H.C.R. No. 5 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The tragic passing of Susan Ginsburg Hadden on 1-2 January 15, 1995, at the age of 49, has brought a profound loss to 1-3 the family and the many friends, colleagues, and admirers of this 1-4 distinguished woman; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A native of Austin, she received her undergraduate 1-6 degree in Sanskrit from Radcliffe College and earned masters and 1-7 doctoral degrees in Political Science from the University of 1-8 Chicago before embarking on a career as a professor of public 1-9 affairs; in 1979, Professor Hadden joined the faculty of the Lyndon 1-10 B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at 1-11 Austin where she developed a national reputation as an expert in 1-12 several critical public policy areas and authored two books, Read 1-13 the Label: Reducing Risk by Providing Information and Citizen's 1-14 Right to Know: Risk Communication and Public Policy; and 1-15 WHEREAS, Although her areas of greatest expertise were 1-16 telecommunications and environmental issues, Professor Hadden 1-17 displayed a remarkable intellectual versatility and a rare ability 1-18 to think in global, rather than local, terms; her undergraduate 1-19 study of Sanskrit was augmented by an extended stay in India, and 1-20 her extensive world travels added to her multinational perspective 1-21 on technological and political issues; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Despite the growing demands on her time as a member 1-23 of numerous federal, state, and local advisory committees, she 1-24 continued to devote herself wholeheartedly to teaching, for she did 2-1 not do anything halfway; her genuine enthusiasm for teaching and 2-2 her warm, approachable manner put students and colleagues alike at 2-3 ease, and her innovative ideas inspired them to look for ways to 2-4 better the world around them; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Her diligent work, inspired by her passion for 2-6 meaningful public participation and her hope for greater individual 2-7 participation in the democratic process, brought her to a position 2-8 of influence within the growing field of communications technology 2-9 in this "information age," an age that she feared could exclude 2-10 large numbers of individuals from meaningful participation simply 2-11 because they lack the tools of communication; acting on this 2-12 passion and in the capacity of policy chairwoman and board member 2-13 of the Alliance for Public Technology, Professor Hadden represented 2-14 the consumer voice at the N.I.I. Telecommunity Conference, which 2-15 brought together a diverse group of representatives from all 2-16 aspects of the telecommunications field, from health and education 2-17 to entertainment, in both the private and public sectors; and 2-18 WHEREAS, To help actualize the conference's goals of 2-19 enhancing health, economic welfare, democracy, and community for 2-20 all through interactive communications, she recently met with Vice 2-21 President Al Gore and testified before congress and the Texas 2-22 Legislature on providing universal access to the "information 2-23 superhighway"; and 2-24 WHEREAS, It was this heartfelt belief in a truly egalitarian 2-25 democracy that was inspiring to Professor Hadden's friends, 2-26 colleagues, and students; a vocal advocate of "civitas," or civic, 2-27 humanitarian community, this visionary individual challenged public 3-1 officials to use technological advancements to narrow the gaps 3-2 between rich and poor, educated and uneducated, and urban and 3-3 rural, rather than widening them, and her arguments were as 3-4 intellectually sound as they were morally upstanding; and 3-5 WHEREAS, Her work and her unfettered joy in life were often 3-6 inspired by her family, including her husband of many years, W. 3-7 James Hadden, Jr., a computer expert with the Texas Natural 3-8 Resource Conservation Commission; her son, W. James Hadden IV, a 3-9 junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and her 3-10 daughter, Lucy Hadden, and son-in-law, William Brockman, both 3-11 graduate students at the University of California at San Diego; and 3-12 WHEREAS, Despite her many scholarly achievements, Professor 3-13 Hadden was known and respected as much for her warmth, compassion, 3-14 and optimism as for her intellect; her ability to get to the very 3-15 heart and meaning of issues that would otherwise be considered 3-16 academic material surely inspired her family as well as her 3-17 students, and their continuing commitment to education and public 3-18 service is a living testament to the spirit of this admirable 3-19 woman; now, therefore, be it 3-20 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-21 hereby pay tribute to the life of Susan Ginsburg Hadden and extend 3-22 sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her husband, 3-23 W. James Hadden, Jr.; to her son, W. James Hadden IV; to her 3-24 daughter, Lucy Hadden, and son-in-law, William Brockman; to her 3-25 parents, Nathan and Ruth Ginsburg; and to all the many friends and 3-26 family of this beloved woman; and, be it further 3-27 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 4-1 prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas 4-2 House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in 4-3 memory of Susan Ginsburg Hadden.