78S20203 MDM-D

By:  Casteel                                                      H.R. No. 71 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, With the passing of "Sue" Blackwell Bock on August 
1, 2003, at the age of 89, the citizens of New Braunfels have lost a 
respected civic leader and friend; and
	WHEREAS, Born Ruth Margaret Blackwell on March 2, 1914, in 
Lockhart, she was a descendant of two pioneer Texas families; 
during her childhood, she lived in towns in Texas and throughout the 
nation while her father served as pipeline superintendent for 
Atlantic Pipeline during the construction of the "Big Inch" 
project, which ran from Texas to Pennsylvania; and
	WHEREAS, "Sue," as she was nicknamed in the fifth grade, was a 
popular young woman and cheerleader at Lockhart High School, one of 
13 schools she attended in Texas; named Miss Lockhart in 1932, she 
graduated from Allentown High School in Pennsylvania that same 
year; and
	WHEREAS, In 1939, while employed as a beautician in Lockhart, 
she married Bennie W. Bock, her fifth-grade boyfriend, on August 8; 
five years later, she and her husband moved with their 2-year-old 
son to New Braunfels, where her husband took over the Ford 
dealership during a difficult period when car manufacturing had 
ground to a halt at the height of World War II; and
	WHEREAS, Over the course of the next 50 years, Mrs. Bock 
served as her husband's strongest supporter as together they built 
Bock Motor Company, New Braunfels Ford Mercury, and Seguin Ford 
Mercury into thriving enterprises; and
	WHEREAS, This gracious lady came from a family devoted to 
public service, and she greatly enjoyed being a hostess and a 
helpmate to her husband during his involvement in state and 
national politics; moreover, she was a dedicated community 
volunteer with such organizations as United Fund, Easter Seals, the 
PTA, and First United Methodist Church; and
	WHEREAS, Education was another priority for both Mrs. Bock 
and her husband; they took pleasure in assisting young people and 
for many years opened their home to contestants competing in the 
Texas Junior Miss Contest while the competition was held in New 
Braunfels; as a fitting tribute to the lives of this remarkable 
couple, the Bock family has established the Sue and Ben W. Bock 
Scholarship Fund for graduating senior women at New Braunfels and 
Lockhart high schools; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Bock continued her involvement with community 
affairs throughout her life, and in 1998 she was named Volunteer of 
the Year by the Hummel Museum and Most Outstanding Volunteer for 
Community Service in the Historic Preservation Field by the New 
Braunfels Chamber of Commerce; an officer of the Hummel Club and the 
Gay 40's Club, a social club founded in 1940, this high-energy 
individual counted the Sophienburg Museum and Archives among her 
interests as well as card-playing and creating her own Christmas 
cards and tree ornaments; and
	WHEREAS, Those who were fortunate enough to know "Sue" Bock 
will long miss her passion for life and her generous spirit, and she 
will long be remembered with affection in the hearts and minds of 
the countless people whose lives she touched; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of 
Ruth Margaret "Sue" Blackwell Bock and extend sincere sympathy to 
the members of her family: to her son, Bennie W. Bock II, and his 
wife, Kathy; to her granddaughters, Lucretia Carole Bock and 
Suzanne Carterette Badger and her husband, Brian; to her 
great-grandchildren, Rachel Carterette Badger and Benjamin Neal 
Badger; to her sister, Caroldean Blackwell Foster; and to all those 
who mourn the passing of this beloved woman; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of 
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of "Sue" 
Blackwell Bock.