83S20120 BPG-D
By: Larson H.C.R. No. 7
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, A life made rich through meaningful service drew to
a close with the passing of William Douglas Jefferson of San Antonio
on June 26, 2013, at the age of 81; and
WHEREAS, Born in Chicago on January 30, 1932, Bill Jefferson
was the son of William and Johnnie Mae Jefferson; the hardships of
the Great Depression prompted the family to move to Milwaukee
during his childhood, and he later attended the University of
Wisconsin, where he was a member of the football team; he left
college to enlist in the United States Air Force during the Korean
War, beginning a military career that ultimately spanned more than
two decades; he was promoted to technical sergeant within four
years and went on to join the officer ranks; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jefferson met his future wife, Joyce Virginia
Olivier, when he was a teenager, and he corresponded with her
regularly from postings around the world; in July 1954, he used his
leave to fly to Buffalo, New York, to see her, and they married two
weeks later; the couple became the proud parents of six children,
Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace, and Leah; and
WHEREAS, During his years in uniform, Mr. Jefferson was
stationed in England, Japan, and Guam as well as in Colorado, New
Mexico, Nebraska, Massachusetts, California, and Washington; while
excelling in his military duties, he found time to complete his
bachelor's degree at the University of Puget Sound in 1962 and to
earn his master's degree in political science from St. Mary's
University eight years later; he retired at the rank of major in
1972 and then became a certified life underwriter and chartered
financial planner for Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company; he
also taught political science as an adjunct professor at St.
Philip's College and San Antonio College; and
WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan advocated powerfully for the
responsibilities of citizenship in a letter published in Time
magazine in 1968, and he embraced those obligations wholeheartedly
throughout his life; he volunteered with the Salvation Army for
decades and served on the board of St. Peter-St. Joseph Children's
Home, and he was a longtime member of the Friends of the San Antonio
Public Library; a devout Catholic, he was a Eucharistic minister at
Freedom Chapel at Lackland Air Force Base for more than 40 years;
and
WHEREAS, In his free time, Mr. Jefferson enjoyed pursuing
genealogical studies; he discovered that one of his ancestors,
Shedrick Willis, was enslaved to a state court judge in Waco in the
1800s, and he marveled at the irony that one of his own sons,
Wallace B. Jefferson, became chief justice of the Supreme Court of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, Bill Jefferson brought joy to innumerable people
through his warm smile and gentle, caring ways; although he will be
deeply missed, those who were privileged to know him will continue
to find inspiration in their memories of his profound devotion to
his family, his faith, and his country; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas,
2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of William
Douglas Jefferson and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his
family: to his wife, Joyce Jefferson; to his children, Roxanne
Jones, Darrell Jefferson, Lamont Jefferson, Chief Justice Wallace
Jefferson, and Leah Chapa; to his grandchildren and
great-grandchildren; to his sister, Ollie Price; and to his other
relatives and many friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of
William Douglas Jefferson.