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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The passing of Raymon Charles Stoker Jr. of Odessa |
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on August 31, 2018, at the age of 79, concluded a remarkable life of |
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service to the state and to his community; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Raymon Charles Stoker Sr. and Claudene |
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Stoker, Ray Stoker was born in Odessa on February 19, 1939, and grew |
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up with a sister, Betty; he completed both his bachelor's degree and |
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his law degree at Baylor University, where he was captain of the |
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golf team, president of the Letterman's Club, and a member of the |
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Baylor Law Review editorial board; on August 24, 1963, he married |
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the former Carole Fannin, and they became the parents of Raymon, |
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Carole, Craig, and Cathleen; he was later blessed with a grandson, |
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Connor; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker began his career as a briefing attorney |
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for the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court; returning to |
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Odessa, he joined the Shafer Law Firm, where he would practice for |
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53 years, focusing on insurance defense litigation; he was a member |
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of many professional associations and served as president of the |
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Ector County Bar Association and as a member of the board of Baylor |
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Law School; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1985, Mr. Stoker was appointed by Governor Mark |
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White to the Texas State Highway and Public Transportation |
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Commission, and after helping to guide it through a positive sunset |
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review, he was named chair of the newly formed Texas Department of |
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Transportation by Governor Ann Richards; he also served on the |
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boards of the Texas Turnpike Authority and the Texas High-Speed |
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Rail Authority; committed to improving infrastructure, he was |
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instrumental in the development of the Texas Highway Trunk System, |
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composed of 10,500 miles of rural highways; following his |
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retirement from TxDOT in 1993, he served for 10 years as chair of |
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the Texas Good Roads Transportation Association; he further served |
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as the attorney for the Colorado River Municipal Water District; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker gave generously of his time and talents |
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to many state and local organizations, among them the Texas Council |
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on Economic Education, The University of Texas Permian Basin |
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Development Board, and the Texas Water Development Board; in |
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addition, he served on the boards of High Sky Children's Ranch, the |
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Permian Basin Area Foundation, the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, |
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and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1990s, both Ray Stoker Jr. Highway and a ferry |
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between Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula were named in his |
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honor, and he was later inducted into the Transportation Hall of |
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Honor; among myriad other accolades, he received the Heritage of |
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Odessa Award and the Coleman County Chamber of Commerce, |
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Agriculture and Tourist Bureau Award, and he was named Odessa |
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Citizen of the Year for 1991; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Stoker was sustained through life's challenges |
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by his strong faith; a man of great warmth, generosity, good humor, |
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and fine character, he had a wide circle of longtime friends from |
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his work, his civic endeavors, and his favorite leisure pursuits, |
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hunting, fishing, golfing, and traveling; he is remembered with |
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deep affection by all who were privileged to know him, and his |
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outstanding contributions to his state and his community will |
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continue to benefit his fellow citizens in the years to come; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Ray Stoker and extend |
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sincere condolences to all who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Raymon |
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Charles Stoker Jr. |