H.R. No. 1028
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Victoria lost a cherished friend and
renowned philanthropist with the passing of Mary Katherine
Welhausen Borchers on February 28, 2009, at the age of 84; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Carl Clarence Welhausen and Mary
Elizabeth McBride Welhausen, the former Mary Katherine Welhausen
was born in Yoakum on August 10, 1924, into the family that founded
Tex Tan Leather Company, which eventually became a division of
Tandy Corporation, the company known today as RadioShack
Corporation; an honors graduate of Yoakum High School, she was
Queen of the Yoakum Tom-Tom Festival in 1946, and she earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration with honors from The
University of Texas at Austin, where she also took graduate courses
in personnel management; and
WHEREAS, After meeting in high school, she and Lieutenant
Charles Borchers were joined in matrimony in August 1947, following
his military service during World War II; the couple settled in
Victoria in 1957; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Borchers worked as an administrator at The
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and later as a
personal business, investment, and family trust manager for more
than three decades; she was also a general partner, along with her
husband and daughters, in Borchers Southern Y Ranches; and
WHEREAS, Engaged in the community, Mrs. Borchers was
affiliated with numerous local organizations, including the
Victoria Regional Museum Association, the Victoria County
Historical Commission, the American Red Cross, and the Cultural
Council of Victoria, and she assisted with such projects as the
restoration of the Victoria County Courthouse; she was a member of
the Victoria 100 Club, the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs,
Daughters of the American Revolution, Club 20, Daughters of the
Republic of Texas, and many others; she also participated in the
Junior League of Victoria, and she received its "Sustainer of the
Year Award"; moreover, this esteemed Texan was recognized with the
Distinguished Citizen Award of Victoria in 2002; and
WHEREAS, Among the myriad organizations that benefited from
the support of Mrs. Borchers and her husband are the Victoria
Symphony, the Children's Discovery Museum, and the Victoria
Performing Arts Center, home of the Dr. Charles and Mary Katherine
Borchers Performance Hall; Mrs. Borchers further contributed to her
alma mater and a number of its institutions, including the McCombs
School of Business; she was a member of such groups as the
Ex-Students Association, the Chancellor's Council Executive
Committee, and the Longhorn Foundation, and she was named a Texas
Exes "Legend"; and
WHEREAS, Mary Katherine Borchers was an inspiration to all
who were fortunate enough to know her, and she leaves behind an
extraordinary legacy of compassion and goodwill that will not soon
be forgotten; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Mary Katherine
Welhausen Borchers and extend sincere sympathy to the members of
her family: to her husband of 61 years, Dr. Charles Lewis Borchers;
to her daughters, Mary Kay Borchers and Charla Borchers Leon and her
husband, Robert; to her brothers-in-law, William, Otto, and Marion
Borchers, and Don G. Kaspar; to her 12 nieces and nephews and 24
great-nieces and great-nephews; and to her other relatives and many
friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Mary
Katherine Welhausen Borchers.
Morrison
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1028 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 2, 2009.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House