| |
| |
|
|
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Accomplished Texans who serve as positive role |
|
|
models for today's youth are deserving of special recognition, and |
|
|
one such individual is Shiner native William Elmo Merrem, the first |
|
|
person in the Lone Star State to become an Eagle Scout; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born on May 22, 1897, Mr. Merrem was the son of Edgar |
|
|
Jacob Merrem and Willie Crane Merrem and grew up in Shiner alongside |
|
|
his three siblings; he joined the town's first Boy Scout troop as a |
|
|
charter member, and on July 3, 1913, he was awarded the Eagle Badge; |
|
|
not only was he the first Texan to receive the highest rank that |
|
|
scouting offers, he also was the first person west of the |
|
|
Mississippi River to do so, and he joined that elite group when |
|
|
there were fewer than 50 Eagle Scouts in the entire United States; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The leadership and dedication that Mr. Merrem |
|
|
demonstrated as a Boy Scout served him well throughout his life; a |
|
|
1914 graduate of Shiner High School, he served his nation during |
|
|
World War I as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps; after |
|
|
completing studies at Southwestern University, he went on to earn |
|
|
his law degree at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law |
|
|
and embarked on a distinguished career in business; he served as |
|
|
vice president of the Houston Oil Company, president of the |
|
|
Southwestern Settlement and Development Company, and founder and |
|
|
vice president of the East Texas Pulp and Paper Company, and he held |
|
|
prominent positions in the Texas and American Forestry |
|
|
Associations; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Merrem and his wife, the former Mary Elizabeth |
|
|
Caldwell, were longtime residents of Houston and active members of |
|
|
the congregation at Saint Luke's United Methodist Church; through |
|
|
the years, he volunteered his time to assist various civic |
|
|
initiatives, and he was a 32nd-degree Mason who devoted more than 50 |
|
|
years to the charitable work of the Shriners; after a lifetime of |
|
|
service and achievement, he passed away on June 29, 1982, at the age |
|
|
of 85; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A pioneering figure among the Boy Scouts of Texas |
|
|
and a successful business and community leader, William Elmo Merrem |
|
|
stands as a meaningful source of inspiration for young people, and |
|
|
it is indeed appropriate that his legacy be celebrated and |
|
|
appreciated throughout the Lone Star State on the anniversary of |
|
|
his birth; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby designate May 22 of each year from 2011 through 2020 as |
|
|
William Elmo Merrem Day in honor of the first Eagle Scout from |
|
|
Texas. |