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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, A Texas star has forever dimmed with the passing of |
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the Honorable Ann Richards, 45th governor of Texas, on September |
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13, 2006, at the age of 73; and |
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WHEREAS, Governor Richards once explained a profound lesson |
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she had learned early in life: "that people liked you better if you |
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made them laugh"; it was a truth that Ann Richards never ignored, |
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and her engaging wit and charismatic presence, accompanied by a |
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razor-sharp intellect, made her into a groundbreaking politician; |
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just the second female chief executive in the state's history and |
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the first since the 1930s, Governor Richards achieved prominence on |
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both the state and national levels as a role model and outspoken |
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advocate for women and other underrepresented groups seeking a |
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voice in government affairs; and |
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WHEREAS, Born Dorothy Ann Willis on September 1, 1933, she |
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was the daughter of Cecil and Ona Willis and grew up in the Waco |
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area, first in the town of Lakeview and later in Waco itself; her |
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abilities as a public speaker and her interest in politics emerged |
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during her years at Waco High School; she became state debate |
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champion during her senior year and took part in Girl's State, a |
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mock-government assembly of Texas female students, at which she was |
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elected lieutenant governor; and |
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WHEREAS, Governor Richards married while a student at Baylor |
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University, where she earned her degree on a debate scholarship; |
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together with her husband, she raised four children and lived in a |
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succession of cities over the following two decades, including |
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Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Austin, and she went on to earn a |
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teaching certificate and to work as a middle-school educator; she |
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was also active in Democratic party politics, helping found the |
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North Dallas Democratic Women and assisting in several |
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gubernatorial and senate campaigns; her first intensive |
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involvement in government affairs occurred in the early 1970s, when |
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she helped direct the campaign that elected Sarah Weddington to the |
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Texas House of Representatives, and she later served as Ms. |
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Weddington's administrative assistant; and |
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WHEREAS, Opting to become a candidate herself, Ann Richards |
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was elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court in 1976, |
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becoming its first female member, and she was reelected four years |
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later; in 1982, she sought election as state treasurer and became |
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the first woman to win a statewide office in Texas in 50 years; |
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during her two terms as treasurer, she oversaw the modernization of |
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the department's technological processes, increased state revenue, |
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and proved that a woman could excel in the highest levels of state |
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government; and |
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WHEREAS, Already a well-known figure in Texas, she stepped |
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into the national spotlight by delivering a rousing keynote address |
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at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta; building on |
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this momentum, she entered the Texas governor's race in 1990, and |
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after a hard-fought campaign, she became the state's chief |
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executive, proclaiming her inauguration as "the first day of the |
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new Texas"; and |
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WHEREAS, In the four years she spent in the Governor's |
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Mansion, Ann Richards undertook a wide range of important |
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initiatives, including changes to school financing, government |
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oversight, insurance regulation, prison construction, and criminal |
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sentencing; moreover, in making appointments to state boards and |
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commissions, she chose a large number of talented women and |
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minorities, following through on her campaign promise to make Texas |
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government more representative of the state's population; and |
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WHEREAS, Her tenure as governor came to an end in 1995, but |
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she remained an important and beloved figure in Texas and |
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throughout the country, and her jokes and insights were on full |
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display during her many speaking engagements; in her professional |
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endeavors, she became a senior advisor to a Washington law firm and |
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worked for Public Strategies, Inc., a public relations and |
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marketing firm; a devoted civic activist, she was involved with |
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charitable institutions such as the Save the Children Federation |
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and helped develop the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, |
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a public school that will open in Austin in 2007 and provide |
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leadership training for young women, including many from |
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economically disadvantaged families; and |
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WHEREAS, Commenting on the legacy she would leave behind, |
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Governor Richards once stated that "I'd like them to remember me by |
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saying, 'She opened government to everyone'"; that noble principle |
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will certainly be among the hallmarks of this remarkable Texan, as |
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will her efforts to improve the lives of the state's residents; with |
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her endearing humor and magnetic personality, she carried forth |
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these ideals, and her career will stand as an enduring example of |
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inspired public service that had an enormous influence on the State |
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of Texas and far beyond the borders of the Lone Star State; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby pay special tribute to the life of Ann Richards and that |
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deepest condolences be paid to the members of her family: to her |
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four children, Cecile, Daniel, Clark, and Ellen, and their spouses, |
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to her eight grandchildren, and to the many people across the nation |
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she made extremely proud to call Texas home; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas House |
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of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory |
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of Governor Ann Richards. |
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Mallory Caraway |
Martinez Fischer |
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Anderson |
Gonzalez Toureilles |
Mowery |
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Brown of Kaufman |
Harper-Brown |
Ortiz, Jr. |
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Brown of Brazos |
Hartnett |
Otto |
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Callegari |
Hernandez |
Patrick |
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Christian |
Hochberg |
Pickett |
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Cook of Navarro |
Hopson |
Puente |
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Cook of Colorado |
Howard of Fort Bend |
Quintanilla |
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Corte |
Howard of Travis |
Raymond |
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Crownover |
Jackson |
Rodriguez |
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Davis of Harris |
Keffer |
Smith of Tarrant |
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Davis of Dallas |
King of Parker |
Smith of Harris |
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Delisi |
King of Taylor |
Smithee |
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Deshotel |
King of Zavala |
Solomons |
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Eissler |
Leibowitz |
Thompson |
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Escobar |
Madden |
Van Arsdale |
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Farabee |
Mallory Caraway |
Vaught |
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Farrar |
Martinez Fischer |
Villarreal |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 23 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on April 2, 2007. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 23 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the Senate on May 17, 2007. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |