H.R. No. 395

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The 89th birthday of an esteemed Texan is indeed
	cause for celebration, and Geraldine Bright of San Antonio
	commemorated this special occasion on October 27, 2008; and
	WHEREAS, Born in the East Texas town of Pittsburg in 1919,
	Mrs. Bright attended Prairie View State Normal & Industrial
	College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in business
	administration in 1942; graduating just months after the United
	States had entered World War II, she volunteered for the Women's
	Army Auxiliary Corps, and as one of the first 40 African American
	women to take this step, she demonstrated great dedication to her
	country as well as tremendous courage as she strove to break down
	the walls built by racial prejudice; and
	WHEREAS, Although she faced discrimination during her time in
	the corps, Mrs. Bright overcame the challenges she encountered and
	went on to excel and become a leader among her peers; she ranked at
	the top of her class and was promoted to first lieutenant before
	being stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where she trained other
	young recruits; her efforts helped open the way for later
	generations of African American women who have played important
	roles as members of our nation's armed forces; and
	WHEREAS, Following her military service, Mrs. Bright secured
	employment with the law offices of W. J. Durham in Dallas at a time
	when the NAACP was coordinating its efforts to open the Democratic
	Party to African Americans; her work as a legal secretary brought
	her in contact with a number of influential figures who
	participated in that effort, including Thurgood Marshall and
	William Henry Hastie; after moving to San Antonio in 1946, she took
	a job with the San Antonio Housing Authority, using her expertise to
	set up financial and bookkeeping systems for the organization; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Bright is a charter member of the Women
	Pavilion in Washington, D.C., and has shared her time and talents
	with Delta Sorority; she is also a longtime congregant of St.
	Philip's Episcopal Church in San Antonio, where she has worshipped
	for more than a half-century; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to her many other accomplishments, Mrs.
	Bright has devoted herself to caring for her family; married to
	Gerald Bright, she became a single mother when Mr. Bright passed
	away and raised four children on her own, often working two jobs to
	make ends meet; and
	WHEREAS, Beloved by her relatives and friends, Geraldine
	Bright is an inspiration to all who know her and she may indeed
	reflect on the past 89 years with considerable pride; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
	Legislature hereby congratulate Geraldine Bright on her 89th
	birthday and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued
	happiness; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Mrs. Bright as an expression of high regard by the
	Texas House of Representatives.
	McClendon
	Straus Gattis Menendez
	Allen Geren Merritt
	Alonzo Giddings Miklos
	Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
	Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
	Anderson Guillen Moody
	Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
	Berman Hamilton Naishtat
	Bohac Hancock Oliveira
	Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
	Bonnen Harless Orr
	Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
	Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
	Burnam Hernandez Patrick
	Button Herrero Paxton
	Callegari Hilderbran Peña
	Castro Hochberg Phillips
	Chavez Hodge Pickett
	Chisum Homer Pierson
	Christian Hopson Pitts
	Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
	Cook Hughes Riddle
	Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
	Crabb Isett Ritter
	Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
	Creighton Jones Rose
	Crownover Keffer Sheffield
	Darby Kent Shelton
	Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
	Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
	Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
	Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
	Edwards Legler Thibaut
	Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
	Eissler Lewis Truitt
	Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
	England Madden Turner of Harris
	Farabee Maldonado Vaught
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Marquez Villarreal
	Fletcher Martinez Vo
	Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
	Flynn McCall Weber
	Frost McClendon Woolley
	Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 395 was adopted by the House on
	February 26, 2009, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House