1-1 By: Gallegos S.C.R. No. 81 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed May 1, 1997; May 1, 1997, read first 1-3 time and referred to Committee on Administration; May 7, 1997, 1-4 reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; 1-5 May 7, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, State law (Section 2165.005, Government Code) 1-8 stipulates that the name of a state building must be approved and 1-9 authorized by a concurrent resolution passed by the legislature and 1-10 signed by the governor; and 1-11 WHEREAS, The state office building at 5425 Polk Avenue in 1-12 Houston has never been officially named, and the Tejano Association 1-13 for Historical Preservation has requested that the building be 1-14 named in honor of Elias Ramirez, a prominent Texan and early civil 1-15 rights leader; and 1-16 WHEREAS, A native of Concepcion, Texas, Mr. Ramirez was born 1-17 in 1880 and settled in Houston in 1910; within a few short years, 1-18 he became aware that many Mexican-American citizens and newly 1-19 arrived Mexican immigrants were struggling to establish themselves 1-20 as American citizens while still retaining their proud cultural 1-21 heritage, and he established the Sociedad Mutualista Benito Juarez 1-22 to help them achieve these goals; and 1-23 WHEREAS, This esteemed fraternal organization informed 1-24 Hispanic citizens of their rights and assisted them in obtaining 1-25 educations for their children, while the organization's Mexican 1-26 Patriotic Committee promoted the beauty and history of Mexico's 1-27 rich cultural traditions; and 1-28 WHEREAS, At that time, Mexican-Americans were prohibited from 1-29 enjoying the community's only park, so Mr. Ramirez led a successful 1-30 effort to establish and maintain what is now known as Hidalgo Park; 1-31 this remarkable Texan also helped to establish the first Houston 1-32 council of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), 1-33 and throughout his life, he continually promoted education, 1-34 citizenship, and civic and cultural pride among the young people in 1-35 his community, reminding them that these time-honored ideals held 1-36 the key to their futures; and 1-37 WHEREAS, Mr. Ramirez's passing in 1960 brought a great loss 1-38 to his community, but his many achievements and contributions 1-39 provided an ongoing legacy of good works by which to remember him; 1-40 the naming of a state office building in his honor would provide a 1-41 fitting opportunity for all Texans to pay tribute to Elias Ramirez 1-42 for his outstanding service to the people of Houston and the Lone 1-43 Star State; now, therefore, be it 1-44 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-45 hereby name the state building at 5425 Polk Avenue in Houston the 1-46 Elias Ramirez Building; and, be it further 1-47 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 1-48 copy of this resolution to the executive director of the General 1-49 Services Commission. 1-50 * * * * *