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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Sisters Matilde Zambrano and Cruz Pantoja, valued |
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employees of the historic Wilson Plaza in Corpus Christi, have |
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earned the appreciation and esteem of many members of their |
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community over the course of their long careers at a South Texas |
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landmark; and |
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WHEREAS, Wilson Plaza had its origins in 1927 as the Nixon |
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Building, the first skyscraper to be erected in Corpus Christi; |
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that structure was expanded in 1935 with the addition of the "Cotton |
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Exchange" annex; in 1947, the complex was purchased by oil and real |
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estate financier Sam E. Wilson, and in 1951, he added a 17-story |
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office tower with a four-story luxury penthouse, where he lived |
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with his wife, Ada; until Mrs. Wilson died in 1977, the tower was |
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the center of Corpus Christi's social scene; and |
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WHEREAS, Matilde Zambrano and Cruz Pantoja are the daughters |
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of Estanislao Valdez and Martha Valdez Pinones; another sister, |
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Geneva, was the first member of the family to work at Wilson Plaza, |
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and when Geneva moved to California in the late 1950s, |
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Mrs. Zambrano took over her job as an elevator operator; "Tillie" |
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Zambrano came to be known as "Lucky" by the other operators, because |
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Mrs. Wilson herself often asked her to run the elevator for the |
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penthouse meetings of the Ladies' Club and then had her driven home |
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by the Wilsons' chauffeur; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Pantoja joined her sister as an elevator |
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operator at Wilson Plaza in 1966, and apart from a four-year period |
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when she was raising her two sons, Christopher and Juan, she has |
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worked there ever since; the manually operated elevators were |
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replaced with automatic models in 1995, but the two sisters were |
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held in such high regard by the building's tenants and management |
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that they were asked to stay on; today, Mrs. Zambrano and |
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Mrs. Pantoja each represent the plaza as an official greeter and |
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concierge; and |
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WHEREAS, Tillie Zambrano and her husband, Edward Zambrano, |
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were married for more than 20 years, until his passing, and Cruz |
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Pantoja is the wife of the late Juan Jose Pantoja; in addition to |
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her two sons, Mrs. Pantoja has been blessed with a grandson, |
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Joseph; and |
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WHEREAS, For some five and six decades, these two dedicated, |
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hardworking sisters have assisted the tenants of, and countless |
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visitors to, the Wilson Plaza, and through their warmth and |
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friendliness, they have brightened the day of all they have |
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greeted; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend Matilde Zambrano and Cruz Pantoja for |
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their many years of service at the Wilson Plaza and extend to them |
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sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared |
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for Mrs. Zambrano and Mrs. Pantoja as an expression of high regard |
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by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Herrero |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1027 was adopted by the House on March |
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30, 2017, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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