82R28992 JGH-D
By: Kuempel H.R. No. 2032
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, With the passing of Marvin Selig on December 27,
2010, the State of Texas lost a man whose achievements as an
industrialist, philanthropist, and visionary made a positive and
lasting difference in Seguin and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Marvin Selig was born on November 30, 1923, in
Spring Valley, New York; after graduating from The University of
Texas with a degree in engineering, Mr. Selig borrowed $2,000 and,
in 1947, started a small factory near Seguin, Texas, where he
manufactured reinforcing bars from recycled railroad rails; and
WHEREAS, His company, Structural Metals, Inc., began to
manufacture steel in 1949, and in 1968 it merged with Commercial
Metals Corporation; Mr. Selig became CEO of Commercial Metals Steel
Group, and he served on the board until well after his retirement in
2002; the factory he founded in Seguin, one of the first
"mini-mills" that revolutionized the steel industry, continues to
thrive; it has been profitable every year since 1947, and today it
produces more than 750,000 tons of steel a year; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Selig married Eleanor Berg, and they shared a
fulfilling relationship until her death; together they had three
sons, Zachary, Peter, and Jeff, as well as five grandchildren; Mrs.
Selig served as a Texas commissioner of mental health, and since
1950, the couple were active in the quarter horse and thoroughbred
horse breeding and racing business; in 2002, the Marvin and Ellie
Selig Center of Excellence in Entrepreneurship was established at
the UT College of Engineering; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed gentleman also served his fellow
citizens as a commissioner of the Lower Colorado River Authority;
on the national and international levels, he served as president of
the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and as an
economic and industrial advisor to governments in Latin America,
Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United Kingdom; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Selig was a man of diverse and passionate
interests who loved horse racing, reading, and travel; he was
independent-minded and optimistic, confident in his own opinions
yet solicitous of the concerns of others, and generous with his time
and resources; he remained devoted throughout his life to his
adopted community of Seguin, where he raised a family at his home
along a bend of the Guadalupe River; and
WHEREAS, An innovative businessman and a remarkable leader,
Marvin Selig profoundly influenced the steel industry, his
community, and the lives of countless people, and he leaves behind a
legacy that will continue to resonate for years to come; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Marvin Selig and
extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
sons, Zachary Selig, Peter Selig and his wife, Lyn, and Jeff Selig
and his wife, Walton; to his grandchildren, Stuart and his wife,
Laura, Jocelyn, Aleka, Kiber, and Sam; to his brother, Clyde Selig;
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 Marvin
Selig.