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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Ralph Hockley of Dallas, a |
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Holocaust survivor who distinguished himself through his exemplary |
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service to his fellow citizens, passed away on November 8, 2023, at |
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the age of 98; and |
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WHEREAS, Born as Rudolph Martin Hockenheimer on October 17, |
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1925, Ralph Hockley grew up in a Jewish household in Karlsruhe, |
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Germany; after Adolf Hitler rose to power, he and his family sought |
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refuge in Marseille, France, only to once again find themselves |
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under threat when the Nazis invaded France in May 1940; Mr. Hockley |
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was targeted for being a German immigrant and ultimately expelled |
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from school, while his father was arrested and held in various |
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internment camps; and |
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WHEREAS, Unable to return to school, Mr. Hockley used his |
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German, English, and French language skills to become an |
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interpreter for the American Friends Service Committee, a |
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Quaker-run organization that helped refugees to escape Nazi Germany |
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and occupied France; Mr. Hockley went on to use his connections to |
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the Quakers and the U.S. Consulate to secure visas for himself and |
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his family; after a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the |
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Hockleys arrived in New York on June 30, 1941; and |
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WHEREAS, On the day he turned 18 years old, Mr. Hockley |
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enlisted in the U.S. Army, and he was eventually deployed to Europe |
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for assignments in port security and counterintelligence; in May |
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1946, he concluded his active duty service at the rank of sergeant |
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and remained in the army reserve; he subsequently earned a |
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bachelor's degree in Soviet studies from Syracuse University before |
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returning to active duty during the Korean War; he served in seven |
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campaigns in Korea, including as a forward observer for French |
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United Nations forces during the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge; in |
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recognition of his valorous actions in that war, he earned a Bronze |
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Star Medal with a "V" device, and he continued his career in |
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U.S. intelligence in West Germany until 1981; he accepted the |
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Legion of Honour, France's top civilian honor, in 2021; and |
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WHEREAS, From an early age, Mr. Hockley actively sought out |
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service opportunities in a number of organizations, including the |
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Free French youth association and the United Nations Appeal for |
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Children; for more than 70 years, he was a member of the Reserve |
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Officers Association of the United States, in which he held various |
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offices; he further served as president of the San Francisco branch |
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of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and as a |
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chapter president of the Korean War Veterans Association; in 2000, |
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he published a book about his military career and his experience |
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living in Nazi Germany, Freedom Is Not Free; he resided in the |
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Dallas area for a decade before his passing, and he had recently |
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begun sharing his story with visitors to the Dallas Holocaust and |
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Human Rights Museum and with other adult and student groups; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Hockley met his first wife, fellow Holocaust |
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survivor Eva Frankel, in Oakland, California, and the couple shared |
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in the joy of raising two children, Clifford and Denise; after her |
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death in 1983, he was fortunate to find love a second time with the |
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former Carolyn Glover Harris, his wife of nearly four decades; he |
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was blessed with a blended family that included three stepchildren, |
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Kris, Heidi, and Kirk, as well as many grandchildren, |
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step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, After bearing witness to one of the darkest chapters |
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in history, Ralph Hockley courageously stepped forward to serve his |
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adopted country and to defend the cause of freedom, and those he |
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leaves behind will forever find inspiration in their memories of |
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this extraordinary man; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of |
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Ralph Hockley and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his |
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family: to his wife, Carolyn Glover Hockley; to his children, |
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Clifford Hockley and Denise Hockley; to his stepchildren, Kris |
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Harris, Heidi Hargis, and Dr. Kirk Harris; to his grandchildren, |
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step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and to his other |
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relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Ralph |
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Hockley. |