85S10506 CJM-D
By: Herrero H.R. No. 137
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Cruz Pantoja, a valued employee of the historic
Wilson Plaza in Corpus Christi, has earned the appreciation and
esteem of many members of her community over the course of her long
career 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, Cruz Pantoja is the daughter of Estanislao Valdez
and Martha Valdez Pinones; her sister, Geneva, was the first member
of the family to work at Wilson Plaza, and when Geneva moved to
California in the late 1950s, their other sister, Matilde Zambrano,
took over her job as an elevator operator; 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. Pantoja represents the
plaza as an official greeter and concierge; and
WHEREAS, 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 more than five decades, this dedicated,
hardworking woman has assisted the tenants of, and countless
visitors to, Wilson Plaza, and through her warmth and friendliness,
she has brightened the day of all whom she has greeted; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commend Cruz Pantoja for
her many years of service at Wilson Plaza and extend to her sincere
best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mrs. Pantoja as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.