TITLE: Honoring Keith Keller for his many years of service to the highway construction industry.

SUMMARY: Honoring Keith Keller for his many years of service to the highway construction industry.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Keith Keller of the Allen Keller Company has made invaluable contributions to the Lone Star State during his many years in highway construction; and WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan follows in the footsteps of his father, Allen Keller, who began his career as a field clerk with William Thornton in 1932 and went on to start two highway construction businesses; he established the first in 1946 in partnership with former Associated General Contractors president Doc Killian, and he founded the second, the Allen Keller Company, in Fredericksburg in 1953; and WHEREAS, Keith Keller joined his father's business after earning an engineering degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1964, and he became the company's president on April 1, 1977; under his leadership, the Allen Keller Company received recognition for its drill-and-shoot and limestone-crushing techniques and was given responsibility for several of the most dramatic road cuts on I-10 between Austin and El Paso; and WHEREAS, When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive Order 11246, prohibiting employment discrimination in federally funded construction contracts, Keith Keller and his brother-in-law, James Kemp, helped coordinate efforts between the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Department of Transportation, and construction companies in the hiring and training of minority Texans; this initiative resulted in more than 10,000 individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds finding gainful employment in the industry; and WHEREAS, Respected and admired by his peers, Mr. Keller was elected president of the Associated General Contractors of Texas in 1986, an office his father had held a quarter-century earlier; in this role, Keith Keller worked tirelessly to foster a rapport between the AGC of Texas and the members of the Texas Legislature, and the association's board of directors awarded him lifetime membership following his retirement in 2015; he has also served on the board of directors of the Security State Bank and Trust for more than three decades; and WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Keller enjoys the love and support of his wife, the former Marjorie Ann Alberthal, whom he married on June 8, 1963, at Holy Ghost Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg; and WHEREAS, Over the past five decades, this consummate professional has excelled in the highway construction industry, and he can reflect with great pride on his outstanding record of achievement; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby honor Keith Keller for his many years of service to the highway construction industry and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Keller as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Miller of Comal Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2376 was adopted by the House on May 1, 2015, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House