ORDER N0. E5790 APPROVE AND ADOPT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT STATUS FOR YERRVILLE VA MEDICAL FACILITY On this the 8th day of Mar^ch 1999, upon motion made by Commissioner^ Gr^iffin, seconded by Commissioner Williams, the Court unanimously approved by a vote of 4-0-0, adopting the resolution in support of independent stat~.xs for^ N.er^rville V. A. Medical facility. ;. COMMISSIONERS' COURT AGENDA REQUEST PLEASE FURNISH ONE ORIGINAL AND NINE COPIES OF THIS REQUEST AND DOCUMENTS TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COURT. MADE BY: Fred Henneke MEETING DATE: March 8. 1999 SUBJECT: (PLEASE BE SPECIFIC) OFFICE: County Jude TIME PREFERRED: Consider and discuss Resolution supporting Independent status for Kerrville VA Medica Facility. EXECUTIVE SESSION REQUESTED: (PLEASE STATE REASON) NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT: ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION: IF PERSONNEL MATTER -NAME OF EMPLOYEE: County Jude Time for submitting this request for Court to assure that the matter is posted in accordance with Title 5, Chapte 551 and 552, Government Code, is as follows: Meeting scheduled for Mondays: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED ON: 5:00 P.M. previous Tuesday. All Agenda Requests will be screened by the County Judge's Office to determine if adequate information has bees prepared for the Court's formal consideration and action at time of Court Meetings. Your cooperation will be appreciated and contribute towazds you request being addressed at the earliest opportunity. See Agenda Request Rule: Adopted by Commissioners' Court. RESOLUTION STATE OF TEXAS § COUNTY OF KERB § WHEREAS, the Kemille VA Medical Facility has provided first-class medical services for more than 75 years to the men and women who have served ow nation in all armed services; and WHEREAS, the Kemille VA Medical Facility is recognized as one of the finest veteran's medical facilities in the United States; and WHEREAS, through the excellent medical services provided to ow veterans, the employees at the Kemille VA Medical Facility have demonstrated their dedication and commitment to the veterans they serve; and WHEREAS, the continued existence of the Kemille VA Medical Facility as a full-service medical care facility is threatened by consolidation with the Audie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio, Texas; and WHF.RF.AC~ the loss of complete medical services at Kemille VA Medical Facility would aeate unnecessary hardships for thousands of veterans served by such facility. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Kerr County Commissioners' Court as follows: t. The Kemille VA Medical Facility has throughout the years proved its commitment to first-class medical care for the thousands of men and women in ow area that earned such care through their service to ow Nation 2. The Kemille VA Medical Facility should be given independent status from the Audie Murphy Veterans Hospital in San Antonio so that the Kerrville VA Medical Facility might continue to provide first-class medical care to all veterans. 3. Congress, the Administration and the Veterans Administration should allocate to the Kerrville VA Medical Facility adequate funds to oomplete its mission of first-class medical care to all veterans. 4. Congressman Lamar Smith, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Senator Phil Gramm are caged to work with the Texas delegation to enswe that the Kemille VA Medical Facility and all veterans' medical facilities aze given the resowces and funding necessary to live up to this Nations commitmerrts to the men and women who gave of themselves to preserve ow freedom and way of life. ADOPTED this the 8a' day of March, 1999. ~~~ Fred Henneke Ken• County Jud H.A. "Buster" n ) \ Commissioner Pr 'nct No. 1 \. i i "Bill" Williams ` Commissioner Precinct No. 2 Larry Griffi Commissioner Precinct No. ' KERR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT WITNESS AFFIRMATION FORM NAME: ADDRESS: DATE: COMMENTS: G 6 a '3 ~~~~ g, (. ~ , ~ AGENDA ITEM: _ PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING: FOR ITEM: I DONT WISH TO SPEAK AGAINST ITEM: _ BUT PLEASE RECORD MY POSITION leseph Beam 522 Rolling Green Drive Kemille TX 78028 Tel. 830-896-6323 FAX 830-896-6268 March 8, 1999 To Honorable Commissioners Court of Kerr County I respectfully urge you to support to the fullest extent possible efforts to restore full medical and surgical services at the Kerrville Veterans Hospital. Toward that end, I further urge that you join with Mayor Low and City Commission of Kerrville in forming a coalition of every city and county commission in the Hill Country, from Boerne to San Angelo. We have heard that the decisions regarding our VA Hospital are being made in Washington, both duectly at VA Headquarters and indirectly in Congress through cuts in the VA budget -- or, to be precise, by providing increases in the VA budget which fall far short of keeping up with health- are inflation. If that is true, Washington must get the message that this is not just a Kerrville or Kerr County issue, but a regional issue. Mayor Low spoke eloquently at the recent rally, but neither he nor the rest of the Kerrville City Commission -- nor, for that matter, the city and county leaders in Kerrville and Kerr County -- can go it alone. Benjamin Franklin got it right the first time when he told the Continental Congress, "We must hang together or we shall surely hang separately". Sincerely, I i ~-~ - Joseph enham rr-- I"'"".,- r Joseph Benham 522 Rolling Green Drive Kemille TX 78028 Phone 830-896323 Far 830-896fi268 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Professional 1986 -PRESENT -Free-lance writer, consultant; cable TV commentator and news director in Houston, Kingwood and Kerrville, Texas. 1967 - 1986 -South America Editor and Regional Bureau Chief, U. S. News & World Report, based in Brazil, Argentina and Texas. Wrote in Latin America on such things ashyper-inflation, military coups, Marxist and Peronist terrorism, turmoil in the Roman Catholic Church, efforts to develop the Amazon, energy, the Alliance for Progress and nationalization ofU.S. companies. Since returning to the States in 1980, I've covered mostly business, energy and agriculture while continuing to report on Latin America from time to time. 1954-1967 -Sportswriter, legislative and diplomatic correspondent, news editor, book reviewer and Bureau Chief, The Associated Press, based in Texas, New York, the United Nations and Santiago, Chile. Reported on everything from Southwest Conference and high school sports to state government, colonialism debates at the UN, earthquakes, Che Guevara's failed revolution in Bolivia and the rise of Marxism in Chile. I also did part-time work for CBS and NBC. 1953-54 -sportswriter and desk editor, The Dallas Times Herald. 1950-1953 -sportswriter, desk editor and general assignments reporter, The Amarillo News & Globe-Times. Covered high school and college sports, plus blizzards, fires, violent deaths and the like. I've interviewed and written about royalty, a Pope, U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents, foreign heads of state, most Texas governors since Allan Shivers, more coaches and athletes than I could count, a few movie stars and a lot of good, simple folks. I've also been jailed, tear-gassed, shot at, and denounced by politicians, coaches and others. Civic, Community and Church President, South Woodland Hills Community Assn., Kingwood, 1985-1998. Vice-president and director, 1982-1985 President, American Community in Argentina, 1978-1980. Vice President and Secretary, 1974-1978 Vice-Chairman, Kingwood Fire Advisory Board, 1994-1996. Director, 1990-1994 Trustee, Lincoln Schools Assn. (International Schools), 1978-80 Secretary, Harris County Utility District No. 3, 1987-1996. Duector, 1985-1987 Secretary, Kingwood High School Management Committee, 1989-1998 Secretary, Administrative Council, Kingwood United Methodist Church, 1995-98 Secretary, Student Wellness Council, Humble Independent School District, 1993-98 ,~• Director, Friends ofthe Library/Kingwood, 1983-1998 Director, Kingwood Service Assn., 1984-1995 Lay Minister and Worship Leader, United Community Church, Buenos Aires, 1974-1980 Deacon, United Community Church, Santiago, 1966-67 Director, Foreign Press Assn. of Chile, 1966-67 Director, Press Club of San Antonio, 1961-62 Director, Foreign Press Assn. of Argentina, 1975-80 Director, American Chamber of Commerce in Argentina, 1975-1980 Member, Citizens Bond Committee (three elections), Humble ISD Certified Lay Speaker, United Methodist Church, 1993-98 Director, Friends of the Library, Kerrville, 1998- Member, Readers Advisory Boazd, Kerrville Daily Times, 1998- AWARDS, etc. Winner, Maria Moors Cabot Award for Distinguished Foreign Correspondence, awarded at Columbia University, 1978 Guest, William F. Buckley's Firing Line on PBS (twice), 1978 Commencement speaker, Lincoln Schools Assn. (international schools), Buenos Aires, 1980 Speaker, Young Presidents Assn., 1979 Speaker, American Petroleum Institute, 1981 Speaker, Daughters of American Revolution, 1986 Speaker, Kingwood Kiwanis Club, 1986 Speaker, Kerrville Kiwanis Club, 1999 PERSONAL Born March 13, 1934, Amarillo, TX. Amarillo High School, Class of 1952. Southern Methodist University, Class of 1956. Also took courses at Amarillo College, San Francisco State, Golden Gate College, New York University and San Antonio College. U. S. Army, sergeant, retired 1959. Married October 1967 to Verna H. Benham, a music teacher, organist, accompanist and painter. She was valedictorian at Black Hills State University (South Dakota), Woman of the Year in the Arts in Kingwood in 1997 and is former president, vice president and treasurer of the Kingwood-Humble Area Music Teachers Assn. Daughter, Stephanie, graduated magna cum laude at Southwestern University, Georgetown, and has a masters from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. She is anasset-control manager at American General Insurance Co. in Houston. Son, David, is a graduate of Rice University in Houston. He is a mission control officer in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Maryland.