81R593 BPG-D
By: Hilderbran H.R. No. 31
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The state of Texas lost a distinguished businessman
and leader with the passing of Paul Derald Meek of Fredericksburg on
June 15, 2007, at the age of 76; and
WHEREAS, Born in McAllen to Valley pioneers William Van Meek
and Martha Mary Sharp Meek on August 15, 1930, Paul Meek earned a
bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from The University of
Texas at Austin; he began a noteworthy career in the petrochemical
industry with Humble Oil and Refining Company in Baytown and went on
to work for Cosden Oil and Chemical Company in Big Spring; after
serving as president of Cosden and as a member of the board of
directors of its parent company, FINA, he moved to Dallas in 1976 to
assume the posts of chief operating officer and president of FINA;
he later served as its chief executive officer and chairman of the
board before retiring to his Hill Country ranch in 1996; and
WHEREAS, In 1989, Governor Bill Clements appointed Mr. Meek
to the Public Utility Commission, which he chaired until 1992;
moreover, he served as chair of the Engineering Foundation Advisory
Council at UT Austin, as director of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation,
and as a member of the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Board of
Visitors, the UT Longhorn Foundation, the UT Chancellor's Council,
and the UT McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors; named a
Distinguished Engineering Graduate by his alma mater, he also
sought to encourage high school students to pursue careers in
science, engineering, and math as an advisor and benefactor of
IGNITE, an educational nonprofit with those aims; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Meek shared 40 years of marriage with Betty
Robertson Meek, and the couple were blessed with four daughters,
Paula, Katheryn, Carol Ann, and Linda; following the death of his
first wife, he was fortunate enough to find love a second time with
Sue Etchison Meek, and they enjoyed a rewarding nine-year union;
and
WHEREAS, Through his expertise, dedication, and guidance,
Paul Meek contributed tremendously to the Lone Star State, and he
leaves behind a legacy that will continue to resonate for any years
to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Paul Derald Meek and
extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife,
Sue Etchison Meek; to his daughters, Paula Burford and her husband,
Scott, Katheryn Hasemann and her husband, Charles, Carol Ann Miller
and her husband, Rusty, and Linda Meek; to his grandchildren, Mary
Catherine and Charlie Burford, Margaret and Andy Hasemann, Natalie,
Paul, and Michelle Miller, Robert and Mary Catherine Russo, and
Samantha and Forrest Poorman; to his stepdaughters, Tracy Russo and
her husband, Bobby, and Christy Garrison and her husband, Kenny;
and to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Paul Derald
Meek.