H.R. No. 2295
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Jack Sawtelle Blanton, a prominent Houston oil
executive and philanthropist, passed away on December 28, 2013, at
the age of 86; and
WHEREAS, The son of Louise Wynn and William Neal Blanton,
Jack Blanton was born on December 7, 1927, in Shreveport,
Louisiana; when he was two, the family moved to Houston, where he
graduated from Lamar High School; he went on to attend The
University of Texas and received a degree in history in 1947 and a
bachelor of laws degree three years later; while at UT, he competed
in tennis, and the sport proved to be a lifelong passion for him;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blanton began working for the Scurlock Oil
Company in 1950 and quickly rose through the ranks to become head of
the company in 1958; he held the office of president and CEO for a
quarter-century and subsequently served Scurlock as chair before
retiring in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Mr. Blanton was dedicated to
the city of Houston and served on the boards of many businesses and
institutions, including Texas Commerce Bank, Southwestern Bell
Telephone, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Houston Methodist
Hospital, where he was a life trustee; he also chaired the Greater
Houston Partnership, a consortium of community-minded business
leaders, and he devoted time and resources to a number of charitable
groups, including the Scurlock Foundation, which he cofounded in
1954; from 1990 to 2003, he served as chair of the Houston
Endowment, which contributes to a broad spectrum of programs in
such areas as education, health care, and the arts, and over the
course of his tenure, he shepherded the endowment's growth, from
$400 million to more than $1 billion; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blanton also remained loyal to his alma mater,
and he served on the UT Board of Regents for six years, including a
two-year term as chair; in addition, he served as chair of the LBJ
Foundation and as president of the Ex-Students' Association, and he
was recognized with a Distinguished Alumnus and a Santa Rita Award,
the highest accolade bestowed by the Board of Regents; the
university paid special tribute to this esteemed benefactor with
the naming of the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art in his honor in 1997;
and
WHEREAS, For five decades, Mr. Blanton enjoyed the love and
support of his wife, Laura Lee Scurlock, and they were blessed with
three children, Elizabeth, Jack, and Eddy; after Mrs. Blanton's
passing, Mr. Blanton was fortunate enough to find love again and he
married Cindy Davis; following her death, he met Ginger Renfroe at
his church, St. Luke's United Methodist, and the couple married in
2002; over the course of more than a decade together, they shared a
profound commitment to their family, their faith, and their
community; and
WHEREAS, Jack Blanton earned great respect and admiration for
his business acumen and civic leadership, as well as for his
generosity in sharing his success with institutions across the Lone
Star State, and he leaves behind a legacy that will resonate long
into the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature pay tribute to the memory of Jack Sawtelle Blanton and
extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife,
Ginger Renfroe Blanton; to his children, Elizabeth Wareing and her
husband, Peter, Jack S. Blanton Jr. and his wife, Leslie, and Eddy
S. Blanton and his wife, Kelli; to his grandchildren and
great-grandchildren; 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 Jack S.
Blanton.
Bohac
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2295 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 21, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House