R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The family and friends of Melba Herron Richards of 1-2 Lubbock were deeply saddened by the untimely passing of this 1-3 esteemed woman on January 31, 2001; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Born on November 2, 1949, Mrs. Richards graduated 1-5 from high school in Brownfield and received a bachelor of science 1-6 degree in home economics from Texas Woman's University; in 1984, 1-7 she earned a law degree at Texas Tech University, where she served 1-8 as associate editor of the Law Review; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Mrs. Richards had a distinguished and diverse career 1-10 beginning as a typesetter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal; in 1-11 1979, she and her husband, Don Richards, moved to Washington, D.C., 1-12 where for three years she worked as an aide on the staff of U.S. 1-13 Senator Lloyd Bentsen; and 1-14 WHEREAS, After returning to Lubbock and receiving her law 1-15 degree, Mrs. Richards was employed by the law firm of McWhorter, 1-16 Cobb and Johnson, L.L.P.; she then worked for the Texas Tech 1-17 University School of Medicine as associate general counsel and head 1-18 of the self-insurance division for physicians; in 1992, 1-19 Mrs. Richards partnered with David Langston to create the law firm 1-20 of Langston and Richards, L.L.P., after which she started a private 1-21 practice; and 1-22 WHEREAS, In addition to succeeding in the law profession, 1-23 this notable Texan devoted much of her time and energy toward the 1-24 betterment of her community, serving as president of the Roscoe 2-1 Wilson Elementary Parent-Teacher Association and as director and 2-2 counsel for the Lubbock Housing Authority; moreover, she was active 2-3 as an area officer of the Texas Young Homemakers Association; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Mrs. Richards was a loving wife and mother who was 2-5 respected as a highly skilled attorney and successful 2-6 businesswoman, and her bright spirit will undoubtedly live on in 2-7 the hearts of the many people whose lives she deeply touched; now, 2-8 therefore, be it 2-9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 2-10 Legislature hereby honor the memory of Melba Richards and extend 2-11 sincere sympathy to the members of her family: to her husband, Don; 2-12 to her son, Reid; to her daughter, Raye; to her mother, Lucy Brown; 2-13 to her sister, Gayle Thetford; to her many nieces and nephews; and 2-14 to all her other relatives and friends; and, be it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-16 prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas 2-17 House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of 2-18 Melba Richards. Isett Laney Goodman Merritt Alexander Goolsby Miller Allen Gray Moreno of Harris Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso Bailey Grusendorf Morrison Berman Gutierrez Mowery Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat Bosse Hamric Najera Brimer Hardcastle Nixon Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira Burnam Heflin Olivo Callegari Hilbert Pickett Capelo Hilderbran Pitts Carter Hill Puente Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay Chisum Hochberg Rangel Christian Hodge Raymond Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas Cook Hopson Ritter Corte Howard Sadler Counts Hunter Salinas Crabb Hupp Seaman Craddick Isett Shields Crownover Janek Smith Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons Delisi Junell Swinford Denny Keel Talton Deshotel Keffer Telford Driver King of Parker Thompson Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery Dunnam Kitchen Truitt Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal Ellis Longoria Walker Farabee Luna West Farrar McCall Williams Flores McClendon Wilson Gallego McReynolds Wise Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth George Marchant Wolens Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley Giddings Maxey Yarbrough Glaze Menendez Zbranek _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 245 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on February 13, 2001. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House