By Shields                                             H.R. No. 268
       74R6137 BNL-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, The citizens of San Antonio lost an admired civic
    1-2  leader and a compassionate friend with the passing of Roy Maas on
    1-3  October 30, 1994, at the age of 46; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, A native of La Grange, Mr. Maas was an outstanding
    1-5  football player at Texas Lutheran College, where he holds the
    1-6  school record for career pass receptions; after college, he was
    1-7  recruited by the Canadian Football League and played professionally
    1-8  for the Saskatchewan Roughriders; and
    1-9        WHEREAS, Mr. Maas is known throughout San Antonio not for his
   1-10  athletic prowess but rather for his 18-year career with Youth
   1-11  Alternatives, a United Way agency dedicated to serving children in
   1-12  crisis; he joined the organization, then known as Bridge Emergency
   1-13  Shelter, in 1976 after earning a master's degree in counseling from
   1-14  Texas Christian University; and
   1-15        WHEREAS, The shelter later merged with Girlsville to form
   1-16  Youth Alternatives, Inc., and Mr. Maas became the executive
   1-17  director of this growing nonprofit organization; a tireless
   1-18  advocate for the young people of his community, Mr. Maas worked
   1-19  night and day to create a better future for 20,000 abused and
   1-20  neglected children in the San Antonio area; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, Under his guidance and direction, the organization
   1-22  grew to encompass a residential treatment center, child-care
   1-23  program, emergency shelter, counseling center, and thrift shop, and
   1-24  more than 80 children find aid, shelter, and assistance here each
    2-1  day; in recognition of the dedication and compassion that Mr. Maas
    2-2  brought to his duties, the board of directors voted in 1993 to
    2-3  rename the organization Roy Maas' Youth Alternatives; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, In his final years, this remarkable individual
    2-5  displayed the same courage, dignity, and concern for others that
    2-6  had always characterized his life, and he used his illness to
    2-7  demonstrate to others that every experience, no matter how painful,
    2-8  is an opportunity for change and growth; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, Few people have made so profound an impact on the
   2-10  world around them as Roy Maas, and his lifelong efforts to bring
   2-11  hope and happiness to forgotten children are an inspiration to all
   2-12  who had the privilege to know him; his heroic work with Youth
   2-13  Alternatives benefitted society's most vulnerable citizens, and
   2-14  each young life that has been turned around there is a testament to
   2-15  the strong and generous spirit of Roy Maas; now, therefore, be it
   2-16        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives hereby pay
   2-17  tribute to the life of Roy Maas and extend sincere condolences to
   2-18  the members of his family: to his son, Victor Maas; to his father,
   2-19  Harold Maas; to his foster son, Gerald Turley; to his good friend,
   2-20  Anita Johnston; and to the many other friends and relatives of this
   2-21  beloved man; and, be it further
   2-22        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-23  prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
   2-24  House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
   2-25  Roy Maas.