H.R. No. 204



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, May 1, 2004, marked a significant milestone in the 
life of Soula Stefanidis Molho of Sugar Land, for on that day, she 
celebrated her 80th birthday; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Katerini, Greece, in 1924, the former Soula 
Stefanidis grew up on a farm in Greek Macedonia, enjoying a happy 
and comfortable life with her parents and her five brothers and 
sisters until 1941 when the Germans invaded the region; deeply 
committed to the resistance movement against the Nazi forces, her 
family harbored six British soldiers in their basement; when the 
soldiers were discovered by the authorities, the Gestapo held the 
17-year-old Soula, along with her father and older brother, and 
interrogated and tortured them for months; and
	WHEREAS, Eventually they were sent to a concentration camp, 
with the young Soula arriving at Auschwitz in 1943; she spent her 
teenage years in that concentration camp and others, performing 
hard labor and routinely risking her life to steal food for fellow 
inmates; when it became clear that Germany would lose the war, 
prisoners were sent marching into the forest, and Soula walked for 
days without shoes through snow until she and several Greek 
girlfriends managed to escape; and
	WHEREAS, On May 1, 1945, the young Soula's 21st birthday, the 
girls heard the long-awaited news that they were liberated; pushing 
on, they found a train and a group of Greek compatriots waving a 
tattered Greek flag; it was there that Soula met her future husband, 
Charles Molho, a Greek Jew from Salonika whose family had perished 
in the Holocaust; and
	WHEREAS, The couple lived in Germany for a few years before 
emigrating to the United States, moving to Galveston in 1952 as part 
of a humanitarian effort; for many years, Mr. and Mrs. Molho ran 
successful restaurants in Galveston and Houston before becoming 
involved in the shipping and trucking business; although her 
husband and one of their sons, Joseph Molho, are now deceased, Mrs. 
Molho is surrounded by three loving children, Grace Molho, Beatrice 
Molho Stathatos, and Issac Jack Molho, and seven adoring 
grandchildren, all of whom live in the Houston and Sugar Land area; 
and
	WHEREAS, Today, Mrs. Molho, who is fluent in several 
languages, is often called on to speak at schools and at gatherings 
at the Holocaust Museum of Houston about her wartime experiences, 
moving adults and children alike with her riveting story; a 
recipient of a field commendation by the British authorities in 
Greece for the important and selfless work that she and her family 
performed in the Nazi resistance movement, Mrs. Molho has lived her 
life adhering to the beliefs that she holds dear:  honesty, hard 
work, and equal and fair treatment of all; and
	WHEREAS, The strength, bravery, and unwavering faith of this 
admirable lady have inspired all those whose lives she has touched, 
and we, as Texans, are honored that she has chosen our state as the 
place she calls home; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby congratulate Soula 
Stefanidis Molho on the joyous occasion of her 80th birthday and 
commend her for her courage and sacrifice in behalf of others; and, 
be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mrs. Molho as an expression of high regard by the Texas 
House of Representatives.

                                                                          Howard

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 204 was adopted by the House on May 
17, 2004, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House