H.R. No. 2031
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Betty Massey is being honored by the Galveston
Independent School District Educational Foundation with its
Educational Leadership Award; and
WHEREAS, A nonprofit corporation, the GISD Educational
Foundation was established by a coalition of private, business,
industrial, and civic interests to finance and enhance educational
programs not otherwise funded by the district; its Educational
Leadership Award, now in its sixth year, recognizes those
individuals whose sustained commitment to education has made a
lasting impact in Galveston; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Massey has served her community in myriad ways
through the years in her professional life and as a civic leader; a
graduate of the University of California-Berkeley with a degree in
history, she was a teacher and the director of an innovative private
preschool before becoming education director of the Galveston
Historical Foundation in 1983; increasingly responsible positions
with that organization led to her appointment as executive director
in 1990; and
WHEREAS, Under her leadership, the Galveston Historical
Foundation won numerous awards and a national reputation as one of
the country's largest and most successful historic preservation
organizations; in 2000, Ms. Massey became executive director of the
Mary Moody Northen Endowment, a private foundation based in
Galveston that makes charitable grants in both Texas and Virginia
and owns and operates two significant historic properties; and
WHEREAS, This dedicated volunteer serves on many
professional and advisory boards and has been highly effective in
numerous civic organizations working in behalf of preservation,
education, and economic development; a former chair of the
Galveston Chamber of Commerce and vice chair of the City of
Galveston Park Board of Trustees, she is a founding member of the
GISD Education Foundation and served as vice chair--development
from 2002 to 2005; moreover, she served on the board of the local
chapter of the United Way and as chair of the city's Comprehensive
Plan Review Committee; and
WHEREAS, Following the devastation of Hurricane Ike, the city
council named Ms. Massey to head the Community Recovery Committee;
through her expert management, this diverse group of some 300
residents was able to distill months of public hearings and
brainstorming into the comprehensive 42 Project Plan; in addition
to recommendations for housing, transportation, and economic
revitalization, the plan includes proposals for strengthening the
educational system to build a vibrant workforce and encourage
families to remain in Galveston or relocate to the city; and
WHEREAS, Betty Massey has set an inspirational standard of
public service, and her vision and commitment to education are
helping to shape a brighter future for the people of Galveston; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Betty Massey on her receipt of the
Educational Leadership Award from the Galveston Independent School
District Educational Foundation and extend to her best wishes for
continued success in her important endeavors; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Massey as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Eiland
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2031 was adopted by the House on May
19, 2009, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House