H.R. No. 2290
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The life of an admired civic leader drew to a close
with the passing of Earl Charles Lairson of Houston on April 2,
2015, at the age of 87; and
WHEREAS, Born and raised on a farm in Pottawatomie County,
Oklahoma, Mr. Lairson graduated from Tecumseh High School as
valedictorian of his class; he joined the United States Army at the
age of 17, as World War II was drawing to a close, and he
subsequently served for two years in the Oklahoma Air National
Guard; while completing his bachelor's degree in accounting at the
University of Oklahoma, he enrolled in ROTC, and he achieved the
rank of first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lairson settled in Houston and was employed by
Ernst & Ernst; in 1970, he founded his own CPA firm, Earl Lairson
and Company, which became Null-Lairson following a merger in 1997;
dedicated to the advancement of his profession, he was a charter
member of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, and he
served on its board and as president of its Houston Chapter; he was
also a founding member of the Texas Association of CPAs, and during
two terms on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, he served
for a year as chair; moreover, he was a life member of many CPA
organizations, among them the American Institute of CPAs and the
Texas Society of CPAs; and
WHEREAS, Active in the Republican Party from 1960 onward,
Mr. Lairson worked on the Draft Goldwater campaign and on the first
congressional campaign of George H. W. Bush; he served as a precinct
chair for 35 years and as a member of the Texas State Republican
Executive Committee for a decade; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lairson further benefited his community through
his involvement in numerous organizations; he was a director of the
Houston Club and chair of its finance committee, and he was a
charter member of the Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce and of the
Greater Houston Pachyderm Club; the founding president of the
Pachyderm Club of Northwest Houston, he received the group's Tough
Tusk Award; for many years, he served as president and program chair
of the Northwest Executive Round Table, and he was a charter member
and vice president of the Magic Circle Exchange Club of Houston; he
was also a trustee of the Educational Advancement Foundation and a
longtime advisory board member and accountant for the Free
Enterprise Institute; and
WHEREAS, Deeply committed to serving others, Mr. Lairson was
a life member of the American Legion and an endowed member of the
Oak Forest Masonic Lodge No. 1398, and he belonged to Arabia Temple
Shriners, Tranquility Lodge 2000, the Sam Houston Hall of Fame,
Ruthven Commandery No. 2, the Washington Chapter of Royal Arch
Masons, and Houston Council No. 1; he was an active member of First
Methodist Church of Houston as well, and he served as a Sunday
school teacher and as a member of the administrative board and the
finance and audit committees; in 2008, he joined Candlelight Church
of Christ, which he served as a trustee; and
WHEREAS, Above all, Mr. Lairson was devoted to his wife,
Virginia, with whom he shared 63 years, and their cherished family;
and
WHEREAS, Earl Lairson gave generously of his time and talents
to better his community, and he leaves behind a record of service
that his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Earl Charles Lairson
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Virginia Lou Cagle Lairson; to his children, Karen Hurst and
her husband, Randy, Mark Earl Lairson, Eric Charles Lairson, and
Dawn Welch and her husband, David; to his grandchildren, Erin
Hencey and her husband, Edward, Steven Hurst and his wife,
Stephanie, Dr. Candace Powell and her husband, Erik, William Wells
III, Carrie Hurst, Michael Earl Hurst and his wife, Grace, and
Hannah, Josh, and Rachel Welch; to his great-grandchildren, Erik
and Emily Hencey, Carson, Wyatt, and Claire Powell, and Steven,
Sophia, and Kate Hurst; to his sisters, Earline Ellen Childers and
Rosie Brightwell; and to his many other relatives and friends; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Earl
Charles Lairson.
Bohac
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2290 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 21, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House