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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The passing of Walter "Yukon" Yates of Cedar Park on |
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| 6 | 7 | | March 2, 2015, at the age of 90, provides a fitting occasion to |
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| 7 | 8 | | reflect on the extraordinary life of a remarkable man; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born on October 19, 1924, to Andrew Jesse and Mae |
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| 9 | 10 | | Elizabeth Yates, Walter Yates was one of eight children in his |
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| 10 | 11 | | family; he grew up in the Ozarks, on what is now known as Yates |
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| 11 | 12 | | Mountain in northwest Arkansas, where he learned to hunt and fish as |
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| 12 | 13 | | a boy; inspired by author Jack London, he developed a true passion |
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| 13 | 14 | | for adventure and exploration at a young age, and he actively |
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| 14 | 15 | | pursued a "master's in life" for the rest of his days; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Yates joined the United States Marine Corps on |
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| 16 | 17 | | November 29, 1941; he completed his training on the island of Samoa |
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| 17 | 18 | | in the South Pacific, and had his 18th birthday on the island of |
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| 18 | 19 | | Guadalcanal; not long after, he was severely wounded by a mortar |
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| 19 | 20 | | shell, and he was discharged as fully disabled in June 1945, |
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| 20 | 21 | | although he refused to ever let his disability get in his way; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, After acquiring an interest in real estate, |
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| 22 | 23 | | Mr. Yates began his career as a land developer; he considered his |
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| 23 | 24 | | proudest professional achievement to be Breakaway Park, a fly-in |
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| 24 | 25 | | community in Cedar Park where he lived for a number of years and |
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| 25 | 26 | | where many aviation enthusiasts still reside; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, An accomplished pilot himself, Mr. Yates was |
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| 27 | 28 | | perhaps best known for his quests in Alaska and the Yukon Territory |
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| 28 | 29 | | of Canada; he spent a year exploring ghost towns and abandoned gold |
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| 29 | 30 | | mines, achieving access to remote areas with his helicopter; in |
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| 30 | 31 | | 1975, he filmed a documentary called Breakaway, which captures his |
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| 31 | 32 | | experiences living off the land in a log cabin he built in the |
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| 32 | 33 | | Alaskan wilderness; when a malfunction caused his helicopter to |
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| 33 | 34 | | crash in an isolated part of British Columbia in 1978, he survived |
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| 34 | 35 | | alone for two weeks with a broken back before being rescued; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Eventually, Mr. Yates set about writing a memoir to |
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| 36 | 37 | | chronicle his expeditions in the far north as well as his years in |
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| 37 | 38 | | Arkansas and Texas; the book Breakaway was published in 2011, and a |
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| 38 | 39 | | second volume, Return to Post River The Last True Frontier, is |
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| 39 | 40 | | forthcoming; a man of many talents, he used his spare time to build |
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| 40 | 41 | | two helicopters and a two-seater airplane, and he also enjoyed |
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| 41 | 42 | | restoring old cars; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, Although Walter Yates is deeply missed, memories of |
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| 43 | 44 | | his enthusiasm for life and adventure remain to inspire those he |
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| 44 | 45 | | leaves behind, and he will forever hold a special place in the |
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| 45 | 46 | | hearts of all those who were fortunate enough to know him; now, |
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| 46 | 47 | | therefore, be it |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 48 | 49 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Walter "Yukon" |
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| 49 | 50 | | Yates and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his family: to |
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| 50 | 51 | | his wife of 37 years, Tracy Yates; to his first wife and the mother |
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| 51 | 52 | | of his children, Edith Williams; to his children, Sharolyn Yates, |
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| 52 | 53 | | Susan McLaughlin and her husband, Bob, and Jay Yates and his |
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| 53 | 54 | | fiancée, Nancy Grob; to his stepson, Greg Malone, and his wife, |
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| 54 | 55 | | Lisa; to his brother, Donald Yates, and his wife, Lois; to his |
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| 55 | 56 | | sister, Georgeanne Jones; to his 19 grandchildren and |
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| 56 | 57 | | great-grandchildren; and to his other relatives and friends; and, |
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| 57 | 58 | | be it further |
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| 58 | 59 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 59 | 60 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 60 | 61 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Walter |
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| 61 | 62 | | Yates. |
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