TITLE: In memory of former Texas land commissioner and state representative Robert Landis Armstrong.

SUMMARY: In memory of former Texas land commissioner and state representative Robert Landis Armstrong.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The people of Texas lost a visionary steward of the state's resources with the passing of former land commissioner and state representative Robert Landis Armstrong of Austin on March 1, 2015, at the age of 82; and WHEREAS, Bob Armstrong began his long career in public service as an assistant attorney general, and he was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1962; one of that body's earliest champions of the environment, he created the Interagency Council on Natural Resources, the Texas State Parks Advisory Committee, and the Texas Conservation Foundation; he also carried the constitutional amendment allowing the Permanent University Fund to diversify its portfolio by investing in stocks as well as bonds; and WHEREAS, Elected land commissioner in 1970, Mr. Armstrong increased the Permanent University Fund by billions of dollars as chair of the Board for Lease of University Lands; he raised royalty payments to the fund and saved the state some $300 million by shielding state and university lands from federal attempts to collect windfall profits tax; in addition, he played a key role in the crafting of the Coastal Zone Management Program; and WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan was appointed to the Parks and Wildlife Commission in 1985, when the state ranked a dismal 47th in the nation in park acreage per person; accomplishing a long-held dream, he guided the purchase of 212,000 acres for Big Bend Ranch State Park, which doubled the state's total park acreage; he was later appointed natural resources and energy advisor to Governor Ann Richards; during the Clinton administration, he served for five years as assistant secretary for land and minerals management at the United States Department of the Interior, with responsibility for the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service, and the Office of Surface Mining; and WHEREAS, After returning to Austin, Mr. Armstrong served on a number of presidential committees regarding land and resource management; he continued to work in behalf of conservation organizations, including the local chapter of the Sierra Club, which he had established in 1968, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, of which he was a founding member; he remained involved with the Western States Land Commissioners Association, which he had served as president, and he was on the board of Trustees for Alaska, a nonprofit environmental law firm; moreover, he gave generously of his time and expertise to the board of The First Tee of Greater Austin, an organization that teaches golf and life skills to disadvantaged youth; and WHEREAS, Mr. Armstrong was the recipient of numerous accolades, among them the Field and Stream Conservation Award, the Nature Conservancy President's Public Service Award, the Texas Nature Conservancy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Chevron Conservation Award; in 2014, the headquarters building at Big Bend Ranch State Park was renamed the Bob Armstrong Visitor Center; he further held a distinction best appreciated by his fellow Austin natives, namely, a popular queso dip named in his honor at the iconic Matt's El Rancho restaurant; and WHEREAS, The only child of Robert and Louise Armstrong, Mr. Armstrong was born on November 7, 1932; he graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and served his country as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy for two years before completing his law degree at UT; and WHEREAS, A gifted consensus builder, Bob Armstrong combined a strong sense of purpose and a formidable work ethic with a warm, easy-going manner and respect for all viewpoints; although he will be deeply missed by those who were privileged to share in the richness of his life, his tremendous legacy of achievement will continue to benefit the citizens of Texas for years to come; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert Landis Armstrong and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife of 31 years, Linda Aaker; to his children, Martha Louise, Shannon, Landis, and Will; to his grandsons, Landis and Finn Hagerty; and to his many other relatives and friends; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bob Armstrong. Naishtat Straus Gonz lez Paddie Allen Guerra Parker Alonzo Guillen Paul Alvarado Gutierrez Pe a Anchia Harless Phelan Anderson of Dallas Hernandez Phillips Anderson of McLennan Herrero Pickett Ashby Howard Price Aycock Huberty Raney Bell Hughes Raymond Bernal Hunter Reynolds Blanco Isaac Riddle Bohac Israel Rinaldi Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Rodriguez of Bexar Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rodriguez of Travis Burkett Keffer Romero, Jr. Burns Keough Rose Burrows King of Hemphill Sanford Button King of Parker Schaefer Canales King of Taylor Schofield Capriglione King of Uvalde Schubert Clardy Klick Shaheen Coleman Koop Sheets Collier Krause Sheffield Cook Kuempel Simmons Craddick Landgraf Simpson Crownover Larson Smith Cyrier Laubenberg Smithee Dale Leach Spitzer Darby Longoria Springer Davis of Dallas Lozano Stephenson Davis of Harris Lucio III Stickland Deshotel M rquez Thompson of Brazoria Dukes Martinez Thompson of Harris Dutton Martinez Fischer Tinderholt Elkins McClendon Turner of Collin Faircloth Metcalf Turner of Harris Fallon Meyer Turner of Tarrant Farias Miles VanDeaver Farney Miller of Comal Villalba Farrar Miller of Fort Bend Vo Fletcher Moody Walle Flynn Morrison White of Bell Frank Mu oz, Jr. White of Tyler Frullo Murphy Workman Galindo Murr Wray Geren Naishtat Wu Giddings Nev rez Zedler Goldman Oliveira Zerwas Gonzales Otto Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1736 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on April 13, 2015. Chief Clerk of the House