SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 57
 
 
  In Memory
  of
  William Douglas Jefferson
 
         WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas honors and
  commemorates the life of William Douglas Jefferson, who died
  recently at the age of 81; and
 
         WHEREAS, Bill Jefferson was born January 30, 1932, in
  Chicago; he grew up in Milwaukee and attended the University of
  Wisconsin, where he was a member of the football team; and
 
         WHEREAS, He enlisted in the United States Air Force during
  the Korean War and was assigned to Lackland Air Force Base in San
  Antonio; the discipline of military life and its attendant
  emphasis on merit helped him cope with the segregation and
  prejudice of life in the South; and
 
         WHEREAS, He married his high school sweetheart, Joyce
  Virginia Olivier, in 1954, and the couple raised six children
  together, Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace, and
  Leah; they were blessed with numerous grandchildren and
  great-grandchildren; and
 
         WHEREAS, Mr. Jefferson served in the United States Air
  Force with distinction for 21 years, retiring with the rank of
  major; while in the armed forces, he returned to college and
  earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Puget Sound and
  a master's degree from Saint Mary's University; and
 
         WHEREAS, After his military career, he served as an adjunct
  professor of political science at Saint Philip's College and San
  Antonio College; he was a volunteer for many years with the
  Salvation Army, and he served on the board of Saint Peter-Saint
  Joseph Children's Home; and
 
         WHEREAS, His genealogical studies led him to the discovery
  that he was a descendant of a Waco slave, Shedrick Willis, whose
  owner was a state court judge, and he greatly appreciated the
  irony of the fact that his son, Wallace B. Jefferson, is now chief
  justice of the Supreme Court of Texas; and
 
         WHEREAS, A devout Christian who practiced his faith in his
  daily life, he served as a Eucharistic minister for more than 40
  years at the Catholic church at Lackland Air Force Base; and
 
         WHEREAS, A man of courage, strength, and compassion, he
  gave unselfishly to others, and his patriotism, his devotion to
  duty, and his enthusiasm for living each day to the fullest will
  not be forgotten; and
 
         WHEREAS, He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather,
  and he leaves behind memories that will be treasured forever by
  his family and many friends; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
  Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby extend sincere
  condolences to the bereaved family of William Douglas Jefferson;
  and, be it further
 
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas
  Senate, and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in
  memory of William Douglas Jefferson.
 
  Ellis
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on July 17, 2013, by a
    rising vote.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate