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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt at |
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| 6 | 7 | | the loss of Kelly Walters of Arlington, a remarkable young woman |
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| 7 | 8 | | whose life was tragically cut short on January 16, 2015, at the age |
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| 8 | 9 | | of 20; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Adopted from the Gladney Center when she was only |
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| 10 | 11 | | two weeks old, Kelly Walters was a lively, inquisitive, and |
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| 11 | 12 | | physically daring child from a very early age, whether it was |
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| 12 | 13 | | swinging from the monkey bars at day care, playing on the roof with |
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| 13 | 14 | | a friend, or riding a goat at a birthday party without the goat's |
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| 14 | 15 | | permission; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Ms. Walters first showed signs of a budding interest |
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| 16 | 17 | | in politics in the first grade; when she complained about some rules |
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| 17 | 18 | | at school, her mother explained to her that the rules were set by |
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| 18 | 19 | | the school board and the State Board of Education, and Ms. Walters |
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| 19 | 20 | | decided that she needed to become president of the United States, |
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| 20 | 21 | | even writing to President Bill Clinton and offering to take over the |
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| 21 | 22 | | job during the contested election of 2000; on another occasion, |
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| 22 | 23 | | after she was written up by her teacher for poking another student |
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| 23 | 24 | | with a pencil, the indomitable Ms. Walters wrote under the |
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| 24 | 25 | | teacher's comments, "needs more pencils"; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, At the age of seven, Ms. Walters watched the |
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| 26 | 27 | | coverage of the attack on New York on September 11, 2001, with her |
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| 27 | 28 | | mother, and after reading a book about a young girl in Afghanistan |
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| 28 | 29 | | who poses as a boy to feed her family, she was inspired to help women |
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| 29 | 30 | | and girls in the Arab world, a passion that continued into her |
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| 30 | 31 | | adulthood; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Ms. Walters began asking questions at the town hall |
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| 32 | 33 | | meetings of U.S. Representative Joe Barton when she was in her |
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| 33 | 34 | | teens, and when she was 17, he sponsored her as a page in the U.S. |
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| 34 | 35 | | Congress; close to home, she volunteered with the Tarrant County |
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| 35 | 36 | | Republican Party, was a leading member of the Arlington Republican |
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| 36 | 37 | | Club, and served as an election judge on several occasions; and |
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| 37 | 38 | | WHEREAS, After graduating from Lamar High School, |
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| 38 | 39 | | Ms. Walters enrolled in The University of Texas at Arlington, where |
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| 39 | 40 | | she was double-majoring in psychology and political science; she |
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| 40 | 41 | | was also studying Arabic, intending to follow through on her |
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| 41 | 42 | | youthful commitment to work for women's rights in the Arab world; at |
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| 42 | 43 | | the time of her death, she was planning to leave for an intensive |
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| 43 | 44 | | Arabic immersion program in Morocco; and |
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| 44 | 45 | | WHEREAS, Ms. Walters also showed her idealism and her concern |
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| 45 | 46 | | for others in her personal life on a daily basis, helping out |
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| 46 | 47 | | friends in need, taking an interest in individuals of all |
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| 47 | 48 | | backgrounds and beliefs, and earning the respect of people of all |
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| 48 | 49 | | ages with her intelligence, compassion, and maturity; and |
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| 49 | 50 | | WHEREAS, During her years on this earth, Kelly Walters |
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| 50 | 51 | | demonstrated a passion for life and a steadfast commitment to the |
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| 51 | 52 | | causes in which she believed, and her legacy will continue to |
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| 52 | 53 | | inspire all those who were privileged to know her; now, therefore, |
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| 53 | 54 | | be it |
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| 54 | 55 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 55 | 56 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Kelly Walters and |
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| 56 | 57 | | extend sincere condolences to her parents, Ginna Walters and Gary |
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| 57 | 58 | | Brizendine, and to her other relatives and many friends; and, be it |
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| 58 | 59 | | further |
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| 59 | 60 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 60 | 61 | | prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 61 | 62 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Kelly |
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| 62 | 63 | | Walters. |
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