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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, Matilde Zambrano, a valued employee of the historic |
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| 6 | 7 | | Wilson Plaza in Corpus Christi, has earned the appreciation and |
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| 7 | 8 | | esteem of many members of her community over the course of her long |
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| 8 | 9 | | career at a South Texas landmark; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Wilson Plaza had its origins in 1927 as the Nixon |
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| 10 | 11 | | Building, the first skyscraper to be erected in Corpus Christi; |
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| 11 | 12 | | that structure was expanded in 1935 with the addition of the "Cotton |
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| 12 | 13 | | Exchange" annex; in 1947, the complex was purchased by oil and real |
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| 13 | 14 | | estate financier Sam E. Wilson, and in 1951, he added a 17-story |
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| 14 | 15 | | office tower with a four-story luxury penthouse, where he lived |
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| 15 | 16 | | with his wife, Ada; until Mrs. Wilson died in 1977, the tower was |
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| 16 | 17 | | the center of Corpus Christi's social scene; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Matilde Zambrano is the daughter of Estanislao |
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| 18 | 19 | | Valdez and Martha Valdez Pinones; her sister, Geneva, was the first |
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| 19 | 20 | | member of the family to work at Wilson Plaza, and when Geneva moved |
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| 20 | 21 | | to California in the late 1950s, Mrs. Zambrano took over her job as |
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| 21 | 22 | | an elevator operator; "Tillie" Zambrano came to be known as "Lucky" |
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| 22 | 23 | | by the other operators, because Mrs. Wilson herself often asked her |
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| 23 | 24 | | to run the elevator for the penthouse meetings of the Ladies' Club |
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| 24 | 25 | | and then had her driven home by the Wilsons' chauffeur; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Mrs. Zambrano's other sister, Cruz Pantoja, joined |
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| 26 | 27 | | her as an elevator operator at Wilson Plaza in 1966, and apart from |
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| 27 | 28 | | a four-year period, they have worked together ever since; the |
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| 28 | 29 | | manually operated elevators were replaced with automatic models in |
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| 29 | 30 | | 1995, but the two sisters were held in such high regard by the |
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| 30 | 31 | | building's tenants and management that they were asked to stay on; |
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| 31 | 32 | | today, Mrs. Zambrano represents the plaza as an official greeter |
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| 32 | 33 | | and concierge; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Tillie Zambrano and her husband, Edward Zambrano, |
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| 34 | 35 | | shared a rewarding marriage that spanned 39 years, until his |
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| 35 | 36 | | passing in 2008; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, For some six decades, this dedicated, hardworking |
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| 37 | 38 | | woman has assisted the tenants of, and countless visitors to, |
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| 38 | 39 | | Wilson Plaza, and through her warmth and friendliness, she has |
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| 39 | 40 | | brightened the day of all whom she has greeted; now, therefore, be |
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| 40 | 41 | | it |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commend Matilde Zambrano |
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| 43 | 44 | | for her many years of service at Wilson Plaza and extend to her |
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| 44 | 45 | | sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 46 | 47 | | prepared for Mrs. Zambrano as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 47 | 48 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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