85R13731 JGH-D
By: Alonzo H.R. No. 752
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Echota Cherokee of Texas benefit greatly from
the leadership of Chief Stuart Parsons Sr. and his fellow officers,
Vice Chief Wynnfred Batey and Secretary Andrew Parsons Jr.; and
WHEREAS, The Echota Cherokee are descended from survivors of
the infamous "Trail of Tears," the forced relocation of the
Cherokee from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern United
States to territories west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s;
today, about 60 people make up the Echota Cherokee of Texas, one of
several Echota groups in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Stuart Parsons Sr. played a leading role in the
establishment of the Echota Cherokee Clan in Texas; a member of the
Batey family through his mother, Evelyn Batey Parsons, he was
appointed as the clan's first chief by Chief Charlotte Hallmark of
the Echota Cherokee of Alabama in 2012, and he has been reelected by
the Texas clan's members in the years since; he has also represented
the Echota Cherokee of Alabama at the National Congress of American
Indians, and he is the owner of a commercial roofing business in
Waco; and
WHEREAS, Wynnfred Batey is also part of the Batey family
lineage, and he has served alongside Chief Parsons as vice chief
since 2012; Andrew Parsons Jr. is likewise a member of the Batey
family, and he has held the office of secretary since January 2017;
and
WHEREAS, Under the able guidance of these three dedicated
leaders, the Echota Cherokee of Texas honor their proud history and
their strong ties of kinship while looking forward to the
challenges and opportunities of the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commend Chief Stuart Parsons Sr., Vice Chief
Wynnfred Batey, and Secretary Andrew Parsons Jr. for their service
to the Echota Cherokee of Texas and extend to them sincere best
wishes for continued success in their work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Chief Parsons, Vice Chief Batey, and Secretary Parsons
as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of
Representatives.