Bill Text: TX HR528 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring Laurie Ezzell Brown for her accomplishments as editor and publisher of the Canadian Record.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-03-17 - Reported enrolled [HR528 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR528-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 528 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Laurie Ezzell Brown, editor and publisher of the | ||
| Canadian Record, has announced that this venerable newspaper is | ||
| suspending operations in March 2023, and this development provides | ||
| a fitting opportunity to honor Ms. Brown's exceptional work in | ||
| guiding the publication; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Established in 1893, the Canadian Record was | ||
| purchased by Ms. Brown's parents, Ben and Nancy Ezzell, in the | ||
| 1940s; the paper gained renown through bold investigative reporting | ||
| and strong editorial stances, as well as the chronicling of local | ||
| events in Hemphill County; Ms. Brown became editor upon the death | ||
| of her father in 1993 and sole publisher when her mother retired in | ||
| 2010; building on a legacy of excellence, she has overseen the | ||
| Record's watchful coverage of the daily workings of government, and | ||
| like her father, a member of the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame, she | ||
| has not shied from addressing controversial topics of public | ||
| interest; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Canadian Record has received myriad accolades, | ||
| including the 2007 Tom and Pat Gish Award from the University of | ||
| Kentucky Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which | ||
| acknowledged the paper's courage, tenacity, and integrity in | ||
| journalism; Ms. Brown has earned personal recognition from such | ||
| organizations as the Panhandle Press Association in numerous | ||
| categories, from spot news photography to column writing, and in | ||
| 2009, she was inducted into the PPA Hall of Fame; in 2022, she | ||
| garnered the Frank W. Mayborn Award for Community Leadership from | ||
| the Texas Press Association; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the years, Ms. Brown has given generously of | ||
| her time and expertise to support good journalism across the state; | ||
| she has served as president of both the TPA and PPA, and she has been | ||
| active in the West Texas Press Association; moreover, she has | ||
| worked to raise national awareness of the challenges facing rural | ||
| newspapers; that mission has been elevated through the release of | ||
| the documentary For the Record, which premiered at the Big Sky | ||
| Documentary Film Festival in Montana in February 2023; it follows | ||
| Ms. Brown's battle to secure the future of the newspaper after her | ||
| retirement; while her efforts to find a new owner for the Record are | ||
| ongoing, she has announced that the paper is closing its doors until | ||
| a buyer can be found; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Laurie Ezzell Brown has devoted her career to the | ||
| vital task of informing and enlightening her fellow citizens, and | ||
| as she embarks on the next chapter of her life, she may indeed | ||
| reflect with pride on her wide-ranging contributions; now, | ||
| therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor Laurie Ezzell Brown for her | ||
| accomplishments as editor and publisher of the Canadian Record and | ||
| extend to her sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be | ||
| it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Ms. Brown as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
| House of Representatives. | ||
| King of Hemphill | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 528 was adopted by the House on March | ||
| 16, 2023, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
