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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, A full and productive life drew to a close with the |
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| 6 | 7 | | passing of admired entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas Sharpe |
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| 7 | 8 | | Wilmeth of Daingerfield on January 5, 2015, at the age of 101; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The son of Leona and Delbert Wilmeth, Tom Wilmeth |
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| 9 | 10 | | was born in Chicago on October 2, 1913, and grew up in Indianapolis; |
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| 10 | 11 | | he demonstrated remarkable business acumen at an early age, selling |
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| 11 | 12 | | hot-roasted peanuts and strawberries door-to-door, and by the age |
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| 12 | 13 | | of 15, he had established Tom Wilmeth Radio Repair; he enrolled at |
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| 13 | 14 | | Purdue University when he was 16 and went on to complete his |
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| 14 | 15 | | bachelor's degree in electrical engineering magna cum laude; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Wilmeth and his wife, Margaret, became the |
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| 16 | 17 | | parents of two children, Steven and Suzanne; after he was widowed, |
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| 17 | 18 | | he was fortunate enough to find love a second time with the former |
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| 18 | 19 | | Benette Laiken, and they shared a fulfilling marriage of more than |
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| 19 | 20 | | 15 years; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, During the Great Depression and World War II, |
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| 21 | 22 | | Mr. Wilmeth worked for IBM, Allis Chalmers, and A. O. Smith |
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| 22 | 23 | | Company; he and his brother, Harvey, founded Scot Industries in |
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| 23 | 24 | | Milwaukee in 1949, and with his engineering, design, and business |
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| 24 | 25 | | skills, Mr. Wilmeth built the company into an international |
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| 25 | 26 | | specialty tubing supplier with 13 plants across the country and in |
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| 26 | 27 | | Canada; even after his son, Steven, took over as president, |
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| 27 | 28 | | Mr. Wilmeth worked every day, excited to seek solutions to new |
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| 28 | 29 | | challenges; he also remained an avid sailor until the age of 99; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Deeply committed to education, Tom Wilmeth gave |
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| 30 | 31 | | generously of his time and resources to his alma mater; he helped |
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| 31 | 32 | | fund the library's first electronic database, and he served on the |
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| 32 | 33 | | Libraries Dean's Advisory Council for a decade; in 2004, Purdue |
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| 33 | 34 | | conferred on him its President's Council Distinguished Pinnacle |
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| 34 | 35 | | Award, and in 2013, he received an honorary doctorate of |
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| 35 | 36 | | engineering information literacy; the university will dedicate the |
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| 36 | 37 | | Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Library of Engineering and Science |
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| 37 | 38 | | upon its completion in 2017; over the years, Mr. Wilmeth was a |
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| 38 | 39 | | benefactor of the Boy Scouts, the Mayo Clinic, and other charities |
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| 39 | 40 | | as well; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Tom Wilmeth set an inspiring example through his |
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| 41 | 42 | | active lifestyle, his generosity, and his love of learning, and his |
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| 42 | 43 | | contributions will continue to resonate in the years to come; now, |
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| 43 | 44 | | therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Thomas Sharpe |
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| 46 | 47 | | Wilmeth and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
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| 47 | 48 | | family: to his wife, Benette Laiken Wilmeth; to his sister, |
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| 48 | 49 | | Rosemary Wilmeth Reeves; to his son, Steven Lytton Wilmeth, and his |
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| 49 | 50 | | wife, Victoria Berglund; to his daughter, Suzanne Wilmeth Anderson; |
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| 50 | 51 | | to his four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; and to his |
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| 51 | 52 | | other relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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| 52 | 53 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 53 | 54 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 54 | 55 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Tom |
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| 55 | 56 | | Wilmeth. |
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