[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5675-5676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATING CLAYTON W. WILLIAMS, JR., ON HIS RECEIPT OF THE 
                      CONSERVATION CHAMPION AWARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Clayton W. 
Williams, Jr., on his receipt of the Conservation Champion Award from 
the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation.
  Claytie, as he is affectionately known, is a favorite son of Texas, 
not only for his business acumen, but also for his unending generosity 
and tireless volunteerism. The Conservation Champion Award is but the 
most recent in a long list of honors that have been bestowed upon him 
for his philanthropic activities.
  Throughout his life, Claytie has been at the forefront of the 
conservation movement. Recently, Claytie and his wife, Modesta, granted 
one of the largest conservation easements in Texas history: 60,000 
acres spread across two ranches. By doing so, they have set aside this 
land for future development and preserved the land's unspoiled 
character, picturesque vistas, and natural habitat forever.
  Madam Speaker, I congratulate Claytie today, and my words are 
recorded in the Congressional Record. It is my wish that this small 
statement about his service will last as long as the gift he has given 
to Texas. I hope that in the distant future when we are all long passed 
away, someone finds these words and realizes that there was not always 
a movement to preserve open space and there was not always 60,000 acres 
in southwest Texas kept as pristine as they were 100 years ago.
  The gift Claytie has given the people of Texas will last as long as 
our Union. We should remember this man of extraordinary vision and 
foresight for at least that long.
  Through his leadership and actions, the State of Texas, and indeed, 
all of

[[Page 5676]]

America, is more conscious of its natural heritage, more thoughtful of 
the land on which we live, and more interested in preserving all of it 
for the coming generations.
  On behalf of my constituents of the 11th District of Texas, I want to 
express my thanks to Clayton and his wife, Modesta, for his lifetime of 
generosity, and to congratulate him on the receipt of the Conservation 
Champion Award.

                          ____________________