TITLE: Recognizing Leon Hale on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

SUMMARY: Recognizing Leon Hale on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize longtime Houston journalist Leon Hale on the grand occasion of his 90th birthday; and WHEREAS, Leon Hale was born in Stephenville, Texas, on May 30, 1921; he moved frequently during the Great Depression and served in Europe during World War II; and WHEREAS, He started his long newspaper career in 1947 at the Houston Post as the farm and ranch editor; he began writing a column five days a week for the newspaper in 1956; he joined the Houston Chronicle in 1984 and began writing a web log in 2006; and WHEREAS, Mr. Hale entertained thousands of readers in his column with down-home topics and everyday musings about family, working for a living, corn bread and beans, growing old, the view from the front porch, bachelorhood, marriage, friendship, church, trains and automobiles, and his annual Loop 610 test drive; and WHEREAS, He introduced generations of Houstonians to characters including Madame Z, Old Friend Morgan, icehouse regulars, the big red mule, and the Old Codgers Club; and WHEREAS, In addition to his thousands of newspaper columns, Mr. Hale has written 11 books; he is a popular gentleman and a well-known and much-loved writer, and 2,000 of his fans competed in a quiz about his career to win a seat at his 90th birthday celebration; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd Legislature, hereby recognize Leon Hale as a treasured citizen of Texas and salute him on the momentous occasion of his 90th birthday; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for him as a memento of this special day. Ellis, Huffman President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 27, 2011.