Bill Text: TX SCR11 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled

Texas Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Designating May 22 of each year from 2011 through 2020 as William Elmo Merrem Day in honor of the first Eagle Scout from Texas.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)

Status: (Passed) 2011-06-17 - Signed by the Governor [SCR11 Detail]

Download: Texas-2011-SCR11-Enrolled.html



	S.C.R. No. 11




	SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, Accomplished Texans who serve as positive role
	models for today's youth are deserving of special recognition, and
	one such individual is Shiner native William Elmo Merrem, the first
	person in the Lone Star State to become an Eagle Scout; and
	WHEREAS, Born on May 22, 1897, Mr. Merrem was the son of Edgar
	Jacob Merrem and Willie Crane Merrem and grew up in Shiner alongside
	his three siblings; he joined the town's first Boy Scout troop as a
	charter member, and on July 3, 1913, he was awarded the Eagle Badge;
	not only was he the first Texan to receive the highest rank that
	scouting offers, he also was the first person west of the
	Mississippi River to do so, and he joined that elite group when
	there were fewer than 50 Eagle Scouts in the entire United States;
	and
	WHEREAS, The leadership and dedication that Mr. Merrem
	demonstrated as a Boy Scout served him well throughout his life; a
	1914 graduate of Shiner High School, he served his nation during
	World War I as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps; after
	completing studies at Southwestern University, he went on to earn
	his law degree at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
	and embarked on a distinguished career in business; he served as
	vice president of the Houston Oil Company, president of the
	Southwestern Settlement and Development Company, and founder and
	vice president of the East Texas Pulp and Paper Company, and he held
	prominent positions in the Texas and American Forestry
	Associations; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Merrem and his wife, the former Mary Elizabeth
	Caldwell, were longtime residents of Houston and active members of
	the congregation at Saint Luke's United Methodist Church; through
	the years, he volunteered his time to assist various civic
	initiatives, and he was a 32nd-degree Mason who devoted more than 50
	years to the charitable work of the Shriners; after a lifetime of
	service and achievement, he passed away on June 29, 1982, at the age
	of 85; and
	WHEREAS, A pioneering figure among the Boy Scouts of Texas
	and a successful business and community leader, William Elmo Merrem
	stands as a meaningful source of inspiration for young people, and
	it is indeed appropriate that his legacy be celebrated and
	appreciated throughout the Lone Star State on the anniversary of
	his birth; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
	hereby designate May 22 of each year from 2011 through 2020 as
	William Elmo Merrem Day in honor of the first Eagle Scout from
	Texas.





	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House

	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 11 was adopted by the Senate
	on March 24, 2011, by a viva-voce vote.


	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate

	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 11 was adopted by the House
	on May 20, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 149, Nays 0, one
	present not voting.


	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House



	Approved:

	______________________________
	Date


	______________________________
	Governor