80R21714 JGH-D

By: McCall H.R. No. 2587

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Texans throughout the Lone Star State and beyond were deeply saddened by the loss of a beloved former First Lady of Texas, Idanell "Nellie" Brill Connally, who died in Austin on September 1, 2006, at the age of 87; and

WHEREAS, Born in the Capitol City on February 24, 1919, to Arno and Katie Brill, Nellie Brill was a vivacious and lovely young woman who aspired to be an actress and even auditioned for a role in Gone With the Wind; and

WHEREAS, In 1937, on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, she met future Texas Governor John Connally, and the couple fell in love at first sight; she was named Sweetheart of the University in 1938, the same year Mr. Connally was elected student body president, and the pair were married in 1940; and

WHEREAS, During World War II she shared an apartment with her lifelong friend Lady Bird Johnson in Washington, D.C., while Mr. Connally and his political mentor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, were serving their country; after the war she devoted herself to raising her children and supporting her husband's political career in Texas, doing everything from answering phones to fund-raising; and

WHEREAS, She accompanied her husband to Washington, D.C., again when he was appointed secretary of the navy by President John Kennedy in 1961, but they returned to the Lone Star State the following year when Mr. Connally ran for governor, and he was subsequently elected to the first of three terms; and

WHEREAS, On that tragic day in Dallas in November 1963, Mrs. Connally was present for a defining event in our nation's history when President Kennedy was assassinated and Governor Connally was gravely wounded; her presence of mind and quick action are credited with helping to save her husband's life; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Connally was the First Lady of Texas from 1963 through 1968, and during that period she was instrumental in planning and creating the beautiful gardens still present today at the governor's mansion, and she received the inaugural Ruth Lester Award for her efforts; she also played a part in the planning of the Texas Travel Trails for the Texas Tourist Development Agency; and

WHEREAS, She and her husband returned one more time to the nation's capital when he was appointed secretary of the treasury by President Richard Nixon, but after Secretary Connally completed his government service, the couple made their home in Houston; and

WHEREAS, Following the death of her husband of 53 years, Mrs. Connally remained active in many community and charity organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Children's Miracle Network Telethon for Hermann Children's Hospital, and the Texas Preservation Trust Fund; as an indomitable survivor of breast cancer, she created the Nellie B. Connally Breast Cancer Research Fund, and the breast cancer clinic at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center now bears her name; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Mrs. Connally returned to Austin to live, saying "This is where I discovered America, and this is where I want to leave it"; called "the epitome of graciousness" by Governor Rick Perry, Nellie Connally was the very definition of Texas style, charm, and steel; devoted to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she lived her life to the fullest until the very end, maintaining nearly as lively a social life as she had some 70 years before, when she was the Sweetheart of the University; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the extraordinary life of Nellie Connally and extend sincere condolences to her family: to her sons, John B. Connally III and his wife, Diane, and Mark Madison Connally and his wife, Anne; to her daughter, Sharon Connally Ammann and her husband, Robert; to her sister, Sheba Stevens; to her brother, Bob Brill and his wife, Adele; to her eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; and to her other 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 Nellie Connally.