H.R. No. 1590
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost an admired educator and
demographer with the passing of former U.S. Census Bureau director
Steven Harold Murdock on April 7, 2023, at the age of 74; and
WHEREAS, The son of Lois and Raymond Murdock, Steve Murdock
was born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, on June 2, 1948; after
graduating from North Dakota State University, he went on to earn
his doctoral degree in demography and sociology from the University
of Kentucky; he taught for a quarter century at Texas A&M
University, where he held a Regents Chair; for a decade, he held the
Lutcher Brown Distinguished Chair in Demography and Organization
Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio; in 2007, he
joined Rice University as the Allyn and Gladys Cline Chair in
Sociology, and he became the founding director of Rice's Hobby
Center for the Study of Texas; he was the author of dozens of books
and nearly 50 academic journal articles, and he was a caring mentor
to his Ph.D. students; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Murdock originated and institutionalized the
position of Texas state demographer; for more than 25 years, he
guided the Texas State Data Center and Texas Population Estimates
and Projections Program, taking a leadership role in the state's
efforts in the 1980, 1990, and 2000 decennial censuses; he also made
approximately 50 to 60 presentations each year on the changing size
and distribution of the state's population at the request of groups
such as legislators, school superintendents, and fellow academics;
President George W. Bush nominated him as director of the U.S.
Census Bureau in 2007, and his dedication to public service led him
to accept, even though the job would last only a year until the next
administration; he is credited with being the steady hand that kept
the 2010 Census on course during a period of transition; and
WHEREAS, Among numerous honors, Dr. Murdock received the
Distinguished Alumni Award from North Dakota State University, the
Faculty Distinguished Research Award from Texas A&M, and both the
Distinguished Rural Sociologist and Excellence in Research Awards
from the Rural Sociological Society; in 2005, he was named one of
the 25 Most Influential Texans by Texas Monthly; and
WHEREAS, Although Steve Murdock will be deeply missed, he
left behind a legacy of scholarship and service that will be
remembered and admired for years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Steven Harold Murdock
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Mary Zey; to his stepson, James Collins Ferrell; to his
grandson, George Collins Ferrell; to his sister, Joann Lonbaken,
and her husband, Roger, and his brother, Lee Murdock, and his wife,
June; and to his other relatives and 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 Steve
Murdock.
Dutton
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1590 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 19, 2023.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House