TITLE: Honoring the Stiles family for its enduring involvement in Texas ranching.

SUMMARY: Honoring the Stiles family for its enduring involvement in Texas ranching.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Stiles family has been an integral part of the ranching community in the Texas Panhandle for more than a century; and WHEREAS, The family traces its roots in the livestock business to July 1901, when William Gordon Stiles bought land near Wheeler from Judge F. M. Patton; the Stiles Ranch was initially a cow-calf operation that raised Shorthorn and Hereford cattle, but in 1910, Mr. Stiles acquired the first of the Aberdeen Angus breed that became the ranch's signature; and WHEREAS, William Gordon Stiles II and his wife, Ora Belinda, subsequently took over the ranch; the couple's children, Sandra, Sharon, Bill, and Bob, were introduced to the family business at a young age, and in time, members of this generation began overseeing the property; and WHEREAS, Remaining true to her heritage, Sandra Stiles Christner ran a farm in Hemphill County with her husband, Tom, and the pair later purchased a ranch in Oklahoma; they moved to Wheeler in 1973, and seven years later, they bought a ranch near Mobeetie; Mrs. Christner continued to run that property after her husband's death in 1986, and she played an active role in ranch operations over the years through her skills as a horsewoman, often riding her beloved mustang, Aggie, to help round up cattle; the devoted mother of four children, Cynthia, Tom, Elise, and Vaughan, she has been a member of First United Methodist Church and the Top-O-Texas Cowbells, and she has also distinguished herself as an accomplished Western artist; and WHEREAS, The role of the family ranch in Texas history is both important and long-standing, and the members of the Stiles family are indeed deserving of recognition for helping to carry forward the legacy that was begun and nurtured by their ancestors in decades past; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby honor the Stiles family for its enduring involvement in Texas ranching and extend to Sandra Stiles Christner and the other members of the family sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the family as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Springer Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 897 was adopted by the House on March 23, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House