Bill Text: TX HR1533 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Raymon Charles Stoker Jr. of Odessa.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-17 - Reported enrolled [HR1533 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR1533-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1533 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Raymon Charles Stoker Jr. of Odessa | ||
| on August 31, 2018, at the age of 79, concluded a remarkable life of | ||
| service to the state and to his community; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The son of Raymon Charles Stoker Sr. and Claudene | ||
| Stoker, Ray Stoker was born in Odessa on February 19, 1939, and grew | ||
| up with a sister, Betty; he completed both his bachelor's degree and | ||
| his law degree at Baylor University, where he was captain of the | ||
| golf team, president of the Letterman's Club, and a member of the | ||
| Baylor Law Review editorial board; on August 24, 1963, he married | ||
| the former Carole Fannin, and they became the parents of Raymon, | ||
| Carole, Craig, and Cathleen; he was later blessed with a grandson, | ||
| Connor; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker began his career as a briefing attorney | ||
| for the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court; returning to | ||
| Odessa, he joined the Shafer Law Firm, where he would practice for | ||
| 53 years, focusing on insurance defense litigation; he was a member | ||
| of many professional associations and served as president of the | ||
| Ector County Bar Association and as a member of the board of Baylor | ||
| Law School; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1985, Mr. Stoker was appointed by Governor Mark | ||
| White to the Texas State Highway and Public Transportation | ||
| Commission, and after helping to guide it through a positive sunset | ||
| review, he was named chair of the newly formed Texas Department of | ||
| Transportation by Governor Ann Richards; he also served on the | ||
| boards of the Texas Turnpike Authority and the Texas High-Speed | ||
| Rail Authority; committed to improving infrastructure, he was | ||
| instrumental in the development of the Texas Highway Trunk System, | ||
| composed of 10,500 miles of rural highways; following his | ||
| retirement from TxDOT in 1993, he served for 10 years as chair of | ||
| the Texas Good Roads Transportation Association; he further served | ||
| as the attorney for the Colorado River Municipal Water District; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker gave generously of his time and talents | ||
| to many state and local organizations, among them the Texas Council | ||
| on Economic Education, The University of Texas Permian Basin | ||
| Development Board, and the Texas Water Development Board; in | ||
| addition, he served on the boards of High Sky Children's Ranch, the | ||
| Permian Basin Area Foundation, the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, | ||
| and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the 1990s, both Ray Stoker Jr. Highway and a ferry | ||
| between Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula were named in his | ||
| honor, and he was later inducted into the Transportation Hall of | ||
| Honor; among myriad other accolades, he received the Heritage of | ||
| Odessa Award and the Coleman County Chamber of Commerce, | ||
| Agriculture and Tourist Bureau Award, and he was named Odessa | ||
| Citizen of the Year for 1991; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker was sustained through life's challenges | ||
| by his strong faith; a man of great warmth, generosity, good humor, | ||
| and fine character, he had a wide circle of longtime friends from | ||
| his work, his civic endeavors, and his favorite leisure pursuits, | ||
| hunting, fishing, golfing, and traveling; he is remembered with | ||
| deep affection by all who were privileged to know him, and his | ||
| outstanding contributions to his state and his community will | ||
| continue to benefit his fellow citizens in the years to come; now, | ||
| therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Ray Stoker and extend | ||
| sincere condolences 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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Raymon | ||
| Charles Stoker Jr. | ||
| Landgraf | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1533 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on May 17, 2019. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
