84R13728 BPG-D
By: Naishtat H.R. No. 1736
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The people of Texas lost a visionary steward of the
state's resources with the passing of former land commissioner and
state representative Robert Landis Armstrong of Austin on March 1,
2015, at the age of 82; and
WHEREAS, Bob Armstrong began his long career in public
service as an assistant attorney general, and he was elected to the
Texas Legislature in 1962; one of that body's earliest champions of
the environment, he created the Interagency Council on Natural
Resources, the Texas State Parks Advisory Committee, and the Texas
Conservation Foundation; he also carried the constitutional
amendment allowing the Permanent University Fund to diversify its
portfolio by investing in stocks as well as bonds; and
WHEREAS, Elected land commissioner in 1970, Mr. Armstrong
increased the Permanent University Fund by billions of dollars as
chair of the Board for Lease of University Lands; he raised royalty
payments to the fund and saved the state some $300 million by
shielding state and university lands from federal attempts to
collect windfall profits tax; in addition, he played a key role in
the crafting of the Coastal Zone Management Program; and
WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan was appointed to the Parks and
Wildlife Commission in 1985, when the state ranked a dismal 47th in
the nation in park acreage per person; accomplishing a long-held
dream, he guided the purchase of 212,000 acres for Big Bend Ranch
State Park, which doubled the state's total park acreage; he was
later appointed natural resources and energy advisor to Governor
Ann Richards; during the Clinton administration, he served for five
years as assistant secretary for land and minerals management at
the United States Department of the Interior, with responsibility
for the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service,
and the Office of Surface Mining; and
WHEREAS, After returning to Austin, Mr. Armstrong served on a
number of presidential committees regarding land and resource
management; he continued to work in behalf of conservation
organizations, including the local chapter of the Sierra Club,
which he had established in 1968, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Foundation, of which he was a founding member; he remained involved
with the Western States Land Commissioners Association, which he
had served as president, and he was on the board of Trustees for
Alaska, a nonprofit environmental law firm; moreover, he gave
generously of his time and expertise to the board of The First Tee
of Greater Austin, an organization that teaches golf and life
skills to disadvantaged youth; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Armstrong was the recipient of numerous
accolades, among them the Field and Stream Conservation Award, the
Nature Conservancy President's Public Service Award, the Texas
Nature Conservancy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Chevron
Conservation Award; in 2014, the headquarters building at Big Bend
Ranch State Park was renamed the Bob Armstrong Visitor Center; he
further held a distinction best appreciated by his fellow Austin
natives, namely, a popular queso dip named in his honor at the
iconic Matt's El Rancho restaurant; and
WHEREAS, The only child of Robert and Louise Armstrong,
Mr. Armstrong was born on November 7, 1932; he graduated from The
University of Texas at Austin and served his country as a lieutenant
in the U.S. Navy for two years before completing his law degree at
UT; and
WHEREAS, A gifted consensus builder, Bob Armstrong combined a
strong sense of purpose and a formidable work ethic with a warm,
easy-going manner and respect for all viewpoints; although he will
be deeply missed by those who were privileged to share in the
richness of his life, his tremendous legacy of achievement will
continue to benefit the citizens of Texas for years to come; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert Landis
Armstrong and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his wife of 31 years, Linda Aaker; to his children,
Martha Louise, Shannon, Landis, and Will; to his grandsons, Landis
and Finn Hagerty; and to his many other relatives and friends; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bob
Armstrong.