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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life drew to a close with the |
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passing of Henry Seu Heaum Gee on November 5, 2022, at the age of 98; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Bock Jew Gee and Suey Kim Mah, Henry Gee |
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was born in Kaiping County, Guangdong Province, China, on |
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February 20, 1924, and he grew up with three siblings, John, |
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George, and Shau; at the age of 16, he immigrated with his father to |
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the United States; he pursued his education in Houston and San |
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Francisco, and in 1942, he was recruited by the U.S. Merchant Marine |
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Academy; he subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and in 1945, he |
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was transferred to China to serve on the USS Estes; and |
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WHEREAS, Returning to the United States, Mr. Gee studied |
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civil engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, and he went |
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on to become the first Chinese engineer of the Texas Highway |
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Department; he next worked for Brown & Root, where he distinguished |
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himself by designing the roads for what would become the Johnson |
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Space Center campus in Clear Lake City; after retiring from a |
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25-year career with the firm, he spent several years in sales with |
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Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Gee shared a rewarding marriage of nearly seven |
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decades with his wife, the former Wing Suet Leung, with whom he |
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helped establish the Institute of Chinese Culture in Houston in |
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1970; a pillar of his community, he was president of the Chinese |
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Professional Club and the Association of Chinese Organizations, and |
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he was actively involved with the Gee Family Association; he also |
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played an instrumental role in raising funds for the construction |
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of a new school in the Gee family village in China; over the years, |
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he was honored by a number of civic organizations and government |
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agencies, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the |
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Overseas Committee of the Republic of China; and |
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WHEREAS, A devoted family man, Mr. Gee took tremendous pride |
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in his three children, Juanna, Jennifer, and Julia, his four |
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grandchildren, Leslie, Laura, Lisa, and Christopher, and his |
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great-grandson, Theodore; his interests included photography and |
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travel, and he and his wife took numerous trips to the Far East, |
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Europe, and the Middle East; and |
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WHEREAS, While the death of Henry Gee brings great sadness to |
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his loved ones, he leaves behind a legacy that will long be |
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treasured by all those who held him dear; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Henry Seu Heaum Gee |
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and extend sincere condolences to his relatives and friends; and, |
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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 Henry Gee. |