83R11011 MGR-D
By: Hunter H.R. No. 785
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of the Coastal Bend area lost an admired
civic leader with the death of Mary Frances Diedrick Haas of Corpus
Christi on February 1, 2013, at the age of 98; and
WHEREAS, Born in New Jersey on July 22, 1914, the former Mary
Frances Diedrick was the daughter of Philip and Josephine Diedrick;
she left home at the age of 14 to attend Trenton State Teachers'
College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in English and
history and her teaching certification; she taught special
education classes for a time, and she also sold encyclopedias
door-to-door and worked at Macy's book department; and
WHEREAS, She met Paul Haas at a church social, and they were
married in 1936; the following year, the couple moved to Houston,
and in 1941, when Mr. Haas was hired by an oil and gas company, they
relocated to Corpus Christi, where Mrs. Haas became deeply engaged
in community life; she helped to create what is now Texas A&M
University--Corpus Christi, serving on the original board that
worked to establish an institution of higher education in the city
and later as the president of the board of directors for the
school's foundation for development and expansion; she was
appointed by Governors Bill Clements and Mark White to the
University System of South Texas Board of Trustees, becoming the
first female member of that body and later its president, and she
played an instrumental role in the negotiations that resulted in
the three state universities in Corpus Christi, Kingsville, and
Laredo joining the Texas A&M system; she also served on the
TAMU--Corpus Christi president's council and assisted in the
creation of the school's Early Childhood Education Center; she
received an honorary doctorate from the school in 1995; and
WHEREAS, She and her husband established the Paul and Mary
Haas Foundation in 1954, and Mrs. Haas guided the foundation in its
mission of philanthropy for half a century; the organization
awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to over 1,000
deserving students and donated some $15 million to worthy
organizations in the area; in addition, the Haas Foundation
established endowed chairs in English and history at TAMU--Corpus
Christi and a chair in genetics and an endowment for urologic cancer
research at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; a lifelong supporter
of education, Mrs. Haas annually selected a book to be presented to
each member of the graduating class at the Paul R. Haas Middle
School; and
WHEREAS, For three decades, Mrs. Haas served as a "Pink Lady"
at Spohn Hospital, and she was recognized for her efforts at the
hospital with an award for volunteerism; she also chaired the
citizens' board of directors of Martineau Juvenile Hall and was a
member and officer of the Coastal Bend Youth City School; a lover of
music and theater, she served on the board of directors of the local
symphony and a municipal arts commission, and she served as
secretary of the Patrons of De Pineda and as president of the La
Retama study club; in addition, she was a member of the local
library and YWCA boards as well as a founding member and trustee of
the Parkway Presbyterian Church; and
WHEREAS, In her leisure, Mrs. Haas enjoyed knitting and doing
needlepoint, and she sewed blankets for premature babies born at
Driscoll Children's Hospital; she also liked to golf and to go
dancing with her husband, with whom she shared 72 years, before his
passing in 2008; moreover, Mrs. Haas was a devoted mother, and she
took great pride in her children and their spouses, Rheta and Robert
Page, Raymond and Amanda Haas, and Rene Haas and David Perry, as
well as in her 10 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Although this remarkable and accomplished woman
will be deeply missed, she leaves behind an extraordinary legacy
that will continue to resonate in South Texas and beyond for years
to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Mary Frances
Diedrick Haas and extend sincere sympathy to her friends and loved
ones; 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 Mary
Frances Diedrick Haas.