H.R. No. 1147
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt at
the loss of Kelly Walters of Arlington, a remarkable young woman
whose life was tragically cut short on January 16, 2015, at the age
of 20; and
WHEREAS, Adopted from the Gladney Center when she was only
two weeks old, Kelly Walters was a lively, inquisitive, and
physically daring child from a very early age, whether it was
swinging from the monkey bars at day care, playing on the roof with
a friend, or riding a goat at a birthday party without the goat's
permission; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Walters first showed signs of a budding interest
in politics in the first grade; when she complained about some rules
at school, her mother explained to her that the rules were set by
the school board and the State Board of Education, and Ms. Walters
decided that she needed to become president of the United States,
even writing to President Bill Clinton and offering to take over the
job during the contested election of 2000; on another occasion,
after she was written up by her teacher for poking another student
with a pencil, the indomitable Ms. Walters wrote under the
teacher's comments, "needs more pencils"; and
WHEREAS, At the age of seven, Ms. Walters watched the
coverage of the attack on New York on September 11, 2001, with her
mother, and after reading a book about a young girl in Afghanistan
who poses as a boy to feed her family, she was inspired to help women
and girls in the Arab world, a passion that continued into her
adulthood; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Walters began asking questions at the town hall
meetings of U.S. Representative Joe Barton when she was in her
teens, and when she was 17, he sponsored her as a page in the U.S.
Congress; close to home, she volunteered with the Tarrant County
Republican Party, was a leading member of the Arlington Republican
Club, and served as an election judge on several occasions; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Lamar High School,
Ms. Walters enrolled in The University of Texas at Arlington, where
she was double-majoring in psychology and political science; she
was also studying Arabic, intending to follow through on her
youthful commitment to work for women's rights in the Arab world; at
the time of her death, she was planning to leave for an intensive
Arabic immersion program in Morocco; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Walters also showed her idealism and her concern
for others in her personal life on a daily basis, helping out
friends in need, taking an interest in individuals of all
backgrounds and beliefs, and earning the respect of people of all
ages with her intelligence, compassion, and maturity; and
WHEREAS, During her years on this earth, Kelly Walters
demonstrated a passion for life and a steadfast commitment to the
causes in which she believed, and her legacy will continue to
inspire all those who were privileged to know her; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Kelly Walters and
extend sincere condolences to her parents, Ginna Walters and Gary
Brizendine, and to her other relatives and many friends; 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 Kelly
Walters.
Krause
Tinderholt
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1147 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 19, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House