Bill Text: TX HR840 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of former state representative James Benjamin Bynum of Amarillo.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-22 - Reported enrolled [HR840 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR840-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 840 |
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WHEREAS, A life of professional achievement and dedicated | ||
public service drew to a close with the passing of former state | ||
representative James Benjamin Bynum of Amarillo on February 15, | ||
2019, at the age of 75; and | ||
WHEREAS, Ben Bynum was born in Amarillo on April 16, 1943, to | ||
James and Isabel Bynum; he attended Amarillo High School, where he | ||
was an active member of the speech and debate team and graduated as | ||
part of the Class of 1961; he went on to study at The University of | ||
Texas at Austin, serving as president of the Lambda Chi Alpha | ||
fraternity and on the athletic council under Darrell Royal; and | ||
WHEREAS, In the late 1960s, Mr. Bynum launched his political | ||
career, and in 1971, he won election to the Texas House of | ||
Representatives; over the course of three consecutive terms in | ||
office, he chaired the Committee on Insurance, the Interim | ||
Committee on Capitol Use and Public Information, and the Committee | ||
on Highway Beautification, and he also held membership on the House | ||
Administration, Common Carriers, Constitutional Amendments, | ||
Elections, Medical Welfare Program, Parks, and State Affairs | ||
Committees, among others; and | ||
WHEREAS, Following his tenure in the legislature, Mr. Bynum | ||
was elected as county judge of Potter County, and he assisted in the | ||
establishment of the Potter County Courts Building; in the | ||
mid-1980s, he became the executive director of the Care Unit in | ||
Canyon, where he worked tirelessly to help individuals overcome | ||
substance abuse issues; he then assumed the position of executive | ||
director of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse under | ||
Governor Ann Richards, remaining there until his retirement; and | ||
WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Bynum enjoyed the love and | ||
support of his wife, Penny, with whom he shared a rewarding marriage | ||
that spanned 52 years; he was the proud father of two daughters, | ||
Susan and Brooke, and he had the pleasure of seeing his family grow | ||
to include five grandchildren; in his later years, he served on the | ||
Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation board and delighted in cheering | ||
on the Texas Longhorns; and | ||
WHEREAS, An engaged citizen, a devoted family man, and an | ||
admired public servant, Ben Bynum leaves behind a legacy of good | ||
works that will long resonate in the Amarillo community and beyond; | ||
now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of James Benjamin Bynum | ||
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his | ||
wife, Penny Bynum; to his children, Susan Lewallen and her husband, | ||
Cliff, and Brooke McKinney and her husband, Page; to his | ||
grandchildren, Lindsey, Emily, and Peyton Lewallen and Nelson and | ||
Charlie McKinney; to his sister, Ann Whittenburg; and to his 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 Ben Bynum. | ||
Price | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 840 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
rising vote of the House on March 21, 2019. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||