H.R. No. 1979
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a most distinguished native
son with the death of Pete Tijerina, founder of the Mexican American
Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), on May 14, 2003, at the
age of 80; and
WHEREAS, Serving as the state civil rights chairman for San
Antonio's League of United Latin American Citizens in the 1960s,
Mr. Tijerina was outraged at the lack of representation of Mexican
Americans on juries; making a personal commitment of money as well
as time to travel throughout the Southwest, he obtained a $2.2
million grant from the Ford Foundation, and MALDEF was born; and
WHEREAS, Through his genius and determination, Mr. Tijerina
set into motion a quest for justice that continues today; MALDEF is
committed to safeguarding the civil rights of the 40 million
Latinos living in the United States as the leading nonprofit Latino
litigation, advocacy, and educational outreach institution in the
country; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tijerina was a native of Laredo and a graduate of
St. Mary's Law School in San Antonio; he chose to stay in the Alamo
City when MALDEF moved its headquarters to San Francisco in 1970,
but he remained committed to the organization's mission of
protecting the rights of Mexican Americans throughout his lifetime;
and
WHEREAS, Pete Tijerina was a man who saw injustice and
refused to be denied, helping to open the doors of opportunity for
countless Latinos; his work will be a continuing source of
inspiration to others for generations to come, and his remarkable
spirit lives on in the vital legacy he forged during his time on
this earth; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Pete Tijerina
and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his
wife, Grace Tijerina; to his daughters, Lynn-Audrey Tijerina and
Christina Tijerina; to his son, Peter Tijerina II; to his sister,
Minerva Leyendecker; and to the other relatives, friends, and
admirers of this esteemed civil rights activist; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Pete
Tijerina.
Castro
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. 1979 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on June 2, 2003.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House