Bill Text: TX HR138 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Congratulating Tom "Ike" Morris of San Antonio on his 107th birthday.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-08-16 - Reported enrolled [HR138 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HR138-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 138 |
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WHEREAS, An esteemed World War II veteran and the oldest | ||
living alumnus of Texas A&M University, Tom Clint Morris of San | ||
Antonio is celebrating his 107th birthday on August 1, 2017; and | ||
WHEREAS, Known as "Ike" to his family and friends, Mr. Morris | ||
was born in 1910 and grew up on a farm in Forreston with his three | ||
brothers and two sisters; he graduated from Waxahachie High School | ||
before enrolling at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas | ||
in 1929; there, he served as advertising manager of the college | ||
annual, a member of the Corps of Cadets and the Aggie Ring | ||
committee, and senior class president, all while carrying a full | ||
course load, waiting tables in the athletes' dining hall, taking | ||
tickets at events, and performing a number of other odd jobs; and | ||
WHEREAS, After graduating in 1933 with a bachelor's degree in | ||
agriculture, Mr. Morris was commissioned as a second lieutenant in | ||
the U.S. Army Reserve; he returned to his hometown and accepted a | ||
job as principal and coach for the Forreston School; on June 1, | ||
1934, he was joined in matrimony to the former Margaret Calvin, whom | ||
he had known since high school, and they went on to share a loving | ||
marriage that spanned 76 years; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Morris worked as a civil servant with the | ||
Department of Agriculture before being called up in 1941 for what | ||
was scheduled to be a year of active military duty; nine months | ||
later, the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into | ||
World War II, and he was among the valiant Americans who would serve | ||
for the duration of the conflict; following training in the United | ||
States, he said goodbye to Margaret and his young son, Tommy, and | ||
was deployed to the European theater as an officer with the 38th | ||
Infantry Regiment of the Second Infantry Division; his unit landed | ||
in Normandy shortly after D-Day and helped capture Trevieres, the | ||
first sizable town liberated from Nazi control during the invasion; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, Over the next 11 months, he and his men took part in | ||
operations in Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Battle | ||
of the Bulge, and Central Europe, playing a key role in the ultimate | ||
defeat of Nazi Germany; a skilled and courageous leader, he became a | ||
battalion commander and was promoted from major to lieutenant | ||
colonel during his service in Europe; after the war, he remained in | ||
the reserve until 1963, when he retired at the rank of colonel; in | ||
recognition of his efforts during the war, he was awarded the French | ||
Legion of Honor, that country's highest decoration, in 2015; and | ||
WHEREAS, In his civilian life, Mr. Morris enjoyed several | ||
lines of work, including co-owning Waxahachie Frozen Foods and | ||
raising Black Angus cattle; in 1952 he returned to his prewar career | ||
in federal civil service and eventually retired from that field; | ||
dedicated to giving back to his fellow Texans, he served as | ||
president of the Waxahachie school board, and he is a longtime | ||
supporter of the Texas A&M Association of Former Students; and | ||
WHEREAS, This remarkable man has lived life to the fullest | ||
for well over a century, and it is indeed a pleasure to honor him for | ||
his many contributions to our nation and to the State of Texas; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas | ||
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Tom "Ike" | ||
Morris on his 107th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes | ||
for continued happiness; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for Mr. Morris as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
House of Representatives. | ||
Wray | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 138 was adopted by the House on August | ||
15, 2017, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||