken Committee program for the improvement of public   education, as well as the passage of the Legislative Reorganization   Act of 1961, the Texas Education Code of 1969, and the liquor by the   drink law of 1971; and          WHEREAS, This highly effective legislator also succeeded in   securing a number of large projects that improved the quality of   life for his constituents, among them the Wesley Seale Dam, the   Harbor Bridge, the Port Aransas Ferry, and the Corpus Christi State   School; a tireless champion of higher education in Nueces County,   he handled the legislation that transformed the University of   Corpus Christi, now Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi, from a   small private college to a comprehensive four-year institution in   the A&M system; and          WHEREAS, Mr. Hale gave generously of his time and expertise   to a host of legal and civic organizations; his contributions   earned him myriad accolades from educators, the State Bar of Texas,   and other groups, and he was awarded life membership in the League   of United Latin American Citizens; in 1979, he donated his   voluminous papers to TAMU--CC, where they are archived at the Mary   and Jeff Bell Library; and          WHEREAS, Devoted to his family, Mr. Hale shared a rewarding   marriage of more than six decades with his wife, Carol Hale, before   her passing in 2008; he is the father of Janet Hale Wilde and the   late Mary Carol Hale, and he takes great pride in his three   grandchildren, Brandon DeWitt Wilde, Jennifer Wilde, and Thomas   Joseph Wilde; and          WHEREAS, DeWitt Hale's legislative accomplishments continue   to benefit his fellow Texans in numerous ways today, and it is truly   a pleasure to join his loved ones in honoring him as he celebrates   100 years of life well lived; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas   Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable L. DeWitt Hale on the   occasion of his 100th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes   for continued happiness; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for Mr. Hale as an expression of high regard by the Texas   House of Representatives.     Hunter   King of Uvalde     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 1597 was adopted by the House on May   4, 2017, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House