By Serna                                               H.R. No. 925

         75R14562 JTR-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, The history of the Lone Star State is in large part

 1-2     that of the women and men whose struggles have shaped its destiny,

 1-3     and those Texans who have championed justice and equality against

 1-4     overwhelming odds are among our greatest heroes; Ruth Kern of El

 1-5     Paso is one such individual, and it is indeed fitting at this time

 1-6     to recognize her many remarkable achievements; and

 1-7           WHEREAS, A longtime El Paso resident, Ms. Kern began her

 1-8     legal career at the age of 54, and she quickly became known as an

 1-9     attorney of ability and integrity; dedicated to the protection of

1-10     individual liberty, she took on numerous civil rights cases, both

1-11     individually and in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties

1-12     Union, and she was also a cofounder and the first president of the

1-13     El Paso County Women's Bar Association; and

1-14           WHEREAS, Many of Ms. Kern's most noteworthy endeavors have

1-15     sprung from her work as an organizer and activist, and she has been

1-16     instrumental in the creation of both a shelter for battered women

1-17     and a foundation for people living with AIDS; a cofounder of the El

1-18     Paso Older Women's League and the El Paso Gray Panthers, she has

1-19     also served on the boards of El Paso Community College, the Family

1-20     Services Association, El Paso Legal Services, and the El Paso

1-21     Women's Political Caucus; and

1-22           WHEREAS, The high esteem in which Ms. Kern is held by her

1-23     colleagues is evident from the many honors she has been accorded,

1-24     and she has been named an Outstanding Board Member of the El Paso

 2-1     Community College Board of Directors and a Civic Centennial Leader

 2-2     for El Paso Senior Opportunities and Services; an inductee into the

 2-3     El Paso Women's Hall of Fame for Civic Leadership, she has also

 2-4     received The University of Texas at El Paso's Mortarboard award;

 2-5     and

 2-6           WHEREAS, Her many accomplishments are all the more remarkable

 2-7     for the fact that Ms. Kern has been legally blind since the late

 2-8     1970s, and requires high-tech visual equipment to read and write;

 2-9     and

2-10           WHEREAS, Ruth Kern has distinguished herself as a gifted

2-11     attorney, a progressive pioneer, and a lover of justice, and her

2-12     lifetime of service is indeed deserving of special praise and

2-13     recognition; now, therefore, be it

2-14           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

2-15     Legislature hereby honor Ruth Kern for her many contributions to

2-16     her fellow Texans and extend to her sincere best wishes for

2-17     continued success and happiness in the years to come; and, be it

2-18     further

2-19           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

2-20     prepared for Ms. Kern as an expression of high regard by the Texas

2-21     House of Representatives.