H.R. No. 1805
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Padre Island lost a beloved neighbor
and friend with the death of Michael James Ellis on January 28,
2011; and
WHEREAS, Mike Ellis was born on March 5, 1952, in Fairfield,
Illinois, to Thomas James Ellis and Phyllis Brock Streeter; raised
in Texas, he graduated in 1970 from Richardson High School, and in
1978, he earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the
University of Houston, where he was president of Sigma Chi
fraternity; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Ellis subsequently embarked on a career in
public service; he worked as a legislative aide to State
Representative Chase Untermeyer and as an employee of the Texas
Department of Emergency Management before joining the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, which he served from 1980 to 1996; and
WHEREAS, After leaving FEMA, Mr. Ellis settled on the Gulf
Coast, where he started the Padre Island Moon, a biweekly newspaper
with a circulation between 8,000 and 10,000 that covers events and
entertainment in Padre Island, Port Aransas, and Flour Bluff;
although he had published the Texas Hurricane Almanac for a few
years in the mid-1980s, he did not have a background in journalism,
and he brought to the endeavor a good-natured spirit of
improvisation; he cut and pasted the layouts himself and sometimes
offered ad space to people who could not afford to pay; he operated
the paper for more than a decade and sold it in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Ellis further contributed to the region through
his involvement in a number of youth and wildlife organizations; he
delighted in the natural beauty of the island and often spent hours
enjoying the view of the Gulf from the seawall and the beach; in
April 2011, the Corpus Christi City Council voted to name a section
of the beach on Padre Island in his honor; and
WHEREAS, Those fortunate enough to have known Mike Ellis will
remember the way he touched their lives with his warmth and
optimism, and he will forever hold a treasured place in their
hearts; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Michael James Ellis
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
brothers, Dee Ellis and his wife, Cheryln, and John C. Ellis; to his
niece and nephew, Toni Ellis and Chris Ellis; and to his other
relatives and many friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Michael
James Ellis.
Hunter
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1805 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 19, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House