Bill Text: TX HR15 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of former Austin mayor and Travis County commissioner Bruce Todd.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-03-09 - Reported enrolled [HR15 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR15-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 15 | ||
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| WHEREAS, An exemplary life dedicated to serving the people of | ||
| Austin and Travis County drew to a close with the death of former | ||
| Austin mayor and Travis County commissioner Bruce Todd on | ||
| December 25, 2021, at the age of 72; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Bruce Todd was born on December 17, 1949, and raised | ||
| in Breckenridge by his mother, Mary Katherine Holland Todd, in a | ||
| close-knit family that included his five siblings, Howard, Kathy, | ||
| Elizabeth, Knox, and Holly; as a member of the Breckenridge Boys | ||
| Choir, he was inspired to a life of public service after performing | ||
| at the White House for President John F. Kennedy in 1962; he was | ||
| possessed of a strong work ethic, and he worked full-time while | ||
| attending The University of Texas, rising to the position of clerk | ||
| of the Austin Municipal Court; he was serving as director of | ||
| information services at the Texas Civil Council when he completed | ||
| his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1972; and | ||
| WHEREAS, From 1974 to 1986, Mr. Todd worked as an accountant | ||
| at three local firms, including the practice of future Austin mayor | ||
| Gus Garcia; in 1986, he was elected to the Travis County | ||
| Commissioners Court for Precinct 2, and during his tenure on the | ||
| court from 1987 to 1991, he led the effort to consolidate several | ||
| road and bridge operations into one department, encouraged | ||
| cooperation between social service agencies in the county, and | ||
| helped lay the groundwork for the creation of the Balcones | ||
| Canyonlands Preserve; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Todd was elected mayor of Austin in 1991 and | ||
| served two terms until retiring in 1997; in the course of his | ||
| tenure, he helped establish the city as a mecca for tech companies, | ||
| attracting such employers to Austin as Samsung, AMD, and Applied | ||
| Materials; he also spearheaded the effort to convert Bergstrom Air | ||
| Force Base into a new commercial airport, known today as | ||
| Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and he oversaw the | ||
| transfer of the city's Brackenridge Hospital to the nonprofit | ||
| Ascension Seton; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Returning to the private sector, Mr. Todd | ||
| established his own consulting firm, Bruce Todd Public Affairs, and | ||
| through the years, he played a leading role in the creation of the | ||
| Long Center for the Performing Arts and in the promotion of commuter | ||
| railways in Central Texas; he was the founding chair of the Austin | ||
| Community College Center for Public Policy and Political Studies, | ||
| and from 2013 to 2014, he returned to public service to complete an | ||
| unfinished term as Travis County commissioner for Precinct 2; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Todd and his first wife, Betsy, were blessed | ||
| with a son, Jeremy; he later shared 27 years of marriage with | ||
| Elizabeth Christian and became a loving stepfather to her daughter, | ||
| Alex Rose; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A devoted family man and an inspiring public | ||
| servant, Bruce Todd leaves behind a record of good works that will | ||
| long resonate in the Austin community and beyond; now, therefore, | ||
| be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Bruce Todd and | ||
| extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, | ||
| Elizabeth Christian; to his son, Jeremy Palmer Todd; to his | ||
| stepdaughter, Elizabeth Alexandra Rose; to his first wife, Betsy | ||
| Palmer Martin; to his siblings, Howard Todd and his wife, Jann, | ||
| Kathy Gray and her husband, Tim, Elizabeth Todd, Knox Todd and his | ||
| wife, Courtenay, and Holly Stephens and her husband, Jas; to his | ||
| in-laws, Susan Goulding and her husband, Mike, George Christian and | ||
| his wife, Betsy, Robert Christian, John Christian and his wife, | ||
| Adina, and Brian Christian and his wife, Erin; and to his other | ||
| relatives and many friends; 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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bruce Todd. | ||
| Cole | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 15 was unanimously adopted by a rising | ||
| vote of the House on March 8, 2023. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
