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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, A life dedicated to the service of others has drawn |
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| 6 | 7 | | to a close with the death of Kenneth Lee Decker of Houston on |
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| 7 | 8 | | December 13, 2020, at the age of 74; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Ken Decker was born in Oklahoma City on April 9, |
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| 9 | 10 | | 1946, to Willis and Wanda Decker, and he grew up with two sisters, |
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| 10 | 11 | | Donna and Kay; after graduating from S. H. Rider High School in |
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| 11 | 12 | | Wichita Falls, he attended the Georgetown University School of |
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| 12 | 13 | | Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.; in August 1970, he married |
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| 13 | 14 | | Lorraine Ross in Austin, and the couple later moved to Bologna, |
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| 14 | 15 | | Italy, where Mr. Decker studied at the Johns Hopkins School of |
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| 15 | 16 | | Advanced International Studies; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Returning to Austin, Mr. Decker worked as |
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| 17 | 18 | | international trade director for the Texas Department of |
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| 18 | 19 | | Agriculture while also attending the Graduate School of Business at |
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| 19 | 20 | | The University of Texas at Austin; in 1976, he joined Arthur |
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| 20 | 21 | | Andersen LLP, in Houston, where he rose to tax manager, and with the |
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| 21 | 22 | | encouragement of his wife, he went on to launch his own |
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| 22 | 23 | | international tax practice, Decker Financial, conducting financial |
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| 23 | 24 | | workshops and personal counseling sessions with thousands of |
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| 24 | 25 | | families around the world; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, In the aftermath of 9/11, Mr. and Mrs. Decker |
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| 26 | 27 | | founded two nonprofits, Financial Mentors of America and Skills For |
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| 27 | 28 | | Living, and each summer, Mr. Decker organized and emceed the Game |
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| 28 | 29 | | of Real Life in Houston, inspiring underserved high school students |
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| 29 | 30 | | to strive for a brighter future; as president of Decker & |
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| 30 | 31 | | Associates, he published Real Life Financial Mathematics and worked |
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| 31 | 32 | | with more than 50 Texas school districts to train teachers in this |
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| 32 | 33 | | critical-thinking curriculum; he was active in many local, state, |
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| 33 | 34 | | and national professional organizations, and he was also a lifelong |
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| 34 | 35 | | member of the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Decker was the proud and loving father of two |
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| 36 | 37 | | children, Caryn and Cameron, and having started his own career in |
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| 37 | 38 | | the public sector, he encouraged them to follow their dreams and |
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| 38 | 39 | | shape the world for the better as leaders in the City of San Diego |
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| 39 | 40 | | and Harris County governments, respectively; he delighted in the |
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| 40 | 41 | | time he spent traveling to the Texas Hill Country, Argentina, and |
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| 41 | 42 | | the Cayman Islands, and he enjoyed reading, listening to music, and |
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| 42 | 43 | | watching British mystery shows on television; and |
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| 43 | 44 | | WHEREAS, Although he is deeply missed, Ken Decker leaves |
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| 44 | 45 | | behind a legacy of generosity, wit, and compassion that will |
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| 45 | 46 | | continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now, |
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| 46 | 47 | | therefore, be it |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 48 | 49 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Kenneth Lee Decker |
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| 49 | 50 | | and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family and many friends; and, |
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| 50 | 51 | | be it further |
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| 51 | 52 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 52 | 53 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 53 | 54 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Kenneth Lee |
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| 54 | 55 | | Decker. |
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