82S11215 MGR-D
By: Gooden H.R. No. 246
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Pauline Bond Baxter has been named the grand marshal
of the 2011 Fourth of July parade in Kaufman by the board of the Keep
Kaufman Beautiful organization; and
WHEREAS, A 1939 graduate of Kaufman High School who went on to
earn a degree from Baylor University in 1943, Mrs. Baxter came of
age as the tumultuous events of World War II began to unfold, and
she soon found herself playing an important role in the war effort;
and
WHEREAS, Beginning in 1941, the No. 1 British Flying Training
School was established at Terrell in order to train aspiring
military pilots from the United Kingdom so that they could assist in
their country's fight against Nazi Germany; Mrs. Baxter took a job
teaching the students how to operate the navigation equipment on
the Spitfire fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force, and her
efforts helped prepare many aviators for their duties in aerial
combat; and
WHEREAS, After the war, she was hired by Tom Braniff of
Braniff Airways in Dallas to train pilots for his airline; over the
decades, she has stayed in touch with her military students by
attending reunions for the British pilots held at the No. 1 British
Flying Training School Museum at the Terrell Municipal Airport; she
also married, and she and her husband, Turner, raised two children,
David and Paula; and
WHEREAS, The remarkable contributions of Pauline Baxter
helped one of our nation's closest allies at a crucial juncture in
world history, and her selection as grand marshal provides fitting
recognition of her patriotic actions while also focusing attention
on a fascinating yet little-known chapter in the history of the Lone
Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Pauline Bond
Baxter on being named grand marshal of the 2011 Fourth of July
parade in Kaufman and extend to her sincere best wishes for another
memorable day in a truly remarkable life; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mrs. Baxter as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.