By Price                                               H.R. No. 660

         75R11899 SAJ-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, On May 23, 1997, Doris Jean Gill will celebrate 26

 1-2     years of noteworthy service as an educator at the graduation

 1-3     ceremony at Port Arthur's Sam Houston Elementary School; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, Ms. Gill was graduated from the University of

 1-5     Houston before earning a master's degree in school administration

 1-6     from Lamar University; she began her career as a teacher at Dick

 1-7     Dowling Elementary School in the Port Arthur Independent School

 1-8     District in 1971 and was director of the district's Head Start

 1-9     Program for eight years before becoming principal of Sam Houston

1-10     Elementary School in 1984; and

1-11           WHEREAS, Ms. Gill has helped to make reading more exciting

1-12     and challenging for all her students by establishing both the

1-13     Accelerated Reading Program and the Distar Reading Pilot Program at

1-14     her school and by making the campus a Koalaty Kid Reading Program

1-15     Charter School; and

1-16           WHEREAS, Her involvement with the Adopt-a-School Program and

1-17     the Junior Achievement Program has enhanced the learning potential

1-18     of many young Texans, and her work with these and other initiatives

1-19     has brought the school several prestigious accolades over the

1-20     course of the years, including the governor's Academic Excellence

1-21     Award, the Texas Successful Schools Award, and the Texas Mentor

1-22     School Award; and

1-23           WHEREAS, This esteemed educator has further contributed to

1-24     the field of education as a member of the Texas Mentor School

 2-1     Organizational Committee, Phi Delta Kappa sorority, and the Texas

 2-2     Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA), which

 2-3     honored her as TEPSAN of the Year in 1993; she has been granted an

 2-4     honorary life membership in the Sam Houston Parent-Teacher

 2-5     Association and has been a finalist for the National Distinguished

 2-6     Principal Award as well; and

 2-7           WHEREAS, Ms. Gill has also worked for the betterment of the

 2-8     Port Arthur community as a board member of several organizations,

 2-9     including St. Mary Hospital and the St. Mary Foundation, the United

2-10     Community Service Organization, the African American Cultural

2-11     Society, and the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, which

2-12     recently honored her with its Athena Award; and

2-13           WHEREAS, In addition, she has received the Service to Mankind

2-14     Award from the Port Arthur Sertoma Club and the Silver Award from

2-15     the Chamber of Commerce at the statewide level, and she was one of

2-16     five women in the nation selected for the Tribute to Black Women

2-17     Community Leaders Award by the National Council of Negro Women and

2-18     Quaker Oats Company in 1995; and

2-19           WHEREAS, A woman of immense vision, Doris Gill has greatly

2-20     enhanced the quality of education and life in the Port Arthur

2-21     community, and her remarkable commitment is a source of inspiration

2-22     to all who are privileged to know her; now, therefore, be it

2-23           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

2-24     Legislature hereby honor Doris Jean Gill for her exemplary

2-25     contributions both as an educator and as a civic leader and extend

2-26     to her warmest best wishes for continued success and happiness in

2-27     the future; and, be it further

 3-1           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

 3-2     prepared for Ms. Gill as an expression of high regard by the Texas

 3-3     House of Representatives.