H.R. No. 597
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends deeply mourn the passing of Betty
Jo Peacock Hay of Dallas, who died at the age of 73 on February 16,
2005, but they may take comfort in memories of a life filled with
joyful times and meaningful accomplishments; and
WHEREAS, The former president of the National Mental Health
Association, Betty Jo Hay was widely admired for her tireless
advocacy in behalf of children, education, and mental health
issues, and her work influenced public policy and inspired
generations of volunteers; and
WHEREAS, Born in McAlester, Oklahoma, Mrs. Hay moved to
Dallas with her family when she was 12 and attended Sunset High
School; a skilled debater, she developed a lifelong passion for
politics following the election of her uncle, Carl Albert, to the
United States Congress; after graduating from Southern Methodist
University with a bachelor's degree in speech, she married Jess
Hay, a fellow debater; the early years of her marriage were spent
volunteering for political campaigns and raising two daughters; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Hay's civic life was centered around a deep
interest in the role of education in the lives of young people, and
her decades of service included 13 consecutive years as a PTA room
mother and six years on the Coordinating Board of the Texas College
and University System; in 1972, she received a phone call asking her
to serve as chair of the Galaxy Ball, the annual fund—raiser for the
Texas Mental Health Association, and thus began a volunteer career
devoted to needs of the mental health community; she joined the
organization's national board in 1978 and was elected president of
the Dallas chapter in 1981 and 1982; after serving as president of
the state organization, she was elected to serve as president of the
National Mental Health Association in 1986; and
WHEREAS, This tenacious woman and her husband combined their
interests in education and health to fund the Betty Jo Hay
Distinguished Chair in Mental Health at UT Southwestern, and the
couple's gifts to the school have helped fund a research center for
mood disorders; in 1990, Mrs. Hay received the Sandy Brandt
Volunteer Award, the National Mental Health Association's highest
honor for volunteers; and
WHEREAS, Another proud moment in the life of this notable
civic leader came when she was appointed by the United States Senate
to serve on the 18-member National Commission on Children; this
appointment provided only one of many venues through which she made
her voice heard on issues facing young people: she also served as a
member of the Texas Commission on Children and Youth, the
Governor's Council on Disabilities, the National Committee for the
Prevention of Child Abuse, and the Hogg Foundation's commission on
children and their families, to name but a few; and
WHEREAS, A loving mother and grandmother, Mrs. Hay was an
ardent Democrat with a vivacious, good-humored personality that
complemented her deep intellectual prowess; she was a
much-treasured citizen of Dallas and will be deeply missed by those
who knew her and by those who were touched by her extraordinary
commitment to community service; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Betty Jo Peacock Hay
and extend deepest sympathy to the members of her family: to her
husband, Jess Hay; to her daughters, Deborah Hay Spradley and
Patricia Hay Daibert; to her son-in-law, E. Webb Spradley; to her
grandchildren, Jessica Kathryn Werner, Rachel Hay Spradley, and
Jess Hay Daibert; and to the many other members of her family and
friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Betty Jo
Hay.
Hodge
Goolsby
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus
Dukes King of Parker Swinford
Dunnam King of Zavala Talton
Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor
Edwards Krusee Thompson
Eiland Kuempel Truitt
Eissler Laney Turner
Elkins Laubenberg Uresti
Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Farabee Luna Veasey
Farrar Madden Villarreal
Flores Martinez Vo
Flynn Martinez Fischer West
Frost McCall Wong
Gallego McClendon Woolley
Gattis McReynolds Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 597 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 3, 2005.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House