H.R. No. 897
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Stiles family has been an integral part of the
ranching community in the Texas Panhandle for more than a century;
and
WHEREAS, The family traces its roots in the livestock
business to July 1901, when William Gordon Stiles bought land near
Wheeler from Judge F. M. Patton; the Stiles Ranch was initially a
cow-calf operation that raised Shorthorn and Hereford cattle, but
in 1910, Mr. Stiles acquired the first of the Aberdeen Angus breed
that became the ranch's signature; and
WHEREAS, William Gordon Stiles II and his wife, Ora Belinda,
subsequently took over the ranch; the couple's children, Sandra,
Sharon, Bill, and Bob, were introduced to the family business at a
young age, and in time, members of this generation began overseeing
the property; and
WHEREAS, Remaining true to her heritage, Sandra Stiles
Christner ran a farm in Hemphill County with her husband, Tom, and
the pair later purchased a ranch in Oklahoma; they moved to Wheeler
in 1973, and seven years later, they bought a ranch near Mobeetie;
Mrs. Christner continued to run that property after her husband's
death in 1986, and she played an active role in ranch operations
over the years through her skills as a horsewoman, often riding her
beloved mustang, Aggie, to help round up cattle; the devoted mother
of four children, Cynthia, Tom, Elise, and Vaughan, she has been a
member of First United Methodist Church and the Top-O-Texas
Cowbells, and she has also distinguished herself as an accomplished
Western artist; and
WHEREAS, The role of the family ranch in Texas history is both
important and long-standing, and the members of the Stiles family
are indeed deserving of recognition for helping to carry forward
the legacy that was begun and nurtured by their ancestors in decades
past; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the Stiles family for its enduring
involvement in Texas ranching and extend to Sandra Stiles Christner
and the other members of the family sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the family as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Springer
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 897 was adopted by the House on March
23, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House