H.R. No. 1374
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Lynn Wyatt of Houston has been named the 2017 Texas
Medal of Arts honoree for Individual Arts Patron by the Texas
Cultural Trust; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Medal of Arts program pays tribute to
residents of the Lone Star State who have significantly benefited a
variety of artistic disciplines, through either personal
achievement or benevolent support; and
WHEREAS, A third-generation Texan, Lynn Sakowitz Wyatt has
long been a philanthropist and civic leader; locally, she chaired
the Houston Grand Opera's 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Gala,
which raised $2.5 million for the company, and featured such
international stars as Renée Fleming, Bryn Terfel, Philip Glass,
and Elton John; Mrs. Wyatt is also chair emeritus of the Brilliant
Lecture Series' Youth Leadership Program and a life trustee of the
Star of Hope Mission, and in 1980, Governor William P. Clements
named her an Ambassador of Goodwill for the State of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Active in a number of efforts at the national level
as well, Mrs. Wyatt is a founding trustee of the Princess Grace
Foundation USA, and she chaired the inaugural gala in Washington,
D.C., for President Ronald Reagan; as President Reagan's appointee,
she served for eight years on the board of the U.S. Naval Academy;
and
WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan has shared her time and
resources with the international community as well, serving as
chair of the Bal de la Rose in Monaco, an annual event that she
transformed into a weekend of festivities benefiting the Red Cross
and the American Hospital of Paris; she is also a special advisor to
Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, president of the World Foundation
for Medical Research and Prevention, and she has generously
supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Wyatt's many honors include the Masterson Award
from the Houston Grand Opera and the Woodson Medal from the Houston
Forum, and she was inducted into France's prestigious Order of Arts
and Letters as a chevalier in 1982, with a promotion to the rank of
officer in 2007; moreover, she has been named Houston's Most
Fascinating by the Texas Medical Center Library, Socialite of the
Century by Texas Monthly, and a Cadillac Texas Legend by KHOU-TV in
Houston; and
WHEREAS, Cultural organizations across the Lone Star State
and beyond have benefited immeasurably from the altruism of Lynn
Wyatt, and she has set an inspiring example of the good that one
person can accomplish; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Lynn Wyatt on her selection as the
2017 Texas Medal of Arts honoree for Individual Arts Patron and
extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mrs. Wyatt as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Davis of Harris
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1374 was adopted by the House on April
27, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House