TITLE: Honoring J. Griffis Smith on the occasion of his exhibition at the Capitol Visitors Center and commending him for his three decades of exemplary service to the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Highways.

SUMMARY: Honoring J. Griffis Smith on the occasion of his exhibition at the Capitol Visitors Center and commending him for his three decades of exemplary service to the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Highways.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, An exhibition of works by J. Griffis Smith is opening at the Texas Capitol Visitors Center on February 28, 2015, and this event provides a welcome opportunity to recognize this acclaimed photographer; and WHEREAS, For three decades, Griff Smith's photographs enlivened the pages of Texas Highways,the official travel magazine of the Texas Department of Transportation, and he served as photo editor from December 2008 until his retirement in August 2014; his compelling images introduced readers to every corner of the Lone Star State and inspired many to hit the road themselves, although few individuals can match the estimated 250,000 miles he roamed in the course of documenting the beauty and diversity of the state; and WHEREAS, Mr. Smith, a Caldwell native, became a shutterbug during his senior year in high school, when his father, Joe C. Smith, encouraged him to shoot a roll of Kodachrome a day; with his friends, he traveled the back roads fulfilling this mission, and it sparked the desire to create beautiful color photographs of Texas; he went on to complete his associate's degree in photography at the Art Institute of Atlanta, but he soon grew lonesome for wide-open spaces and headed home; after six years as a public relations photographer for Texas A&M University, he joined TxDOT in 1984; his keen sense of detail, tremendous technical skill, and eye for the offbeat earned the admiration of peers and subscribers alike, and his artfully composed images helped Texas Highways become a top-tier publication; and WHEREAS, In Fall 2014, Texas A&M University Press published On the Road with Texas Highways: A Tribute to True Texas,a coffee table book of signature photos from Mr. Smith's remarkable career; the subjects include Texas icons, landscapes, people, and historical and cultural destinations; he is now the proprietor of an Austin-based travel photography and tourism consulting firm, True Griff Media, and of the website TrueGriff.com; and WHEREAS, Through his lens, Griff Smith has captured unique images of the Lone Star State that will continue to beguile innumerable people for years to come; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby honor J. Griffis Smith on the occasion of his exhibition at the Capitol Visitors Center and commend him for his three decades of exemplary service to the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Highways;and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Raymond 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. 532 was adopted by the House on February 24, 2015, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House