H.R. No. 351

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Texans are mourning the loss of Harry Joseph
	Middleton of Austin, the longtime director of the LBJ Presidential
	Library, who died on January 20, 2017, at the age of 95; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Centerville, Iowa, on October 24, 1921,
	Harry Middleton grew up in Topeka, Kansas; he interrupted his
	education at Washburn University during World War II to enlist in
	the United States Army and later completed his bachelor's degree in
	journalism at Louisiana State University; subsequently, he
	reported for the Associated Press in New York and served again as an
	officer in the Korean War; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Middleton met President Lyndon Baines Johnson
	in the course of writing a report for a presidential commission, and
	he joined the administration as a staff assistant in 1967; over the
	next two years, he wrote many memorable speeches for the president
	and drafted messages to Congress advocating for new legislation; he
	continued to work for President Johnson as a special assistant
	following his return to Texas and worked on two books with him, The
	Choices We Face and The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the
	Presidency; and
	WHEREAS, At the request of President Johnson, Mr. Middleton
	took on leadership of the library before it opened in 1971; although
	he had no experience as an archivist, he proved a visionary in the
	field, making the library a vibrant center for history and public
	affairs scholarship with frequent policy symposiums, notable
	speakers, and compelling exhibits; he promoted transparency by
	moving to declassify presidential papers and by preserving and
	releasing recordings of conversations that shed new light on the
	Johnson presidency; for three decades, he set the standard for
	excellence, gaining wide recognition as "the Dean of Presidential
	Librarians"; and
	WHEREAS, From 1993 until 2004, Mr. Middleton also served as
	executive director of the LBJ Foundation, and he became a mentor to
	generations of aspiring public officials; he was an original
	proponent of the dynamic partnership between the library and the
	LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, and
	beginning in 2003, he taught a popular honors course at UT, The
	Johnson Years; he also wrote a number of books, among them The
	Compact History of the Korean War, LBJ: The White House Years, and
	Lady Bird Johnson: A Life Well-Lived; the LBJ Foundation
	established the Harry Middleton Fellowships in his honor, and his
	myriad accolades further included the Presidential Rank of
	Meritorious Executive, the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of
	Liberty Award, and The University of Texas Presidential Citation;
	and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Middleton shared a rewarding marriage with his
	wife, Miriam, until her passing in 2004; he was the proud father of
	Susan Hoyle, Deborah Sansom, James Middleton, and Jennifer O'Dell
	and grandfather of Joshua Hoyle, Monica O'Dell Shields, Lindsay
	O'Dell, and Reed O'Dell; and
	WHEREAS, A man of tremendous wisdom and integrity, Harry
	Middleton devoted himself to advancing the highest ideals of public
	service, and his remarkable contributions will continue to resonate
	in Texas and the nation for years to come; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Harry Joseph
	Middleton and extend deep condolences to all who mourn his passing;
	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 Harry
	Middleton.
	Wu
	Howard
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 351 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the House on February 23, 2017.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House