H.R. No. 1022
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas has lost an admired lawmaker,
conservationist, and education advocate with the passing of former
state senator Don Kennard on March 17, 2011, at the age of 81; and
WHEREAS, Born in Houston on May 6, 1929, Donley C. Kennard was
the son of Don and Clayton "Honey" Kennard; his prowess on the
Arlington Heights High School football team won him an athletic
scholarship to North Texas State College, and he also attended
Texas Christian University before completing his bachelor's degree
in business administration at The University of Texas at Austin;
and
WHEREAS, He began a successful campaign for a Fort Worth seat
in the Texas House of Representatives during his senior year of
college, declaring his intention "to represent all the people, not
just the select few"; having served his constituents with great
dedication from 1953 to 1963, he ran for the state senate and
represented District 10 for another decade; Senator Kennard was
senate president pro tempore during the 60th and 61st Texas
Legislatures, and he gave generously of his time over the years as a
mentor to his colleagues; and
WHEREAS, A fierce champion of public education, he served on
the education committees in both chambers and helped secure initial
funding for what would become Tarrant County College; he worked
diligently to raise the profile of Arlington State College, which
had sought to become a senior college for more than a decade, and
his efforts culminated in a filibuster that lasted 29 hours and 22
minutes; he got the votes to make the school a four-year
institution, and in 1996, the school, which had become The
University of Texas at Arlington, named Senator Kennard to its new
Walk of Fame; and
WHEREAS, This dynamic legislator demonstrated his commitment
to working Texans in another filibuster designed to kill a proposal
to extend the sales tax to food; strolling into the senate with a
sack of groceries, he illustrated how much more fruits and
vegetables would cost under the bill; Senator Kennard was a strong,
progressive voice for civil rights, historic preservation, and
environmental issues, and he brought his passion for those causes
to the numerous committees on which he served; in addition, he
chaired the Federal Relations, Public Health, and Parks and
Recreation Committees, and he was vice chair of the Conservation
and Reclamation and Parks and Wildlife Committees; and
WHEREAS, Also during his tenure, Senator Kennard
filibustered to secure a one-cent portion of the per-pack cigarette
tax to create a reliable revenue stream for the Parks and Wildlife
Department; he borrowed a falcon from the Fort Worth Zoo to draw
attention to this need, and his victory directed tens of millions of
dollars to our state parks in the ensuing decades; and
WHEREAS, Senator Kennard worked between Texas legislative
sessions in Washington, D.C., running the office of U.S.
Congressman Jim Wright; on his return to private life, Senator
Kennard established the Natural Areas Surveys with the LBJ School
of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and served as
its director; the research produced was instrumental in the
preservation of Enchanted Rock, among other natural treasures;
returning to Washington, he became a consultant for a public
relations firm, and he was appointed to the New Jersey Pinelands
Commission; and
WHEREAS, Married during his college years to his childhood
sweetheart, the former Jackie Porterfield, Don Kennard became the
proud father of a daughter, Karen; after the untimely passing of his
first wife, he was fortunate enough to find love a second time with
the former Mary Jo Williams, and he welcomed into his family her
children, Eric and Paige; he eventually knew the joy of becoming
"Grandpa Donnie" to six cherished grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Long a student of history, Senator Kennard moved to
Charles Town, West Virginia, with his wife and restored the former
home of a nephew of George Washington; moreover, the couple became
co-owners of Indian Hot Springs, a historic site on the Rio Grande
in Trans-Pecos, where Senator Kennard periodically hosted
conservation and preservation forums for fellow legislators and
clients; Senator and Mrs. Kennard moved to the Austin area in 2003
to be closer to their children and grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Through his determination to improve higher
education and to preserve the natural beauty of the Lone Star State,
Senator Kennard left an enduring legacy, and those who were
privileged to share in the richness of his life will forever
remember him as a man of vision, compassion, and conviction; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the memory of the
Honorable Donley C. Kennard and extend sincere condolences to the
members of his family: to his wife, Mary Jo Kennard; to his
children, Karen Gordon and her husband, Dr. Leo Gordon, Eric Austin
Williams and his wife, Melanie Castro Williams, and Paige Williams
Smith and her husband, Keith Smith; to his grandchildren, Daniel
Gordon, Aimee, Jack, and Ethan Williams, and Vivian and Oliver
Smith; and to his other relatives and many 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 Senator Don
Kennard.
Geren
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1022 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 24, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House