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