| 2 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, A remarkable life drew to a close with the death of |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | | veteran Texas newspaperman William B. Wilkerson of Austin on April |
|---|
| 7 | 8 | | 30, 2015, at the age of 86; and |
|---|
| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Bill Wilkerson was born on April 12, 1929, to James |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | | and Alma Wilkerson; as the son of the owner and publisher of the |
|---|
| 10 | 11 | | Comanche Chief in Comanche, the young Mr. Wilkerson already had ink |
|---|
| 11 | 12 | | in his veins, and he went to work at the paper as a printer's devil |
|---|
| 12 | 13 | | at the age of eight; and |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | WHEREAS, At The University of Texas, Mr. Wilkerson met the |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | love of his life, Judith Blanton; they were married in 1950 and went |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | on to share 65 years together; the parents of three children, David, |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | Katie, and Noel, they were blessed with six grandchildren and a |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | great-granddaughter; and |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, After graduating from UT in 1951, Mr. Wilkerson |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | joined the U.S. Air Force, serving at Floyd Bennett Field in |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | Brooklyn, and he and his new bride made the most of their time in New |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | York, taking in Broadway plays, picnicking in Central Park, and |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | attending games of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers; and |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Wilkerson returned to Comanche to |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | become the editor of the family newspaper, and he and his wife also |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | bought the De Leon Free Press, which they ran until 1998; in 1974, |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | they sold their interest in the Comanche Chief and purchased the |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | Pleasanton Express; over the past 41 years, the paper has won |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | numerous awards from the South Texas Press Association and the |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | Texas Press Association, including the 2007 STPA Sweepstakes and |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | the 2014 Sweepstakes of both the TPA and the Texas Gulf Coast Press |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | Association; and |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Wilkerson served the STPA as president in the |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | late 1960s and as secretary/treasurer from 1985 to 2004, when he was |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | unanimously voted permanent assistant treasurer; Mr. and |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | Mrs. Wilkerson together won the STPA's Distinguished Service Award |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | and Martin L. "Red" Gibson Award, and in 1985 they were also |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | recognized as the Couple of the Year by the Pleasanton Chamber of |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | Commerce; and |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, Although the Pleasanton Express remains in the |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | Wilkerson family, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson retired from its daily |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | management in 1989 and moved to Austin, where they pursued an active |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | life and enjoyed the best the city has to offer, including UT sports |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | and Eeyore's Birthday Party; Mr. Wilkerson also delighted in family |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | trips to England, Europe, Las Vegas, and Port Aransas, and until the |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | end of his life he remained passionate about Texas professional |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | sports, Broadway musicals, playing dominoes, and gardening; and |
|---|
| 47 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Known to his countless friends as "Super" and "Wild |
|---|
| 48 | 49 | | Bill," Mr. Wilkerson greeted every man he met with "Hello, my |
|---|
| 49 | 50 | | friend!" and every woman with "Good God, you're gorgeous!"; he |
|---|
| 50 | 51 | | remained passionately devoted to his wife, writing her a love note |
|---|
| 51 | 52 | | on every birthday and anniversary, and he was a devoted father and |
|---|
| 52 | 53 | | grandfather; and |
|---|
| 53 | 54 | | WHEREAS, Bill Wilkerson lived his whole life without the |
|---|
| 54 | 55 | | brakes on, sharing with all who knew him his good humor, his gusto, |
|---|
| 55 | 56 | | and his generosity of spirit, and he will forever be a source of |
|---|
| 56 | 57 | | inspiration to those he leaves behind; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 57 | 58 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
|---|
| 58 | 59 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of William B. |
|---|
| 59 | 60 | | Wilkerson and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
|---|
| 60 | 61 | | family: to his wife, Judith Blanton Wilkerson; to his children, |
|---|
| 61 | 62 | | David B. Wilkerson and his wife, Sherry Sekula Wilkerson, Katie |
|---|
| 62 | 63 | | Wilkerson Carnes and her husband, Les Carnes, and Noel Wilkerson |
|---|
| 63 | 64 | | Holmes and her husband, Noel Spencer Holmes; to his sisters, Alma |
|---|
| 64 | 65 | | Jean Wilkerson Wetzel and Nancy Wilkerson Barton; to his |
|---|
| 65 | 66 | | sister-in-law, Carol Blanton Greenlee; to his grandchildren, |
|---|
| 66 | 67 | | William and Katherine Wilkerson, Will and Zach Holmes, and |
|---|
| 67 | 68 | | Alexandra and Avery Lewis; to his great-granddaughter, Aaliyah |
|---|
| 68 | 69 | | Wilkerson Palmer; to his nieces and nephews, Lynn Wetzel Birran, |
|---|
| 69 | 70 | | Jimmy Wilkerson, Marsha Wilkerson Williams, Buzz and Bill Barton, |
|---|
| 70 | 71 | | Michael and David Wimert, Brooke Wimert Hanson, David Greenlee, and |
|---|
| 71 | 72 | | Katherine Greenlee Ulhorn; and to his other relatives and many |
|---|
| 72 | 73 | | friends; and, be it further |
|---|
| 73 | 74 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|---|
| 74 | 75 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|---|
| 75 | 76 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bill |
|---|
| 76 | 77 | | Wilkerson. |
|---|