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 | ||
