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