H.R. No. 625
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of
Wilhelmina Daisy Cullen Robertson Smith of Houston, who died on
January 26, 2009, at the age of 86; and
WHEREAS, The former Wilhelmina Cullen was the daughter of
Hugh Roy Cullen and Lillie Cranz Cullen; she attended Sweet Briar
College in Virginia during World War II, but she returned to Texas
and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in
1944; the following year, she married Corbin James Robertson, Sr.,
who was serving in the Army Air Corps at Ellington Field; the couple
nurtured a fulfilling relationship until Mr. Robertson's passing in
1991; fortunate to find love a second time, she was joined in
matrimony to Edgar A. Smith, Jr., in 1998; and
WHEREAS, An active philanthropist, Mrs. Smith helped launch
the magnet program in Houston's public schools, and she led her
family's organization, the Cullen Foundation, for five decades,
through which she assisted numerous local institutions, including
Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Medical Center; she also
established three trusts to benefit higher education, health, and
the performing arts; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith was especially devoted to the University
of Houston, and she was one of her alma mater's most dedicated
supporters; her parents also have a place in UH history, as they are
regarded as its founding family and the school's first major
benefactors; through the years, Mrs. Smith continued her parents'
legacy, and she shared this commitment with her first husband, who
supported the university's early athletic programs and for whom
Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is named; a life member of the UH Alumni
Organization, Mrs. Smith was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in
1988 and a Distinguished Alumni award in 1989; moreover, the UH
Board of Regents approved the construction of the Wilhelmina
Robertson Smith Pavilion, a sports complex to be built at Robertson
Stadium; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated to her community, Wilhelmina Smith was an
inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to know her, and she
leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of generosity 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 Wilhelmina Daisy
Cullen Robertson Smith and extend sincere sympathy to the members
of her family: to her husband, Edgar A. Smith, Jr.; to her children,
Wilhelmina Elizabeth "Beth" Robertson, Corbin J. Robertson, Jr.,
Lillie Therese Robertson, Carroll Christine Robertson Ray, and
Alison Susan Robertson Baumann; 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 House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Wilhelmina
Smith.
Woolley
Cohen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 625 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 5, 2009.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House