82R4172 MGR-D
By: Bonnen H.R. No. 1380
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Brazoria County lost a dedicated
citizen and true leader with the passing of Leland B. Kee of
Angleton on December 9, 2010, at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, Born in 1917 in Nogalus Prairie to James Taylor and
Mary Jane Wheat Kee, Leland Kee graduated from North Texas State
Teachers College and then taught and coached boys' softball in
rural Trinity County for two years; he resigned from his job
immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enlisted in the
U.S. Navy, serving in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1945; and
WHEREAS, After the war, he enrolled at The University of
Texas at Austin to study law, and upon graduation in 1948 he began a
successful career in Angleton; in addition to distinguishing
himself as general counsel to the Port of Freeport, Mr. Kee served
as president of the Brazoria County Bar Association, was licensed
to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, and was appointed in 1961
by Governor Price Daniel to a six-year term on the Texas Board of
Corrections; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kee put his expertise to work in behalf of the
Angleton Independent School District, serving on the board of
trustees for nine years and acting as legal counsel to five
superintendents; he also had a primary role in annexation work to
increase the tax base for the district, an accomplishment that will
continue to benefit generations of students well into the future;
and
WHEREAS, Actively involved in his community, he was a charter
member of the Angleton Rotary Club and a founding member of the
Greater Angleton Chamber of Commerce, which named him Citizen of
the Year in 1972 and 1990 and honored him with a Pioneer Award in
2008; he was president and director of the Brazoria County
Transportation Planning Commission, and in 1977 led a delegation of
1,000 people to Austin to advocate for the construction of State
Highway 288; he also participated in the creation of the Brazosport
Economic Development Corporation; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kee devoted untold hours to the First United
Methodist Church, serving as chair of its administrative board and
on various committees; he enjoyed 67 years of fulfilling
partnership with his late wife, Marie Harkins Kee, and together
they welcomed four children into their family; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed civic leader set in motion initiatives
that have made Angleton and Brazoria County a better place to live
and work, and he will forever hold a special place in the memories
of all who were privileged to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Leland B. Kee and
extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his
daughters, Susan Endendyk and her husband, Bruce, and Nancy Kee
Patterson; to his son, Barry Kee, and his wife, Lynn; to his
grandchildren, John Endendyk and his wife, Kristen, Matthew
Endendyk, Sara Patterson, Elissa Patterson, Gena Patterson,
Bradley Kee, and Michael Kee; to his great-grandson, William
Endendyk; 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 Leland B.
Kee.