TITLE: In memory of former Fort Worth mayor Bob Bolen.

SUMMARY: In memory of former Fort Worth mayor Bob Bolen.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The citizens of Fort Worth lost an esteemed public servant with the passing of former mayor Bob Bolen on January 6, 2014, at the age of 87; and WHEREAS, Born in Chicago on April 10, 1926, Robert Eugene Bolen was the son of Milford and Bee Bolen; he briefly attended Texas A&M University before answering his nation's call to duty during World War II by enlisting in the U.S. Navy and serving as a gunnery officer aboard the USS Iowa;honorably discharged in 1946, he subsequently reenrolled at TAMU, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1948; and WHEREAS, Mr. Bolen began his career by working for McCrory Stores, following in the footsteps of his father, a longtime manager with the company; while employed at a store in Syracuse, New York, he met Frances Ciborowski, and the two later married; through the years, they were blessed with a treasured family of six children; and WHEREAS, After Mr. Bolen and his family settled in Fort Worth, he left McCrory to open a shop that sold toys and bicycles, and he later expanded his operation to include 20 Hallmark card stores across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and in San Antonio; in 1979, he decided to pursue public office and was elected as the District 6 representative on the Fort Worth City Council; he quickly garnered the respect of his constituents and colleagues, and voters chose him as the city's mayor in a special election in 1982; and WHEREAS, Mr. Bolen went on to distinguish himself during a nine-year tenure in that office, becoming the city's longest-serving mayor; he compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, overseeing the development of Fort Worth Alliance Airport and the American Airlines maintenance facility, the completion of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing building, and the arrival of such new companies as Burlington Northern and The University of Texas at Arlington Advanced Robotics Research Institute; moreover, he partnered with prominent figures in the region to revitalize the downtown area with the addition of the Tandy Center and Sundance Square and the refurbishment of the Hotel Texas and General Worth Square; and WHEREAS, Other highlights of his years in office included the establishment of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Trade Resource Center, and the Metroplex High Technology Education Task Force; renowned as the "people's mayor," he demonstrated remarkable dedication to his adopted hometown and consistently worked more than 60 hours a week to carry forth his ideal that he should leave the city an even better place than he found it; and WHEREAS, In addition to the duties of his office, Mr. Bolen served as the president of the Texas Municipal League in 1987, and he was elected as a member of the board for the National League of Cities in 1985, becoming that body's president in 1990; after leaving office in 1991, he held membership on advisory boards and city committees, and he joined Texas Christian University as a senior advisor to the chancellor and as a mentor for the institution's entrepreneur program; this visionary civic leader was conferred honorary doctorates in public service from the University of North Texas and TCU, as well as an honorary doctorate of humanities from Texas Wesleyan University; and WHEREAS, Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of one man's life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark on the world as they move through it, and Bob Bolen's contributions will long resonate in the Fort Worth community and in the lives of all who knew him; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Bob Bolen and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife, Fran; to his daughter, Terrie Manning and her husband, David; to his sons, Randy Bolen and his wife, Pam, and Ron Bolen; to his foster son, Don Cosby and his wife, Kathryn; to his grandchildren, Jeff Bolen, Chad Bolen, Shannon Young, Matthew Manning, Jamie Manning, Tucker Cosby, and Anne Claire Cosby; to his great-grandchildren, Brady, Brennan, Charlie, and Robert Walter; to his niece, Sandy Bolen; to his nephew, Brad Bolen; and to his other relatives and many 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 Bob Bolen. Goldman Straus Guerra Otto Allen Guillen Paddie Alonzo Gutierrez Parker Alvarado Harless Paul Anchia Hernandez Pe a Anderson of Dallas Herrero Phelan Anderson of McLennan Howard Phillips Ashby Huberty Pickett Aycock Hughes Price Bell Hunter Raney Blanco Isaac Raymond Bohac Israel Reynolds Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Riddle Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rinaldi Burkett Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar Burns Keough Rodriguez of Travis Burrows King of Hemphill Romero, Jr. Button King of Parker Rose Canales King of Taylor Sanford Capriglione King of Uvalde Schaefer Clardy Klick Schofield Coleman Koop Shaheen Collier Krause Sheets Cook Kuempel Sheffield Craddick Landgraf Simmons Crownover Larson Simpson Dale Laubenberg Smith Darby Leach Smithee Davis of Dallas Longoria Spitzer Davis of Harris Lozano Springer Deshotel Lucio III Stephenson Dukes M rquez Stickland Dutton Martinez Thompson of Brazoria Elkins Martinez Fischer Thompson of Harris Faircloth McClendon Tinderholt Fallon Men ndez Turner of Collin Farias Metcalf Turner of Harris Farney Meyer Turner of Tarrant Farrar Miles VanDeaver Fletcher Miller of Comal Villalba Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morrison White of Bell Galindo Mu oz, Jr. White of Tyler Geren Murphy Workman Giddings Murr Wray Goldman Naishtat Wu Gonzales Nev rez Zedler Gonz lez Oliveira Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 161 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on February 19, 2015. Chief Clerk of the House