H.C.R. No. 29
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, Texans join the members of the Nixon family and the
1-2 nation in mourning the passing of former First Lady Patricia Ryan
1-3 Nixon on June 22, 1993, at the age of 81; and
1-4 WHEREAS, A native of Ely, Nevada, Mrs. Nixon was born on
1-5 March 16, 1912, the day before St. Patrick's day, to Will and Kate
1-6 Halberstadt Ryan; although she was christened Thelma Catherine
1-7 Ryan, Mrs. Nixon was called Patricia by her family and friends
1-8 after her father remarked that she was his "St. Patrick's Babe in
1-9 the morning"; and
1-10 WHEREAS, Tragically, Mrs. Nixon lost both of her parents when
1-11 she was still quite young; Kate Ryan succumbed to cancer when her
1-12 daughter was only 13, leaving the teen-aged Patricia to care for
1-13 her father and two brothers until her father passed away five years
1-14 later; and
1-15 WHEREAS, Displaying the courage, perseverance, and
1-16 steadfastness that became the hallmarks of her personality,
1-17 Mrs. Nixon overcame these adversities and faced the challenges of
1-18 the world; while continuing to care for her two brothers, she
1-19 worked a variety of jobs to put herself through college, and in
1-20 1937 she was graduated with honors from the University of Southern
1-21 California; and
1-22 WHEREAS, She was teaching high school in Whittier,
1-23 California, when she first met a young lawyer named Richard Nixon;
1-24 they were married on June 21, 1940, and after he completed a tour
2-1 of military service in World War II, Mrs. Nixon became his partner
2-2 in a political career that eventually would take them to the White
2-3 House; and
2-4 WHEREAS, Despite her reservations about living in the
2-5 limelight of political service, this remarkable woman performed her
2-6 public duties with poise and confidence; she forever altered the
2-7 role of the First Lady in national and international affairs, but
2-8 she made these changes in such a quiet and unassuming manner that
2-9 few realized the magnitude of her deeds; and
2-10 WHEREAS, Mrs. Nixon traveled extensively with her husband
2-11 throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and on these trips he
2-12 relied upon her as an ambassador and an advisor; she quickly became
2-13 the most widely traveled First Lady in history, and she rejected
2-14 the usual itineraries of shopping and sightseeing in favor of
2-15 visits to schools, hospitals, orphanages, and refugee camps; and
2-16 WHEREAS, During a 1969 trip to South Vietnam, she became one
2-17 of the few First Ladies to visit a combat zone, and after a
2-18 devastating earthquake rocked Peru in 1970, she became the first
2-19 presidential spouse to lead American relief efforts to victims of a
2-20 foreign disaster; the people of Peru showed their appreciation for
2-21 Mrs. Nixon's work by awarding her one of their highest honors, the
2-22 grand cross of the Order of the Sun in 1971; and
2-23 WHEREAS, Here in the United States, she was the nation's most
2-24 visible spokesperson for the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the
2-25 U.S. Constitution and a tireless advocate of volunteerism; she
2-26 spearheaded efforts to fight illiteracy through her "Right to Read"
2-27 program and to make the national parks system more accessible
3-1 through her "Parks to the People" program; and
3-2 WHEREAS, Believing that the White House belongs to all
3-3 Americans, Mrs. Nixon dedicated herself to expanding access to the
3-4 presidential mansion by adding holiday and evening tours and
3-5 establishing tours for visually- and hearing-impaired individuals;
3-6 she personally raised millions of dollars in private funding to
3-7 refurbish the public areas of the mansion with authentic period
3-8 furnishings and works of art, and she had the first outdoor
3-9 lighting system installed so that the White House, like other
3-10 Washington monuments, could be seen at night; and
3-11 WHEREAS, Yet, despite this array of noteworthy achievements,
3-12 Mrs. Nixon was most proud of her role as a wife and mother, and her
3-13 daughters, Tricia and Julie, are living testament to her success as
3-14 a parent and role model; this combination of familial devotion and
3-15 public service earned Mrs. Nixon the respect and admiration of her
3-16 fellow Americans, and she became one of the only women in history
3-17 to be named among the nation's most admired women during three
3-18 different decades; and
3-19 WHEREAS, A devoted wife, loving mother, and committed
3-20 political activist, Patricia Ryan Nixon will long be remembered for
3-21 the grace, dignity, compassion, and strength that she showed in all
3-22 areas of her life; Americans owe a great debt of gratitude to
3-23 Mrs. Nixon, for her legacy of public works will enrich the lives of
3-24 many future generations; now, therefore, be it
3-25 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas,
3-26 Regular Session, 1995, hereby pay tribute to the life of Patricia
3-27 Ryan Nixon and extend sincere sympathy to the members of her
4-1 family: to her daughters and sons-in-law, Julie Nixon Eisenhower
4-2 and David Eisenhower, and Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward Cox; to her
4-3 grandchildren, Jennie, Christopher, Alex Richard, and Melanie; and
4-4 to all the friends and relatives of this beloved woman; and, be it
4-5 further
4-6 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
4-7 prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas
4-8 House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in
4-9 memory of Patricia Ryan Nixon.