By Thompson H.C.R. No. 90
75R6135 JTR-D
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.
4-12