Texas lawmakers to pay tribute to a local legend

Former Fort Worth Mayor Bob Bolen may be gone, but he’s not forgotten.

Fort Worth’s longest serving mayor is one of the Texans — along with Dr. Richard Early Morris of Arlington — that state lawmakers are hoping to honor and remember this year.

Amid the business of making new laws and crafting a state budget, Texas lawmakers set aside time to remember Texans who came before them and honor the work they did during their lifetimes.

So far this year, of the more than 1,300 measures filed in the Legislature, two resolutions have been filed to honor Tarrant County residents.

This week, state Rep. Craig Goldman filed a measure honoring Bolen, the city’s longest-serving mayor and a man he has known since he was a child and his family bought bicycles at Bolen’s Toy Palace.

Bolen died Jan. 6, 2014, at the age of 87.

“All he ever did was do things he thought benefited Fort Worth,” said Goldman, R-Fort Worth. “He didn’t ask for any limelight or recognition.”

Meanwhile, state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, filed a measure honoring Dr. Morris, of Arlington, who spent years in the health care field.

“A rich and purposeful life drew to a close on October 18, 2014, with the death of Dr. Richard Earl Morris of Arlington at the age of 83,” his resolution states.

Bolen

Goldman’s House Resolution 161 talks about Bolen’s rich legacy.

During his tenure in office, Alliance Airport, the American Airlines maintenance facility and the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, among other major economic developments, became reality.

After leaving City Hall in 1991, saying he wanted to slow down, the tireless Mr. Bolen served on many advisory boards and committees and became a senior adviser to the chancellor at TCU.

“Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of one man’s life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark on the world as they move through it,” the resolution states. “Bob Bolen’s contributions will long resonate in the Fort Worth community and in the lives of all who knew him.”

On Feb. 26, a resolution honoring Bolen will be read on Tarrant County Day, when many Fort Worth residents and as many Bolen family members as possible will be at the Texas Legislature.

Said Goldman: “He was in every sense of the word a statesman.”

Dr. Morris

Turner filed House Resolution 99 in memory of Dr. Morris, who was born and raised in Oklahoma.

Morris had a lengthy medical career that included time as the burn unit’s head of anesthesiology at Parkland Memorial Hospital and as head of anesthesiology at the Dallas Children’s Hospital.

“While the death of Richard Morris brings immeasurable sorrow to his family and friends, he leaves behind a record of exemplary service that will long be treasured by all those who held him dear,” according to the resolution.

This story was originally published January 21, 2015 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Texas lawmakers to pay tribute to a local legend."