H.R. No. 971
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A full and productive life drew to a close with the
passing of Elinor Steinhagen Burrus on January 27, 2011, at the age
of 83; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Daniel and Ruth Steinhagen, the
former Elinor Steinhagen was born in Beaumont on March 23, 1927; she
graduated from Beaumont High School and attended Sullins College in
Virginia before graduating from The University of Texas at Austin;
while working for a Beaumont architectural firm, Goldman Roth, she
paid a visit to a friend and met his older brother, Eugene Anthony
Burrus, Jr.; she and Gene Burrus were joined in matrimony six months
later, and she often said that he could have proposed on their first
date, and she would have immediately accepted; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Burrus became the mother of two children,
Vivian and Gene, and later welcomed seven cherished grandchildren
into the family; she and her husband shared a rewarding marriage for
50 years until his passing; and
WHEREAS, For many decades, Mrs. Burrus resided at Crystal
Beach, and she dedicated herself to the conservation of the Texas
Gulf Coast; she was instrumental in the early development of the
Texas Coastal Management Program, and she compiled extensive data
and took photographs that are still used in coastal law classes; the
General Land Office honored her tireless efforts to fight coastal
erosion on the Bolivar Peninsula by naming her its first Volunteer
of the Year in 1997; in addition, the Garden Club of America
accorded her its Zone IX Conservation Award; she was a member of the
Nature Conservancy and the National Parks Conservation
Association; and
WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan also served her community as a
member of the Junior League of Beaumont, the Magnolia Garden Club,
and the Texas Historical Society, and she was a charter member of
Trinity United Methodist Church; fascinated by genealogy, she
carefully documented the history of both the Burrus and the
Steinhagen families, even contacting a courthouse in the former
East Germany and persuading them to accept a personal check in
exchange for the certified birth certificates of ancestors; and
WHEREAS, Feisty and independent, yet also kind and deeply
devoted to her family, Elinor Burrus distinguished herself through
her efforts to promote environmental stewardship, and she will
forever remain a source of inspiration to those who were privileged
to know her; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Elinor Steinhagen
Burrus and extend sincere condolences to the members of her family:
to her daughter, Vivian Burrus Todd, and her husband, Jerry; to her
son, Gene Burrus III, and his wife, Ruthie; to her grandchildren,
Ellie Burrus Livesay and her husband, Grant, Laura Todd Weaver and
her husband, Jamie, Tyrrell and Charles Burrus, and Daniel,
William, and Chad Todd; to her great-granddaughter, Claire Livesay;
to her brother-in-law, Felix Burrus; to her sister-in-law, Chloe
Steinhagen; 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 Elinor
Steinhagen Burrus.
Eiland
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 971 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 6, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House