By: Madla, et al. S.C.R. No. 12 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Texans, and indeed all Americans, were deeply 1-2 saddened by the passing of the Honorable Frank M. Tejeda, Jr., on 1-3 January 30, 1997, at the age of 51, and the Texas Legislature joins 1-4 the Tejeda family in bidding a reluctant farewell to this 1-5 extraordinary public servant; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Born October 2, 1945, in San Antonio, Congressman 1-7 Tejeda learned the value of education and hard work from an early 1-8 age, helping to support his close-knit family by mowing yards, 1-9 washing windows, and shining shoes; and 1-10 WHEREAS, At the age of 17, this patriotic Texan joined the 1-11 United States Marine Corps and gained rank quickly, first becoming 1-12 the youngest Marine corporal in the corps and later the youngest 1-13 staff sergeant; while serving in Vietnam in 1965, he led his squad 1-14 across 75 yards of open space in an attack against a Viet Cong 1-15 sniper station outside of Da Nang in an action that would earn him 1-16 a bronze star; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Wounded in action the following year, Congressman 1-18 Tejeda returned to the states and resumed his education, but his 1-19 commitment to the Marines continued through his service in its 1-20 reserve corps; he would later attend the Marine Reserve Officers 1-21 Candidate School at Camp Quantico, and while pursuing his studies 1-22 there, he broke all records, receiving a near perfect 98.08 1-23 combined evaluation score for academics, physical skills, and 1-24 leadership; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Although he displayed little interest in academics 2-2 during his high school years, his military service seemed to 2-3 instill in him a newfound sense of purpose and discipline; he went 2-4 on to earn a bachelor's degree in government from St. Mary's 2-5 University, a law degree from the University of California at 2-6 Berkeley, and a master's degree in public administration from the 2-7 prestigious Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; and 2-8 WHEREAS, First elected to the Texas Legislature in 1976, this 2-9 distinguished gentleman served the people of South San Antonio for 2-10 five terms in the house of representatives and three terms in the 2-11 senate, authoring important legislation establishing the Crime 2-12 Victims Bill of Rights and the Texas Veterans Housing Assistance 2-13 Program, as well as creating several new courts in Bexar County; he 2-14 drew on his vast legal expertise to serve as chairman of the House 2-15 Committee on Judicial Affairs and as a member of the Senate 2-16 Committees on Jurisprudence and Criminal Justice, and his graduate 2-17 studies gave him valuable insight as a member and eventually 2-18 chairman of the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations; 2-19 and 2-20 WHEREAS, His fierce dedication to the people of his district, 2-21 combined with his outstanding ability to get things done, won him 2-22 the respect and admiration of his constituents, and in 1992, he was 2-23 elected to the newly created 28th District seat in the United 2-24 States House of Representatives; he quickly established himself as 2-25 an intelligent and committed lawmaker, and he earned key 3-1 assignments to the Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, and National 3-2 Security committees; and 3-3 WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Congressman Tejeda remained 3-4 above all else a devoted father to his three children and an active 3-5 member of his community, contributing his time to such worthwhile 3-6 organizations as the Knights of Columbus, the Veterans of Foreign 3-7 Wars, the American Legion, and the Southside Chamber of Commerce; 3-8 he was recognized for his personal and public leadership with an 3-9 Honorary Life Membership in the Texas Parent-Teacher Association, 3-10 and he was the proud recipient of the Texas State Teachers 3-11 Association Friends of Education Award and the San Antonio Jaycees 3-12 Distinguished Service Award; and 3-13 WHEREAS, Frank Tejeda dedicated much of his life to the 3-14 service of his country and to the State of Texas, and his many 3-15 contributions will not be forgotten; a man of unique spirit and 3-16 character, he has left a remarkable legacy of good works by which 3-17 to remember him, and it is indeed appropriate that he be honored at 3-18 this time; now, therefore, be it 3-19 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-20 hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Frank M. Tejeda, 3-21 Jr., and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: his 3-22 children, Marissa Tejeda, Sonya Tejeda, and Frank Tejeda III; his 3-23 mother, Lillie Tejeda; his sister, Mary Alice Lara; his brothers, 3-24 Juan Tejeda, Ernest Tejeda, and Richard Tejeda; and all the 3-25 relatives, friends, colleagues, and many admirers of this esteemed 4-1 Texan; and, be it further 4-2 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 4-3 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas 4-4 Senate and House of Representatives adjourn this day, they do so in 4-5 memory of the Honorable Frank Tejeda.