| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 299 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, The Honorable Nate McDonald retired as county judge |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | of Matagorda County on December 31, 2022, concluding an exemplary |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | tenure that spanned 16 years; and |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Born and raised in Bay City, Mr. McDonald graduated |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | from Bay City High School in 1973, before attending Howard Payne |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | University in Brownwood on a basketball scholarship and earning his |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | bachelor's degree in business administration in 1978; he went on to |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | operate McDonald Equipment Company for nearly three decades, while |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | pursuing agriculture, real estate, and investment ventures in |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Matagorda County and throughout the state; and |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, In 2006, Mr. McDonald successfully ran for the |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | office of Matagorda County judge; as the county's chief elected |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | official, he dutifully presided over the commissioners court, |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | criminal court, civil court, and various other bodies, while also |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | serving as chair of the county's juvenile, EMS, and self-insurance |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | pool boards; his experience as a former business leader informed |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | his focus on economic development projects in the community, and as |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | a ski patroller of 25 years, he took a special interest in the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | county's emergency management planning; and |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, In his role as emergency management director, Judge |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | McDonald oversaw monthly drills related to the two nuclear reactors |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | housed in Matagorda County; he frequently attended events such as |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference and |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | meetings of the Infrastructure Development Working Group, in |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | addition to being invited to speak and lecture at various |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | conferences, workshops, and training sessions held by these |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | organizations; he traveled as far away as Paris, France, and |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | Vienna, Austria, for IAEA events and also welcomed participants to |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | special seminars at home in Bay City and Matagorda County; along the |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | way, he distinguished himself in a number of other positions, |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | including as chair of the Texas Association of Regional Councils; |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | and |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Judge McDonald's dedication, integrity, and |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | commitment to excellence have greatly benefited the citizens of |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | Matagorda County and earned him the respect and admiration of his |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | peers, and he may indeed reflect with pride on his many |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | achievements; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Nate McDonald on his retirement as |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | county judge for Matagorda County and extend to him sincere best |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | wishes for the future; and, be it further |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | prepared for Judge McDonald as an expression of high regard by the |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | Vasut |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | ______________________________ |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | Speaker of the House |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | I certify that H.R. No. 299 was adopted by the House on March |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 8, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | voting. |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | ______________________________ |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
|---|