HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, Texans, and indeed individuals around the world,
1-2 were greatly saddened by the passing of the Honorable Barbara
1-3 Charline Jordan on January 17, 1996, and we join her family and
1-4 many friends in mourning the death of one of the most notable
1-5 American political figures of the century; and
1-6 WHEREAS, Her achievement of a remarkable series of historic
1-7 firsts assures Barbara Jordan a place in history, but her true
1-8 legacy cannot be fully conveyed by her long list of
1-9 accomplishments; her life and career remain touchstones for those
1-10 who struggle against injustice and discrimination, and her profound
1-11 commitment to the democratic process shaped the way in which
1-12 millions of Americans perceive their government; and
1-13 WHEREAS, Born February 21, 1936, to B. M. and Arlyne Jordan,
1-14 Barbara Jordan grew up in Houston's Fifth Ward; in 1947 Mr. Jordan
1-15 became a Baptist minister, and the young Barbara spent many hours
1-16 in Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, listening intently to her father's
1-17 sermons and to the gospel music that she cherished throughout her
1-18 life; and
1-19 WHEREAS, The Jordans instilled in their daughters their own
1-20 high standards of conduct and achievement, and Barbara's obvious
1-21 intellectual gifts and self-possession were sharpened and
1-22 strengthened by the discipline demanded of her; she excelled at
1-23 academics and at debate, and by her sophomore year in high school
1-24 had decided to become a lawyer; and
2-1 WHEREAS, The pursuit of her goal led her from Texas Southern
2-2 University, where she graduated with high honors, to Boston
2-3 University School of Law, where she was the only woman in a class
2-4 of 128, and upon receiving her law degree she returned to Houston
2-5 and established her law practice; and
2-6 WHEREAS, Having made up her mind to seek elective office, she
2-7 twice ran unsuccessfully for state representative before winning a
2-8 seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming the first
2-9 African-American woman to do so; she quickly established herself as
2-10 one of that body's ablest members, and after a brief but brilliant
2-11 career in the legislature made political history once again in 1972
2-12 by becoming the first African-American to be elected to the United
2-13 States Congress from the State of Texas; and
2-14 WHEREAS, She first achieved national prominence on July 25,
2-15 1974, when the House Judiciary Committee opened impeachment
2-16 proceedings against President Richard Nixon, and the country
2-17 watched spellbound as the young congresswoman from Texas delivered
2-18 her opening statement; her ringing affirmation of belief in the
2-19 United States Constitution, a document that when written would have
2-20 excluded her from its protections, reawakened hope and patriotic
2-21 feeling in millions of Americans whose faith in their government
2-22 had been severely shaken; and
2-23 WHEREAS, Her permanent presence in the national consciousness
2-24 was reconfirmed in 1976, when she delivered a keynote address at
2-25 the Democratic Party's national convention, and the high regard in
2-26 which she was held by constituents and colleagues alike continued
2-27 unabated throughout her life; among many other appointments, she
3-1 served as special counsel for ethics under former Texas Governor
3-2 Ann W. Richards, chaired the United States Commission on
3-3 Immigration Reform, and was appointed by United Nations Secretary
3-4 General Javier Perez de Cuellar to a United Nations panel on the
3-5 effects of corporate investment on apartheid in South Africa; and
3-6 WHEREAS, Upon retiring from Congress in January of 1979, she
3-7 joined the faculty of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public
3-8 Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, where she taught
3-9 until the end of her life; one of the school's most popular
3-10 professors, she was also a loyal and vocal supporter of her beloved
3-11 Lady Longhorns basketball team and was a familiar courtside
3-12 presence at home games; and
3-13 WHEREAS, Barbara Jordan's impact on the nation's history is
3-14 apparent from the distinctions accorded her during her lifetime;
3-15 inducted into both the National Women's Hall of Fame and the
3-16 African-American Hall of Fame, she was also named one of the 20th
3-17 century's most influential American women, and in 1994 President
3-18 Bill Clinton presented her with the nation's highest civilian
3-19 honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her distinguished
3-20 advocacy of civil rights and governmental ethics; and
3-21 WHEREAS, Far from diminishing in importance, Barbara Jordan's
3-22 formidable legacy continues to challenge and inspire us in our own
3-23 lives, and whenever we battle the twin poisons of racism and
3-24 sexism, whenever we give deeply of ourselves to help those less
3-25 fortunate, whenever we struggle to do what is right rather than
3-26 what is easy, Barbara Jordan's indomitable spirit and profound
3-27 influence are once again felt; now, therefore, be it
4-1 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas,
4-2 Regular Session, 1997, hereby pay tribute to the memory of the
4-3 Honorable Barbara C. Jordan and extend sincere sympathy to the
4-4 members of her family: to her mother, Arlyne Jordan; to her
4-5 sisters, Bennie Creswell and Rose Mary McGowan; and to all the
4-6 relatives, friends, colleagues, and many admirers of this
4-7 distinguished American; and, be it further
4-8 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
4-9 prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas
4-10 House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in
4-11 memory of the Honorable Barbara C. Jordan.
Thompson
Laney Gutierrez Oliveira
Alexander Haggerty Olivo
Allen Hamric Palmer
Alvarado Hartnett Patterson
Averitt Hawley Pickett
Bailey Heflin Pitts
Berlanga Hernandez Place
Bonnen Hightower Price
Bosse Hilbert Puente
Brimer Hilderbran Rabuck
Burnam Hill Ramsay
Carter Hinojosa Rangel
Chavez Hirschi Raymond
Chisum Hochberg Reyna of Bexar
Christian Hodge Reyna of Dallas
Clark Holzheauser Rhodes
Coleman Horn Rodriguez
Cook Howard Roman
Corte Hunter Sadler
Counts Hupp Seaman
Crabb Isett Serna
Craddick Jackson Shields
Cuellar Janek Siebert
Culberson Jones of Lubbock Smith
Danburg Jones of Dallas Smithee
Davila Junell Solis
Davis Kamel Solomons
Delisi Keel Staples
Denny Keffer Stiles
Driver King Swinford
Dukes Krusee Talton
Dunnam Kubiak Telford
Dutton Kuempel Thompson
Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Tillery
Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Torres
Eiland Longoria Turner of Coleman
Elkins Luna Turner of Harris
Farrar McCall Uher
Finnell McClendon Van de Putte
Flores McReynolds Walker
Gallego Madden West
Galloway Marchant Williams
Garcia Maxey Williamson
Giddings Merritt Wilson
Glaze Moffat Wise
Goodman Moreno Wohlgemuth
Goolsby Mowery Wolens
Gray Naishtat Woolley
Greenberg Nixon Yarbrough
Grusendorf Oakley Zbranek
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 90 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 20, 1997.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 90 was adopted by the Senate on May
7, 1997, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _______________________
Date
_______________________
Governor