H.R. No. 753
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, On March 9, 2011, Ebby Halliday is celebrating her
100th birthday with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, famed tenor
Mario Frangoulis, and a distinguished group of donors to the Ebby
Halliday Fund of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished
Americans; and
WHEREAS, This iconic Dallas entrepreneur and philanthropist
was named a Distinguished American by the Horatio Alger Association
in 2005, and her birthday gala benefits the fund supporting college
scholarships; Ms. Halliday began commemorating her centennial in
February with a benefit that raised some $700,000 for the
Foundation Fighting Blindness, of which she is a national trustee;
in the course of that splendid event, she greeted hundreds of
prominent Texans and danced with Tony Orlando as he serenaded her
with "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree"; and
WHEREAS, Born Vera Lucille Koch in Arkansas on March 9, 1911,
the daughter of Louis and Lucille Koch grew up on a farm in Kansas;
she entered the sales field at the age of eight, riding her pony to
sell Cloverine Salve to neighbors; after graduating from high
school, she rode a bus to Kansas City and applied for a job at the
largest department store; she became a star of the millinery
department, and, at the suggestion of a fellow clerk, adopted the
suitably effervescent name Ebby Halliday; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Halliday won promotions to Omaha and then
Dallas, where she headed the millinery department at the W. A. Green
store; a wise stock investment allowed her to open her own popular
boutique, Ebby's Hats; a good customer was married to a developer of
insulated-cement homes, who wondered that since she could sell his
wife "those crazy hats," could she sell maybe his "crazy houses"
too; taking a visionary approach, Ms. Halliday brought in
attractive furnishings to make the modest homes more appealing, an
example of "staging" long before the term was coined; she sold all
the properties and launched her own real estate company in 1945; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, Ebby Halliday, REALTORS,
expanded extensively, making "Ebby" a household name; guided by
founding principles of service to the client, the industry, and the
community, she served in countless leadership roles; she founded
the Dallas Chapter of the Women's Council of the National
Association of Realtors and served as its president before becoming
president of the National Women's Council; moreover, she was the
first female president of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce;
numerous realtors advanced in the profession through her mentoring,
and she developed the talents of many women who went on to start
their own businesses; and
WHEREAS, Naturally driven, Ms. Halliday learned the
importance of balancing work and home life in 1958, when she was in
Beaumont for a speaking engagement and met an attorney named
Maurice Acers; the couple married on April 29, 1965, and enjoyed a
rewarding relationship until his passing in 1993; Ms. Halliday
shared with her husband the motto "Do something for someone every
day," and she has lent her considerable energies to myriad
charitable and civic endeavors; in 2008, she received the
prestigious Linz Award from the Junior League of Dallas for her
contributions, and she has received a host of other accolades,
among them the 2010 Public Service Award from Phoenix House of
Texas; she is a member of the Texas Women's Hall of Fame and the
Texas Business Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, The "grande dame of Dallas real estate" today
presides over the largest independently owned residential real
estate firm in the Lone Star State, which ranks as one of the
largest in the country, with 30 offices, two boutique firms under
its umbrella, and leasing, property management, mortgage, and
personal insurance businesses; as chair, Ms. Halliday continues to
put in regular hours at her office, where two assistants help her
manage her busy schedule; she credits her longevity to a simple
program: "I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't retire"; and
WHEREAS, Ebby Halliday blazed a trail for other women in the
real estate industry and the business world, and her enduring
commitment to her community is a source of inspiration to all who
are privileged to know of her; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Ebby Halliday on the joyous
occasion of her 100th birthday and extend to her sincere best wishes
for continued success and happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Halliday as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
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______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 753 was adopted by the House on March
17, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House