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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The passing of Bessie M. Swindle on March 28, 2019, |
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at the age of 79, concluded a remarkable life of service to |
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Southeast Houston; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Loreauville, Louisiana, Bessie Swindle |
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moved to Houston in the 1950s and settled in the Sunnyside |
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neighborhood; she founded the Cloverland Civic Club and as its |
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president, she represented 400 homeowners and worked tirelessly to |
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improve the lives of her neighbors, offering aid to families in need |
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and raising money for scholarships; in 1994, she became president |
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of the Southeast Coalition of Civic Clubs, and after acting as |
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community liaison for the Precinct 7 constable, she went on to serve |
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as outreach coordinator for Congressman Al Green; she was also a |
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member of the City of Houston's Police Officers' Civil Service |
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Commission and the mayor's Tower Commission; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Swindle's dedicated activism helped bring |
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Sunnyside a library, a police storefront, and an extensive |
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renovation of Cloverland Park; a powerful advocate for |
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environmental justice, she organized 2,000 residents in opposition |
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to a concrete plant in 2002, and she continued to fight the threat |
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of pollution into the present decade; she championed numerous |
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worthwhile initiatives, among them a 2006 study of racial |
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disparities in the placement of children in child protective |
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services custody; a woman of faith, she was an active member of |
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St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church; in 2007, the City of Houston |
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celebrated Bessie M. Swindle Day and Partnership of Service Day in |
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her honor, and two years later, it renamed a popular facility the |
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Bessie Swindle Community Center; she received myriad other |
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accolades through the years, including the Mayor's Award for |
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Outstanding Volunteer Service and an honorary degree from the |
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Houston Community College System; and |
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WHEREAS, Through her selfless devotion to the betterment of |
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her community, Bessie Swindle made a meaningful difference in |
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countless lives, and her contributions will continue to resonate in |
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the years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Bessie M. Swindle |
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and extend sincere condolences to all who mourn her passing; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bessie M. |
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Swindle. |