85R9289 BPG-D
By: Wu H.R. No. 351
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Texans are mourning the loss of Harry Joseph
Middleton of Austin, the longtime director of the LBJ Presidential
Library, who died on January 20, 2017, at the age of 95; and
WHEREAS, Born in Centerville, Iowa, on October 24, 1921,
Harry Middleton grew up in Topeka, Kansas; he interrupted his
education at Washburn University during World War II to enlist in
the United States Army and later completed his bachelor's degree in
journalism at Louisiana State University; subsequently, he
reported for the Associated Press in New York and served again as an
officer in the Korean War; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Middleton met President Lyndon Baines Johnson
in the course of writing a report for a presidential commission, and
he joined the administration as a staff assistant in 1967; over the
next two years, he wrote many memorable speeches for the president
and drafted messages to Congress advocating for new legislation; he
continued to work for President Johnson as a special assistant
following his return to Texas and worked on two books with him, The
Choices We Face and The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the
Presidency; and
WHEREAS, At the request of President Johnson, Mr. Middleton
took on leadership of the library before it opened in 1971; although
he had no experience as an archivist, he proved a visionary in the
field, making the library a vibrant center for history and public
affairs scholarship with frequent policy symposiums, notable
speakers, and compelling exhibits; he promoted transparency by
moving to declassify presidential papers and by preserving and
releasing recordings of conversations that shed new light on the
Johnson presidency; for three decades, he set the standard for
excellence, gaining wide recognition as "the Dean of Presidential
Librarians"; and
WHEREAS, From 1993 until 2004, Mr. Middleton also served as
executive director of the LBJ Foundation, and he became a mentor to
generations of aspiring public officials; he was an original
proponent of the dynamic partnership between the library and the
LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, and
beginning in 2003, he taught a popular honors course at UT, The
Johnson Years; he also wrote a number of books, among them The
Compact History of the Korean War, LBJ: The White House Years, and
Lady Bird Johnson: A Life Well-Lived; the LBJ Foundation
established the Harry Middleton Fellowships in his honor, and his
myriad accolades further included the Presidential Rank of
Meritorious Executive, the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of
Liberty Award, and The University of Texas Presidential Citation;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Middleton shared a rewarding marriage with his
wife, Miriam, until her passing in 2004; he was the proud father of
Susan Hoyle, Deborah Sansom, James Middleton, and Jennifer O'Dell
and grandfather of Joshua Hoyle, Monica O'Dell Shields, Lindsay
O'Dell, and Reed O'Dell; and
WHEREAS, A man of tremendous wisdom and integrity, Harry
Middleton devoted himself to advancing the highest ideals of public
service, and his remarkable contributions will continue to resonate
in Texas and the nation for years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Harry Joseph
Middleton and extend deep condolences to all who mourn his passing;
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 Harry
Middleton.