83R4215 LUC-D
By: Harper-Brown H.R. No. 209
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Kitty Tine Baker was honored at the second annual
Exemplary Women of Irving High Tea event on November 4, 2012, and
that occasion provided a welcome opportunity to acknowledge her
myriad contributions to the community; and
WHEREAS, Born in Suriname and raised in Brooklyn, New York,
Mrs. Baker worked for 18 years as an on-air host and producer at
radio stations in Vermont, New York, and Mississippi before
settling in Irving around 1970; after retiring, she began to devote
herself to volunteer work, and she has built an impressive record of
achievement in the years since; and
WHEREAS, Foremost among her initiatives is the Irving Senior
Arts Program, which Mrs. Baker founded in 1995; ISAP organizes
outings for senior citizens so that they can more easily enjoy
plays, concerts, and dance recitals throughout the Dallas-Fort
Worth area; as part of its mission, the program secures
approximately 3,500 mostly complimentary tickets to live
performances each year and arranges transportation to and from the
events for the program participants; now serving some 500 people,
ISAP also provides opportunities for its members to get involved in
projects and fund-raising activities that benefit various arts and
community groups; and
WHEREAS, Since 2002, Mrs. Baker has organized and hosted live
entertainment twice a month at the Country Lane Seniors Community
in McKinney, where she is affectionately known as "Ms. Kitty" to
the grateful residents; in 2012, she expanded the program to
include performances in Waxahachie; her other civic contributions
have included service as an ambassador for the Greater Irving--Las
Colinas Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the board for the
Entertainment Series of Irving; Mrs. Baker is also active in the
Irving Book Club and the Christian Women's Association; in all her
endeavors, she enjoys the love and support of her husband, Leo, to
whom she has been married for 35 years, and she takes pride in her
four children, eight grandchildren, and seven
great-great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Baker's outstanding efforts have been
recognized with numerous honors; nominated for the Governor's Award
for Volunteerism on three occasions, she was selected as first
runner-up in 2000; she received the Irving Parks and Recreation
Superstar Award in 1996 and the Irving Convention and Visitor's
Bureau High Spirited Citizen Award in 1998, and the Greater
Irving--Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce named her Volunteer of the
Year in 2009; moreover, her long list of official tributes includes
the Irving Woman of the Year accolade and membership in the Irving
Women's Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Kitty Baker has generously shared her time, energy,
and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of seniors and to support local
civic and charitable groups, and her accomplishments are greatly
appreciated by her fellow citizens; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Kitty Tine Baker on her selection
as one of the Exemplary Women of Irving and extend to her sincere
best wishes for continued success in her important work; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mrs. Baker as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.