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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Ector County South Side Senior Citizens Center |
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is being renamed and dedicated in memory of the late Salvador M. |
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Guerrero of Odessa at a ceremony taking place on January 28, 2011, |
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which would have been Mr. Guerrero's 92nd birthday; and |
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WHEREAS, An important community institution that is integral |
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to the lives of many area residents, the senior center serves |
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breakfast and lunch in partnership with Meals on Wheels, offers |
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bingo, movies, and arts and crafts, and encourages health and |
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wellness through exercise classes and regular blood pressure |
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screenings; and |
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WHEREAS, Honoree Salvador Montoya Guerrero was born in 1919 |
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in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico; his family fled their homeland |
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during the Mexican Revolution and eventually settled in San Angelo; |
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after attending San Angelo Junior College, Mr. Guerrero served in |
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the United States Army during World War II; he participated in the |
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Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day and earned numerous |
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decorations, including five Battle Stars and the Croix de Guerre, |
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ultimately attaining the rank of line corporal; and |
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WHEREAS, On returning to Texas, Mr. Guerrero continued his |
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education, worked as a dry cleaner and presser, and pursued careers |
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in broadcasting and politics; he conducted radio programs in |
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Spanish in the Permian Basin area and later cohosted the Mexico |
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Tejano television show, and he further distinguished himself as an |
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Ector County commissioner from 1971 to 1978; and |
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WHEREAS, Active in a variety of civic groups, Mr. Guerrero |
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helped to organize the Odessa Boys and Girls Clubs and the local |
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American GI Forum and its auxiliary and junior branches; in |
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addition, he served as a charter member of the Odessa Basin Lions |
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Club and as a Boy Scout troop master, and he participated in the |
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Odessa Mexican American Chamber of Commerce, the Masonic Lodge, and |
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the local American Legion and VFW posts; he was president of the |
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Political Association of Spanish Speaking Organizations in 1962 and |
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received the Mayor's Citizenship Award and Freedom Medal in 1978; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Guerrero's civic contributions extended to the |
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community center that will now bear his name; he served as |
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supervisor of the original facility from 1958 to 1970 and played a |
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prominent role in renovation work that was completed in the 1980s; a |
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man of many talents, he also found time during his busy life to |
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teach naturalization classes in the Adult Basic Education program |
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at Odessa College, and he was inspired to write a memoir after |
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taking a course on Chicano literature at The University of Texas of |
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the Permian Basin; his book, Memorias: A West Texas Life, was |
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published in 1991; and |
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WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Guerrero enjoyed the |
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love and support of his wife, Maria Flores Guerrero, and his |
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children, Raul, Christina, Alfredo, Richard, Raquel, and Edwardo; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Although the people of Odessa lost a committed civic |
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leader with the death of Sal Guerrero on December 8, 2009, the |
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senior center named in his honor will serve as a lasting reminder of |
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the many contributions made by this esteemed man to Ector County and |
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the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of the Salvador M. |
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Guerrero Senior Center in Odessa; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Guerrero's family as an expression of high regard |
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by the Texas House of Representatives. |