H.R. No. 32
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family farms and ranches are vital to the economic
and cultural prosperity of the Lone Star State, and the
Beckendorff-Sword Home Place of Harris County is being recognized
for its role in this proud tradition with its induction into the
Family Land Heritage Program on October 18, 2023, at a ceremony at
the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, Sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture,
the program honors farms and ranches that have been in continuous
agricultural operation by the same family for a century or more;
since 1974, TDA has recognized over 5,000 families whose proud
Texas legacy has passed from generation to generation and who have
served as dedicated stewards of their land; and
WHEREAS, The Beckendorff-Sword Home Place traces its origins
to April 1922, when Maggie Davis Mansell purchased 160 acres in
Harris County; she and her husband, Richard A. Mansell, were the
parents of seven children, William Aaron, Robert E. Lee, Bonnie
Mae, Jessie, M. L., Richard Davis, and Richard Guy, and they raised
swine and peanuts on their land; on December 12, 1940, the Mansell
farm was struck by a tornado; tragically, Mrs. Mansell's husband
was killed in the incident, and she was seriously injured; in 1967,
the property was divided among her children, and Jessie Beckendorff
and her husband, Roy, began farming some 32 acres; and
WHEREAS, In 1973, Mrs. Beckendorff's children, Leland,
Richard, and Ruby, inherited the land; three years later, Richard
Beckendorff traded his third of the property to his children, Kay
Beckendorff Sword and Randall Beckendorff, who harvested rice and
soybean crops before transitioning to hay and cattle production;
today, the Katy-area farm continues on under the ownership of
Ms. Beckendorff Sword, great-granddaughter of founder Maggie Davis
Mansell, who oversees a hay operation; and
WHEREAS, For more than 100 years, the Beckendorff-Sword Home
Place has played an important role in Harris County while helping to
preserve the rich agricultural history of Texas, and it is indeed
fitting that Kay Beckendorff Sword and the members of her family be
recognized for their outstanding stewardship; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the induction
of the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place into the Texas Department of
Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program and extend to all those
associated with the farm sincere best wishes for the future; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Kay Beckendorff Sword as an expression of high regard
by the Texas House of Representatives.
Schofield
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 32 was adopted by the House on
November 1, 2023, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House