Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HR370 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.R. No. 370
2	2
3	3
4	4	R E S O L U T I O N
5	5	WHEREAS, The life of a legendary Texas business leader and
6	6	philanthropist drew to a close with the passing of B. J. "Red"
7	7	McCombs of San Antonio on February 19, 2023; and
8	8	WHEREAS, Born Billy Joe McCombs in Spur on October 19, 1927,
9	9	Red McCombs learned the importance of giving at an early age as his
10	10	parents made weekly donations at their church and helped people of
11	11	even more modest means survive the Great Depression; he attended
12	12	Southwestern University on a football scholarship before serving in
13	13	the army during World War II; subsequently, he studied business and
14	14	law at The University of Texas at Austin under the G.I. Bill; his
15	15	monumental career in auto sales began almost by accident; after
16	16	agreeing to take a corporate job, he found himself with time on his
17	17	hands before it started, and so he joined a friend who was selling
18	18	cars at a Corpus Christi Ford dealership; the work perfectly suited
19	19	his high energy, bigger-than-life personality, and he quickly
20	20	became a star salesman and then struck off on his own, opening
21	21	McCombs Used Cars in Corpus Christi in 1953; and
22	22	WHEREAS, When his former boss asked for his help with a
23	23	struggling San Antonio dealership, he restored it to profitability
24	24	and became the owner; Mr. McCombs also kept his promise to set up
25	25	his five founding salesmen with their own dealerships; eventually,
26	26	he expanded his auto holdings to more than 60 stores; applying his
27	27	business expertise to other fields, he cofounded a radio empire,
28	28	Clear Channel Communications, now known as iHeartMedia, and his
29	29	portfolio grew to include more than 400 businesses in such
30	30	industries as real estate, energy, and sports; and
31	31	WHEREAS, Having adopted San Antonio as his hometown,
32	32	Mr. McCombs sought to raise its profile; he used his connections to
33	33	enhance HemisFair '68 and began his quest to bring professional
34	34	sports to the city; with a group of bold speculators, he made a deal
35	35	to acquire an NBA team, and although the San Antonio Spurs endured
36	36	some difficult early years, they became a source of pride for local
37	37	residents; Mr. McCombs owned the team two separate times, finally
38	38	selling it when he had secured its future in the community; in
39	39	addition, he owned the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Vikings,
40	40	and he was a major investor in the Circuit of the Americas racetrack
41	41	in Austin, site of the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix; and
42	42	WHEREAS, Mr. McCombs was an extraordinarily generous
43	43	benefactor to UT Austin; in 1999, he gave $50 million to the
44	44	business school, which was renamed in his honor; he also helped fund
45	45	the UT softball stadium, which was named for him and his wife,
46	46	Charline, and the renovation and expansion of the north side of
47	47	DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, which was rebranded as the Red McCombs
48	48	Red Zone; he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Texas
49	49	Exes in 1998; named a Distinguished Alumnus by Southwestern
50	50	University as well, he chaired its board of trustees from 1992 to
51	51	2000, and he and his family made the largest alumni gift in the
52	52	school's history to build the Red & Charline McCombs Campus Center;
53	53	and
54	54	WHEREAS, In 2005, Mr. and Mrs. McCombs donated $30 million to
55	55	MD Anderson to establish the Institute for the Early Detection and
56	56	Treatment of Cancer; moreover, he gave tens of millions of dollars
57	57	to San Antonio organizations, often to alleviate a dire need he had
58	58	read or heard about; learning of a fire at Mary Hull Elementary
59	59	School, which was already in danger of closure, he became an
60	60	enthusiastic supporter of the campus, hosting pep rallies before
61	61	school tests and mentoring teachers; and
62	62	WHEREAS, Mr. McCombs shared a deeply fulfilling marriage of
63	63	69 years with the love of his life, the former Charline Hamblin;
64	64	they made every major decision as partners, whether in business
65	65	ventures or charitable endeavors; the couple were the proud parents
66	66	of three daughters, Lynda, Marsha, and Connie, and through the
67	67	years, their treasured family grew to include 8 grandchildren and
68	68	11 great-grandchildren; Mrs. McCombs passed away in 2019; and
69	69	WHEREAS, While the death of Red McCombs has deprived the
70	70	state of one of its foremost entrepreneurs and philanthropists, his
71	71	remarkable legacy will resonate for years to come, and those he
72	72	leaves behind will forever treasure their memories of time spent in
73	73	his company; now, therefore, be it
74	74	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
75	75	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of B. J. "Red" McCombs
76	76	and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
77	77	daughters, Lynda McCombs, Marsha Shields and her husband, John H.,
78	78	and Connie McNab and her husband, Sandy; to his grandchildren,
79	79	Carson Rubey IV and his wife, Cristina, Chloe Shands and her
80	80	husband, Matt, Anna Turner and her husband, Chris, Joe Shields and
81	81	his wife, Andrea, Charles McNab, Sita McNab, Ian McNab and his wife,
82	82	Alicia, and Easton McNab and his wife, Claire; to his
83	83	great-grandchildren, Carson Rubey V, Townsend Shands, Christopher
84	84	Turner, Zachary Turner, Charlotte Shields, Stella McNab, Wylie
85	85	McNab, Ewan McNab, Billie McNab, Marianne McNab, and Isabella
86	86	McNab; to his sister, LaWanda McCombs; and to his other relatives
87	87	and many friends; and, be it further
88	88	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
89	89	prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
90	90	Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Red
91	91	McCombs.
92	92	Lujan
93	93	______________________________
94	94	Speaker of the House
95	95	I certify that H.R. No. 370 was unanimously adopted by a
96	96	rising vote of the House on March 16, 2023.
97	97	______________________________
98	98	Chief Clerk of the House