Bill Text: TX HR528 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled

Texas House Resolution 528

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



	R E S O L U T I O N
	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