SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 428
	In Memory
	of
	Marie Flickinger
	WHEREAS, Residents of southeast Houston lost a beloved
	community activist and civic leader with the passing of Marie
	Flickinger on November 11, 2024, at the age of 82; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on September 1,
	1942, to Alexander and Mary Spence, the former Marie Spence grew
	up with the companionship of two siblings, Morris and Alexis;
	after graduating from high school, she exchanged wedding vows
	with David Flickinger in 1962, and the pair went on to share in
	the joy of raising two sons, Fred and David; her family later grew
	to include three granddaughters, Kimberly, Courtney, and
	Natalie, as well as seven great-grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson,
	Penelope, Kelvin, Noah, Elliana, and Isabella; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Flickinger and her husband resided in
	Minnesota before relocating to the Houston area, where they
	eventually settled in the Sagemont subdivision; in addition to
	being a homemaker, she found her way into the journalism field
	when she was recruited by an editor for the Friendswood News;
	after gaining experience reporting on issues in the South
	Belt/Ellington community and Pasadena ISD, she joined a friend,
	Bobby Griffin, in co-founding the South Belt-Ellington Leader,
	and she served the weekly newspaper as publisher until her
	passing; and
	WHEREAS, Through the years, Mrs. Flickinger developed a
	reputation as a tireless advocate for her community, earning the
	moniker "the mayor of South Belt"; although she covered hundreds
	of news stories throughout her career, she was perhaps best known
	for a series of investigative articles that exposed the dumping
	of toxic waste at the Brio Superfund site in the 1980s, and her
	central role in uncovering the scale of contamination in its
	neighboring subdivision led to her being tapped to serve as the
	Environmental Protection Agency's community liaison for the
	site; for many years, she was also integral in securing
	infrastructure improvements to mitigate flooding, including the
	construction of the South Belt Stormwater Detention Basin; and
	WHEREAS, During the 1990s, Mrs. Flickinger had the
	distinction of being the first woman to be elected to the San
	Jacinto College Board of Trustees, where she served for nearly 30
	years before recently retiring as its chair; among her many
	achievements, she was a founding member and inaugural president
	of the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce, and she oversaw
	the introduction of an Early College High School program in
	Pasadena ISD, for which the district named her its Distinguished
	Citizen of the Year in 2015; moreover, she was known for
	organizing community events such as the annual Fourth of July
	parade and Christmas drive for the needy, and she demonstrated
	her strong Catholic faith as a parishioner at St. Frances Cabrini
	Catholic Church and later as one of the founding members of St.
	Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church; and
	WHEREAS, Mrs. Flickinger was inducted into the Hall of Honor
	at Dobie High School in 2015 and received the M. Dale Ensign
	Trustee Leadership Award from the Association of Community College
	Trustees in 2013; she was also recognized by Governor Greg Abbott
	with the Governor's Volunteer Award for her role in coordinating
	emergency relief efforts during Hurricane Harvey; and
	WHEREAS, Through her widespread civic contributions, Marie
	Flickinger had a profound and positive impact on her community,
	and those she leaves behind will continue to find inspiration in
	their memories of this extraordinary woman; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
	Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life of Marie Flickinger
	and extend deepest sympathy to the members of her family:  to
	her husband, David Flickinger; to her sons, Fred Flickinger and
	his wife, Leslie, and David Flickinger and his wife, Ellie; to
	her granddaughters, Kimberly Lipina and her husband, Matthew,
	Courtney Durham, and Natalie Abarca and her husband, Jose; to
	her great-grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson, and Penelope
	Durham, Kelvin Lopez, Noah and Elliana Abarca, and Isabella
	Delgado and her husband, Sebastian; to her siblings, Morris
	Spence and Alexis Lochner; and to her other relatives and
	friends; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
	prepared for her family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
	this day, it do so in memory of Marie Flickinger.
	Middleton
	Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
	Bettencourt Hall Miles
	Birdwell Hancock Nichols
	Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
	Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
	Cook Huffman Perry
	Creighton Hughes Schwertner
	Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
	Flores King West
	Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini
	Patrick, President of the Senate
		________________________________
		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on April 23, 2025, by a
		rising vote.
		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate