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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost an admired public servant |
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and civic leader with the death of former secretary of state Myra |
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McDaniel of Austin on February 25, 2010, at the age of 77; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Philadelphia on December 13, 1932, the |
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former Myra Atwell was the daughter of Eva and Toronto Atwell; she |
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attended the prestigious Philadelphia High School for Girls and |
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earned her bachelor's degree in English from the University of |
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Pennsylvania; after her marriage to Reuben McDaniel, she became the |
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proud mother of two children, Diane and Reuben; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. McDaniel began her career as a management |
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analyst and served in administrative positions at Baldwin Wallace |
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College in Ohio and at Indiana University; in 1975, she completed |
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her law degree at The University of Texas School of Law and she went |
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on to work in the office of the Texas attorney general; she became |
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chief of the taxation division in 1979 and then worked as counsel |
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for the Railroad Commission before entering private practice in |
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Midland; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1984, Governor Mark White appointed Mrs. McDaniel |
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as his general counsel; she became the first African American |
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secretary of state in Texas history two years later, and her |
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intellect, integrity, and wisdom greatly benefited her fellow |
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citizens; treating all those around her with thoughtfulness and |
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respect, she won the loyalty of her staff and set a sterling example |
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of leadership during her three-year tenure; and |
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WHEREAS, This esteemed woman continued to serve as a mentor |
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and role model after returning to private practice, and in 1995, she |
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became one of the first African American women to lead a major law |
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firm, Bickerstaff, Heath, Smiley, Pollan, Kever, and McDaniel, as |
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managing partner; over the course of her distinguished legal |
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career, she served as counsel for Austin Community College and |
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Capital Metro, and she continued to work part-time for Bickerstaff |
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Heath well into her seventies; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply committed to her community, Mrs. McDaniel won |
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numerous awards for her contributions; she served on the boards of |
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St. Edward's University, Seton Hospital, the Episcopal Seminary of |
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the Southwest, and many other organizations; a valued member of St. |
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James Episcopal Church, she served as a senior warden and edited the |
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church newsletter; more than a mere fan of the UT women's basketball |
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team, she generously shared her time and expertise with young |
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athletes, offering special encouragement over the years to those |
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interested in pursuing law degrees; and |
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WHEREAS, Myra McDaniel inspired innumerable people through |
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her remarkable achievements and unyielding dedication to public |
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service, and her positive influence will continue to resonate in |
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the myriad lives she touched in the years to come; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby pay special tribute to the memory of Myra McDaniel and extend |
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sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her husband, |
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Reuben R. McDaniel, Jr.; to her children, Diane Rhodes and Reuben |
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McDaniel III; to her seven grandchildren and two |
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great-grandchildren; and to her many other relatives and friends; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of |
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Myra McDaniel. |