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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of McAllen lost a beloved member of their |
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community with the passing of Dr. Nedra Kay Swart Kinerk on May 13, |
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2025, at the age of 92; and |
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WHEREAS, The daughter of Marvin and Okal Swart, the former |
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Nedra Swart was born in Frankton, Indiana, on June 30, 1932, and she |
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grew up with the companionship of two sisters, Marilyn and Leanna; |
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she graduated from Anderson High School in 1950, and she received a |
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bachelor's degree in education in 1955 and a master's degree in 1962 |
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from Ball State Teachers College in Muncie; she went on to earn a |
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doctorate from the institution in 1970, after it became Ball State |
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University; and |
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WHEREAS, She married the love of her life, Robert Lewis |
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Kinerk, in 1951, and the couple shared a fulfilling union that |
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spanned nearly six decades before his passing in 2010; she took |
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great pride in her four children, Michael, Karen, Steven, and |
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Cheryl Marie, who preceded her mother in death; over the years, |
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Dr. Kinerk saw her treasured family grow to include three |
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grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Kinerk enjoyed a rewarding career as an educator |
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in Anderson, and in 1970, she was appointed professor at the Indiana |
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University campus in Kokomo; she was later named chair of the |
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education division, and she continued to serve as an administrator |
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until her retirement in 1988; she accepted her first appointment as |
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an Indiana Civil Rights Commissioner in 1973, and she held that post |
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for 14 years; in October 1987, she was named a Sagamore of the |
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Wabash, one of the highest honors bestowed by the governor of |
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Indiana; and |
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WHEREAS, After vacationing in South Texas in 1979, Dr. Kinerk |
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and her husband bought property in the area, and they owned local |
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citrus groves for several years; the couple made Texas their |
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year-round home in 1988, and Dr. Kinerk became highly involved in |
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the McAllen and Hidalgo County communities; in 1999, she cofounded |
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the civic organization Futuro McAllen, and she helped to expand its |
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efforts to serve the entire Rio Grande Valley area; the |
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organization became Futuro RGV in 2014, and two years later, she was |
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elected its president; she also played an instrumental role in |
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establishing the McAllen Heritage Center and the Fiesta de Palmas |
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festival, and she served on numerous municipal boards and |
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committees; a woman of deep faith, she was a member of the First |
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Christian Church, where she served as an elder; and |
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WHEREAS, In recognition of her myriad civic contributions, |
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the City of McAllen proclaimed February 24, 2025, as Dr. Nedra |
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Kinerk Day, and she has also had the distinction of being named |
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McAllen's Woman of the Year in 2014 and being inducted into the RGV |
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Walk of Fame in 2020; and |
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WHEREAS, Admired for her warmth, generosity, and unwavering |
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dedication to her community, Nedra Kinerk lived a caring and |
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purposeful life, and she leaves behind a record of service that her |
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loved ones can remember with great pride; 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 Dr. Nedra Kay Swart |
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Kinerk and extend heartfelt sympathy to her family and to her many |
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friends; and, be 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 Dr. Nedra |
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Kinerk. |
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Guerra |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1254 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on May 23, 2025. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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