H.R. No. 156 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Alletta R. Thompson has been selected to receive the 1-2 Quota Club of Port Arthur's 1992 Woman of the Year Award for her 1-3 exemplary contributions to her community, her church, and her 1-4 family; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A native of Oklahoma, Mrs. Thompson earned a 1-6 bachelor of arts degree in elementary education from Central State 1-7 College of Oklahoma; in 1949, she and her husband Bruce moved to 1-8 Houston, where Mrs. Thompson taught art in Houston public schools 1-9 for seven years; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The couple moved to Groves in 1962 and purchased a 1-11 grocery store, renaming it "Bruce's"; their business philosophy 1-12 based on value and service to customers proved popular in that 1-13 community, and with Mr. and Mrs. Thompson's tireless work, that 1-14 store became the cornerstone of the chain of Market Basket stores 1-15 throughout Texas and Louisiana; and 1-16 WHEREAS, In those early days, Mrs. Thompson balanced working 1-17 in the store with caring for her two children, Caira and Skylar; as 1-18 the chain evolved, she served as consumer relations advisor and 1-19 corporate secretary for Market Basket and has played an 1-20 instrumental role in the chain's growth; and 1-21 WHEREAS, This distinguished woman also owned and operated her 1-22 own business, The Gourmet House gift shop, from 1974 to 1983, and 1-23 despite her tremendous work schedule, she never lost sight of what 1-24 was most important to her; she has remained a devoted wife and 2-1 mother, and proud grandmother of seven, while reaching out to her 2-2 neighbors in a constant effort to better her community; and 2-3 WHEREAS, A charter member of the newly formed Pride League of 2-4 Port Neches, Mrs. Thompson also is a devout member of First United 2-5 Methodist Church; this esteemed woman belongs to the church's 2-6 Promises Circle and recently chaired the church's 1992 Fundraising 2-7 Bazaar; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Since 1987, Mrs. Thompson has served on the board of 2-9 directors of the Samaritan Counseling Center, and in that time this 2-10 has become one of her favorite community service projects; she 2-11 works tirelessly on all of the center's fund-raising events, 2-12 including the annual auction and golf tournament; and 2-13 WHEREAS, This involvement represents only a small portion of 2-14 Mrs. Thompson's extensive community service, however; because she 2-15 is concerned only with helping those in need and not with garnering 2-16 awards or praise, Mrs. Thompson often insists on anonymity while 2-17 performing her kind works, and few people are privy to the extent 2-18 of her philanthropy; and 2-19 WHEREAS, In serving her family, her church, and her 2-20 community, this extraordinary woman has given of her compassion and 2-21 mercy while asking nothing in return; she has provided those around 2-22 her with a shining model of Christian faith and charity, and serves 2-23 as an inspiration to all in her community; now, therefore, be it 2-24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 2-25 Legislature hereby commend Alletta R. Thompson for her outstanding 2-26 charitable efforts and unwavering commitment to community service 2-27 and extend to her warmest congratulations on the well-deserved 3-1 honor she received in being named 1992 Woman of the Year by the 3-2 Quota Club of Port Arthur; and, be it further 3-3 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-4 prepared for Mrs. Thompson as an expression of high regard by the 3-5 Texas House of Representatives. 3-6 prepared for Mrs. Thompson as an expression of high regard by the 3-7 Texas House of Representatives. 3-8 Stiles 3-9 H.R. No. 156 3-10 _______________________________ 3-11 Speaker of the House 3-12 I certify that H.R. No. 156 was adopted by the House on 3-13 February 23, 1993, by a non-record vote. 3-14 _______________________________ 3-15 Chief Clerk of the House