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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Mary Kay Ash, founder of the Dallas-based, |
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internationally known cosmetics firm that bears her name, became |
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one of the most successful and respected American business leaders |
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of the 20th century; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on May 12, 1918, in Hot Wells, Texas, and raised |
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in Houston, Mrs. Ash enjoyed a successful career in direct sales |
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before retiring in 1963; quickly becoming restless, she embarked on |
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a book-writing project designed to help women survive in the |
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male-dominated business world; in reviewing her early notes for the |
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book, she realized that she had inadvertently created a marketing |
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plan for a successful "dream company"; and |
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WHEREAS, With her life savings of $5,000 and the help of her |
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20-year-old son Richard Rogers, she launched Mary Kay Cosmetics on |
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Friday, September 13, 1963; within two years, the company's |
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wholesale sales had reached almost $1 million; in 2006, the company |
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recorded $2.25 billion in wholesale sales and had an independent |
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sales force of more than 1.7 million independent beauty consultants |
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in over 30 markets around the world; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, the mission of Mary Kay Cosmetics |
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has remained unchanged; powerfully influenced by her mother's |
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struggle to support her family and by her own experience of gender |
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discrimination, Mary Kay Ash intended her company to provide women |
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with unlimited opportunity for personal and financial success; and |
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WHEREAS, The company's guiding philosophy has been based on |
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three principles; from the beginning, Mrs. Ash stressed following |
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the Golden Rule and putting God first, family second, and career |
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third; she also believed that with praise and encouragement, |
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everyone could succeed; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1996 Mrs. Ash established the Mary Kay Ash |
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Charitable Foundation for the purpose of funding research on the |
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leading cancers affecting women; today the foundation also supports |
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efforts to prevent violence against women and to help women who have |
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been victims of abuse; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Ash authored an autobiography, a motivational |
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book, and a volume about management, all of which became best |
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sellers; and |
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WHEREAS, The recipient of myriad accolades, Mary Kay Ash was |
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named the Most Outstanding Woman in Business in the 20th Century by |
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Lifetime Television, chosen as one of the 25 most influential |
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business leaders of the last 25 years by PBS and the Wharton School |
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of the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, elected to the Business |
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Hall of Fame by Fortune magazine, and designated a Horatio Alger |
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Distinguished American Citizen; Mary Kay Cosmetics has been ranked |
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by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 best companies to work for in |
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America and as one of the 10 best companies for women; and |
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WHEREAS, Mary Kay Ash passed away on November 22, 2001, |
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having achieved the pinnacle of success and having established a |
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legacy that will continue to provide opportunity and hope for women |
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for years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 14, 2007, as Mary Kay Ash Day in |
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the State of Texas. |