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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, For many years, Estine Davis has owned and operated |
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Estine Eastside Barber Shop in El Paso, and her long tenure as a |
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notable figure in the city's Black community is truly deserving of |
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special recognition; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in East Texas in 1932, Ms. E. Davis moved to El |
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Paso at the age of six; after graduating from the Douglass School, |
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the city's segregated school for Black students, she attended |
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barber college in Tyler, Texas, and returned to El Paso to work at |
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Fort Bliss, Logan Heights, and Biggs Air Force Base, charging $1.50 |
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per haircut; she was subsequently employed with Square Deal |
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Barbershop on Piedras Street near Alameda Avenue before joining the |
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shop of her godfather, Roscoe Marlin, on the same street, and in |
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1962, she took over the shop; and |
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WHEREAS, Because it was situated in what was then the city's |
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east side, Ms. E. Davis named her business Estine Eastside Barber |
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Shop, and through the years, it became a gathering place for El |
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Paso's Black community; she also established Estine Fashion Models, |
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and she played a leading role in the Miss Black El Paso pageant for |
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many years; in addition, she created numerous floats for the Sun |
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Bowl Parade; she further contributed to her fellow citizens by |
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cofounding the nonprofit McCall Neighborhood Center in 1983; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the decades, Ms. E. Davis has cut hair and |
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shared her strong opinions with many future leaders, including El |
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Paso chief of police Greg Allen, Judge Marc Carter of Houston, Ron |
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Stallworth, author of the book Black Klansman, Nolan Richardson, a |
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Hall of Fame college basketball coach, and retired U.S. Army Major |
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General Dana Pittard, a former commander of Fort Bliss; she has also |
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cut the hair of such visiting celebrities as musician Little |
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Richard and members of the Harlem Globetrotters; and |
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WHEREAS, Business has slowed because of the COVID-19 |
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pandemic, but Ms. E. Davis celebrated her 88th birthday in December |
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2020 with no plans to retire; her shop still features four red |
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barber chairs and a 1950s-vintage rotary dial pay phone, and today |
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she charges $13 for a basic haircut; for more than 70 years, she has |
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been an active member of Shiloh Baptist Church, where she has served |
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in many leadership positions, including trainer and supervisor of |
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the junior, teenage, and senior usher boards; she is the proud |
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mother of two sons, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Michael E. |
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P. Davis and the late William Davis Jr.; and |
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WHEREAS, Estine Davis's strong work ethic and vivacious |
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spirit have made her a beloved figure in El Paso, and she may indeed |
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take great pride in her nearly seven decades of service to area |
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residents; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend Estine Davis for her contributions to |
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her community and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued |
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success and happiness; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. E. Davis as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |