86R30338 BPG-D
 
  By: Landgraf H.R. No. 1533
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The passing of Raymon Charles Stoker Jr. of Odessa
  on August 31, 2018, at the age of 79, concluded a remarkable life of
  service to the state and to his community; and
         WHEREAS, The son of Raymon Charles Stoker Sr. and Claudene
  Stoker, Ray Stoker was born in Odessa on February 19, 1939, and grew
  up with a sister, Betty; he completed both his bachelor's degree and
  his law degree at Baylor University, where he was captain of the
  golf team, president of the Letterman's Club, and a member of the
  Baylor Law Review editorial board; on August 24, 1963, he married
  the former Carole Fannin, and they became the parents of Raymon,
  Carole, Craig, and Cathleen; he was later blessed with a grandson,
  Connor; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker began his career as a briefing attorney
  for the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court; returning to
  Odessa, he joined the Shafer Law Firm, where he would practice for
  53 years, focusing on insurance defense litigation; he was a member
  of many professional associations and served as president of the
  Ector County Bar Association and as a member of the board of Baylor
  Law School; and
         WHEREAS, In 1985, Mr. Stoker was appointed by Governor Mark
  White to the Texas State Highway and Public Transportation
  Commission, and after helping to guide it through a positive sunset
  review, he was named chair of the newly formed Texas Department of
  Transportation by Governor Ann Richards; he also served on the
  boards of the Texas Turnpike Authority and the Texas High-Speed
  Rail Authority; committed to improving infrastructure, he was
  instrumental in the development of the Texas Highway Trunk System,
  composed of 10,500 miles of rural highways; following his
  retirement from TxDOT in 1993, he served for 10 years as chair of
  the Texas Good Roads Transportation Association; he further served
  as the attorney for the Colorado River Municipal Water District;
  and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker gave generously of his time and talents
  to many state and local organizations, among them the Texas Council
  on Economic Education, The University of Texas Permian Basin
  Development Board, and the Texas Water Development Board; in
  addition, he served on the boards of High Sky Children's Ranch, the
  Permian Basin Area Foundation, the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum,
  and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum; and
         WHEREAS, In the 1990s, both Ray Stoker Jr. Highway and a ferry
  between Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula were named in his
  honor, and he was later inducted into the Transportation Hall of
  Honor; among myriad other accolades, he received the Heritage of
  Odessa Award and the Coleman County Chamber of Commerce,
  Agriculture and Tourist Bureau Award, and he was named Odessa
  Citizen of the Year for 1991; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker was sustained through life's challenges
  by his strong faith; a man of great warmth, generosity, good humor,
  and fine character, he had a wide circle of longtime friends from
  his work, his civic endeavors, and his favorite leisure pursuits,
  hunting, fishing, golfing, and traveling; he is remembered with
  deep affection by all who were privileged to know him, and his
  outstanding contributions to his state and his community will
  continue to benefit his fellow citizens in the years to come; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Ray Stoker and extend
  sincere 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 Raymon
  Charles Stoker Jr.