88R16017 BK-D
 
  By: Craddick H.C.R. No. 74
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost a business icon and
  renowned philanthropist with the passing of B. J. "Red" McCombs of
  San Antonio on February 19, 2023, at the age of 95; and
         WHEREAS, Billy Joe McCombs was born in the small West Texas
  town of Spur on October 19, 1927, and earned his nickname for his
  mop of red hair; a star athlete in high school, he earned a
  scholarship to play football at Southwestern University in
  Georgetown in 1945, but he put his studies on hold the following
  year to enlist in the United States Army; following his military
  service, he enrolled at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, where he
  met the love of his life, the former Charline Hamblin; the couple
  exchanged wedding vows in November 1950; and
         WHEREAS, Although Mr. McCombs studied law at The University
  of Texas at Austin for a time, he changed course and began working
  as a car salesman in Corpus Christi, a job that was a natural fit for
  his talents and personality; by 1953, he had opened his first used
  car dealership, and a year later, he added sports to his business
  interests when he joined a friend in purchasing the Corpus Christi
  Clippers minor league baseball team, the first of what would be many
  sports franchise ventures; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. McCombs' well-earned reputation for turning
  around struggling businesses was demonstrated early on with a car
  dealership in San Antonio, and his auto sales empire ultimately
  expanded to more than 60 locations; he became a prominent figure in
  the Alamo City, and his involvement was key to the staging of
  HemisFair '68, which helped raise the community's stature
  nationally and internationally; in 1973, he purchased the Dallas
  Chaparrals basketball team and renamed it the San Antonio Spurs,
  providing the city with its signature professional team, and he was
  later instrumental in the opening of SeaWorld and the construction
  of the Alamodome; and
         WHEREAS, Demonstrating his business acumen in a broad range
  of endeavors, Mr. McCombs co-founded the mass media corporation
  Clear Channel Communications, which became iHeartMedia, and
  invested in oil and gas, real estate, cattle, motion picture
  distribution, and other industries; moreover, his enthusiasm for
  sports ownership, which he cited as his favorite business, extended
  beyond the Spurs and led to the acquisition of the Denver Nuggets
  and the Minnesota Vikings, and to the building of the Circuit of the
  Americas racetrack outside Austin; and
         WHEREAS, A philanthropist of equally legendary stature,
  Mr. McCombs supported a wide array of causes and institutions; in
  2000, his gift of $50 million to The University of Texas at Austin
  business school resulted in it being renamed the McCombs School of
  Business, and his donation of $3 million toward women's athletics
  at UT in 1997 led to the development of a new softball complex, the
  Red and Charline McCombs Field; Mr. and Mrs. McCombs also
  established the McCombs Foundation, which has contributed over $118
  million in gifts, both large and small, to charities and
  organizations based in San Antonio and other cities; in 2005, his
  donation of $30 million to MD Anderson Cancer Center resulted in the
  creation of another namesake facility, the Red and Charline McCombs
  Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer; and
         WHEREAS, This larger-than-life Texan was passionate about
  collecting historical items, particularly Old West artifacts,
  which included paintings, saddles, walking sticks, and antique
  firearms; he eventually amassed around 7,000 of these items and put
  much of his extensive collection on loan, with more than 1,000
  pieces currently being housed at Southwestern University; and
         WHEREAS, Of all the decisions he made, Mr. McCombs considered
  marrying his wife, Charline, to be his best, and she was his partner
  in life as well as philanthropy until her passing in 2019; he took
  immense pride in his daughters, Marsha, Connie, and Lynda, and with
  the passing years, his family grew to include numerous
  grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and
         WHEREAS, Red McCombs left an indelible mark on the Lone Star
  State through his storied entrepreneurial success and his generous
  efforts to benefit communities, institutions, and worthwhile
  causes throughout Texas, and he will be fondly remembered and
  greatly missed by those who had the good fortune to know him; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby pay tribute to the life of B. J. "Red" McCombs and extend
  deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his daughters,
  Lynda McCombs, Marsha Shields and her husband, John, 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; to his many nieces and nephews; and to all who
  mourn his passing; 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 and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of
  Red McCombs.