H.R. No. 2175
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The city of Plano lost an admired civic leader with
the passing of former mayor James Wyatt Edwards on May 13, 2011, at
the age of 73; and
WHEREAS, Born on September 6, 1937, Jim Edwards was the son of
Margaret and Wyatt Edwards; he served two terms as mayor beginning
in 1978 and worked with H. Ross Perot to bring the headquarters of
EDS, JC Penney, and Frito-Lay to Plano; in addition, he played key
roles in the approval of Collin Creek Mall, the extension of the
Dallas North Tollway, and the securing of funds for the Bush
Tollway; he was the first chair of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit
board and was a founding board member of the Collin County Community
College District; moreover, he served as director of external
relations for the nonprofit organization Heart of a Champion and
held numerous other leadership roles; his most recent initiative,
the "Changing Hearts Project," benefited combat veterans and their
families; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Edwards enjoyed a long career in higher
education administration; early in his career, he headed the
accounting department at Texas Christian University, and he went on
to become executive vice president of Dallas Baptist University,
head of the MBA program at Southern Methodist University, and
president and chancellor of William Carey College in Hattiesburg,
Mississippi; he was active in politics as well, working on the
George W. Bush campaign in 2000 and the Mike Huckabee campaign in
2008, and he was a delegate to the 2008 Republican National
Convention; and
WHEREAS, Jim Edwards was dedicated to the betterment of his
community, and although he will be deeply missed, he leaves behind a
legacy of achievement that his loved ones can remember with pride;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of James Wyatt Edwards
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife of 52 years, Imogene Edwards; to his children, Randy Edwards
and his wife, Leah, Jamye Ferguson and her husband, Lee, and Allison
Travis and her husband, Mike; to his six grandchildren, Daniel,
Abby, and Sarah Ferguson, Audrey and Natalie Edwards, and Grace
Travis; to his sister, Janice Knox, and her husband, Sandy; to his
brother, Pat Edwards, and his wife, Nancy; to his 15 nieces and
nephews; and to his many 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 James Wyatt
Edwards.
Madden
Laubenberg
Taylor of Collin
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2175 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 26, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House