H.R. No. 1194


R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, May 15, 2003, would have been the 72nd birthday of State Representative Irma Rangel, who passed away on March 18, 2003, and this sad occasion provides an ideal moment for her colleagues to reflect on her contributions to this body and to the State of Texas; and WHEREAS, A graduate of Texas A&I University and St. Mary's University, this esteemed woman began her storied tenure in the Texas House of Representatives in 1977 as the first Mexican American woman elected to serve in this chamber; and WHEREAS, Representative Rangel's remarkable legacy of public service spanned more than two decades, and during that period her enthusiasm, charm, and resiliency were as constant as her belief in the power of the governmental process to have a positive effect on people's lives; throughout her years as a house member, she could always be counted on for a smile or an encouraging comment when it was most needed and she was accorded by many grateful young members the unofficial title of "den mother" for her mentoring and support; and WHEREAS, Highly knowledgeable in a variety of areas, she was particularly effective addressing the complex issue of higher education, and one of her most important legislative achievements guaranteed admission to state colleges and universities for all students who graduated in the top 10 percent of their class; and WHEREAS, Representative Rangel's many accomplishments were recognized with a variety of well-deserved accolades during her lifetime; an inductee of the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1994 by Governor Ann Richards, she was voted Woman of the Year in 1998 by the Texas Young Democrats, and was selected as Legislator of the Year in 1997 by the Mexican American Bar Association; and WHEREAS, The profound loss of the dynamic and ebullient presence of Irma Rangel from this chamber is still deeply felt by all those who shared her commitment to creating a brighter future for all Texans, and it is indeed appropriate that we pause on the date of her birth to again honor her life's achievements; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas Legislature hereby honor the memory of our esteemed colleague, State Representative Irma Rangel. Hamric Luna Craddick Geren Mercer Allen Giddings Merritt Alonzo Goodman Miller Bailey Goolsby Moreno of Harris Baxter Griggs Moreno of El Paso Berman Grusendorf Morrison Bohac Guillen Mowery Bonnen Gutierrez Naishtat Branch Haggerty Nixon Brown of Kaufman Hamilton Noriega Brown of Brazos Hamric Oliveira Burnam Hardcastle Olivo Callegari Harper-Brown Paxton Campbell Hartnett Pena Canales Heflin Phillips Capelo Hegar Pickett Casteel Hilderbran Pitts Castro Hill Puente Chavez Hochberg Quintanilla Chisum Hodge Raymond Christian Homer Reyna Coleman Hope Riddle Cook of Navarro Hopson Ritter Cook of Colorado Howard Rodriguez Corte Hughes Rose Crabb Hunter Seaman Crownover Hupp Smith of Tarrant Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Harris Davis of Dallas Jones of Lubbock Smithee Dawson Jones of Bexar Solis Delisi Jones of Dallas Solomons Denny Keel Stick Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Swinford Driver Keffer of Eastland Talton Dukes King Taylor Dunnam Kolkhorst Telford Dutton Krusee Thompson Edwards Kuempel Truitt Eiland Laney Turner Eissler Laubenberg Uresti Elkins Lewis Van Arsdale Ellis Luna Villarreal Escobar Mabry West Farabee Madden Wilson Farrar Marchant Wise Flores Martinez Fischer Wohlgemuth Flynn McCall Wolens Gallego McClendon Wong Garza McReynolds Woolley Gattis Menendez Zedler ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1194 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 16, 2003. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House