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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Members of the Rejebian Book Club of Plano are |
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celebrating the 75th anniversary of their group in 2021; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1936, Dallas resident Ermance Rejebian attended a |
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presentation on the historical novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh; as |
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an Armenian-American immigrant, she took great exception to the |
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speaker's lack of knowledge about the events in the book; she went |
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on to deliver her own enthralling review of the book for the Dallas |
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Story League, and she was soon much in demand at literary events and |
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women's club meetings; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Rejebian was encouraged to start her own book |
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club, and thanks to her erudition and stirring oratory, |
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performances drew large audiences, requiring a waiting list and |
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leading to the establishment of other Rejebian Book Clubs; the |
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Plano group was founded in 1946 by several local women who had been |
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driving all the way to Dallas to enjoy Mrs. Rejebian's reviews; and |
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WHEREAS, Eventually, some 40 Rejebian Book Clubs flourished |
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in Oklahoma and Louisiana, as well as Texas; for well over three |
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decades, Mrs. Rejebian gave more than 40 hour-long reviews in a |
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typical month, from memory; in addition, her reviews were featured |
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on radio station WFAA, and for seven years, she served as a weekly |
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news commentator; she also published two autobiographical books, a |
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volume of letters, and Bible studies; in 1951, Time magazine named |
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her one of the seven most influential women in the Southwest; she |
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was the inaugural recipient of the Americanism Medal, conferred by |
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the Jane Douglas Chapter of the Daughters of the American |
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Revolution to honor her many contributions as a naturalized |
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citizen; and |
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WHEREAS, Ermance Rejebian died in 1989, but her legacy lives |
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on through a number of her namesake clubs, and the continued |
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existence of the Plano group is a tribute to the enduring dedication |
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of the club's members, both past and present; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Rejebian |
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Book Club of Plano and extend to the members sincere best wishes for |
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the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the group as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |