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