Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR521 Compare Versions

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 521
2	2	In Memory
3	3	of
4	4	Jerry Donald Cook
5	5	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas honors and
6	6	commemorates the remarkable life of Jerry Donald Cook, who died
7	7	on January 7, 2023, at the age of 83; and
8	8	WHEREAS, Don Cook was born in 1939 in Dallas, and from an
9	9	early age, he possessed a passion for serving others and a great
10	10	appreciation for nature and the outdoors; he achieved the
11	11	prestigious rank of Eagle Scout as a youth, and he graduated from
12	12	Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth in 1958 before earning a
13	13	degree in economics from Texas A&M University; he went on to
14	14	later earn master's degrees in public administration from
15	15	American University in Washington, D.C., and from Harvard
16	16	University's John F. Kennedy School of Government; and
17	17	WHEREAS, Inspired as a young man by President Kennedy's
18	18	famous call to service in the name of country, Don accepted a
19	19	position with the United States Employment Service office and
20	20	later worked for NASA and the Peace Corps before serving with the
21	21	Environmental Protection Agency; Don joined the District of
22	22	Columbia National Guard in 1963, and his calm disposition and
23	23	reflective nature were an asset to him during his training as a
24	24	fighter pilot; and
25	25	WHEREAS, Don was called to serve during the Pueblo crisis
26	26	in 1968 and spent a year serving as a fighter pilot in South
27	27	Korea, where he flew an F-100 jet; after returning from his
28	28	military service abroad, he continued serving in the D.C.
29	29	National Guard for nine years, and he later served for nearly a
30	30	decade in the Texas State Guard before retiring as a lieutenant
31	31	colonel; in the 1970s, Don continued to devote himself to public
32	32	service as an intern in the office of United States Democratic
33	33	Representative J. J. "Jake" Pickle; and
34	34	WHEREAS, In 1989, Don retired from the Environmental
35	35	Protection Agency and returned to Texas, where he worked for the
36	36	General Land Office in Austin and later served as a cancer
37	37	educator with The University of Texas MD Anderson Health Science
38	38	Center in Smithville; in addition to his professional endeavors,
39	39	Don was active in numerous charitable and community
40	40	organizations, including the Rotary Club of Austin and Capital
41	41	City Village, and he volunteered as a Boy Scout troop leader and
42	42	served on a number of environmental and educational committees;
43	43	and
44	44	WHEREAS, Don was a devoted husband to Peggy Pickle, his
45	45	wife of 33 years, and he was a loving father to his daughters,
46	46	Kelly Cook Newman and Rebecca Cook Wallace, and to his
47	47	stepdaughter, Bergan Casey; he was blessed with five
48	48	grandchildren, who enriched his life immeasurably; and
49	49	WHEREAS, Don gave generously of his energy, time, and
50	50	talents to help others throughout his life, and he was firm in his
51	51	convictions and ideals as a lifelong Democrat and
52	52	environmentalist; above all, he cherished his family, and he was
53	53	a source of strength and inspiration in the lives of those who
54	54	knew him; he leaves a legacy of service and achievement that sets
55	55	a shining example for others to follow, and his memory will be
56	56	forever treasured by his loving family members and by all who
57	57	were privileged to share in his life; now, therefore, be it
58	58	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
59	59	Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved
60	60	family of Jerry Donald Cook; and, be it further
61	61	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
62	62	his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas
63	63	Senate and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in
64	64	memory of Don Cook.
65	65	Eckhardt
66	66	________________________________
67	67	President of the Senate
68	68	I hereby certify that the
69	69	above Resolution was adopted by
70	70	the Senate on May 8, 2023, by a
71	71	rising vote.
72	72	________________________________
73	73	Secretary of the Senate
74	74	________________________________
75	75	Member, Texas Senate