S.R. No. 530 1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION 1-2 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is proud to pay 1-3 tribute to the life of Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt, a leading 1-4 South Texas philanthropist, who died October 6, 1993; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth was a native Texan 1-6 and a graduate of The University of Texas; she taught English 1-7 briefly in the Kerrville School District and then married 1-8 Howard Edward Butt, Sr., an ingenious businessman and the founder 1-9 of H. E. Butt Grocery Company; and 1-10 WHEREAS, A distinguished lady who became famous across the 1-11 state, Mrs. Butt was a dedicated homemaker who considered her 1-12 primary lifework to be that of wife, mother, and grandmother; 1-13 Mr. and Mrs. Butt had three children, Howard Edward Butt, Jr., 1-14 Eleanor Butt Crook, and Charles C. Butt, six grandchildren, and 1-15 10 great-grandchildren; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Mrs. Butt was a remarkable individual who generously 1-17 gave of her time, energy, and funds to a wide array of humanitarian 1-18 causes; she is best known for her more than 30 years of service 1-19 in the field of mental health and mental retardation and for her 1-20 extensive participation in projects that were sponsored by the 1-21 H. E. Butt Foundation; and 1-22 WHEREAS, A highly respected civic leader, Mrs. Butt was 1-23 chairman of the first Child Welfare Board in Cameron County, first 2-1 chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Nueces County 2-2 Juvenile Probation Department, and chairman of the Board of Trustees 2-3 of the Corpus Christi Young Women's Christian Association; and 2-4 WHEREAS, She served for six years as chairman of District VI 2-5 of the American Cancer Society and organized the leaders of women's 2-6 clubs in the 15 counties involved; the first meeting for this work 2-7 was held in Mrs. Butt's home, which was the site of many meetings 2-8 for a number of organizations; and 2-9 WHEREAS, Her outstanding work in the field of mental health 2-10 and mental retardation began in 1955 when she was appointed by 2-11 Governor Allan Shivers to the governing board of Texas State 2-12 Hospitals and Special Schools, supplanted in 1965 by the Texas 2-13 Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation; she was the only 2-14 woman member of the board for 18 years; in 1981, Mrs. Butt was 2-15 designated as Member Emeritus of the Texas Board of Mental Health 2-16 and Mental Retardation; and 2-17 WHEREAS, Mrs. Butt supported the community center movement 2-18 for the mentally ill and retarded and focused much of her attention 2-19 on improving the care of emotionally disturbed children; her work 2-20 expanded with the opening of a camping program for the mentally ill 2-21 at the Butt Foundation Camp; and 2-22 WHEREAS, For her exceptional dedication and hard work, 2-23 Mrs. Butt was awarded the 1981 Joseph McBride Sloan Award which is 2-24 given annually to the individual who contributes the most to the 2-25 welfare of children in South Texas; she was also given the first 3-1 Yellow Rose Award by the Parent Association for the Retarded of 3-2 Texas; and 3-3 WHEREAS, In 1990, a newly established Texas Department of 3-4 Mental Health and Mental Retardation award was named in Mrs. Butt's 3-5 honor, and in 1993, Mrs. Butt was chosen to receive the National 3-6 Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Awards Committee's 3-7 highest award for Meritorious Service to the Children of America; 3-8 and 3-9 WHEREAS, In 1934, Howard Butt established the H. E. Butt 3-10 Foundation, one of the oldest foundations in Texas, and designated 3-11 his wife as president; a major project of the foundation has been 3-12 the development of library services; and 3-13 WHEREAS, Both Mr. and Mrs. Butt were awarded the Texas 3-14 Library Association Philanthropic Award of the Year in 1968 in 3-15 recognition of their service to libraries; the award noted the 3-16 contribution to the architectural beauty of Texas libraries with 3-17 the establishment of the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library in 3-18 Kerrville; and 3-19 WHEREAS, Following in the tradition of Mrs. Butt, H. E. Butt 3-20 Grocery Company made a major contribution to the new central 3-21 library in Corpus Christi in 1985; now, Mrs. Butt's daughter, 3-22 Mrs. William H. Crook, is hosting a reception on Sunday, 3-23 March 26, 1995, in support of the Corpus Christi Public Library 3-24 Foundation with a special tribute to Mrs. Butt presented by her 3-25 granddaughter and Texas author Elizabeth Crook; and 4-1 WHEREAS, Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt was a woman of many 4-2 talents who was devoted to helping those in need; today, while she 4-3 is greatly missed, it is evident her strong and generous spirit 4-4 continues to live on through the work of her wonderful family and 4-5 through the many accomplishments she left behind; now, therefore, 4-6 be it 4-7 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 4-8 74th Legislature, hereby honor the life and memory of 4-9 Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt and express appreciation for her 4-10 many gifts to the citizens of our state; and, be it further 4-11 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for 4-12 her children, Howard Edward Butt, Jr., Eleanor Butt Crook, and 4-13 Charles C. Butt, in admiration of their mother's achievements. 4-14 Truan 4-15 Armbrister Henderson Ratliff 4-16 Barrientos Leedom Rosson 4-17 Bivins Lucio Shapiro 4-18 Brown Luna Sibley 4-19 Cain Madla Sims 4-20 Ellis Moncrief Turner 4-21 Gallegos Montford Wentworth 4-22 Galloway Nelson West 4-23 Harris Nixon Whitmire 4-24 Haywood Patterson Zaffirini 4-25 Bullock, President of the Senate 5-1 ______________________________________ 5-2 President of the Senate 5-3 I hereby certify that the above 5-4 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 5-5 on March 23, 1995. 5-6 ______________________________________ 5-7 Secretary of the Senate 5-8 ______________________________________ 5-9 Dean of the Senate