88S31084 TBO-D

By: Hughes S.R. No. 49

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The 100th birthday of an esteemed Texan is indeed cause for celebration, and Ethelyn Szad Bell of Bonham marked that special milestone on October 4, 2023; and

WHEREAS, The former Ethelyn Szad was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1923; in March 1945, she was inducted into the U.S. Army, and she completed the basic training course for army nurses at Fort Devens, Massachusetts; she proudly served during World War II with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in the Philippines and Nagoya, Japan, rising to the rank of second lieutenant before being honorably discharged in the summer of 1946; in recognition of her dedicated service, she received a citation from President Harry S. Truman; and

WHEREAS, Following the war, Mrs. Bell was employed at the Veterans Administration Hospital in McKinney; she later distinguished herself in her work as a school nurse at the North Ward and West Ward Elementary Schools in McKinney prior to her retirement; and

WHEREAS, On October 16, 1948, she exchanged wedding vows with army veteran Charles Bell and they shared a rewarding marriage spanning more than five and a half decades before Mr. Bell's passing in 2005; in the early years of their marriage, the couple made their home in Prosper, where they raised their two children, Tom and Cindy; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of a century, Ethelyn Bell has not only bravely served her nation but has also met the challenges and opportunities of a long life with grace and fortitude, and she is blessed with the deep respect and lasting affection of a host of loved ones; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby congratulate Ethelyn Szad Bell on the joyous occasion of her 100th birthday and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mrs. Bell as an expression of high regard by the Texas Senate.