| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The passing of Jafar Rahim Salehi of Midland on |
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| 6 | 7 | | June 22, 2022, at the age of 75, brought a profound loss to his |
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| 7 | 8 | | family and many friends; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born in Iran on February 12, 1947, "Jeff" Salehi was |
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| 9 | 10 | | the son of Aghdas and Ali Salehi; he learned English while |
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| 10 | 11 | | completing a bachelor's degree at the University of Kansas and went |
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| 11 | 12 | | on to earn a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Texas Tech |
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| 12 | 13 | | University; it was there that he met the love of his life, the |
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| 13 | 14 | | former DeeAnn McAlpine; after they married, his career took them |
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| 14 | 15 | | from Enid, Oklahoma, to San Angelo, and finally to Midland, her |
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| 15 | 16 | | hometown; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Salehi was employed by Cholla Petroleum and then |
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| 17 | 18 | | became the engineer for Endeavor Energy Resources, which he helped |
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| 18 | 19 | | to develop into a major company; in 2001, he launched his own |
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| 19 | 20 | | successful firm, Scythian Limited; he was a mentor to numerous |
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| 20 | 21 | | people along the way; although he loved the oil business, he had an |
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| 21 | 22 | | even bigger passion for working on his ranch in Harper, where he |
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| 22 | 23 | | grew wine grapes and anything else he could, as he had done during |
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| 23 | 24 | | boyhood summers at his grandparents' farm on the Caspian Sea; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Salehi was devoted above all to his family, |
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| 25 | 26 | | including his daughter, Cameron, and his grandson, Cyrus; in 2013, |
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| 26 | 27 | | when his wife was diagnosed with dementia, he sought out the best |
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| 27 | 28 | | doctors and treatments, and following her move to the Vogel Center |
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| 28 | 29 | | at Manor Park, he became a fixture at the facility; he brightened |
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| 29 | 30 | | the days of all he encountered with his radiant smile and marvelous |
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| 30 | 31 | | sense of humor; a man of faith and great kindness, he was a quietly |
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| 31 | 32 | | generous supporter of many organizations serving the Permian Basin, |
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| 32 | 33 | | including Midland Memorial Hospital, High Sky Children's Ranch, |
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| 33 | 34 | | Manor Park, and a number of local schools; he eventually |
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| 34 | 35 | | established the Salehi Family Foundation to further his charitable |
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| 35 | 36 | | giving, and in 2021, he received the Outstanding Philanthropist |
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| 36 | 37 | | Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals; and |
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| 37 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Although Jeff Salehi is deeply missed by those he |
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| 38 | 39 | | left behind, his dedication to his family, his friends, and his |
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| 39 | 40 | | community will remain a lasting source of inspiration; now, |
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| 40 | 41 | | therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | hereby pay tribute to the memory of Jafar Rahim Salehi and extend |
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| 43 | 44 | | sincere sympathy to his loved ones; and, be it further |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 45 | 46 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 46 | 47 | | Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of |
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| 47 | 48 | | Jafar Rahim Salehi. |
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