1-1                                     1                                  
 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 590
 1-3           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes great pride
 1-4     in recognizing Betty King, one of our state's most beloved and
 1-5     highly respected public servants, who is retiring after more than
 1-6     53 years of outstanding service in the Texas Legislature; and
 1-7           WHEREAS, Although Betty announced her retirement to be
 1-8     effective December 31, 2000, she bowed to the pleas of those she
 1-9     had served so well and so faithfully and agreed to put aside
1-10     personal considerations to guide the Senate through one last
1-11     legislative session; and
1-12           WHEREAS, Elected the 37th Secretary of the Texas Senate and
1-13     known to generations of lawmakers as the "gracious lady of the
1-14     Capitol," Betty King is stepping down after more than a half
1-15     century of remarkable work on behalf of our state's citizens and
1-16     its highest political leaders, a career unparalleled in Capitol
1-17     history; and
1-18           WHEREAS, A legendary figure in our state and an
1-19     irreplaceable officer of the Senate, Betty King was first
1-20     introduced to our legislative process at the age of 14 when she
1-21     served as an honorary page while her mother was working for the
1-22     Speaker of the House; and
1-23           WHEREAS, After attending The University of Texas at Austin,
1-24     Betty King began her career in the Capitol as a clerk for the
 2-1     House Appropriations Committee; Betty worked for the Gilmer-Aikin
 2-2     Committee before joining the staff of Senator Ottis Lock, who was
 2-3     floor leader during much of the term of Governor Allan Shivers;
 2-4     after serving as secretary for President Pro Tempore Culp Krueger
 2-5     and as a staff member of the Bay Study Committee and the
 2-6     Water Pollution Committee, Betty became Assistant Journal Clerk
 2-7     in February, 1967, and was elected Journal Clerk in January,
 2-8     1973; and
 2-9           WHEREAS, After 28 years of service on the Senate staff,
2-10     Betty King was elected Secretary of the Senate, the highest
2-11     administrative post in the Senate, on the opening day of the 65th
2-12     Legislative Session in 1977; she went on to serve as Secretary of
2-13     the Senate longer than any other person in Texas history; and
2-14           WHEREAS, As the Texas Senate's chief executive
2-15     administrator, Betty King has read innumerable bills, has called
2-16     tens of thousands of roll calls, has supervised the Senate's
2-17     elected officers and central staff, and has worked closely with
2-18     senators' staffs; and
2-19           WHEREAS, Throughout her career, Betty King has served as a
2-20     beloved mentor and friend to members of the Senate and to
2-21     countless Senate employees; a woman with great poise and an
2-22     unflappable personality, Betty King is famous for her diplomatic
2-23     management of the Senate and for the loyalty and dedication she
2-24     has consistently shown each of the Senate's 31 members; and
2-25           WHEREAS, A frequently lauded leader in our state on both the
2-26     local and national levels, Betty was named one of the Outstanding
 3-1     Women in Texas Government by the Governor's Commission for Women
 3-2     in 1988; she has served as staff chair for the National Conference
 3-3     of State Legislatures and has been the recipient of
 3-4     the organization's Legislative Staff Achievement Award; she was
 3-5     elected to the Board of the Foundation for State Legislatures in
 3-6     1988 and has served as president of the American Society of
 3-7     Legislative Clerks and Secretaries; and
 3-8           WHEREAS, Betty's enduring commitment of time and energy to
 3-9     the Senate has resulted in a record that could only be challenged
3-10     by her many accomplishments as a community leader; her endless
3-11     list of civic involvements includes serving as one of the
3-12     original docents of the Friends of the Governor's Mansion,
3-13     president of the board of trustees of Austin Lyric Opera,
3-14     treasurer of the Greater Austin Crime Commission, president of
3-15     the Girl Scouts-Lone Star Council, vice president of the Symphony
3-16     League, chairman of the Austin-Travis County Chapter of the
3-17     American Heart Association, and member of the board of the
3-18     Settlement Home; and
3-19           WHEREAS, Throughout Betty's career, her family has remained
3-20     a top priority; she is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother,
3-21     and her husband, Bill King, her daughter and her son-in-law,
3-22     Kevin Ann and Richard Marcyes, and her grandsons, Griffin and Max
3-23     Marcyes, are a source of joy and support; and
3-24           WHEREAS, Betty King is an exemplary lady of unequaled grace,
3-25     charm, and generosity, and her masterful leadership as Secretary
3-26     of the Senate has made an indelible imprint on our state's
 4-1     legislative process; now, therefore, be it
 4-2           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 77th
 4-3     Legislature, hereby pay tribute to Betty King for her long and
 4-4     distinguished career and for her invaluable contributions to the
 4-5     Texas legislature; and, be it further
 4-6           RESOLVED, That, in recognition of her peerless service to
 4-7     the Texas Senate and of the honor and dignity she has brought to
 4-8     the legislative process that make her a role model for all young
 4-9     people entering public service, the Lieutenant Governor's
4-10     Committee Room be renamed the Betty King Committee Room as a
4-11     permanent testimonial of all that she has done for the Texas
4-12     Senate and for each one of us as friend, confidante, and mentor;
4-13     and, be it further
4-14           RESOLVED, That a plaque describing her public service be
4-15     placed for prominent display outside the Betty King Committee
4-16     Room; and, be it further
4-17           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
4-18     Betty King as an expression of highest esteem and affection from
4-19     the Texas Senate.
4-20                                                    Truan
4-21           Armbrister           Gallegos            Ogden
4-22           Barrientos           Harris              Shapiro
4-23           Bernsen              Haywood             Shapleigh
4-24           Bivins               Jackson             Sibley
4-25           Brown                Lindsay             Staples
4-26           Cain                 Lucio               Van de Putte
4-27           Carona               Madla               Wentworth
4-28           Duncan               Moncrief            West
4-29           Ellis                Nelson              Whitmire
4-30           Fraser                                   Zaffirini
4-31                      Ratliff, President of the Senate
 5-1                                  ______________________________________
 5-2                                          President of the Senate
 5-3                                       I hereby certify that the above
 5-4                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate
 5-5                                  on April 26, 2001.
 5-6                                  ______________________________________
 5-7                                    Secretary of the Senate, Designee
 5-8                                  ______________________________________
 5-9                                            Dean of the Senate