Bill Text: TX HR848 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Wilford George Wilcox of Corpus Christi.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-03-23 - Reported enrolled [HR848 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR848-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 848 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Residents of Corpus Christi lost a remarkable | ||
| citizen with the passing of entrepreneur Wilford George Wilcox on | ||
| January 18, 2015, at the age of 100; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Bill Wilcox was born on May 25, 1914, in Iowa, and he | ||
| was introduced to the furniture business at an early age; his | ||
| mother's family owned Bekins Moving and Storage, and during the | ||
| Great Depression, he sold furniture for the company in its Sioux | ||
| City store; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1953, when he was 39, Mr. Wilcox and his wife, | ||
| Marcia, moved with their three children, George, Kaye, and Norman, | ||
| to Corpus Christi; a few years later, their fourth child, Ray, was | ||
| born; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In Corpus Christi, Mr. Wilcox opened his own | ||
| furniture store in a 4,000-square-foot Quonset hut with no running | ||
| water, and in the beginning, he delivered furniture himself with a | ||
| trailer pulled behind his Chevy; within 10 years' time, the | ||
| business had grown to employ 40 people and use four delivery trucks, | ||
| and by 1995, Wilcox Furniture had expanded to several locations; | ||
| Mr. Wilcox ran the company himself until just before his 95th | ||
| birthday in 2009, and it continues to be a thriving, family-run | ||
| enterprise today, with three locations; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Wilcox became a widower in March 1990, and he | ||
| was later fortunate to find love again with Helen Magill, who owned | ||
| a rival furniture company; the couple lived together in Trinity | ||
| Towers, where on Monday nights, Mr. Wilcox led sing-alongs of old | ||
| favorites such as "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Carolina in the | ||
| Morning"; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Mr. Wilcox was an engaged and | ||
| caring member of his community; in 1970, he helped found and lead | ||
| Family Debt Counselors to assist local citizens with debt issues, | ||
| and for many years, he provided furniture to the Women's Shelter of | ||
| South Texas as well as rocking chairs to local maternity wards; he | ||
| also established the Marcia K. Wilcox Scholarship Fund after his | ||
| first wife's death, which was formed to enable cancer patients from | ||
| Driscoll Children's Hospital to attend college; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the course of his long life, Bill Wilcox raised | ||
| a fine family and built a business that became an institution in | ||
| Corpus Christi, and he leaves behind a record of hard work, | ||
| integrity, and compassion that will continue to inspire all those | ||
| who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Wilford George | ||
| Wilcox and extend sincere condolences to his children, George | ||
| Wilcox, Kaye Wilcox West, Norman Wilcox, and Ray Wilcox, 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 Wilford | ||
| George Wilcox. | ||
| Herrero | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 848 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on March 12, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
