R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of Pat Dobbs of Austin on May 19, 1999,
1-2 at the age of 60, has brought a great loss to the many friends and
1-3 relatives of this beloved woman, and she will be remembered at a
1-4 public memorial service on May 30, 1999, at Tony Burger Center; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Born on November 25, 1938, in Los Angeles,
1-6 California, Mrs. Dobbs spent her childhood in Owatonna, Minnesota,
1-7 and was inspired to pursue a career in education by her mother, a
1-8 teacher who had taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Minnesota; and
1-9 WHEREAS, Mrs. Dobbs met her husband, Dave Dobbs, in an ice
1-10 cream parlor a year after her high school graduation, and following
1-11 their marriage the newlyweds settled in Texas; for 41 years the
1-12 couple enjoyed a warm and happy relationship that was blessed with
1-13 three children and a cherished granddaughter; and
1-14 WHEREAS, Early in her marriage, Mrs. Dobbs traveled
1-15 extensively both in the United States and abroad and, after moving
1-16 to Austin, she earned a bachelor of science degree in 1970 from The
1-17 University of Texas at Austin; she continued her pursuit of
1-18 academic excellence at Southwest Texas State University, earning a
1-19 master of science degree in 1974; and
1-20 WHEREAS, Mrs. Dobbs began her distinguished career in 1970 as
1-21 an English and speech teacher and drama director at L. C. Anderson
1-22 High School; after its closing she joined the staff of Crockett
1-23 High School, where for 28 years she taught government and
1-24 economics, American history, and world literature, and she also
2-1 served as an adjunct professor of history at Austin Community
2-2 College for a quarter-century; and
2-3 WHEREAS, Her genuine enthusiasm for politics and commitment
2-4 to the democratic process inspired her students to action, and many
2-5 won local, state, and national recognition for their efforts in
2-6 behalf of voter education, the poor, the elderly, and the veterans
2-7 of Texas; a number of Mrs. Dobbs's former students have entered the
2-8 field of public service, including United States Congressman Lloyd
2-9 Doggett and Austin City Council member Jackie Goodman; and
2-10 WHEREAS, Mrs. Dobbs was instrumental in the designation of
2-11 Crockett High School as "A Bicentennial School" in 1991 by the
2-12 Bicentennial Commission of the United States; she served as Texas
2-13 State Director for the National Student Parent Mock Election in
2-14 1994 and 1996, and for more than 10 years she shared her time as
2-15 the Texas Bicentennial "We the People" coordinator for U.S.
2-16 Congressional District 10, distributing educational materials and
2-17 coordinating programs on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights;
2-18 and
2-19 WHEREAS, Throughout the years, this esteemed educator was
2-20 accorded many well-deserved honors and accolades, including the
2-21 Austin American-Statesman Newspapers in Education Teacher of the
2-22 Year Award in 1997, which has since been renamed in her honor; she
2-23 was named the Texas Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the
2-24 Year in 1996 and was presented with the Texas Young Lawyers Liberty
2-25 Bell Award in 1997 for the teaching of law-related education; and
2-26 WHEREAS, Selected as the 1999 Teacher of the Year by the
2-27 Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary, she was also the
3-1 recipient of such prestigious honors as the Leon Jaworski Award,
3-2 The Leavey Award for Free Enterprise Education, the Freedoms
3-3 Foundation Dogwood Blossom Medal, and the George Washington Medal
3-4 of Honor; and
3-5 WHEREAS, Pat Dobbs had a profound impact on the lives of
3-6 countless young people, and she will surely be remembered with
3-7 great affection and admiration for many years to come; now,
3-8 therefore, be it
3-9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
3-10 Legislature hereby honor the memory of Pat Dobbs and extend sincere
3-11 sympathy to the members of her family: to her husband, Dave Dobbs;
3-12 to her daughters, Kyleen Dobbs and Wendy Rolan; to her son, Kevin
3-13 Dobbs; to her granddaughter, Tiffany Rolan; to her mother, Barbara
3-14 Wesely; to her sister, Delores Wells; and to the many other friends
3-15 and relatives of this fine woman; and, be it further
3-16 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-17 prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas
3-18 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
3-19 Pat Dobbs.
Greenberg
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1098 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 25, 1999.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House