86R16529 BPG-D
By: Howard H.R. No. 787
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost an admired lawmaker with
the passing of James Arthur Turman, former speaker of the Texas
House of Representatives, on February 13, 2019, at the age of 91;
and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Turman was born in Fannin County to James
Wesley Turman and Clive Scarborough Turman on November 29, 1927,
and later worked his way through East Texas State Teachers College,
earning bachelor's and master's degrees; he began his career in
education when he was only 19 and worked as a teacher and principal
in Wolfe City before being hired as a junior high school principal
in Paris; after serving with the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he
settled in Gober; and
WHEREAS, This dedicated public servant won election to the
first of four terms in the Texas House of Representatives in 1954;
he drew on his experience as a teacher and school administrator
while serving on the Education Committee, which he chaired during
the 55th Legislature, and the School Districts Committee; he also
chaired the Municipal and Private Corporations Committee and spent
two sessions on the Banks and Banking Committee; during his time as
a legislator, he completed his doctoral degree in educational
administration and psychology at The University of Texas at Austin,
and when he was elected as speaker of the 57th Texas Legislature in
1961, he became the first holder of a doctorate to serve as the
chamber's presiding officer; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Speaker Turman, the house
chamber was air-conditioned, and he arranged for the allocation of
private offices in the Capitol to many rank-and-file members for
the first time; he served as chair of the Legislative Audit
Committee, established the State Employees Classification System,
and promoted passage of a bill supporting the University of
Houston; committed to fair remuneration for educators, he secured a
teacher pay raise, and he successfully advocated for better wages
and more reasonable hours for firefighters as well; in addition,
the state's first general sales tax was enacted during his
speakership after he forged an agreement with Governor Price Daniel
that enabled the bill to become law; his involvement in state
politics also included an unsuccessful bid for the office of
lieutenant governor in 1962; and
WHEREAS, Speaker Turman began working as an assistant to the
president and as an assistant professor at Texas Woman's University
in 1957, and during his tenure, he established the TWU Foundation
and served as its first director; he went on to join the U.S. Office
of Education and rose to become associate commissioner, the highest
civil service position in the agency; concurrently, he served on
the Education Commission of the States, and President Lyndon
B. Johnson appointed him to the J. William Fulbright Foreign
Scholarship Board; he served in subsequent administrations as
director of the President's National Advisory Council on Extension
and Continuing Education and as a consultant to the President's
Council on Physical Fitness; moreover, he shared his expertise as a
member of presidential task forces on public school desegregation;
and
WHEREAS, During his time in the nation's capital, Speaker
Turman founded two national educational management consulting
corporations; he later worked as chief of staff for Texas congress
member Jim Mattox and as a liaison to the House Budget Committee; in
his next role, as regional director of refugee resettlement in
Dallas for the Department of Health and Human Services, he helped
immigrants from Vietnam and Cambodia make new homes in the
U.S. following the fall of Saigon; in 1986, he retired from the
civil service and joined the Office of the State Comptroller as a
senior research analyst; he organized Chaparral Mining Corporation
four years later and held the offices of board chair, president, and
CEO with the company; and
WHEREAS, During retirement, Speaker Turman traveled North
America in an RV with his beloved wife and best friend, Joanie
Turman, visiting all 49 state capitols across the continental U.S.;
when not on the road, the couple enjoyed residing near their friend
Willie Nelson in the Village of Briarcliff; Speaker Turman was the
father of one son, James A. Turman Jr., who preceded him in death;
and
WHEREAS, In recognition of this admired Texan's many
achievements, the Texas Legislature unanimously designated
Farm-to-Market Road 68 in Fannin County as Speaker Jimmy Turman
Road in 2005, and he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas
A&M University-Commerce in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Through his tremendous dedication to the Lone Star
State and to public education, Jimmy Turman made a positive
difference in the lives of countless people, and his contributions
will be remembered and admired for years to come; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Honorable James
Arthur Turman and extend sincere condolences to his loved ones: to
his wife, Joanie Turman; to his sister, Mary Ann Reagan; to his
former brother-in-law, Dr. Billy R. Reagan; and 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 Speaker
Turman.