88S30545 AMB-D
By: Springer S.R. No. 12
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The prosperity of the Lone Star State has been
greatly influenced by family farming and ranching, and Jana Beth
Johnson and Mary Sue Klein of Clay County have been officially
recognized as heirs to this proud tradition with the acceptance of
the Gray Wynn Klein Ranch into the state's Family Land Heritage
Program in 2023; and
WHEREAS, Sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture,
this program honors farms and ranches that have been in continuous
agricultural operation by the same family for a century or more;
established in 1873, the Gray Wynn Klein Ranch is currently owned
and operated by Ms. Johnson and Ms. Klein, the
great-great-grandchildren of the ranch's founders, Christian and
Lucy Sanzenbacher; and
WHEREAS, Christian and Lucy Sanzenbacher joined Johann
"Uncle John" Sanzenbacher in southern Clay County in 1873 and
subsequently began raising cattle; in 1921, the land and the herd
that the couple had accumulated were split among their seven living
children, including their daughter Ida and her husband, Fred Wynn,
who acquired the family's horned Hereford cattle; Ida and Fred Wynn
named their operation Wynn Ranch, and in the decades since, five
generations of the family have worked together to maintain the
land; Ms. Johnson and Ms. Klein assumed ownership in 2013 following
the passing of their mother, Cheryl Klein, and today, they continue
to oversee the ranch's cattle and hay operation; and
WHEREAS, In preserving their property as a working ranch,
Jana Beth Johnson and Mary Sue Klein are making their own
contribution to their family's legacy, and it is indeed fitting
that they be honored for their outstanding stewardship; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature, 3rd
Called Session, hereby congratulate Jana Beth Johnson and Mary Sue
Klein on the induction of the Gray Wynn Klein Ranch into the Texas
Department of Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program and extend
to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Johnson and Ms. Klein as an expression of high
regard by the Texas Senate.