[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MR. BLACKSTONE DILWORTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Blackstone 
Dilworth in recognition of his being named the 2008 Laredo Business 
Person of the Year by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce on June 26, 2008. 
This award recognizes his remarkable dedication to the city of Laredo 
as a business entrepreneur.
  McMullen County is where it all began for Mr. Dilworth, where he was 
called upon to oversee his family's ranching, oil, and gas operations 
in the mid 1970s. He managed over 50,000 acres spread over four south 
Texas counties, and his land was often used for commercial hunting 
operations. In 1983, Mr. Dilworth went on to found Towers of Texas, a 
communication tower leasing company. He focused his communication 
business on the digital cell phone tower market in the late 1990s, 
enabling the construction of over 500 tower sites across Oklahoma, 
Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
  Along with the expansion of his tower business, Mr. Dilworth planned 
and executed the development of a family ranch in north Laredo. The 
relatively new addition to Laredo has already created a solid 
reputation for itself, boasting of industrial, commercial, and 
residential development. From the beginning of Mr. Dilworth's ownership 
of the San Isidro ranch, he has tried to develop a quality place to 
live and work for Laredoans. Toward that end, he donated over 120 acres 
of land for Loop 20 as well as for the extension of McPherson Road to 
connect to the Loop. In the years following, the land for the United 
Day School was donated by the Dilworth family. The land for the fire 
station north of the Loop on McPherson was also donated to the city. 
Mr. Dilworth's newest venture in the business world is in the 
hospitality industry, with addition of the new Best Western Motel on 
the corner of Sandia Drive and Loop 20.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the 
hard work and dedication of Mr. Blackstone Dilworth to the city of 
Laredo, to his wife, Frances, and to his family. He is a truly 
deserving recipient of the 2008 Laredo Business Person of the Year by 
the Laredo Chamber of Commerce.

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