H.R. No. 2919
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A 55th wedding anniversary marks a lifetime of
mutual devotion and shared experiences, and Peter DeWitt and Rita
Cook Anderson of Wimberley are marking this happy milestone on July
26, 2013; and
WHEREAS, The future husband and wife met as members of a
wedding party in San Marcos, where last-minute groomsman Pete
Anderson first saw bridesmaid Rita Jean Cook, who, he recalls, was
the prettiest girl he had ever seen; when the festivities
concluded, the young pilot was bound for San Antonio en route to a
15-month deployment at the U.S. Air Force station on Alaska's Fire
Island; Miss Cook was finishing up her studies at The University of
Texas and making the most of her remaining time in Austin with her
Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sisters and her many friends on campus;
during that time, however, Mr. Anderson was never far from her
mind, and the pair continued to see each other when their schedules
and geography permitted; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, Pete Anderson and Rita Cook were joined in
matrimony at First United Methodist Church in San Marcos, and that
special day closed with a memorable reception hosted by the bride's
parents, Dr. Vernon R. Cook and Idella Moore Cook; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson graduated with a degree in business
from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut; after completing her
bachelor's degree in education at UT, Mrs. Anderson went on to earn
a master's degree in education from Tulane University in New
Orleans, where Mr. Anderson was based early in his career with
Delta Airlines; and
WHEREAS, The couple raised their children, Allison,
Christopher, and Peter, in Hunter's Creek Village in the Memorial
area of Houston, where life was rich with good friends and special
neighbors as well as a full calendar of football and baseball games
and school and scouting activities; in the 1970s, when professional
ice hockey arrived in Houston and ushered in a number of youth
league offshoots, Mr. Anderson, a Canadian prep school graduate and
one of the few parents who knew the game and could skate, promptly
began coaching for his sons' teams; and
WHEREAS, In 1992, after Captain Anderson's retirement from
Delta, he and his wife built a hilltop home in Wimberley, and they
have since spent more than two decades there, joyfully celebrating
life with a close group of friends known as "the family" as well as
their own family, which has grown to include a daughter-in-law,
Leah O'Keefe Anderson, and two grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Carter
O'Keefe Anderson; Mrs. Anderson also reunites annually with the
"Bobby Soxers," best friends from her days as a cheerleader for the
Rattlers football team at San Marcos High School; the couple
further take delight in Austin's many cultural offerings and are
loyal season ticket holders to Longhorn football games; and
WHEREAS, Active in the Wimberley community, the Andersons
volunteer and support many organizations that benefit local youth
scholarships, water quality, historical restoration, the arts, and
other worthy programs; they have been members of St. Stephen's
Episcopal Church since its earliest days, and they were likewise
faithful congregants at St. Martin's Episcopal Church while in
Houston; and
WHEREAS, The couple have always counted travel among their
pastimes, both during Mr. Anderson's 35-year career and since, and
they have toured numerous countries and most of the United States;
summer backpacking and winter skiing trips to Colorado were family
highlights, as were hot summer days floating in chilly Cypress
Creek; another favorite destination, Paris, has always had special
family significance, as it is where Mr. Anderson's father, Samuel
Irvine Anderson, met his bride-to-be, Mildred Allison Anderson,
just after World War II; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, Pete and Rita Anderson have grown to
cherish each other's unique backgrounds; a New Englander whose
family history dates back to the Mayflower, Mr. Anderson hails from
the land of rep ties and blue blazers, while Mrs. Anderson is a bona
fide Daughter of the Republic of Texas with deep family roots in
Gonzales; nonetheless, Mrs. Anderson has sampled lobster dinners
at her husband's family home in Barnstable on Cape Cod, while
Mr. Anderson has learned to wear cowboy boots and drive cattle on
horseback, though he has yet to master the two-step; and
WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have enjoyed five and a half
decades of abiding love and affection for each other, and they are
among an exceptional group of men and women who can claim such a
lasting commitment; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Pete and Rita Anderson on their
55th wedding anniversary and extend to them sincere best wishes for
continued happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. and Mrs. Anderson as an expression of high regard
by the Texas House of Representatives.
Isaac
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2919 was adopted by the House on May
26, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House