| 2 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Residents of Fort Worth lost a distinguished |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | | community leader with the death of former city councilperson Clyde |
|---|
| 7 | 8 | | Wendell Picht on January 1, 2021, at the age of 87; and |
|---|
| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born in Salt Lake City, Clyde Picht earned a |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | | bachelor's degree in forest management from Utah State University, |
|---|
| 10 | 11 | | where he was also a member of the ROTC; after working for the U.S. |
|---|
| 11 | 12 | | Forest Service as a firefighter and manager, he joined the U.S. Air |
|---|
| 12 | 13 | | Force and served for 22 years, including a combat tour as a pilot in |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | Vietnam, where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with two |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters; |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1978; |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | returning to civilian life, he trained flight crews for American |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | Airlines for nearly two decades, including the crew of Air Force |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | One; he retired in 1996; and |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, In 1997, Mr. Picht was elected to the Fort Worth |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | City Council by only 10 votes, earning the ironic nickname |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | "Landslide Clyde"; he served until 2005, winning the respect and |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | admiration of his constituents and his colleagues for his |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | dedication and thorough attention to detail; he ensured that every |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | constituent call or letter was attended to, and he read massive city |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | council binders straight through on the weekend before council |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | meetings; and |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Earlier in his life, Mr. Picht served as president, |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | vice president, and treasurer of the Wedgwood East Neighborhood |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | Association, and in retirement, he volunteered with the Salvation |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, the B-36 Peacemaker Museum, the |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | Texas National Cemetery Foundation, and Friends of Texas Health |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest; and |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, In 1955, while still an ROTC student at Utah State |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | University, he went into the hospital for minor surgery and met a |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | nurse named Emeline Trujillo, and he claimed to be in more pain than |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | he actually was so that she would spend more time with him; they |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | married six months later and went on to share 65 years together |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | until her death in 2020; they were the parents of four children and |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | later welcomed three grandchildren into their family; all their |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | lives, she called him by his middle name, Wendell, and he called her |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | Tru, for her maiden name, Trujillo; and |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, A dynamic man with a keen intellect, Clyde Picht |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | lived a rich and purposeful life devoted to his family, his |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | community, and his nation, and he leaves behind a record of service |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | that his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|---|
| 47 | 48 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Clyde Wendell Picht |
|---|
| 48 | 49 | | and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and many friends; |
|---|
| 49 | 50 | | and, be it further |
|---|
| 50 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|---|
| 51 | 52 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|---|
| 52 | 53 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Clyde |
|---|
| 53 | 54 | | Picht. |
|---|