79R11295 KO-D

By:  Dukes                                                        H.R. No. 1008



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Ada Cecilia Collins Anderson of Austin has dedicated 
her life to creating educational opportunities for youth, advancing 
racial equality, and promoting the arts; and
	WHEREAS, A former national corresponding secretary and South 
Central regional director of Jack and Jill of America, 
Incorporated, Mrs. Anderson helped to found the Austin chapter of 
this noteworthy organization in 1953; since then, the chapter has 
furthered the aims of its parent organization by providing 
constructive educational, cultural, civic, recreational, and 
social activities and programs for African American youths in the 
Austin community; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Anderson's exemplary work with Jack and Jill is 
one of her many notable civic and professional accomplishments; 
after graduating from Huston-Tillotson College, she completed the 
coursework for a master's degree in library science, but because 
she was African American, she was denied opportunities for the 
program's required fieldwork as well as admission to the state 
library; she continued her education, however, and went on to earn a 
master's degree in educational psychology from The University of 
Texas at Austin and completed graduate courses in business and 
finance at Northwestern University; and
	WHEREAS, Accomplished in the fields of education and 
business, Mrs. Anderson taught public school, served as a 
psychometrist for Austin ISD, and since 1951, has co-owned a real 
estate and insurance firm with her husband; and
	WHEREAS, While achieving a successful professional career, 
Mrs. Anderson also has found time to contribute to innumerable 
civic organizations and educational institutions, including the 
Austin Community College board and the UT College of Education 
Foundation Advisory Council; she served on the UT Centennial 
Commission and is a life member of the university's Development 
Board as well as the National Council of Negro Women; and
	 WHEREAS, An avid supporter of the arts, Mrs. Anderson was on 
the board of trustees for the Laguna Gloria Art Museum for 15 years, 
and served as the board's chair; she was a founding board member of 
the Austin Lyric Opera and the initiator of that organization's 
LEAP program, a highly successful endeavor that has provided 
hundreds of minority youth exposure to area cultural resources; 
among the numerous other groups that have benefited from her 
leadership are the Texas Women's History Project Advisory 
Committee, the Grand Jury Association of Travis County, the 
Austin-Travis County Mental Health Association, St. David's Health 
Care Foundation, and United Way Capital Area; and
	WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan has been honored with numerous 
awards over the years, including election to the Texas Black 
Women's Hall of Fame in 1986 and the African American Women's Hall 
of Fame in 1990; she has received the Scroll of Honor from the 
National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's 
Clubs, the Achievement in Education award from the National Council 
of Negro Women, and the Leadership Award from the Austin Chamber of 
Commerce Business Committee on the Arts, to name a few; recent 
honors include the H. L. Gaines Human Relations Award from AISD and 
the Whitney M. Young, Jr., Award from Austin Area Urban League, both 
in 2001, the Leadership in Civil Rights Award from UT's LBJ School 
of Public Affairs and Austin's Most Worthy Citizen award from the 
Austin Board of Realtors, both in 2004, and the Henry B. Gonzales 
Award for Human Rights from the Texas Civil Rights Project in 2005; 
and
	WHEREAS, Ada Anderson's important work has truly enhanced the 
lives of countless Texans, and she may look with pride on the 
profound difference that she has made in her community and beyond; 
now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby commend Ada Cecilia Collins Anderson for her 
outstanding work with Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, and 
honor her for her lifelong contributions to the city of Austin and 
the State of Texas; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mrs. Anderson as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.