H.R. No. 1659

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Henry Kellen of El Paso survived the Holocaust and
	has built on his experiences to create the El Paso Holocaust Museum
	and Study Center; and
	WHEREAS, Henry Kellen was born Heniek Kacenelenbogen in Lodz,
	Poland, in 1915; after completing university studies in France and
	graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1938, he
	settled in Kaunas, Lithuania; following the outbreak of World War
	II, the area was seized by the Soviet Union and then, in turn, by
	Nazi Germany in June 1941; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Kellen and all other Jews from the town of Kaunas
	were forced to relocate to the Kovno Ghetto; over the next several
	years, the Nazis reduced the population of the ghetto by means of
	deportations to work and death camps as well as mass executions;
	only 1 in 10 Jews in Lithuania survived the Holocaust; and
	WHEREAS, Those in the Kovno Ghetto tried to maintain normalcy
	as best they could; schools were operated in defiance of Nazi orders
	and some individuals, such as Mr. Kellen and his wife, Julia, got
	married while confined there; in March 1944, Mr. Kellen witnessed
	the kinderaktion, during which the Nazis rounded up and killed
	hundreds of babies and children and Mr. Kellen's seven-year-old
	nephew, Jerry, narrowly avoided death; with the ghetto being
	systematically reduced, Mr. and Mrs. Kellen and Jerry escaped the
	following month; they were hidden by Christian farmers named
	Andrius and Maria Urbanas until the Soviet army drove the Nazis from
	the area; and
	WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Kellen settled in El Paso; he and
	his wife initially vowed not to speak of their past, but, as he
	entered retirement nearly four decades later, he began to feel an
	obligation to those who had not survived as he had; with a small
	corner of borrowed space at the Jewish Community Center, Mr. Kellen
	began to tell his remarkable story; he met with school, church, and
	civic groups to discuss his treatment at the hands of the Nazis; his
	talks proved so popular that it soon became apparent that a
	dedicated space was needed for a Holocaust museum; and
	WHEREAS, Through community support, the museum opened its
	doors in 1994; an electrical fire destroyed the original building
	in 2001, but the museum continued to operate by visiting schools and
	using temporary gallery space; the people of El Paso rallied to help
	raise $2.5 million for a new facility, which opened in 2008; and
	WHEREAS, In 2009, El Paso mayor John Cook honored Mr. Kellen
	with the Conquistador Award, the highest possible accolade that can
	be given to an El Pasoan who has made exceptional contributions to
	the city; and
	WHEREAS, Through the efforts of Henry Kellen, the lessons of
	the Holocaust--that hatred and bigotry have no place in the human
	endeavor--are being taught to new generations of young Texans, and
	his work toward this end has made a lasting and positive difference
	in the community; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
	Legislature hereby pay tribute to Henry Kellen for his
	establishment of the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center and
	for his efforts to heighten awareness of this dark chapter in world
	history among the citizens of El Paso and beyond; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Mr. Kellen as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Gonzalez
	Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
	Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
	Allen Gooden Murphy
	Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
	Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
	Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
	Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
	Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
	Aycock Harless Parker
	Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
	Berman Hartnett Paxton
	Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
	Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
	Branch Hochberg Phillips
	Brown Hopson Pickett
	Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
	Burnam Howard of Travis Price
	Button Huberty Quintanilla
	Cain Hughes Raymond
	Callegari Hunter Reynolds
	Carter Isaac Riddle
	Castro Jackson Ritter
	Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
	Christian Keffer Schwertner
	Coleman King of Parker Scott
	Cook King of Taylor Sheets
	Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
	Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
	Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
	Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
	Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
	J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
	S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
	Deshotel Lavender Strama
	Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
	Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
	Dutton Lozano Thompson
	Eiland Lucio III Torres
	Eissler Lyne Truitt
	Elkins Madden Turner
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Margo Villarreal
	Fletcher Marquez Vo
	Flynn Martinez Walle
	Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
	Gallego McClendon White
	Garza Menendez Woolley
	Geren Miles Workman
	Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
	Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1659 was adopted by the House on May 2,
	2011, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House