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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A life of service and meaningful accomplishments |
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drew to a close with the passing of Audrae Helen Adams of San |
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Antonio on November 23, 2009, at the age of 102; and |
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WHEREAS, The daughter of Federico and Alberta |
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Hudson-Tavares, the former Audrae Hudson-Tavares was born on |
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December 21, 1906, in Denver, Colorado; her family lived in Mexico |
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during the revolutionary years, and she spent her early childhood |
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in Guanajuato and Mexico City, where her father had business |
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interests; he later sent her to boarding school in Jamaica, his home |
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country, and she went on to graduate from Howard University and to |
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earn a master's degree in French from Columbia University; having |
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read of rare opportunities for educated African American women at |
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St. Philip's College, a new institution in San Antonio, she |
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successfully applied for a position teaching Spanish, English, and |
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religion and acting as secretary to the school's founder; and |
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WHEREAS, She joined the San Antonio Independent School |
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District in 1935 and married Bernard Adams, Jr., that same year; |
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balancing home life and her vocation, Mrs. Adams cared for her |
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husband and their two daughters, Sylvia and Hudson, while mentoring |
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countless students and imparting both knowledge of the Spanish |
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language and a true appreciation for Latin American culture; she |
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was a valued member of the faculty at Phillis Wheatley High School |
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for 25 years and taught at Douglass Junior High School and Louis W. |
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Fox Technical High School as well; in addition, she spent several |
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summers teaching at Prairie View A&M University and Wiley College; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, This dedicated educator's professional affiliations |
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included the Texas State Teachers Association, the American |
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Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and the Retired |
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Teachers Association; over the course of her career, she received |
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numerous accolades, among them the Model Community Language Arts |
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Award; and |
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WHEREAS, After retiring in 1972, Mrs. Adams devoted herself |
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to her church and her community; an elder in Holy Redeemer Catholic |
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Church, she served as a lector and was a member of the Ladies |
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Sodality and the Christian Service Committee; she gave generously |
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of her time and talent as a volunteer for the Christian Assistance |
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Ministry and served as a lay minister at area nursing homes; her |
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selfless efforts were honored with the Archbishop Francis J. Furey |
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Award; moreover, she was a charter member of the San Antonio chapter |
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of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Adams enjoyed more than eight decades of |
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fellowship as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and |
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enthusiastically supported the benevolent programs of its Alpha Tau |
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Omega chapter; in 2002, she achieved diamond status in Alpha Kappa |
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Alpha, in recognition of her 75 years of service; she was also a |
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member of the Alpha Wives, a charitable auxiliary to her husband's |
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fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha; and |
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WHEREAS, A remarkable role model, Audrae Adams met life's |
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challenges with grace and good humor, and she left a lasting imprint |
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on the world through her love of learning and her compassion for |
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others; although she is deeply missed, those who were privileged to |
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know her will forever remember her with the deepest admiration and |
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affection; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Audrae Helen Adams |
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and extend sincere condolences to her loved ones: to her daughters, |
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Sylvia Wade and Hudson Tavares; to her grandchildren, Dr. Monica |
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Howard and Albert Wade; to her great-grandchildren, Erin Martin, |
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Dominique Howard, Michael Benson and his wife, Christina, and |
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Abidjan Bright; to her nieces, Josefina Echanove and Stephanie |
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Cadet; to her great-nieces, Peggy Echanove and Marisol Echanove, |
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and her great-nephew, Alonso Echanove and his wife, Marisela; to |
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her close friends, Esperanza Garcia, Consuelo Cantu, Loraina |
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O'Neill, and Dolores and Jesse Galdeano; and to her many other |
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friends and relatives; 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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Audrae |
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Adams. |