82R3763 JGH-D
By: Gonzales of Hidalgo H.R. No. 51
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
is posthumously awarding its Golden Eagle Award to Michael A. Allen
of McAllen during its annual Noche de Gala on January 22, 2011, and
this special occasion marks a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to
the life and achievements of this remarkable community servant; and
WHEREAS, Mike Allen was born in 1937 in New Kensington,
Pennsylvania; his family moved to Port Lavaca when he was a child,
and he attended St. Anthony Catholic High School in San Antonio; he
studied at the Oblate School of Theology and was ordained as a
Catholic priest in 1963; and
WHEREAS, During his years as a priest, Mr. Allen served a
number of parishes in the Rio Grande Valley, including Sacred Heart
in McAllen and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mission; after leaving the
priesthood in the 1970s, he moved to Austin for a time, and then
returned to McAllen; he was joined in matrimony to his wife,
Theresa, in 1991, and together they enjoyed a fulfilling
relationship until his death; and
WHEREAS, In 1988, Mr. Allen was named as the first president
and CEO of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation, and he
played a leading role in the expansion of the maquiladora industry
in the Rio Grande Valley, helping to improve relations with Mexico,
establish the foreign trade zone, and create jobs in McAllen; and
WHEREAS, During his 18-year tenure as leader of the MEDC, Mr.
Allen helped attract 206 new businesses and thousands of jobs to the
McAllen area; his efforts also helped to draw 292 businesses and
many new jobs to Reynosa, across the border in Mexico, thus forging
strong ties between the two cities; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Mr. Allen helped to establish the Texas
Border Coalition, bringing together officials and businesspersons
all along the border from Brownsville to El Paso; he also cofounded
a coalition of five Hidalgo County communities, the South Texas
Border Partnership; he was instrumental in the campaign to develop
the new Anzalduas International Bridge at McAllen as well as the
proposed Interstate 69 highway; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Allen was a founder of South Texas Community
College, now called South Texas College, and he served as a trustee
for the college from 2004 until his death; he was a member of the
American Economic Development Council, the Reynosa Maquila
Association, the Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association,
the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, and the Rio Grande
Valley Partnership Chamber of Commerce, among others; he also
served on the board of the Rio Grande Valley Council of Governments
and as a member of the Governor's Task Force on Management and Labor
Relations; and
WHEREAS, Known to his friends and admirers as "Padre Mike,"
this gifted and energetic man was recognized by the City of Hidalgo
as 2006 Border Texan of the Year, and in 2009 he earned the
prestigious Road Hand Award from the Texas Department of
Transportation in recognition of his work to improve the valley's
highways; and
WHEREAS, Until his death on August 25, 2010, Mike Allen
worked tirelessly to provide economic opportunity and improve the
quality of life for the residents of McAllen and the Rio Grande
Valley, and he is indeed worthy of recognition for his years of
service and many achievements; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Michael A. Allen's receipt of the Golden Eagle
Award from the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce be
commemorated and that the life and legacy of this outstanding
community leader be honored; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.