H.R. No. 190
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost an esteemed citizen with
the passing of Nelda McQuien Laney of Hale Center on August 24,
2016, at the age of 73; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Helen and John McQuien, the former
Nelda McQuien was born in Garza County on June 7, 1943; she
graduated from Plainview High School and went on to complete her
bachelor's degree in education with honors at Texas Tech
University, where she met her future husband, James E. "Pete"
Laney; the couple became the parents of four children, James,
KaLyn, Jamey, and J. Pete, and later welcomed into their family six
grandchildren, Austin, Grant, Gavin, and Holden Phillips and
Clayton and Kendall Laney; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Laney taught in Hale Center schools, and as her
husband pursued a career in public life, she became a splendid
campaigner; during his long tenure in the Texas House of
Representatives, including five terms as speaker, Mrs. Laney
provided invaluable assistance, and she led the effort to restore
the State Capitol and served as vice chair of the Texas Capitol
Restoration Celebration and as co-chair of the Capitol Fund Drive,
which raised private money for furnishings; in order to sustain
continuing preservation efforts and related educational programs,
she created a series of collectible Texas Capitol holiday
ornaments, which became enormously successful, generating more
than $8 million to date; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, Mrs. Laney implemented a commemorative
ornament series for Keep Texas Beautiful, and for a dozen years, she
handled everything from the selection of themes to marketing and
public relations; she was the most successful salesperson for the
program and attended the organization's annual conferences each
summer in order to promote the project; along the way, she designed
ornaments for more than a dozen other entities across the state,
among them Texas Tech; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Laney worked tirelessly in behalf of her alma
mater, serving as national president of the Texas Tech Alumni
Association and chairing the fund-raising committee for the $4.5
million McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center expansion; in addition, she
served on the boards of the Texas Book Festival, the Friends of
Libraries and Archives of Texas, the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children, and Greater Texas Community Partners, and
she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, the Omega Delphi Study Club,
the Caprock District Women's Club, and a host of other
organizations; and
WHEREAS, Widely admired for her vision and leadership,
Mrs. Laney won the affectionate nickname "the First Lady of West
Texas"; her work on the Capitol restoration earned a Star of Texas
Preservation Award and special recognition from the Texas Women's
Alliance; moreover, she was the recipient of the inaugural Woman of
Achievement Award from the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, and
she was selected as Woman of the Year in both Plainview and Hale
Center; in 2007, she and her husband received the Texas Tech Alumni
Association's Lauro F. Cavazos Award, and two years later, she was
named a Distinguished Alumna of the Texas Tech College of
Education; she was also inducted into the Future Homemakers of
America Texas Hall of Fame and was named a Lifetime Member of the
Girl Scouts; and
WHEREAS, While pursuing her many civic endeavors, Mrs. Laney
made time for her cherished family and many friends, and she was a
surrogate mother and grandmother to countless people; her warmth,
kindness, grace, and good humor brightened the days of everyone
around her; and
WHEREAS, Nelda Laney demonstrated her great love for Texas
and its people in myriad ways, and although she is deeply missed by
all who were privileged to share in her love and friendship, her
enormous contributions will continue to resonate for years to come;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Nelda McQuien
Laney and extend profound condolences to her 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 Nelda
Laney.
Pickett
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 190 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 6, 2017.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House