H.R. No. 760
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The citizens of Corpus Christi lost a beloved
educator and an admired jazz musician with the death of Edward
Galvan of Corpus Christi on February 15, 2011, at the age of 83; and
WHEREAS, Eddie Galvan was born on August 19, 1927, to Rafael
and Virginia Galvan; his father gave him violin lessons, but he
wanted to be a horn player and snuck a saxophone home from school to
teach himself to play; and
WHEREAS, While still a young man, he and his brother Bobby
opened the Galvan Music Company and the Galvan Ballroom in Corpus
Christi, where together with their brothers Sammy and Ralph they
performed during the height of the swing era as the Galvan Brothers,
often accompanying such music legends as Duke Ellington, Stan
Kenton, Tommy Dorsey, and Gene Krupa; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Corpus Christi High School in
1945, Mr. Galvan earned an associate's degree at Del Mar College; he
went on to earn a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in music
from Texas College of Arts and Industries in 1952 and 1953,
respectively; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Galvan began his career in education as a
teacher in Premont in 1953, and three years later, he joined the
Corpus Christi Independent School District; from 1973 until he
retired from the district in 1985, he was the district's
coordinator of music and director of human resources; and
WHEREAS, An inspiring teacher who was known to his devoted
students as "Mr. G.," Mr. Galvan led the Battlin' Bucs band of Roy
Miller High School to many University Interscholastic League
victories; under his baton, the Bucs also won outstanding band
honors at Six Flags Over Texas and the Houston Baptist Music
Festivals; they received the Victor's Trophy at the 1968 Cotton
Bowl, and the following year, Mr. Galvan was invited to be guest
conductor at the Cotton Bowl Pageant; and
WHEREAS, After retiring from Corpus Christi ISD in 1985, Mr.
Galvan continued to teach as an associate professor of music at
Corpus Christi State University until 1991, when he was appointed
dean of music at Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine
Arts in Laredo, a position he held for eight years; and
WHEREAS, The dynamic Mr. Galvan also found time to serve as
vice president of the Band Division of the Texas Music Educators
Association and as president of the Texas Bandmasters Association;
from 1973 through 1994, he was a Port of Corpus Christi
commissioner; and
WHEREAS, For more than four decades, Mr. Galvan performed as
the front man of the Eddie Galvan Orchestra, delighting audiences
throughout South Texas; he cofounded the Texas Jazz Festival, where
he was a headliner for many years, and in 2004, he and his brother
Bobby were inducted into the South Texas Music Walk of Fame; the
band hall at Roy Miller High School was renamed in his honor, and in
2008, he was inducted into the South Texas Region XIV Band Directors
Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, A gifted jazz musician and a dedicated teacher,
Eddie Galvan leaves behind a legacy that will long resonate in the
lives of his many friends and admirers throughout the state; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Edward Galvan and
extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Nancy Galvan; to his children, Mary Grace Carroll and her
husband, Vernon, and Edward Overton Galvan, and their mother,
Catherine Marion Menger; to his grandchildren, Kathryn Bridget and
Patrick Edward; to his stepchildren, Jeffery Mark Brewer, his wife,
Joanna, and their son, Joseph, John Gordon Brewer, his wife,
Marcie, and their children, Kevin, Justin, Darby, Evan, and
Georgia, and Tava Marie Foret, her husband, David, and their sons,
Clinton, Trystan, and David; to his sisters, Patty Prezas and Mamie
Oliveira; to his brothers, Ralph Galvan, Jr., and his wife, Jeanne,
and Bobby Galvan and his wife, Alicia; and to his other relatives
and 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 Eddie
Galvan.
Hunter
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 760 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 17, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House