H.R. No. 3019

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, A remarkable life drew to a close with the death of
	veteran Texas newspaperman William B. Wilkerson of Austin on April
	30, 2015, at the age of 86; and
	WHEREAS, Bill Wilkerson was born on April 12, 1929, to James
	and Alma Wilkerson; as the son of the owner and publisher of the
	Comanche Chief in Comanche, the young Mr. Wilkerson already had ink
	in his veins, and he went to work at the paper as a printer's devil
	at the age of eight; and
	WHEREAS, At The University of Texas, Mr. Wilkerson met the
	love of his life, Judith Blanton; they were married in 1950 and went
	on to share 65 years together; the parents of three children, David,
	Katie, and Noel, they were blessed with six grandchildren and a
	great-granddaughter; and
	WHEREAS, After graduating from UT in 1951, Mr. Wilkerson
	joined the U.S. Air Force, serving at Floyd Bennett Field in
	Brooklyn, and he and his new bride made the most of their time in New
	York, taking in Broadway plays, picnicking in Central Park, and
	attending games of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers; and
	WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Wilkerson returned to Comanche to
	become the editor of the family newspaper, and he and his wife also
	bought the De Leon Free Press, which they ran until 1998; in 1974,
	they sold their interest in the Comanche Chief and purchased the
	Pleasanton Express; over the past 41 years, the paper has won
	numerous awards from the South Texas Press Association and the
	Texas Press Association, including the 2007 STPA Sweepstakes and
	the 2014 Sweepstakes of both the TPA and the Texas Gulf Coast Press
	Association; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Wilkerson served the STPA as president in the
	late 1960s and as secretary/treasurer from 1985 to 2004, when he was
	unanimously voted permanent assistant treasurer; Mr. and
	Mrs. Wilkerson together won the STPA's Distinguished Service Award
	and Martin L. "Red" Gibson Award, and in 1985 they were also
	recognized as the Couple of the Year by the Pleasanton Chamber of
	Commerce; and
	WHEREAS, Although the Pleasanton Express remains in the
	Wilkerson family, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson retired from its daily
	management in 1989 and moved to Austin, where they pursued an active
	life and enjoyed the best the city has to offer, including UT sports
	and Eeyore's Birthday Party; Mr. Wilkerson also delighted in family
	trips to England, Europe, Las Vegas, and Port Aransas, and until the
	end of his life he remained passionate about Texas professional
	sports, Broadway musicals, playing dominoes, and gardening; and
	WHEREAS, Known to his countless friends as "Super" and "Wild
	Bill," Mr. Wilkerson greeted every man he met with "Hello, my
	friend!" and every woman with "Good God, you're gorgeous!"; he
	remained passionately devoted to his wife, writing her a love note
	on every birthday and anniversary, and he was a devoted father and
	grandfather; and
	WHEREAS, Bill Wilkerson lived his whole life without the
	brakes on, sharing with all who knew him his good humor, his gusto,
	and his generosity of spirit, and he will forever be a source of
	inspiration to those he leaves behind; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of William B.
	Wilkerson and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
	family: to his wife, Judith Blanton Wilkerson; to his children,
	David B. Wilkerson and his wife, Sherry Sekula Wilkerson, Katie
	Wilkerson Carnes and her husband, Les Carnes, and Noel Wilkerson
	Holmes and her husband, Noel Spencer Holmes; to his sisters, Alma
	Jean Wilkerson Wetzel and Nancy Wilkerson Barton; to his
	sister-in-law, Carol Blanton Greenlee; to his grandchildren,
	William and Katherine Wilkerson, Will and Zach Holmes, and
	Alexandra and Avery Lewis; to his great-granddaughter, Aaliyah
	Wilkerson Palmer; to his nieces and nephews, Lynn Wetzel Birran,
	Jimmy Wilkerson, Marsha Wilkerson Williams, Buzz and Bill Barton,
	Michael and David Wimert, Brooke Wimert Hanson, David Greenlee, and
	Katherine Greenlee Ulhorn; and to his other relatives and many
	friends; 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 Bill
	Wilkerson.
	Guillen
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 3019 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the House on May 30, 2015.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House