82R14205 JGH-D
By: Hardcastle H.R. No. 965
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Texas aviation pioneer and entrepreneur Henry
Leland Snow of Wichita Falls passed away on February 20, 2011, at
the age of 80; and
WHEREAS, Leland Snow was born in Brownsville on May 31, 1930,
to Henry Evans Snow and Carrie Beth Sewell Snow; raised in the Rio
Grande Valley, he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering at
Texas A&M University in 1952; and
WHEREAS, Widely regarded as the creator of the modern
crop-dusting airplane, Mr. Snow designed and constructed his first
agricultural aircraft, the S-1, in 1951; he flew the plane himself
on crop-dusting jobs in Texas and Nicaragua before founding Snow
Aeronautical in 1955; a few years later, he opened a factory in
Olney, where he manufactured the next generation of crop dusters,
the S-2A and S-2B; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Snow sold his company to Rockwell-Standard in
1965, but stayed on as vice president of the Aero Commander division
and helped to design the Thrush aircraft; he left Rockwell in 1972
to start Air Tractor, eventually opening a new factory in Olney;
today, Air Tractors are used the world over for crop dusting,
firefighting, cleaning up oil spills, and more; president of the
company until his death, Mr. Snow also remained active in
engineering; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed businessman received many awards and
recognitions over the course of his illustrious career; he was
inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2005,
Air Tractor earned the International Torch Award for Marketplace
Ethics from the Better Business Bureau; he contributed generously
to the National Agricultural Aviation Association, in particular to
its pilot safety and drift minimization programs; and
WHEREAS, Among Mr. Snow's many interests were classical
music, playing the piano, and running; he supported the Wichita
Falls Symphony Orchestra, as well as local arts, and he
participated in three marathons, including the famous New York City
Marathon, after the age of 65; and
WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Snow enjoyed the love
and support of his wife, the former Nancy Bacon, whom he married in
1946; together they were blessed with two daughters, Kara and
Kristin, as well as two grandchildren, Brennan and Elisabeth; and
WHEREAS, Leland Snow will long be remembered, not only for
his remarkable innovations in aviation and his contributions to his
community, but also for the kindness, determination, and charity
with which he lived his life; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Henry Leland Snow
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Nancy Snow; to his daughters, Kara East and Kristin Edwards
and her husband, Trevor; to his grandchildren, Brennan Edwards and
Elisabeth East; to his sister, Marihelen Snow; to his
brother-in-law, John Bacon, and his wife, Patricia; to his nephews,
Conan McCarty, Kevin McCarty and his wife, Margaret, John Charles
Bacon, Jr., and his wife, Paige, and John Franklin Bacon; 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 Leland
Snow.