H.R. No. 586 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Mary H. Knapp is retiring this year from her post as 1-2 department chair and lead instructor for the court reporting 1-3 department at Alvin Community College, drawing to a close an 1-4 outstanding career that has spanned more than half a century; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Mrs. Knapp came to Alvin Community College with a 1-6 wealth of valuable experience gained through years of working in 1-7 her chosen field both as an official court reporter and as an 1-8 instructor; and 1-9 WHEREAS, She served as chief clerk of finance and as a court 1-10 reporter at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as director of office practice at 1-11 Rider College in Trenton, New Jersey, and as a court reporting 1-12 instructor at the Minnesota School of Business before moving to 1-13 Texas in 1965 to accept a position as director of education for 1-14 McMahon College of Court Reporting in Houston; and 1-15 WHEREAS, After a decade of exemplary performance in that 1-16 capacity, Mrs. Knapp joined the faculty of Alvin Community College 1-17 where, for the past 20 years, she has guided many students in their 1-18 efforts to pursue careers in the exciting and challenging field of 1-19 court reporting; and 1-20 WHEREAS, This talented educator is an acknowledged authority 1-21 in her field, having authored a number of well-known publications, 1-22 including The Complete Court Reporters Handbook and Teacher's 1-23 Manual, a textbook that is widely used in court reporting schools 1-24 throughout the nation; and 2-1 WHEREAS, An active member of every accredited national 2-2 shorthand/court reporting association, Mrs. Knapp has further 2-3 distinguished herself as an instructor and chief examiner for the 2-4 National Shorthand Reporters Association, and as a presenter, 2-5 panelist, and participant at countless state, national, and 2-6 international court reporting association meetings; and 2-7 WHEREAS, Over the course of her exceptional career, 2-8 Mrs. Knapp has earned numerous accolades for her extensive 2-9 achievements; a fellow of the Academy of Professional Court 2-10 Reporters, she also is listed in Who's Who of American Women and 2-11 has been honored with the Houston Court Reporters Distinguished 2-12 Service Award; and 2-13 WHEREAS, For more than five decades, Mary Knapp has worked 2-14 diligently to promote excellence in the field of court reporting 2-15 and her expertise and dedication have significantly benefitted 2-16 generations of Texas students; now, therefore, be it 2-17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-18 Legislature hereby congratulate Mary H. Knapp on the occasion of 2-19 her retirement from Alvin Community College and extend warmest best 2-20 wishes to her for a happy and rewarding retirement; and, be it 2-21 further 2-22 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-23 prepared for Mrs. Knapp as an expression of high regard by the 2-24 Texas House of Representatives.