Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR253 Compare Versions

The same version is selected twice. Please select two different versions to compare.

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.C.R. No. 253
2	2
3	3
4	4	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
5	5	WHEREAS, Lady Bird Johnson, one of the nation's most beloved
6	6	first ladies, passed away on July 11, 2007, at the age of 94; and
7	7	WHEREAS, Born on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, the former
8	8	Claudia Alta Taylor was the third child of Thomas Jefferson Taylor
9	9	and Minnie Pattillo Taylor, and she was dubbed "Lady Bird" by her
10	10	nursemaid as a toddler; when she was five, her mother died and her
11	11	Aunt Effie subsequently stepped in to help raise her; and
12	12	WHEREAS, She graduated in 1928 from Marshall High School and
13	13	attended Saint Mary's Episcopal School for Girls in Dallas before
14	14	enrolling at The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a
15	15	bachelor's degree in history in 1933 and a bachelor's of journalism
16	16	with honors in 1934; her plans to become a newspaper reporter were
17	17	diverted after she met Lyndon Baines Johnson, who was visiting
18	18	Austin on business in his role as a congressional secretary;
19	19	remarking later that she felt like a moth drawn to a flame, she
20	20	married him on November 17, 1934, within 10 weeks of their first
21	21	date; and
22	22	WHEREAS, By 1937, Mrs. Johnson was on the campaign trail in
23	23	support of her husband's bid for a Congressional seat, and not five
24	24	years later she was running his office while he served in the U.S.
25	25	Navy during World War II; at the same time, she demonstrated her
26	26	business acumen by purchasing a faltering Austin radio station with
27	27	an inheritance from her mother; she revived the station with her
28	28	tireless oversight and eventually expanded it into a multi-million
29	29	dollar broadcasting company that included a television station, a
30	30	cable television system, and several radio stations; and
31	31	WHEREAS, Mrs. Johnson delivered stump speeches throughout
32	32	Texas in behalf of her husband's race for the U.S. Senate, and she
33	33	traveled more than 35,000 miles for the Kennedy/Johnson ticket,
34	34	including trips she organized with Ethel and Eunice Kennedy to
35	35	introduce Texans to the presidential candidate's family; following
36	36	the fateful turn of events that thrust her husband into the
37	37	presidency in November 1963, she stood by his side as he pushed a
38	38	bold and controversial agenda, and she later defended his policies
39	39	during a whistle-stop tour through the South, where she spoke with
40	40	characteristic calm to large and unruly crowds; breaking new ground
41	41	for a first lady when she campaigned on her own, there is no doubt
42	42	that she contributed to President Johnson's 1964 landslide victory,
43	43	which included six of the eight southern states that many expected
44	44	him to lose; and
45	45	WHEREAS, It was during Mrs. Johnson's second term as first
46	46	lady that she initiated a beautification project of the nation's
47	47	capital; raising public and private dollars and enlisting a team of
48	48	philanthropists and government officials, she guided the planting
49	49	of flowers and trees on the mall and in triangle parks all over the
50	50	city, and she pressed for several revitalization efforts; the local
51	51	actions were a prelude to what became the first major legislative
52	52	campaign ever commenced by a first lady; the Highway Beautification
53	53	Act of 1965 or, as it came to be known, "Lady Bird's Bill," called
54	54	for fewer billboards and junkyards along the highways and
55	55	dramatically improved the American landscape; and
56	56	WHEREAS, After returning to Texas in 1969, Mrs. Johnson
57	57	focused on enhancing her native state; she was the leading force
58	58	behind the development of a hike and bike trail in downtown Austin
59	59	that has become one of the city's most treasured public spaces, and
60	60	for 20 years she continued to encourage the beautification of the
61	61	state's roadways by recognizing highway districts for their use of
62	62	native plants and scenery; in 1982, on the occasion of her 70th
63	63	birthday, she founded the National Wildflower Research Center,
64	64	which was later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and
65	65	associated with The University of Texas at Austin; and
66	66	WHEREAS, Along the way, Mrs. Johnson published A White House
67	67	Diary, an edited version of the diary she kept as first lady, played
68	68	a key role in planning for the LBJ Library and Museum and the LBJ
69	69	School of Public Affairs, served as a member of The University of
70	70	Texas System Board of Regents, and remained actively involved in
71	71	the LBJ Holding Company; although she lost President Johnson in
72	72	early 1973, the energy and passion with which she accomplished so
73	73	much recalled the momentum of the man who had swept her off her feet
74	74	decades earlier; her life was further enriched by her two
75	75	daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines, who were born while their
76	76	father was a congressman, and by her numerous grandchildren and
77	77	great-grandchildren; and
78	78	WHEREAS, Wholly committed to improving the world around her,
79	79	Lady Bird Johnson set an inspiring example of leadership and
80	80	vision, and her gentle kindness touched more lives than she could
81	81	ever know; of her enduring achievements, the miles and miles of
82	82	colorful wildflowers that brighten our cities and countryside
83	83	perhaps best evoke the memory of this exceptional woman; now,
84	84	therefore, be it
85	85	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
86	86	hereby pay tribute to the remarkable life of Lady Bird Johnson; and,
87	87	be it further
88	88	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
89	89	prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
90	90	Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of
91	91	Lady Bird Johnson.
92	92	McCall
93	93	______________________________ ______________________________
94	94	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
95	95	I certify that H.C.R. No. 253 was unanimously adopted by a
96	96	rising vote of the House on May 28, 2009.
97	97	______________________________
98	98	Chief Clerk of the House
99	99	I certify that H.C.R. No. 253 was unanimously adopted by a
100	100	rising vote of the Senate on May 29, 2009.
101	101	______________________________
102	102	Secretary of the Senate
103	103	APPROVED: __________________
104	104	Date
105	105	__________________
106	106	Governor