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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, An exhibition of works by J. Griffis Smith is |
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opening at the Texas Capitol Visitors Center on February 28, 2015, |
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and this event provides a welcome opportunity to recognize this |
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acclaimed photographer; and |
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WHEREAS, For three decades, Griff Smith's photographs |
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enlivened the pages of Texas Highways, the official travel magazine |
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of the Texas Department of Transportation, and he served as photo |
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editor from December 2008 until his retirement in August 2014; his |
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compelling images introduced readers to every corner of the Lone |
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Star State and inspired many to hit the road themselves, although |
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few individuals can match the estimated 250,000 miles he roamed in |
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the course of documenting the beauty and diversity of the state; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Smith, a Caldwell native, became a shutterbug |
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during his senior year in high school, when his father, Joe C. |
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Smith, encouraged him to shoot a roll of Kodachrome a day; with his |
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friends, he traveled the back roads fulfilling this mission, and it |
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sparked the desire to create beautiful color photographs of Texas; |
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he went on to complete his associate's degree in photography at the |
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Art Institute of Atlanta, but he soon grew lonesome for wide-open |
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spaces and headed home; after six years as a public relations |
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photographer for Texas A&M University, he joined TxDOT in 1984; his |
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keen sense of detail, tremendous technical skill, and eye for the |
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offbeat earned the admiration of peers and subscribers alike, and |
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his artfully composed images helped Texas Highways become a |
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top-tier publication; and |
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WHEREAS, In Fall 2014, Texas A&M University Press published |
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On the Road with Texas Highways: A Tribute to True Texas, a coffee |
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table book of signature photos from Mr. Smith's remarkable career; |
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the subjects include Texas icons, landscapes, people, and |
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historical and cultural destinations; he is now the proprietor of |
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an Austin-based travel photography and tourism consulting firm, |
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True Griff Media, and of the website TrueGriff.com; and |
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WHEREAS, Through his lens, Griff Smith has captured unique |
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images of the Lone Star State that will continue to beguile |
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innumerable people for years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor J. Griffis Smith on the occasion of his |
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exhibition at the Capitol Visitors Center and commend him for his |
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three decades of exemplary service to the Texas Department of |
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Transportation and Texas Highways; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |