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