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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Brownsville lost an esteemed |
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community leader with the passing of former mayor Enrique C. |
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González on March 24, 2023, at the age of 87; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Maria and Emilio González, Henry González |
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was born in San Benito on November 29, 1935, and he grew up with the |
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companionship of seven siblings, Reynaldo, Gloria, Maria, Delia, |
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Emiliano, Carlos, and Carmen; in his youth, he learned the value of |
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hard work through part-time jobs on his family's farm; he graduated |
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in 1954 from Saint Joseph Academy, where he played on the football |
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and basketball teams, and he went on to earn a degree in business |
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marketing from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in |
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1958; he was a member of the Corps of Cadets in the C-Field |
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Artillery outfit during his years in College Station; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. González worked in the cotton industry and |
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traveled across the U.S. before joining the Brownsville Independent |
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School District in 1962; over the course of his 13-year tenure, he |
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served as an educator and later as the district's director of |
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transportation and supplies; he became a trustee on the school |
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board in 1975, and his achievements in that role included serving as |
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president, securing passage of bond proposals, and guiding the |
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construction of new schools; he later embarked on a rewarding |
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career with the Oyster Bar restaurant, and he played an |
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instrumental role in managing its Rio Grande Valley expansion as |
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well as its location on Paredes Line Road; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, Mr. González returned to public |
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office, first winning election as a Brownsville city commissioner |
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and later as mayor, serving in each role for five years; under his |
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able leadership, the city acquired a new city hall facility, |
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completed construction of the Veterans International Bridge at Los |
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Tomates, and established a Sister City relationship with Matamoros; |
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he also guided Brownsville through a period of economic growth, and |
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he played an instrumental role in promoting the Make a Difference |
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Day community cleanup initiative; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. González benefited from |
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the love and support of his wife, Mary Lou, with whom he shared a |
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fulfilling marriage that spanned 65 years; he took great pride in |
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his children, Henry, Cissie, Lettie, Magda, and Justo, and over the |
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years, his treasured family grew to include six grandchildren and |
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four great-grandchildren; throughout his life, he found strength in |
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his Catholic faith; and |
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WHEREAS, A devoted family man, a hard-working public servant, |
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and an accomplished business leader, Henry González lived a rich |
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and purposeful life, and he leaves behind a record of service that |
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his loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby pay tribute to the memory of Enrique C. González and extend |
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heartfelt sympathy to all who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns this |
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day, it do so in memory of Henry González. |