82R731 MGR-D
By: Patrick H.R. No. 399
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family, friends, and former colleagues are mourning
the loss of longtime Arlington school administrator Roy Wood, who
passed away on December 4, 2009, at the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, Born in Italy, Texas, on December 26, 1916, Mr. Wood
was raised in Ennis; he received a basketball scholarship to North
Texas State Teachers College, and he later served in the United
States Coast Guard during World War II; and
WHEREAS, While in college, Mr. Wood met his future wife, Mary
Louise, with whom he would go on to share 65 years; the couple were
blessed with two children, Joe Roy and Mary Ann; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Wood began his teaching career in Santa Rosa and
subsequently taught with his wife in Azle; they moved to Arlington
in 1949, when Mr. Wood became the principal of West Side School,
thus beginning his long and accomplished tenure in the local
education system; he went on to serve as principal of Berry
Elementary before being appointed as business manager for the
Arlington Independent School District in 1960; his keen financial
sense proved a great asset, and he eventually became assistant
superintendent of finance; along the way, he shared his time and
energy as president of the Texas Association of School Business
Officials, the Arlington Optimist Club, and the Arlington Downtown
Rotary Club; and
WHEREAS, After nearly 30 years of service to his district,
Mr. Wood retired in 1978; the community presented him with a fishing
boat as a token of appreciation, and a column in the Arlington
Citizen-Journal recognized him for his dedication to the district
during a time of tremendous growth; moreover, in 1980, AISD paid
tribute to both him and his wife with the opening of Roy and Louise
Wood Elementary; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Wood committed himself not only to education but
to his faith, serving as a deacon at the First Baptist Church of
Arlington and contributing financial resources and expertise to the
founders of Mission Arlington; he and his wife relocated to Athens
in 1999 and became members of the First Baptist Church there; and
WHEREAS, Known as a kind and gentle man, Mr. Wood was admired
for the birdhouses and nativity scenes he crafted in his spare time;
and
WHEREAS, Roy Wood distinguished himself as an outstanding
public servant and a devoted family man, and he touched the lives of
not only those who knew him best but countless Arlington students
and fellow educators; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Roy Wood and extend
deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his son, Joe Roy
Wood, and his wife, Glynda; to his daughter, Mary Ann Wood; to his
grandchildren, Matthew and Mark Wood and David Scallan; to his
great-grandchildren, Grant, Walker, Zach, and Nate; 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 Roy Wood.