SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 106
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
recognize Rick Watson, who is retiring from the Office of the
Comptroller of Public Accounts on January 31, 2013; and
WHEREAS, Rick began his illustrious career with the state
in 1995, when he served as chief of network services for the Texas
Workers' Compensation Commission; he went on to become the
mainframe network programmer before taking the helm of the newly
formed Information Security Division and effectively ushering
the commission into the Internet age; and
WHEREAS, After a brief hiatus in the private sector, Rick
joined the comptroller's office as a mainframe network
programmer; he then switched to network infrastructure support
and played a pivotal role in creating and managing Procedures,
Policies, Standards, and Guidelines; he managed the new Voice
over Internet Protocol application as the agency was rolling out
its massive Communications Modernization project; and
WHEREAS, Rick was also heavily involved with building the
network in the new Data Center, and he was vital in testing the
agency's new Disaster Recovery program; and
WHEREAS, This exemplary employee spent his final two years
at the agency assisting with information technology security and
formalizing the network Procedures, Policies, Standards, and
Guidelines; he also managed the complex Tripwire application and
performed network scans and monitored more than 200 servers for
unauthorized file changes; and
WHEREAS, A man of many talents, Rick Watson has earned the
esteem of his colleagues and supervisors at the Office of the
Comptroller of Public Accounts; his expertise, dedication, and
generosity of spirit will be missed long after he has retired;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
Legislature, hereby commend Rick Watson on his many years of
exceptional state service and extend to him best wishes for the
retirement years ahead; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
him as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
Watson
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 4, 2013.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate