| 2 | 3 | | |
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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, The life of an admired civic leader drew to a close |
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| 6 | 7 | | with the passing of Earl Charles Lairson of Houston on April 2, |
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| 7 | 8 | | 2015, at the age of 87; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born and raised on a farm in Pottawatomie County, |
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| 9 | 10 | | Oklahoma, Mr. Lairson graduated from Tecumseh High School as |
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| 10 | 11 | | valedictorian of his class; he joined the United States Army at the |
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| 11 | 12 | | age of 17, as World War II was drawing to a close, and he |
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| 12 | 13 | | subsequently served for two years in the Oklahoma Air National |
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| 13 | 14 | | Guard; while completing his bachelor's degree in accounting at the |
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| 14 | 15 | | University of Oklahoma, he enrolled in ROTC, and he achieved the |
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| 15 | 16 | | rank of first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Lairson settled in Houston and was employed by |
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| 17 | 18 | | Ernst & Ernst; in 1970, he founded his own CPA firm, Earl Lairson |
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| 18 | 19 | | and Company, which became Null-Lairson following a merger in 1997; |
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| 19 | 20 | | dedicated to the advancement of his profession, he was a charter |
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| 20 | 21 | | member of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, and he |
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| 21 | 22 | | served on its board and as president of its Houston Chapter; he was |
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| 22 | 23 | | also a founding member of the Texas Association of CPAs, and during |
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| 23 | 24 | | two terms on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, he served |
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| 24 | 25 | | for a year as chair; moreover, he was a life member of many CPA |
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| 25 | 26 | | organizations, among them the American Institute of CPAs and the |
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| 26 | 27 | | Texas Society of CPAs; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Active in the Republican Party from 1960 onward, |
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| 28 | 29 | | Mr. Lairson worked on the Draft Goldwater campaign and on the first |
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| 29 | 30 | | congressional campaign of George H. W. Bush; he served as a precinct |
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| 30 | 31 | | chair for 35 years and as a member of the Texas State Republican |
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| 31 | 32 | | Executive Committee for a decade; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Lairson further benefited his community through |
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| 33 | 34 | | his involvement in numerous organizations; he was a director of the |
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| 34 | 35 | | Houston Club and chair of its finance committee, and he was a |
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| 35 | 36 | | charter member of the Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce and of the |
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| 36 | 37 | | Greater Houston Pachyderm Club; the founding president of the |
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| 37 | 38 | | Pachyderm Club of Northwest Houston, he received the group's Tough |
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| 38 | 39 | | Tusk Award; for many years, he served as president and program chair |
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| 39 | 40 | | of the Northwest Executive Round Table, and he was a charter member |
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| 40 | 41 | | and vice president of the Magic Circle Exchange Club of Houston; he |
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| 41 | 42 | | was also a trustee of the Educational Advancement Foundation and a |
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| 42 | 43 | | longtime advisory board member and accountant for the Free |
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| 43 | 44 | | Enterprise Institute; and |
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| 44 | 45 | | WHEREAS, Deeply committed to serving others, Mr. Lairson was |
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| 45 | 46 | | a life member of the American Legion and an endowed member of the |
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| 46 | 47 | | Oak Forest Masonic Lodge No. 1398, and he belonged to Arabia Temple |
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| 47 | 48 | | Shriners, Tranquility Lodge 2000, the Sam Houston Hall of Fame, |
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| 48 | 49 | | Ruthven Commandery No. 2, the Washington Chapter of Royal Arch |
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| 49 | 50 | | Masons, and Houston Council No. 1; he was an active member of First |
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| 50 | 51 | | Methodist Church of Houston as well, and he served as a Sunday |
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| 51 | 52 | | school teacher and as a member of the administrative board and the |
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| 52 | 53 | | finance and audit committees; in 2008, he joined Candlelight Church |
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| 53 | 54 | | of Christ, which he served as a trustee; and |
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| 54 | 55 | | WHEREAS, Above all, Mr. Lairson was devoted to his wife, |
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| 55 | 56 | | Virginia, with whom he shared 63 years, and their cherished family; |
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| 56 | 57 | | and |
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| 57 | 58 | | WHEREAS, Earl Lairson gave generously of his time and talents |
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| 58 | 59 | | to better his community, and he leaves behind a record of service |
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| 59 | 60 | | that his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it |
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| 60 | 61 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 61 | 62 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Earl Charles Lairson |
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| 62 | 63 | | and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his |
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| 63 | 64 | | wife, Virginia Lou Cagle Lairson; to his children, Karen Hurst and |
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| 64 | 65 | | her husband, Randy, Mark Earl Lairson, Eric Charles Lairson, and |
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| 65 | 66 | | Dawn Welch and her husband, David; to his grandchildren, Erin |
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| 66 | 67 | | Hencey and her husband, Edward, Steven Hurst and his wife, |
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| 67 | 68 | | Stephanie, Dr. Candace Powell and her husband, Erik, William Wells |
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| 68 | 69 | | III, Carrie Hurst, Michael Earl Hurst and his wife, Grace, and |
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| 69 | 70 | | Hannah, Josh, and Rachel Welch; to his great-grandchildren, Erik |
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| 70 | 71 | | and Emily Hencey, Carson, Wyatt, and Claire Powell, and Steven, |
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| 71 | 72 | | Sophia, and Kate Hurst; to his sisters, Earline Ellen Childers and |
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| 72 | 73 | | Rosie Brightwell; and to his many other relatives and friends; and, |
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| 73 | 74 | | be it further |
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| 74 | 75 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 75 | 76 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 76 | 77 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Earl |
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| 77 | 78 | | Charles Lairson. |
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