79S10214 KO-D

By:  Kolkhorst                                                    H.R. No. 43 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The city of Huntsville lost one of its most beloved 
residents and admired community leaders with the death of Lu Ellen 
Gibbs on June 18, 2005, at the age of 88; and
	WHEREAS, Born Lu Ellen Evans on May 7, 1917, this esteemed 
Texan was a graduate of Galveston Ball High School and Texas 
Christian University and later earned a master's degree in English 
at Sam Houston State University; and
	WHEREAS, Through her involvement with the Community Theater 
in Huntsville, she met J. Philip Gibbs, whom she married in 1940; 
Mr. Gibbs later became board chair for First National Bank and for 
Gibbs Brothers and Company, a land and timber investment firm that 
was founded in 1841 as a mercantile store and is thought to be the 
oldest company in Texas still under original family ownership; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Gibbs used her affluence and influence as a 
member of one of the town's most prominent families in the best way 
possible, offering her leadership and financial support to 
countless civic and charitable organizations; a board member of 
Region VI, the Huntsville Memorial Hospital, the Methodist 
Retirement Center, the Texas Prison Museum, and Planned Parenthood, 
she was a charter member of the Study Club and the Elkins Lake 
Women's Golf Association; she also succeeded her husband as First 
National Bank board chair and served on the board of the J. Philip 
Gibbs Centre for the Performing Arts, named in honor of her late 
husband; moreover, this enthusiastic arts patron lent her 
assistance to the Old Town Theater and the Arts Commission, to name 
but a few of the arts organizations that benefited from her support; 
and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Gibbs was also a consummate athlete in her 
earlier years, enjoying tennis, bowling, swimming, badminton, and 
especially golf, and she considered the Lu Ellen Gibbs Open Golf 
Tournament among her highest honors; she was a fan of Sam Houston 
State University's golf and softball programs, and as a 
Distinguished Alumna, she supported the school's academic 
endeavors as well, funding numerous scholarships and founding the 
President's Distinguished Lecturer series on campus; and
	WHEREAS, Until the last weeks of her life, she personally 
delivered copies of the Huntsville Item and the Houston Chronicle
to every patient at Huntsville Memorial Hospital each Sunday 
morning before attending the early service at First Christian 
Church, where she was a longtime member; known simply as "the 
newspaper lady" to many at the hospital, this modest and unassuming 
benefactor has been described as "having done more anonymous 
philanthropy in Walker County than any single person," frequently 
making contributions to organizations and paying tuition for 
countless students who never knew the source of their good fortune; 
and
	WHEREAS, Lu Ellen Gibbs lived her life in service to others, 
truly making a profound difference in the lives of her fellow 
citizens of Huntsville, a town she dearly loved; although this 
remarkable Texas lady will be sorely missed, the by-products of her 
intrinsic kindness, generosity, and graciousness will continue to 
be felt for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of 
Lu Ellen Gibbs and extend sincere sympathy to her family:  to her 
children, Mary Laura and Donald; to her grandchildren, Noah, Ben, 
Seth, Tim, and Ruth; to her sister, Dorothy Bock; and to her other 
relatives and many friends; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas House 
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Lu Ellen 
Gibbs.