H.R. No. 506
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Walter Hinojosa is retiring as legislative and
political director for the Texas AFL-CIO, after a distinguished
career as an educator and labor leader; and
WHEREAS, Born in Houston, Mr. Hinojosa studied political
science at the University of North Texas, where he earned a
bachelor's degree in 1972, and at Northern Arizona University,
where he completed a master's degree in 1974; and
WHEREAS, He taught for a number of years in the Houston area,
serving as a government, economics, American history, and Mexican
American studies instructor and working at both the community
college and high school level; while teaching in high school, he
helped hundreds of students raise money to spend an intensive week
in Washington, D.C., observing the federal government with the
Close Up Program; in 1980-1981, he was selected as the Outstanding
Young Educator for the city of Houston; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hinojosa subsequently served as legislative
director of the Texas Federation of Teachers from 1987 until 1995,
when he assumed his present position; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan has given generously of his time
and talents to a number of organizations that address social issues
and human needs; deeply involved with the Labor Council for Latin
American Advancement, the Hispanic support group of the AFL-CIO, he
was a charter member of its Houston-Gulf Coast chapter and
currently serves as secretary/treasurer of the Texas organization
and as an executive board member of the national group; and
WHEREAS, A former executive board member of Texas Citizen
Action and a founding member of ProTex, a network for progressive
organizations in the state, he now serves on the board of directors
for the United Way of Texas and the Workers Assistance Program of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, Imbued with a passion for politics, Mr. Hinojosa
comes from a family that has long been active in the public realm;
his grandfather served as the first Latino precinct chair in Harris
County, and his brother, A. Robert Hinojosa, formerly served as a
state district judge and now presides as a municipal court judge in
Houston; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hinojosa has served five terms as secretary of
the Texas Democratic Party, worked in numerous political campaigns,
and run for public office himself; he has also served as a delegate
to two national Democratic conventions and to every state
Democratic convention since 1976; and
WHEREAS, Notwithstanding the many demands of his work and
community activities, Walter Hinojosa has also enjoyed a rich
family life; he and his wife, Sally, have four children, Barbra,
Robert, Arthur, and Charles, and seven grandchildren, Michelle,
Melissa, Atlantis, Robert, Duncan, Tristan, and the late Cheyenne;
they have also fostered nearly 100 children, and in that mission
have sought especially to keep large groups of siblings together;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hinojosa is an elder in the Presbyterian Church
and a valued congregant of St. John's Presbyterian Church in
Manchaca; together with his wife, he finds relaxation in gardening,
reading, and camping and watching high school baseball; and
WHEREAS, For more than three decades, Walter Hinojosa has
brought to his endeavors an unfailing integrity, purposefulness,
and generosity of spirit that has won him the high regard of
countless fellow citizens, and it is a pleasure to recognize his
commitment to the people of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commend Walter Hinojosa on
his exceptional career and extend to him sincere best wishes for a
fulfilling retirement; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Hinojosa as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Bailey
Craddick Giddings McReynolds
Allen Gonzales Menendez
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Merritt
Anchia Goodman Miller
Anderson Goolsby Moreno
Bailey Griggs Morrison
Berman Grusendorf Mowery
Blake Guillen Naishtat
Bohac Haggerty Nixon
Bonnen Hamilton Noriega
Branch Hamric Oliveira
Brown of Kaufman Hardcastle Olivo
Brown of Brazos Harper-Brown Orr
Burnam Hartnett Otto
Callegari Hegar Paxton
Campbell Hernandez Pena
Casteel Herrero Phillips
Castro Hilderbran Pickett
Chavez Hill Pitts
Chisum Hochberg Puente
Coleman Hodge Quintanilla
Cook of Navarro Homer Raymond
Cook of Colorado Hope Reyna
Corte Hopson Riddle
Crabb Howard of Fort Bend Ritter
Crownover Howard of Travis Rodriguez
Davis of Harris Hughes Rose
Davis of Dallas Hunter Seaman
Dawson Hupp Smith of Tarrant
Delisi Isett Smith of Harris
Denny Jackson Smithee
Deshotel Jones of Lubbock Solis
Driver Jones of Dallas Solomons
Dukes Keel Strama
Dunnam Keffer of Dallas Straus
Dutton Keffer of Eastland Swinford
Edwards King of Parker Talton
Eiland King of Zavala Taylor
Eissler Kolkhorst Thompson
Elkins Krusee Truitt
England Kuempel Turner
Escobar Laney Uresti
Farabee Laubenberg Van Arsdale
Farrar Leibowitz Veasey
Flores Luna Villarreal
Flynn Madden Vo
Frost Martinez West
Gallego Martinez Fischer Wong
Gattis McCall Woolley
Geren McClendon Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 506 was adopted by the House on May
12, 2006, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House