SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 47

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Timothy Z. Jennings

A JOINT MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS OF GOVERNOR BRUCE KING.

     WHEREAS, Bruce King's steady, "mighty fine" leadership as speaker of the house of representatives and New Mexico's longest-serving governor guided the state through parts of four decades; and

     WHEREAS, Governor King was the catalyst for policy reforms that endure to this day, including the creation of cabinet departments dedicated to protecting children and the environment, enactment of legislation equalizing school funding and the professionalism of state government's core work force; and

     WHEREAS, Governor King's honesty, loyalty, sincerity and yeoman work ethic, whether in state government or on the ranch, personified New Mexico and its residents; and

     WHEREAS, the governor's gregarious manner, fondness for draping an arm over the shoulder of anyone within his reach and legendary malapropisms delivered with his customary high-pitched twang served as constant reminders that Bruce King was simply and always just one of us, equally comfortable discussing public policy at El Comedor de Anaya's, advising new governors like Bill Clinton, talking cattle prices at his Stanley home or shaking hands with children during one of his frequent visits to a school; and

     WHEREAS, Bruce, who was one of only a handful of New Mexico political leaders known to all simply by his first name, died on November 13, 2009, at the age of eighty-five years; and

     WHEREAS, Governor King's wife and life partner, Alice, died less than a year before him, separating a previously inseparable couple that faithfully shared political, business and personal decision-making; and

     WHEREAS, Bruce King viewed holding public office, whether on the Santa Fe County commission, in the New Mexico house of representatives or in the office of the governor, as a public service and would probably be more than a little embarrassed by the commotion surrounding his passing; and

     WHEREAS, Governor King is survived by his brothers, Don and Sam, with whom he built King Brothers ranches; his son, Bill, who followed him into ranching, and his son, Gary, who followed him into public service; and by a legacy that will endure as long as Bruce's beloved New Mexico;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislature recognize the lasting contributions that Governor Bruce King made to the state of New Mexico and express its sorrow upon his passing; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of the memorial be transmitted to Governor King's sons, Bill and Gary, and to El Comedor de Anaya's.

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