82R13261 MGR-D

By: Sheets H.R. No. 764

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Trailblazing real estate magnate and irrepressible entrepreneur Ebby Halliday of Dallas is commemorating a remarkable milestone in her life with the observance of her 100th birthday on March 9, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Born Vera Lucille Koch in 1911, she later adopted the name Ebby Halliday to better reflect her distinctive personality; she was raised on a farm in Kansas, receiving her education in a one-room schoolhouse and dreaming of becoming a horseback rider in a circus; after graduating from high school in Abilene, Kansas, she took a job selling hats with the Consolidated Millinery Company in Kansas City, Missouri, and was quickly promoted; her abilities soon led her to take on greater responsibilities at stores in Omaha and then in Dallas, where she arrived in 1938; and

WHEREAS, A manager for retailer W. A. Green for seven years, Ms. Halliday saved money all the while, and before long had enough to invest and subsequently to open her own hat shop; after a patron complained of his difficulty in finding buyers for his innovative insulated cement houses in a new development, she soon discovered that her sales instincts made her a natural in the real estate business; by dressing up the houses with attractive curtains, rugs, and furniture, she sold all 52 of them in nine months and founded Ebby Halliday Realtors in 1945; and

WHEREAS, Today, Ms. Halliday's company is a renowned operation with more than 1,600 agents who work out of 30 offices and two luxury boutiques; the business is the largest independently owned real estate brokerage company in Texas and one of the largest in the country, and also handles leasing, property management, and mortgage and personal insurance; consistently emphasizing service to the client, the community, and the industry itself, the company celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2010; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Halliday has shared her time and talents over the years as president of the Women's Council of the National Association of Realtors in 1956 and as the first woman president of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce in 1968; inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, and the Dallas Business Hall of Fame, she has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Ernst and Young Regional Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Dallas Linz Award, and she was the first recipient of the Ebby Halliday Executive Excellence Award given by Executive Women International; and

WHEREAS, Her biography, Ebby Halliday: The First Lady of Real Estate, was published in 2009, and a yellow rose was cultivated and named in her honor to commemorate her company's 60th anniversary and her 94th birthday; an unofficial ambassador of goodwill for Dallas during a period of extensive growth, she continues to be committed to her goal of building a thriving sales force and offering career opportunities to bright and motivated women; and

WHEREAS, Still active in her business, Ms. Halliday also dedicates a great deal of her time to philanthropy and her community; she is a strong supporter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which she serves as a national trustee, and the Horatio Alger Association, which awards scholarships to deserving young people and is the beneficiary of the proceeds from her 100th birthday gala; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Halliday married Maurice Acers in 1965, and the couple enjoyed 28 years of fulfilling partnership until his passing in 1993; she credits her extraordinary longevity to her mantra, "Don't drink, don't smoke, don't retire," and she remains devoted to her faith, to the Dallas Mavericks and Cowboys, and to her mission to help countless Americans achieve their dream of homeownership; and

WHEREAS, The epitome of Dallas style, savvy, and can-do spirit, Ebby Halliday has combined hard work, optimism, and generosity to build a business and a life of outsize proportions, and she has earned the lasting admiration of all who know her; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby honor the grande dame of Dallas real estate, Ebby Halliday, on the occasion of her 100th 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 Ms. Halliday as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.