85S12591 BPG-D
By: Thompson of Harris H.R. No. 351
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Former governor Mark White passed away on August 5,
2017, at the age of 77, leaving an admirable legacy of visionary
leadership; and
WHEREAS, Elected to the state's highest office in 1982,
Governor White worked tirelessly to address a number of challenging
issues, including the diversification of the Texas economy and the
implementation of comprehensive education reform, and his
achievements have had an important and lasting influence on the
Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, The son of Sarah Elizabeth White and Mark White Sr.,
Mark Wells White Jr. was born in Henderson on March 17, 1940, and
grew up in Houston; the focus he would later place on education
stemmed in part from the influence of his mother, who taught first
grade; after graduating from Houston's Lamar High School, he worked
his way through Baylor University, where he earned degrees in
business and law; and
WHEREAS, In 1966, Mr. White began his career in public
service as an assistant attorney general, and in that role, he
handled some of the state's first consumer protection
investigations; he then became a partner in private law practice in
Houston before being appointed as Texas Secretary of State by
Governor Dolph Briscoe in 1973; just 32 years old when he took
office, he worked to modernize the state's voter registration
system, and after five years on the job, he ran for attorney
general; though considered an underdog, he triumphed in the 1978
Democratic primary and went on to win the office in the November
election; his ability to defy the odds in political races was
repeated four years later, when he challenged incumbent governor
Bill Clements and was elected as the state's chief executive; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his tenure, Governor White was
able to win support for a number of groundbreaking initiatives; his
bold education reforms, highlighted by House Bill 72 enacted in
1984, included pay raises for educators and funding increases for
property-poor school districts, as well as the establishment of
class size limits and teacher competency tests to improve
elementary schools; he also intensified the focus on student
achievement, championing the landmark no-pass, no-play policy that
required students to pass all of their classes in order to
participate in school sports, and he demonstrated similar resolve
in securing funding for school and highway improvements; to
diversify a state economy that had been prone to wrenching
boom-and-bust cycles, he spearheaded the recruitment of a major
research conglomerate, Microelectronics and Computer Technology
Corporation, setting the stage for Austin's emergence as a
high-tech center; and
WHEREAS, After leaving office in 1987, Governor White
returned to the private sector, continuing his legal practice in
Houston and serving GeoVox Security as its chair; moreover, he
shared his expertise and commitment to service as a member of the
boards of the Baylor College of Medicine, the San Jacinto Monument
and Museum of History, the Armed Forces Foundation, and the Texas
Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and he chaired the Houston
Independent School District Foundation; the school district
appropriately named an elementary campus in his honor in 2014, and
his numerous other accolades included a Distinguished Alumnus award
from the Baylor Alumni Association and Baylor University's Pro
Texana Medal of Service; and
WHEREAS, Governor White shared a long and happy marriage with
his college sweetheart, the former Linda Gale Thompson; he was the
proud father of three children, Mark, Andrew, and Elizabeth, and in
later years, he delighted in the company of his nine grandchildren;
and
WHEREAS, Gregarious, collegial, and charismatic, Mark White
loved the give-and-take of politics, but he was guided above all by
an unwavering sense of responsibility to the people of Texas; he
embraced Sam Houston's admonition to "do right and risk the
consequences," and his commitment to caring and principled
governance will remain a source of inspiration for years to come;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
of the Honorable Mark White and extend sincere condolences to Linda
Gale, their children, and 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 Governor
White.