H.R. No. 3019
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A remarkable life drew to a close with the death of
veteran Texas newspaperman William B. Wilkerson of Austin on April
30, 2015, at the age of 86; and
WHEREAS, Bill Wilkerson was born on April 12, 1929, to James
and Alma Wilkerson; as the son of the owner and publisher of the
Comanche Chief in Comanche, the young Mr. Wilkerson already had ink
in his veins, and he went to work at the paper as a printer's devil
at the age of eight; and
WHEREAS, At The University of Texas, Mr. Wilkerson met the
love of his life, Judith Blanton; they were married in 1950 and went
on to share 65 years together; the parents of three children, David,
Katie, and Noel, they were blessed with six grandchildren and a
great-granddaughter; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from UT in 1951, Mr. Wilkerson
joined the U.S. Air Force, serving at Floyd Bennett Field in
Brooklyn, and he and his new bride made the most of their time in New
York, taking in Broadway plays, picnicking in Central Park, and
attending games of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers; and
WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Wilkerson returned to Comanche to
become the editor of the family newspaper, and he and his wife also
bought the De Leon Free Press, which they ran until 1998; in 1974,
they sold their interest in the Comanche Chief and purchased the
Pleasanton Express; over the past 41 years, the paper has won
numerous awards from the South Texas Press Association and the
Texas Press Association, including the 2007 STPA Sweepstakes and
the 2014 Sweepstakes of both the TPA and the Texas Gulf Coast Press
Association; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Wilkerson served the STPA as president in the
late 1960s and as secretary/treasurer from 1985 to 2004, when he was
unanimously voted permanent assistant treasurer; Mr. and
Mrs. Wilkerson together won the STPA's Distinguished Service Award
and Martin L. "Red" Gibson Award, and in 1985 they were also
recognized as the Couple of the Year by the Pleasanton Chamber of
Commerce; and
WHEREAS, Although the Pleasanton Express remains in the
Wilkerson family, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson retired from its daily
management in 1989 and moved to Austin, where they pursued an active
life and enjoyed the best the city has to offer, including UT sports
and Eeyore's Birthday Party; Mr. Wilkerson also delighted in family
trips to England, Europe, Las Vegas, and Port Aransas, and until the
end of his life he remained passionate about Texas professional
sports, Broadway musicals, playing dominoes, and gardening; and
WHEREAS, Known to his countless friends as "Super" and "Wild
Bill," Mr. Wilkerson greeted every man he met with "Hello, my
friend!" and every woman with "Good God, you're gorgeous!"; he
remained passionately devoted to his wife, writing her a love note
on every birthday and anniversary, and he was a devoted father and
grandfather; and
WHEREAS, Bill Wilkerson lived his whole life without the
brakes on, sharing with all who knew him his good humor, his gusto,
and his generosity of spirit, and he will forever be a source of
inspiration to those he leaves behind; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of William B.
Wilkerson and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his wife, Judith Blanton Wilkerson; to his children,
David B. Wilkerson and his wife, Sherry Sekula Wilkerson, Katie
Wilkerson Carnes and her husband, Les Carnes, and Noel Wilkerson
Holmes and her husband, Noel Spencer Holmes; to his sisters, Alma
Jean Wilkerson Wetzel and Nancy Wilkerson Barton; to his
sister-in-law, Carol Blanton Greenlee; to his grandchildren,
William and Katherine Wilkerson, Will and Zach Holmes, and
Alexandra and Avery Lewis; to his great-granddaughter, Aaliyah
Wilkerson Palmer; to his nieces and nephews, Lynn Wetzel Birran,
Jimmy Wilkerson, Marsha Wilkerson Williams, Buzz and Bill Barton,
Michael and David Wimert, Brooke Wimert Hanson, David Greenlee, and
Katherine Greenlee Ulhorn; and to his other relatives and many
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 Bill
Wilkerson.
Guillen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 3019 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 30, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House