H.R. No. 1027
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Sisters Matilde Zambrano and Cruz Pantoja, valued
employees of the historic Wilson Plaza in Corpus Christi, have
earned the appreciation and esteem of many members of their
community over the course of their long careers at a South Texas
landmark; and
WHEREAS, Wilson Plaza had its origins in 1927 as the Nixon
Building, the first skyscraper to be erected in Corpus Christi;
that structure was expanded in 1935 with the addition of the "Cotton
Exchange" annex; in 1947, the complex was purchased by oil and real
estate financier Sam E. Wilson, and in 1951, he added a 17-story
office tower with a four-story luxury penthouse, where he lived
with his wife, Ada; until Mrs. Wilson died in 1977, the tower was
the center of Corpus Christi's social scene; and
WHEREAS, Matilde Zambrano and Cruz Pantoja are the daughters
of Estanislao Valdez and Martha Valdez Pinones; another sister,
Geneva, was the first member of the family to work at Wilson Plaza,
and when Geneva moved to California in the late 1950s,
Mrs. Zambrano took over her job as an elevator operator; "Tillie"
Zambrano came to be known as "Lucky" by the other operators, because
Mrs. Wilson herself often asked her to run the elevator for the
penthouse meetings of the Ladies' Club and then had her driven home
by the Wilsons' chauffeur; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Pantoja joined her sister as an elevator
operator at Wilson Plaza in 1966, and apart from a four-year period
when she was raising her two sons, Christopher and Juan, she has
worked there ever since; the manually operated elevators were
replaced with automatic models in 1995, but the two sisters were
held in such high regard by the building's tenants and management
that they were asked to stay on; today, Mrs. Zambrano and
Mrs. Pantoja each represent the plaza as an official greeter and
concierge; and
WHEREAS, Tillie Zambrano and her husband, Edward Zambrano,
were married for more than 20 years, until his passing, and Cruz
Pantoja is the wife of the late Juan Jose Pantoja; in addition to
her two sons, Mrs. Pantoja has been blessed with a grandson,
Joseph; and
WHEREAS, For some five and six decades, these two dedicated,
hardworking sisters have assisted the tenants of, and countless
visitors to, the Wilson Plaza, and through their warmth and
friendliness, they have brightened the day of all they have
greeted; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commend Matilde Zambrano and Cruz Pantoja for
their many years of service at the Wilson Plaza and extend to them
sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
for Mrs. Zambrano and Mrs. Pantoja as an expression of high regard
by the Texas House of Representatives.
Herrero
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1027 was adopted by the House on March
30, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House