83R4212 LUC-D
By: Guillen H.R. No. 282
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Atascosa County sheriff Wright Thomas Williams
retired on December 31, 2012, concluding a distinguished law
enforcement career that spanned four decades; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Poteet High School in 1954 and
serving in the United States Army, Tommy Williams followed his
father into the agricultural industry and began work as a peanut
buyer; he was elected as Atascosa County sheriff in 1972, and he was
subsequently reelected to nine additional terms in office; at the
time of his retirement, he was one of the longest-serving county
sheriffs in the history of the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, This respected public servant traces his family's
roots in the area back to 1856, before Atascosa County was founded;
in his choice of a career path, he followed in the footsteps of two
of his forebears: William Norwood Gates, who served as the county's
sheriff during the Civil War and Reconstruction, and Leroy Polk
Williams, who held the office in the 1870s; and
WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Sheriff Williams has
enjoyed the support of his wife, Sandra Mathews; together they have
a daughter, Amber, who has added to the family's tradition of
service in her role as an Atascosa County deputy sheriff; and
WHEREAS, Tommy Williams has devoted his professional life to
assisting and safeguarding area citizens, and he may indeed take
justifiable pride in his longstanding record of achievement; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Wright Thomas Williams for his outstanding
tenure as the sheriff of Atascosa County and extend to him sincere
best wishes for a happy and rewarding retirement; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Sheriff Williams as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.