82R13289 JGH-D
By: Morrison H.R. No. 920
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The city of Goliad lost one of its most beloved civic
leaders with the death of Leonard H. Von Dohlen III on December 21,
2009, at the age of 75; and
WHEREAS, Lenny Von Dohlen was born in Palestine on March 24,
1934, to Leonard and Elizabeth Von Dohlen; he attended The
University of Texas at Austin, where he was president of Lambda Chi
Alpha fraternity, and after graduating in 1957, he served in the
U.S. Army, reaching the rank of captain in the military police
corps; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Von Dohlen subsequently began a career in the
automotive business; he worked at the Ford dealership in El Campo
until 1964, when he founded the Von Dohlen Motor Company in Goliad,
which he owned and operated for the next half-century; active in his
profession, he was president of the Ford Dealers Advertising Board
and served on the Ford Dealer Council, and he was a member of both
the Texas and the National Automobile Dealers Associations; he was
also a rancher and the longtime owner of La Bahia Downs racetrack;
and
WHEREAS, In addition to his professional endeavors, Mr. Von
Dohlen contributed to his community as president of the Goliad
Rotary Club, the Goliad Chamber of Commerce, and the Goliad County
Industrial Foundation; moreover, he chaired the Goliad Sales Tax
Development Board and the Municipal Development District Board,
served as president of the South Texas Race Association and the
Racing Board of Texas, and was a member of the Goliad school board
and the Texas State Technical Institute and Bee County College
advisory boards; he further distinguished himself as chair of the
Goliad Savings and Loan; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Von Dohlen belonged to Immaculate Conception
Catholic Church and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre; he remained
passionately loyal to his alma mater and proudly wore burnt orange
and white as a member of the Longhorn Foundation's Big Wheels of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Von Dohlen enjoyed the
love and support of his wife, the former Gay Aoueille, as well as
their four children, Lenny, John, Mary, and Catherine; and
WHEREAS, Lenny Von Dohlen lived a full and generous life,
giving freely of his time and expertise to benefit his community,
and he leaves behind an exceptional record of service 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 Leonard H. Von
Dohlen III and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his wife, Gay Von Dohlen; to his children, Lenny Von
Dohlen IV, John David Von Dohlen, Mary Gay Von Dohlen, and Catherine
Martin and her husband, David; to his grandchildren, Kristal Von
Dohlen, Katy Von Dohlen, Hazel Montgomery, and Evan Martin; to his
great-granddaughter, Emry Stakes; to his sister, Jane Horny, and
her husband, Ben; to his brother, Tim Von Dohlen, and his wife, Pat;
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 Leonard H.
Von Dohlen III.