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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Texans are mourning the loss of Harry Joseph |
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| 6 | 7 | | Middleton of Austin, the longtime director of the LBJ Presidential |
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| 7 | 8 | | Library, who died on January 20, 2017, at the age of 95; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born in Centerville, Iowa, on October 24, 1921, |
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| 9 | 10 | | Harry Middleton grew up in Topeka, Kansas; he interrupted his |
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| 10 | 11 | | education at Washburn University during World War II to enlist in |
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| 11 | 12 | | the United States Army and later completed his bachelor's degree in |
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| 12 | 13 | | journalism at Louisiana State University; subsequently, he |
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| 13 | 14 | | reported for the Associated Press in New York and served again as an |
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| 14 | 15 | | officer in the Korean War; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Middleton met President Lyndon Baines Johnson |
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| 16 | 17 | | in the course of writing a report for a presidential commission, and |
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| 17 | 18 | | he joined the administration as a staff assistant in 1967; over the |
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| 18 | 19 | | next two years, he wrote many memorable speeches for the president |
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| 19 | 20 | | and drafted messages to Congress advocating for new legislation; he |
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| 20 | 21 | | continued to work for President Johnson as a special assistant |
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| 21 | 22 | | following his return to Texas and worked on two books with him, The |
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| 22 | 23 | | Choices We Face and The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the |
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| 23 | 24 | | Presidency; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, At the request of President Johnson, Mr. Middleton |
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| 25 | 26 | | took on leadership of the library before it opened in 1971; although |
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| 26 | 27 | | he had no experience as an archivist, he proved a visionary in the |
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| 27 | 28 | | field, making the library a vibrant center for history and public |
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| 28 | 29 | | affairs scholarship with frequent policy symposiums, notable |
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| 29 | 30 | | speakers, and compelling exhibits; he promoted transparency by |
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| 30 | 31 | | moving to declassify presidential papers and by preserving and |
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| 31 | 32 | | releasing recordings of conversations that shed new light on the |
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| 32 | 33 | | Johnson presidency; for three decades, he set the standard for |
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| 33 | 34 | | excellence, gaining wide recognition as "the Dean of Presidential |
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| 34 | 35 | | Librarians"; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, From 1993 until 2004, Mr. Middleton also served as |
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| 36 | 37 | | executive director of the LBJ Foundation, and he became a mentor to |
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| 37 | 38 | | generations of aspiring public officials; he was an original |
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| 38 | 39 | | proponent of the dynamic partnership between the library and the |
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| 39 | 40 | | LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, and |
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| 40 | 41 | | beginning in 2003, he taught a popular honors course at UT, The |
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| 41 | 42 | | Johnson Years; he also wrote a number of books, among them The |
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| 42 | 43 | | Compact History of the Korean War, LBJ: The White House Years, and |
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| 43 | 44 | | Lady Bird Johnson: A Life Well-Lived; the LBJ Foundation |
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| 44 | 45 | | established the Harry Middleton Fellowships in his honor, and his |
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| 45 | 46 | | myriad accolades further included the Presidential Rank of |
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| 46 | 47 | | Meritorious Executive, the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of |
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| 47 | 48 | | Liberty Award, and The University of Texas Presidential Citation; |
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| 48 | 49 | | and |
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| 49 | 50 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Middleton shared a rewarding marriage with his |
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| 50 | 51 | | wife, Miriam, until her passing in 2004; he was the proud father of |
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| 51 | 52 | | Susan Hoyle, Deborah Sansom, James Middleton, and Jennifer O'Dell |
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| 52 | 53 | | and grandfather of Joshua Hoyle, Monica O'Dell Shields, Lindsay |
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| 53 | 54 | | O'Dell, and Reed O'Dell; and |
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| 54 | 55 | | WHEREAS, A man of tremendous wisdom and integrity, Harry |
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| 55 | 56 | | Middleton devoted himself to advancing the highest ideals of public |
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| 56 | 57 | | service, and his remarkable contributions will continue to resonate |
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| 57 | 58 | | in Texas and the nation for years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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| 58 | 59 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 59 | 60 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Harry Joseph |
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| 60 | 61 | | Middleton and extend deep condolences to all who mourn his passing; |
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| 61 | 62 | | and, be it further |
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| 62 | 63 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 63 | 64 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 64 | 65 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Harry |
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| 65 | 66 | | Middleton. |
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