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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, Residents of Austin are mourning the loss of former |
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| 6 | 7 | | Travis County commissioner Richard A. Moya, who died on February |
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| 7 | 8 | | 16, 2017, at the age of 84; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born in Austin on August 14, 1932, Richard Moya was |
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| 9 | 10 | | the son of Pete and Bertha Moya; he grew up in the barrio on the |
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| 10 | 11 | | city's East Side, and he developed a strong sense of social justice |
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| 11 | 12 | | at an early age, when his mother stood her ground against |
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| 12 | 13 | | segregation in the school district to ensure he would attend his |
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| 13 | 14 | | neighborhood school, Metz Elementary; as a student at Austin High |
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| 14 | 15 | | School, he joined with friends to create an alternative newspaper |
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| 15 | 16 | | that covered his Mexican American classmates, and when the school |
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| 16 | 17 | | banned the Blah, Blah, and Blah, he distributed copies at the |
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| 17 | 18 | | drugstore across the street; later, he became national president of |
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| 18 | 19 | | the Junior LULAC, and he was a charter member of the Mexican |
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| 19 | 20 | | American Democrats of Texas and the State Tejano Democrats; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Moya worked in the printing business before |
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| 21 | 22 | | enlisting in the United States Army during the Korean War; |
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| 22 | 23 | | subsequently, he was hired as a chief investigator with Travis |
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| 23 | 24 | | County Legal Aid, where his bilingual skill and community contacts |
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| 24 | 25 | | made him a valued staff member; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, In 1971, Mr. Moya became Travis County's first |
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| 26 | 27 | | Hispanic elected official, following his election as county |
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| 27 | 28 | | commissioner; over the course of four terms in office, he |
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| 28 | 29 | | vigorously supported diversity in hiring and worked tirelessly to |
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| 29 | 30 | | improve social services; he played a key role in the establishment |
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| 30 | 31 | | of an abuse unit in the district attorney's office, in the |
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| 31 | 32 | | development of the StarFlight emergency services program, and in |
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| 32 | 33 | | the creation of a rural transportation program, among other |
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| 33 | 34 | | initiatives; although he sometimes confronted antagonism and |
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| 34 | 35 | | bigotry, he surmounted obstacles with his marvelous sense of humor; |
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| 35 | 36 | | he remained very accessible to the community throughout his career, |
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| 36 | 37 | | and the county eventually named Richard Moya Park in his honor; and |
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| 37 | 38 | | WHEREAS, After concluding his tenure, Mr. Moya served the |
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| 38 | 39 | | state as director of field operations for the agriculture |
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| 39 | 40 | | commissioner; he subsequently joined the administration of |
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| 40 | 41 | | Governor Ann Richards as a deputy chief of staff, a position that |
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| 41 | 42 | | entailed a wide range of responsibilities; moreover, he helped her |
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| 42 | 43 | | achieve her goal of diversifying state boards and commissions; and |
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| 43 | 44 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Moya's dedication to public service was exceeded |
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| 44 | 45 | | only by his devotion to his family; he shared a rewarding marriage |
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| 45 | 46 | | of almost 65 years with his wife, Gertrude "Gertie" Moya, and he was |
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| 46 | 47 | | the proud father of two children, Danny Moya and Lori Moya; in his |
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| 47 | 48 | | later years, he knew the joy of welcoming into his family three |
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| 48 | 49 | | grandchildren, Misty Moya Welch, Jeffrey Daniel Delgado, and Teresa |
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| 49 | 50 | | Denise Delgado, and four great-grandchildren, Nathan |
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| 50 | 51 | | Bailey-Delgado, Lucas Delgado, Jacob Moya, and Danika Moya; and |
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| 51 | 52 | | WHEREAS, A groundbreaking public servant, Richard Moya |
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| 52 | 53 | | effected positive change and mentored hundreds of community |
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| 53 | 54 | | leaders, and although he will be deeply missed, his contributions |
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| 54 | 55 | | will be remembered and admired for years to come; now, therefore, be |
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| 55 | 56 | | it |
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| 56 | 57 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 57 | 58 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Richard A. Moya and |
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| 58 | 59 | | extend sincere condolences to his loved ones; and, be it further |
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| 59 | 60 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 60 | 61 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 61 | 62 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Richard |
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| 62 | 63 | | Moya. |
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