H.C.R. No. 204
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Tyler Morning Telegraph is celebrating its
centennial on November 18, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Part of a long newspaper tradition, the Tyler
Morning Telegraph is owned by the T. B. Butler Publishing Company,
Inc., which has been run by the same family for five generations,
starting on November 18, 1910, when Thomas Booker Butler purchased
the Tyler Courier-Times, an afternoon newspaper formed in 1906 with
the consolidation of the Daily Courier, founded in 1877 as a weekly,
and the Weekly Times; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Butler, a civic leader, businessman, and
attorney, served one term as county judge of Smith County and filled
an unexpired term as judge of the 7th Judicial District Court; he
made his mark in many aspects of commerce, most notably as the
founder and president of Guaranty State Bank and as publisher of the
Courier-Times, where he fostered a pattern of community engagement;
during his first four years at its helm, the paper successfully
campaigned for the construction of a modern streetcar system and
was instrumental in replacing an outmoded ward system with a city
manager form of government; and
WHEREAS, On November 14, 1929, Butler Publishing printed the
first edition of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, which featured
expanded coverage of East Texas cities, while the Courier-Times
retained its focus on matters in Tyler; the Sunday paper was renamed
the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph; eventually, the nationwide
shift toward morning newspapers took its toll on the Courier-Times,
and the company ceased publication of its afternoon newspaper in
1995; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, members of the Butler family
continued to guide Butler Publishing; Mr. Butler's daughter, Sarah
Butler, was succeeded by her nephew, Calvin Clyde, Jr.; Mr. Clyde's
son, Nelson Clyde III, began serving as president and publisher in
1990, while Nelson Clyde IV now serves as associate publisher;
other family members involved in the paper's management include
operations manager Andrew Clyde and board member Jim Bothwell; the
paper's stability and continuity of vision are also represented by
the remarkable tenures of two directors, W. E. "Buddy" Hendley, the
business manager and treasurer, and Everett Taylor,
editor-in-chief, who each joined the organization more than a
half-century ago; and
WHEREAS, The company has maintained its culture of quality,
earning numerous awards in recent years for editorial excellence,
public service, and philanthropy; in 2005, the Tyler Morning
Telegraph received a Charles E. Green Award for breaking news from
the Headliners Foundation of Texas, and it has won numerous
journalism honors from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors;
the paper's coverage of the judicial process has been recognized
multiple times with the Gavel Award from the Texas Bar Association,
and Baylor University named the Butler Publishing Company the Texas
Family Business of the Year for 2005 in the large-company division;
the Better Business Bureau recognized the newspaper with a Torch
Award for Marketplace Ethics, and in May 2008, the City of Tyler
selected founder T. B. Butler as the second honoree in Tyler's
Half-Mile of History; and
WHEREAS, The enduring success of the T. B. Butler Publishing
Company offers strong testimony to the business values and
journalism standards that Thomas Booker Butler established and
handed down to his descendants, and the 100th anniversary of the
newspaper provides a fitting opportunity to recognize the history
of the Butler family and the Tyler Morning Telegraph; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby congratulate the Tyler Morning Telegraph on the occasion of
its 100th anniversary and extend best wishes for continued success
to all those associated with this venerable newspaper; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Tyler Morning Telegraph as an expression of high
regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.
Berman
Flynn
Merritt
Hughes
Hopson
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 204 was adopted by the House on May
4, 2009, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 204 was adopted by the Senate on May
11, 2009, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor