By: Stiles H.R. No. 753
73R11124 PFG-D
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor
1-2 Julie Rogers for her remarkable record of service to the Beaumont
1-3 community; and
1-4 WHEREAS, Ms. Rogers has dedicated much of her life to
1-5 improving conditions for the mentally ill in her community and is
1-6 one of the founders of the Mental Health Association in Jefferson
1-7 County for which she has provided solid and energetic leadership in
1-8 a variety of demanding roles at the state and local level for more
1-9 than three decades; and
1-10 WHEREAS, Her many accomplishments in behalf of these
1-11 frequently forgotten citizens include her crusade to reopen the
1-12 mental health office in Jefferson County, which, after it was
1-13 closed in 1985 due to insufficient funds, she successfully
1-14 reestablished as a vital link in the local provision of mental
1-15 health services; and
1-16 WHEREAS, Ms. Rogers also has played a pivotal role in the
1-17 highly successful Fone-A-Fact telephone service that makes
1-18 information on 200 mental health issues available to the public; in
1-19 the last year alone, the service received requests for tapes from
1-20 more than 7,000 callers and plans are currently under way to offer
1-21 tapes in Spanish; and
1-22 WHEREAS, In addition to her laudable efforts in behalf of the
1-23 mentally ill, this remarkable individual organized the second
1-24 chapter of Suicide Rescue in the nation in the aftermath of the
2-1 tragic suicides of two local boys and, together with her husband,
2-2 Ben, helped to chair the building fund for cottages at Boys Haven,
2-3 a home for disadvantaged boys, to which she also contributed such
2-4 essential domestic items as cookware and curtains that she sewed
2-5 herself; and
2-6 WHEREAS, A longtime supporter of the United Negro College
2-7 Development Fund, she and her family recently established the Ben
2-8 Rogers/Lamar University "I Have a Dream" Program, providing
2-9 scholarships to 75 sixth graders each year to encourage them to
2-10 finish high school and to attend college; to date, there are 225
2-11 students involved in the program with plans to add 75 more in the
2-12 fall; and
2-13 WHEREAS, Ms. Rogers also has been a loyal supporter of the
2-14 local arts community for nearly half a century and was a key
2-15 organizer of the Beaumont Symphony and the Texas Arts Alliance; she
2-16 has served with distinction in a leadership capacity for many local
2-17 arts organizations and has succeeded in bringing some of the
2-18 world's foremost classical musicians to Beaumont; and
2-19 WHEREAS, In recognition of her vast contributions to the
2-20 arts, the city's auditorium was renamed the Julie Rogers Theater
2-21 for the Performing Arts in 1982; and
2-22 WHEREAS, This vibrant woman has been the recipient of many
2-23 well-deserved accolades for her extraordinary record of community
2-24 service and was the first woman in Texas to be honored with a
2-25 lifetime membership in the Salvation Army for her exemplary
2-26 contributions; most recently, she was recognized by the Texas
2-27 Mental Health Association, which established the annual Julie
3-1 Rogers Mental Health Volunteer Award in her honor; and
3-2 WHEREAS, She also is a valued member of many other worthy
3-3 organizations too numerous to mention and is devoted to her faith
3-4 as an active participant in her local synagogue; and
3-5 WHEREAS, A remarkably gifted woman who earned a law degree at
3-6 the age of 19, she has been supported, and often joined, in her
3-7 numerous endeavors by her beloved husband, Ben, and together the
3-8 happy couple have raised three children and now enjoy the love and
3-9 affection of four grandchildren; and
3-10 WHEREAS, A woman of tremendous courage, compassion,
3-11 intelligence, and humor, Julie Rogers is truly a pillar of her
3-12 community who has benefitted the lives of many in her city and
3-13 state, and she is indeed deserving of special praise and
3-14 legislative recognition for her continuing contributions in this
3-15 regard; now, therefore, be it
3-16 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
3-17 Legislature hereby commend Julie Rogers for her outstanding
3-18 community service and extend sincere best wishes to her for her
3-19 continued success and happiness for many years to come; and, be it
3-20 further
3-21 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-22 prepared for Ms. Rogers as an expression of high regard by the
3-23 Texas House of Representatives.