82S10980 JGH-D
By: Morrison H.R. No. 166
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost a distinguished jurist and
admired civic leader with the death of the Honorable Frank
Harrington Crain, who passed away on June 9, 2011, at the age of 90;
and
WHEREAS, A native of Victoria, Frank Crain was born on
January 21, 1921, to Francis Harrington and Corinne Staerker Crain;
he graduated from Patti Welder High School and went on to attend
Schreiner Institute and The University of Texas at Austin; and
WHEREAS, Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942, Mr.
Crain joined the U.S. Army and served his country with distinction
in the China-Burma-India and European theaters during World War II;
commissioned as a second lieutenant, he was awarded a number of
honors for his dedication to duty, including multiple campaign
service stars, the Bronze Star and Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Good
Conduct Medal; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Crain subsequently returned to The University of
Texas, graduating with a degree in law; he began his notable legal
career in Victoria, and after serving his fellow residents in the
Texas House of Representatives for two years, he was elected to
serve as Victoria County judge in 1955; and
WHEREAS, Judge Crain's dedicated work earned him appointment
to the 135th District Court by Governor Price Daniel in 1959; he
continued in that position for nearly three decades, resigning from
the bench in 1988; in the following years, he served with the law
firm of Cole McManus Cole Easley & Bell; and
WHEREAS, Active in his community, Judge Crain was president
of the Sons of the American Revolution and founding president of the
Gulf Bend Foundation; he further shared his time with the boards of
CASA, the Victoria Community Theater, the Victoria Youth Home,
Foster Parents, the Victoria Symphony, the Victoria County
Courthouse Restoration Committee, and the Victoria College
Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, he was recognized for his
committed efforts by the Rotary Club, which honored him with the
Paul Harris Fellowship award, and the South Texas Council of Boy
Scouts of America, which named him Distinguished Citizen of the
Year in 2004; and
WHEREAS, Judge Crain was also a man of faith; he served the
congregation of Trinity Episcopal Church as a vestryman, a role he
also held at St. Francis Episcopal Church, where he was a founding
member and senior warden; in addition, he worked on a number of
committees for the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas; and
WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Judge Crain was supported
by his loving family; married for 68 years to Olive Bell Crain, he
was blessed with four daughters, Katherine, Pamela, Olive, and
Julie, as well as two grandsons, John and Henry; and
WHEREAS, Highly regarded for his contributions to Victoria
County and to the State of Texas, Frank Crain leaves behind a legacy
of public service that will long be remembered by all who were
privileged to share in the richness of his life; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
of the Honorable Frank Harrington Crain and extend deepest sympathy
to the members of his family: to his wife, Olive Bell Crain; to his
daughters, Dr. Pamela Crain, Olive Crain, and Julie Heinitsh and
her husband, John; to his grandchildren, John and Henry Heinitsh;
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 Frank
Harrington Crain.