H.R. No. 590



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, A 90th birthday is truly reason for celebration, and 
on May 24, 2006, Emmadean Berry is marking this milestone in her 
life in a singular fashion during Emmadean Berry Week in Grand 
Prairie; and
	WHEREAS, Born in 1916, the youngest of five children, 
Mrs. Berry is descended from German American ancestors who settled 
in Northeast Texas in the 1840s; she grew up in Stoneburg in 
Montague County, where her family farmed and ranched; and
	WHEREAS, Her girlhood included weekly poise and speaking 
lessons at Ms. Mangrum's School of Expression, practice on her 
ukulele, and gatherings of family and neighbors, which were 
enlivened by music and games of croquet; an accomplished athlete 
whose sport of choice was basketball, she also became a proficient 
horsewoman by herding cattle and turkeys on her horse, Queenie; and
	WHEREAS, In 1933, after a whirlwind courtship, the former 
Emmadean Yowell married Wilbur "Wilb" Jasper Berry, the brother of 
a high school friend; the devoted couple enjoyed 67 years of 
marriage until Mr. Berry's passing, and they took great pride in 
their three children, Greta Faye Berry Beckler, Anita June Berry 
Martin, and Ronald Lewis Berry; today, Mrs. Berry is the matriarch 
of a family that has grown to include six grandchildren and five 
great-grandchildren; and
	WHEREAS, Emmadean Berry has lived in Grand Prairie since 
1942, when her husband accepted a job there in the aircraft 
industry; the move to Grand Prairie was a memorable one, with the 
family and all its belongings, including its milk cow, packed into 
the borrowed Cashion school bus that Mr. Berry used to drive; and
	WHEREAS, Since launching a successful real estate business in 
1960, Mrs. Berry has played an active role in professional 
organizations at the local, state, and national level; now an 
honorary member of the Grand Prairie Board of Realtors, she served 
as president of that board in 1970 and won its Realtor of the Year 
Award in 1970 and 1989; she is the namesake of the board's Emmadean 
Berry Service Award and the 1992 recipient of the Distinguished 
Service Award of the Texas Association of Realtors; and
	WHEREAS, A founder and the first female manager of the Grand 
Prairie Chamber of Commerce, Mrs. Berry has received the chamber's 
Member of the Year and Pacesetter Awards and holds life membership 
in the organization; this civic-minded woman was also instrumental 
in the founding of Soroptimist International of Grand Prairie, the 
Grand Prairie Woman's Club, and Grand Prairie United Charities; in 
addition, she has served as president of the Federation of Women's 
Clubs, the Toastmistress Club, the local Business and Professional 
Women's Club, and the PTA, and sat on the city's planning and zoning 
committee and its water and planning commissions; and
	WHEREAS, Among the many remarkable moments she has enjoyed 
during the past nine decades, Mrs. Berry counts her selection as 
second runner-up in the Mrs. America pageant and her three-time 
designation to lead the Grand Entry at the Fort Worth Exposition and 
Fat Stock Show; and
	WHEREAS, Sustained by a strong faith, Mrs. Berry has been a 
loyal congregant of First Baptist Church of Grand Prairie for 64 
years; during that time, she has welcomed countless members and 
visitors from her post at the church registration desk; and
	WHEREAS, Emmadean Berry has led an exceptionally full and 
productive life, and her birthday provides a fitting opportunity to 
recognize this beloved lady for her admirable civic and 
professional contributions and for the happiness she has brought to 
the lives of so many people; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby warmly congratulate 
Emmadean Berry on her 90th birthday and extend sincere best wishes 
to her for continued happiness; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mrs. Berry as an expression of high regard by the Texas 
House of Representatives.

                                                                         England

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 590 was adopted by the House on May 
15, 2006, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House