By West                                               H.C.R. No. 74
         76R804 BE-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The passing of Florence McCarley Walker on July 3,
 1-2     1998, at the age of 80, brought a great loss to the family and many
 1-3     friends of this respected Texan; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Mrs. Walker was born in Mitchell County on January
 1-5     22, 1918, to Andrew and Mamie McCarley, both of whom had roots deep
 1-6     in the history of the Lone Star State; she attended Longfellow
 1-7     Community School throughout her elementary years and was graduated
 1-8     from Colorado High School in 1933; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, In her continuing drive for  education, Mrs. Walker
1-10     attended Texas Technological College and Tarleton Agricultural &
1-11     Mechanical College before her marriage to Charles Lee Walker in
1-12     1939; and
1-13           WHEREAS, In 1940, the couple moved to Odessa, where
1-14     Mr. Walker began his tenure with the Ector County Independent
1-15     School District; they were blessed with two children and their
1-16     years together were truly joyous, filled with many happy times and
1-17     cherished family memories; and
1-18           WHEREAS, Once her children were successfully on the road to
1-19     adulthood, Mrs. Walker went back to college at a time when many
1-20     individuals might consider slowing down; in 1966, she was graduated
1-21     with a bachelor of arts degree from Sul Ross State College and
1-22     began a second chapter of her life as a highly valued and
1-23     much-beloved schoolteacher; and
1-24           WHEREAS,  Her dedication to her students and her  abilities
 2-1     as a teacher were well known throughout the school district, but
 2-2     especially among  parents and staff at Zavala and Burleson
 2-3     elementary schools, where she taught for 16 years before her
 2-4     retirement in 1982; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, A faithful member of the First Baptist Church of
 2-6     Odessa since 1940, she was active in a number of positions at the
 2-7     church, and her tenure included longtime service as associate
 2-8     director of the young people's Sunday school, almost 20 years in
 2-9     the nursery and preschool departments, and membership in the Naomi
2-10     Sunday School Class; and
2-11           WHEREAS, The steadfast guidance and vibrant faith of Florence
2-12     Walker will be greatly missed, but surely her spirit lives on in
2-13     the hearts and memories of the many people whose lives she touched;
2-14     now, therefore, be it
2-15           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-16     hereby pay tribute to the life of Florence McCarley Walker and
2-17     extend sincere sympathy to the members of her family: to her
2-18     husband, Charles Walker; to her son, William Charles Walker; to her
2-19     daughter, Virginia Chisum, and her husband, Doug; to her sister,
2-20     Blanche Bell; to her brother, Andrew Kay McCarley; to her
2-21     grandchildren, William Charles Walker, Jr., Ellen Walker, Jason
2-22     Walker, Michelle Walker Vann, Monica Chisum, and Clayton Chisum; to
2-23     her step-grandchildren; to her four great-grandchildren; and to the
2-24     many other relatives and friends of this esteemed woman; and, be it
2-25     further
2-26           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-27     prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas
 3-1     House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in
 3-2     memory of Florence McCarley Walker.