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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Padre Island lost a beloved neighbor |
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and friend with the death of Michael James Ellis on January 28, |
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2011; and |
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WHEREAS, Mike Ellis was born on March 5, 1952, in Fairfield, |
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Illinois, to Thomas James Ellis and Phyllis Brock Streeter; raised |
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in Texas, he graduated in 1970 from Richardson High School, and in |
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1978, he earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the |
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University of Houston, where he was president of Sigma Chi |
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fraternity; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Ellis subsequently embarked on a career in |
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public service; he worked as a legislative aide to State |
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Representative Chase Untermeyer and as an employee of the Texas |
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Department of Emergency Management before joining the Federal |
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Emergency Management Agency, which he served from 1980 to 1996; and |
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WHEREAS, After leaving FEMA, Mr. Ellis settled on the Gulf |
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Coast, where he started the Padre Island Moon, a biweekly newspaper |
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with a circulation between 8,000 and 10,000 that covers events and |
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entertainment in Padre Island, Port Aransas, and Flour Bluff; |
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although he had published the Texas Hurricane Almanac for a few |
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years in the mid-1980s, he did not have a background in journalism, |
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and he brought to the endeavor a good-natured spirit of |
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improvisation; he cut and pasted the layouts himself and sometimes |
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offered ad space to people who could not afford to pay; he operated |
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the paper for more than a decade and sold it in 2010; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Ellis further contributed to the region through |
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his involvement in a number of youth and wildlife organizations; he |
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delighted in the natural beauty of the island and often spent hours |
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enjoying the view of the Gulf from the seawall and the beach; in |
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April 2011, the Corpus Christi City Council voted to name a section |
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of the beach on Padre Island in his honor; and |
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WHEREAS, Those fortunate enough to have known Mike Ellis will |
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remember the way he touched their lives with his warmth and |
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optimism, and he will forever hold a treasured place in their |
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hearts; 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 Michael James Ellis |
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and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his |
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brothers, Dee Ellis and his wife, Cheryln, and John C. Ellis; to his |
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niece and nephew, Toni Ellis and Chris Ellis; and to his other |
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relatives and many friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Michael |
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James Ellis. |
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Hunter |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1805 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on May 19, 2011. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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