Bill Text: TX HR2295 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Jack S. Blanton of Houston.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-25 - Reported enrolled [HR2295 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR2295-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 2295 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Jack Sawtelle Blanton, a prominent Houston oil | ||
| executive and philanthropist, passed away on December 28, 2013, at | ||
| the age of 86; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The son of Louise Wynn and William Neal Blanton, | ||
| Jack Blanton was born on December 7, 1927, in Shreveport, | ||
| Louisiana; when he was two, the family moved to Houston, where he | ||
| graduated from Lamar High School; he went on to attend The | ||
| University of Texas and received a degree in history in 1947 and a | ||
| bachelor of laws degree three years later; while at UT, he competed | ||
| in tennis, and the sport proved to be a lifelong passion for him; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Blanton began working for the Scurlock Oil | ||
| Company in 1950 and quickly rose through the ranks to become head of | ||
| the company in 1958; he held the office of president and CEO for a | ||
| quarter-century and subsequently served Scurlock as chair before | ||
| retiring in 1988; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Mr. Blanton was dedicated to | ||
| the city of Houston and served on the boards of many businesses and | ||
| institutions, including Texas Commerce Bank, Southwestern Bell | ||
| Telephone, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Houston Methodist | ||
| Hospital, where he was a life trustee; he also chaired the Greater | ||
| Houston Partnership, a consortium of community-minded business | ||
| leaders, and he devoted time and resources to a number of charitable | ||
| groups, including the Scurlock Foundation, which he cofounded in | ||
| 1954; from 1990 to 2003, he served as chair of the Houston | ||
| Endowment, which contributes to a broad spectrum of programs in | ||
| such areas as education, health care, and the arts, and over the | ||
| course of his tenure, he shepherded the endowment's growth, from | ||
| $400 million to more than $1 billion; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Blanton also remained loyal to his alma mater, | ||
| and he served on the UT Board of Regents for six years, including a | ||
| two-year term as chair; in addition, he served as chair of the LBJ | ||
| Foundation and as president of the Ex-Students' Association, and he | ||
| was recognized with a Distinguished Alumnus and a Santa Rita Award, | ||
| the highest accolade bestowed by the Board of Regents; the | ||
| university paid special tribute to this esteemed benefactor with | ||
| the naming of the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art in his honor in 1997; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, For five decades, Mr. Blanton enjoyed the love and | ||
| support of his wife, Laura Lee Scurlock, and they were blessed with | ||
| three children, Elizabeth, Jack, and Eddy; after Mrs. Blanton's | ||
| passing, Mr. Blanton was fortunate enough to find love again and he | ||
| married Cindy Davis; following her death, he met Ginger Renfroe at | ||
| his church, St. Luke's United Methodist, and the couple married in | ||
| 2002; over the course of more than a decade together, they shared a | ||
| profound commitment to their family, their faith, and their | ||
| community; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Jack Blanton earned great respect and admiration for | ||
| his business acumen and civic leadership, as well as for his | ||
| generosity in sharing his success with institutions across the Lone | ||
| Star State, and he leaves behind a legacy that will resonate long | ||
| into the future; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
| Legislature pay tribute to the memory of Jack Sawtelle Blanton and | ||
| extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, | ||
| Ginger Renfroe Blanton; to his children, Elizabeth Wareing and her | ||
| husband, Peter, Jack S. Blanton Jr. and his wife, Leslie, and Eddy | ||
| S. Blanton and his wife, Kelli; to his grandchildren and | ||
| great-grandchildren; and to his many other relatives and 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 Jack S. | ||
| Blanton. | ||
| Bohac | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 2295 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on May 21, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
