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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of a trailblazing public servant drew to a |
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close with the passing of former Austin mayor and Texas comptroller |
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Carole Keeton on March 26, 2025, at the age of 85; and |
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WHEREAS, A native Austinite, Carole Keeton was born in 1939 |
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to Page Keeton, a dean of The University of Texas School of Law, and |
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Madge Keeton; she studied government at UT Austin, and after |
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graduating in 1961, she wed attorney Barr McClellan and became the |
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mother of four sons, Brad, Scott, Mark, and Dudley; she made her |
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first foray into politics as a member of the Austin Independent |
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School District Board of Trustees in 1972; during her tenure, she |
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championed efforts to improve outcomes for minority students, and |
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she was unanimously elected to preside over the board in 1976; and |
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WHEREAS, The following year, Ms. Keeton became the first |
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female mayor in Austin's history and ultimately set a new precedent |
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for the office by serving three successive terms; she led the city |
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until 1983, when Governor Mark White appointed her to the State |
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Board of Insurance, and she was the first woman to fill that role as |
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well; and |
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WHEREAS, Turning her attention to statewide elective office, |
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Ms. Keeton won a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission in 1986, and |
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she made history once again when she became the first woman to be |
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elected state comptroller, an office she held for two terms, from |
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1999 to 2007; in these and other races, she appealed to voters with |
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her down-to-earth charm, and she later adopted the slogan "one |
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tough grandma" during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign; her |
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energetic personality made her a force to be reckoned with, and she |
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was renowned for her memorable aphorisms and a well-honed sense of |
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humor that could make a room erupt in laughter; and |
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WHEREAS, Even after her career as an elected official |
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concluded, Ms. Keeton remained politically active; in 2012, her |
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organization Austinites For Action helped secure passage of a |
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proposition to improve access to health care in Travis County; she |
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took pride in seeing her sons Scott and Mark follow in her footsteps |
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in public service by holding prominent positions in the |
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administration of President George W. Bush, and in her later years, |
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she enjoyed watching her cherished family grow to include nine |
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grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, Guided by a steadfast concern for the needs of |
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people from all walks of life, Carole Keeton devoted herself |
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tirelessly to the betterment of her community and state, and she |
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leaves behind a legacy that will long be treasured by those who held |
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her dear; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Carole Keeton and |
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extend deepest sympathy to all who mourn her passing; and, be it |
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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 Carole |
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Keeton. |