H.R. No. 168 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Sandra J. Pickett is retiring from her position as 1-2 chair of the Liberty County Historical Commission after 22 years of 1-3 dedicated service, and her expertise and unwavering commitment to 1-4 that organization will be sorely missed by the people of Liberty 1-5 County; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Appointed by the late county judge Thomas J. Tower 1-7 to chair the commission in 1971, Mrs. Pickett brought to this 1-8 position a wealth of experience and knowledge; she had taught 1-9 history and government at Liberty High School and had learned much 1-10 about the history of Liberty County from her husband, Ed, whose 1-11 family descended from some of the earliest settlers in the county; 1-12 and 1-13 WHEREAS, The commission operated out of an extra office in 1-14 the Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center, and when Mrs. Pickett 1-15 first arrived, she found that the filing system consisted of 1-16 cardboard boxes of papers and documents; she spent several months 1-17 sorting through the historical data and commission records and 1-18 transferring them into organized filing cabinets before embarking 1-19 on her ambitious program of expanding the commission's membership 1-20 and strengthening its financial position; and 1-21 WHEREAS, This remarkable woman achieved these goals, and in 1-22 doing so, she made her organization a major force in statewide 1-23 historical preservation efforts; membership in the Liberty County 1-24 Historical Commission has reached an all-time high of 60 members, 2-1 the commission's funds have grown to $20,000, and for 11 2-2 consecutive years, the Liberty County chapter has received the 2-3 prestigious Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Historical 2-4 Commission; and 2-5 WHEREAS, An active member of the Atascosito Historical 2-6 Society, Mrs. Pickett has led efforts to construct and support a 2-7 branch of the Texas State Library, the Sam Houston Regional Library 2-8 and Research Center, in Liberty; in addition, this esteemed 2-9 individual supported the programs of the Texas Historical 2-10 Commission and helped to organize the Preservation Texas Alliance, 2-11 which works with the historical commission to educate elected 2-12 officials on the critical importance of preserving and restoring 2-13 historical relics and landmarks; and 2-14 WHEREAS, Mrs. Pickett expanded her role in the political 2-15 process when she was elected to the Liberty City Council in 1974, 2-16 and she continues to participate in local and state government to 2-17 further the cause of preserving historical landmarks and sites; she 2-18 is currently active in the Houston-Galveston Area Council of 2-19 Governments, the Texas Municipal League, and the National League of 2-20 Cities, an organization to which she will devote more time after 2-21 ending her tenure with the Liberty County Historical Commission; 2-22 and 2-23 WHEREAS, Known for her integrity and leadership, Mrs. Pickett 2-24 has earned the respect, admiration, and gratitude of her colleagues 2-25 and the residents of Liberty County; her peers recognized her 2-26 unique abilities and talents by nominating her for the prestigious 2-27 John Ben Shepperd Leadership Award; and 3-1 WHEREAS, Sandra J. Pickett has devoted 22 years to the noble 3-2 cause of historical preservation, and in doing so she has ensured 3-3 that the relics of the Lone Star State, the symbols and artifacts 3-4 that tell the story of our rich and diverse history, will be handed 3-5 down to a new generation of Texans, and indeed, many other 3-6 generations to come, and the members of this chamber are proud to 3-7 join in honoring this distinguished individual; now, therefore, be 3-8 it 3-9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 3-10 Legislature hereby honor Sandra J. Pickett for her outstanding 3-11 preservation efforts as chair of the Liberty County Historical 3-12 Commission and extend to her warmest best wishes for many more 3-13 years of continued success and happiness; and, be it further 3-14 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-15 forwarded to Mrs. Pickett as an expression of high regard by the 3-16 Texas House of Representatives. 3-17 forwarded to Mrs. Pickett as an expression of high regard by the 3-18 Texas House of Representatives. 3-19 Zbranek 3-20 H.R. No. 168 3-21 _______________________________ 3-22 Speaker of the House 3-23 I certify that H.R. No. 168 was adopted by the House on 3-24 February 4, 1993, by a non-record vote. 3-25 _______________________________ 3-26 Chief Clerk of the House