H.R. No. 1207
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Fort Worth lost a distinguished
community leader with the death of former city councilperson Clyde
Wendell Picht on January 1, 2021, at the age of 87; and
WHEREAS, Born in Salt Lake City, Clyde Picht earned a
bachelor's degree in forest management from Utah State University,
where he was also a member of the ROTC; after working for the U.S.
Forest Service as a firefighter and manager, he joined the U.S. Air
Force and served for 22 years, including a combat tour as a pilot in
Vietnam, where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with two
oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters;
he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1978;
returning to civilian life, he trained flight crews for American
Airlines for nearly two decades, including the crew of Air Force
One; he retired in 1996; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, Mr. Picht was elected to the Fort Worth
City Council by only 10 votes, earning the ironic nickname
"Landslide Clyde"; he served until 2005, winning the respect and
admiration of his constituents and his colleagues for his
dedication and thorough attention to detail; he ensured that every
constituent call or letter was attended to, and he read massive city
council binders straight through on the weekend before council
meetings; and
WHEREAS, Earlier in his life, Mr. Picht served as president,
vice president, and treasurer of the Wedgwood East Neighborhood
Association, and in retirement, he volunteered with the Salvation
Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, the B-36 Peacemaker Museum, the
Texas National Cemetery Foundation, and Friends of Texas Health
Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest; and
WHEREAS, In 1955, while still an ROTC student at Utah State
University, he went into the hospital for minor surgery and met a
nurse named Emeline Trujillo, and he claimed to be in more pain than
he actually was so that she would spend more time with him; they
married six months later and went on to share 65 years together
until her death in 2020; they were the parents of four children and
later welcomed three grandchildren into their family; all their
lives, she called him by his middle name, Wendell, and he called her
Tru, for her maiden name, Trujillo; and
WHEREAS, A dynamic man with a keen intellect, Clyde Picht
lived a rich and purposeful life devoted to his family, his
community, and his nation, and he leaves behind a record of service
that his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Clyde Wendell Picht
and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and many friends;
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 Clyde
Picht.
Cook
Goldman
Romero, Jr.
Krause
Klick
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1207 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 23, 2021.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House