[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 69 (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MR. THOMAS W. LUCE III

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2012

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and honor 
a great Texan, Mr. Thomas W. Luce III, for his years of leadership and 
contributions to improving our public schools, strengthening higher 
education and supporting business and economic growth.
  Mr. Luce was a founding and managing partner of the law firm of 
Hughes and Luce, LLP until his retirement from the firm in 1997. In 
addition to his active law practice, Mr. Luce has served on the boards 
or as guest lecturer at a number of schools of higher education, 
including the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the LBJ School 
of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, and Southern 
Methodist University.
  Mr. Luce also has been appointed five times to major posts by Texas 
governors, including Chief Justice pro tempore of the Texas Supreme 
Court. He is perhaps best known for his role as the Chief of Staff of 
the Texas Select Committee of Public Education, which produced one of 
the first major reform efforts among public schools in 1984.
  Mr. Luce served on the Dell Inc. Board of Directors from 1991 to 
2005, until he was appointed United States Assistant Secretary of 
Education for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development by President 
George W. Bush. He then served as Chief Executive Officer of the 
National Math and Science Initiative, Inc. from 2007 to 2011.
  In addition, following his resignation from the Department of 
Education, Mr. Luce rejoined the board of Dell Inc. He is the longest 
serving outside board member of this Texas-based company and will leave 
the board when his term ends on July 13, 2012.
  During his time on the Dell Board of Directors, Mr. Luce served on 
all four board committees and oversaw a period of rapid growth for 
Dell, a great American success story. In 1991, Dell reported $890 
million of revenue and debuted on the Fortune 500 rankings the 
following year. Today, Dell is a $62 billion company and ranked No. 41 
on the Fortune 500 list.
  Michael Dell, founder, chairman and CEO of Dell, said, ``Tom is a 
great friend and trusted advisor to us all here at Dell, and it's been 
a true privilege to know him and benefit from his wise counsel for so 
many years. During his long service as a member of the Dell Board, Tom 
has contributed to our success in countless ways and has helped shape 
the strategies that have allowed us to develop and deliver the very 
best in technology solutions to our customers. On behalf of the global 
Dell team and my fellow Board members, it is my distinct honor to thank 
Tom for his commitment to our country and to Dell, and to wish him the 
very best in everything the future holds.''
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Luce and thanking him 
for his service to our country and his business leadership. We wish him 
the best in his future endeavors.

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