By: Marquez H.R. No. 112
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Paul Foster of El Paso is being inducted into the
Texas Business Hall of Fame on November 14, 2013; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Business Hall of Fame, which recognizes
the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding business
leaders, works to perpetuate and inspire the values of
entrepreneurial spirit, personal integrity, and community
leadership in all generations of Texans; and
WHEREAS, A native of East Texas, Paul Foster spent his
teenage summers working in the oil fields, welding pipes, digging
ditches, and cleaning tanks; he earned his bachelor's degree from
Baylor University in 1979 and his certification as a CPA before
embarking on a career in the oil refining industry; the former vice
president and general manager of the Border Refining Company,
Mr. Foster became president and chief executive officer of Western
Refining in 1997, and his continued leadership as executive chair
has helped the El Paso-based company become one of the largest of
its kind in the country; he is also co-owner of Mountain Star Sports
Group, which owns and operates baseball teams across the country;
and
WHEREAS, Deeply committed to seeing his adopted hometown of
El Paso flourish, Mr. Foster presented a $50 million gift to Texas
Tech University to support its four-year medical school in El Paso,
which was named the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in his honor;
furthermore, he and Jeff Stevens, the current president of Western
Refining, donated $6 million to help build the Foster Stevens
Basketball Center at The University of Texas at El Paso; Mr. Foster
has invested personally in the city's revitalized downtown, and his
commitment to communities on both sides of the border has been
demonstrated by his work with the Paso del Norte Group and the
Borderplex Alliance; in addition, he is a member of numerous
professional organizations, including the Greater El Paso Chamber
of Commerce Board of Directors, the Business Advisory Council at
UTEP, the Bank of the West Board of Directors, the El Paso Regional
Economic Development Corporation, and the Texas Economic
Development Corporation; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Foster has further served his community as chair
of the El Paso Chapter of the American Red Cross, and he supports a
number of charities in Juarez, El Paso's sister city; appointed to
The University of Texas System Board of Regents in 2007, he was
elected vice chair of the board in 2009, a position he continues to
hold today, and he also serves as chair of The University of Texas
Investment Management Company Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, Through his vision and innovation, Paul Foster has
distinguished himself as a successful and influential figure in the
El Paso business community and beyond, and he is indeed deserving of
this prestigious honor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Paul Foster on his induction into
the Texas Business Hall of Fame and extend to him sincere best
wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Foster as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.