H.R. No. 2376
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Keith Keller of the Allen Keller Company has made
invaluable contributions to the Lone Star State during his many
years in highway construction; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan follows in the footsteps of his
father, Allen Keller, who began his career as a field clerk with
William Thornton in 1932 and went on to start two highway
construction businesses; he established the first in 1946 in
partnership with former Associated General Contractors president
Doc Killian, and he founded the second, the Allen Keller Company, in
Fredericksburg in 1953; and
WHEREAS, Keith Keller joined his father's business after
earning an engineering degree from The University of Texas at
Austin in 1964, and he became the company's president on April 1,
1977; under his leadership, the Allen Keller Company received
recognition for its drill-and-shoot and limestone-crushing
techniques and was given responsibility for several of the most
dramatic road cuts on I-10 between Austin and El Paso; and
WHEREAS, When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive
Order 11246, prohibiting employment discrimination in federally
funded construction contracts, Keith Keller and his
brother-in-law, James Kemp, helped coordinate efforts between the
Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Department of
Transportation, and construction companies in the hiring and
training of minority Texans; this initiative resulted in more than
10,000 individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds finding gainful
employment in the industry; and
WHEREAS, Respected and admired by his peers, Mr. Keller was
elected president of the Associated General Contractors of Texas in
1986, an office his father had held a quarter-century earlier; in
this role, Keith Keller worked tirelessly to foster a rapport
between the AGC of Texas and the members of the Texas Legislature,
and the association's board of directors awarded him lifetime
membership following his retirement in 2015; he has also served on
the board of directors of the Security State Bank and Trust for more
than three decades; and
WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Keller enjoys the love
and support of his wife, the former Marjorie Ann Alberthal, whom he
married on June 8, 1963, at Holy Ghost Lutheran Church in
Fredericksburg; and
WHEREAS, Over the past five decades, this consummate
professional has excelled in the highway construction industry, and
he can reflect with great pride on his outstanding record of
achievement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Keith Keller for his many years of service
to the highway construction industry and extend to him sincere best
wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Keller as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Miller of Comal
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2376 was adopted by the House on May
1, 2015, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House