H.R. No. 374
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, For more than 40 years, Max and Helen Biderman have
    1-2  faithfully served the people of Grand Prairie as the owners and
    1-3  managers of Pot's Department Store, and the closing of this local
    1-4  institution marks the end of an era for the people of that
    1-5  community; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Named for the pots and pans that the previous owner
    1-7  sold, Pot's Department Store was bought by the Bidermans in 1952,
    1-8  and over the years the store attracted a loyal following of Dallas
    1-9  area shoppers who enjoyed the warmth, courtesy, and friendliness
   1-10  that the Bidermans extended to all their customers; and
   1-11        WHEREAS, Yet few people know the remarkable story of how this
   1-12  beloved couple came to settle in Grand Prairie; both Mr. and
   1-13  Mrs. Biderman grew up in Lukow, Poland, southeast of Warsaw, and
   1-14  they endured the horrors and depredations of the Nazi occupation of
   1-15  their homeland during World War II; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, Forced into hiding because of their Jewish faith,
   1-17  Mr. and Mrs. Biderman lost friends, family, and other loved ones to
   1-18  the Holocaust campaign that reduced Lukow's Jewish population from
   1-19  15,000 to 100 in a few short years; when the war ended,
   1-20  Mrs. Biderman's family home, miraculously spared from the ravages
   1-21  of war, became a meeting place for the remaining Jewish community,
   1-22  and it was there that the couple met and began their courtship; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, They were married in 1946, and three years later
   1-24  they immigrated to the United States and settled in Dallas, where
    2-1  Mr. Biderman found a job at a factory; the couple's judicious
    2-2  management of their money enabled them to buy a small shop on
    2-3  Singleton Avenue in Dallas, and within a few years they became the
    2-4  proud owners of Pot's Department Store in Grand Prairie; and
    2-5        WHEREAS, Like the previous owner, Mr. Biderman soon earned
    2-6  the nickname "Mr. Pots," and the Bidermans' old-fashioned policy of
    2-7  treating all their customers like family earned them the respect
    2-8  and affection of their patrons; the Bidermans have watched as many
    2-9  as three generations of some Grand Prairie families come through
   2-10  their doors, and although they look forward to a fulfilling and
   2-11  well-deserved retirement, they will miss that daily interaction
   2-12  with their many friends and neighbors; and
   2-13        WHEREAS, Although the people of Grand Prairie will find other
   2-14  places to shop, they will never find a replacement for the warmth,
   2-15  fellowship, and community spirit of Pot's Department Store; yet
   2-16  despite their sadness, the citizens of that town wish only the best
   2-17  for Max and Helen Biderman, and the members of this chamber are
   2-18  proud to join with them in extending appreciation and highest
   2-19  regards to this fine couple; now, therefore, be it
   2-20        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-21  Legislature hereby honor Max and Helen Biderman for their
   2-22  accomplishments as owners of Pot's Department Store and extend to
   2-23  them warmest best wishes for continued success and happiness in all
   2-24  their future endeavors; and, be it further
   2-25        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-26  prepared for Mr. and Mrs. Biderman as an expression of highest
   2-27  esteem by the Texas House of Representatives.