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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, Cruz Pantoja, 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, Cruz Pantoja is the daughter of Estanislao Valdez |
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| 18 | 19 | | and Martha Valdez Pinones; her sister, Geneva, was the first member |
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| 19 | 20 | | of the family to work at Wilson Plaza, and when Geneva moved to |
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| 20 | 21 | | California in the late 1950s, their other sister, Matilde Zambrano, |
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| 21 | 22 | | took over her job as an elevator operator; and |
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| 22 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Mrs. Pantoja joined her sister as an elevator |
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| 23 | 24 | | operator at Wilson Plaza in 1966, and apart from a four-year period |
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| 24 | 25 | | when she was raising her two sons, Christopher and Juan, she has |
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| 25 | 26 | | worked there ever since; the manually operated elevators were |
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| 26 | 27 | | replaced with automatic models in 1995, but the two sisters were |
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| 27 | 28 | | held in such high regard by the building's tenants and management |
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| 28 | 29 | | that they were asked to stay on; today, Mrs. Pantoja represents the |
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| 29 | 30 | | plaza as an official greeter and concierge; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Cruz Pantoja is the wife of the late Juan Jose |
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| 31 | 32 | | Pantoja; in addition to her two sons, Mrs. Pantoja has been blessed |
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| 32 | 33 | | with a grandson, Joseph; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, For more than five decades, this dedicated, |
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| 34 | 35 | | hardworking woman has assisted the tenants of, and countless |
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| 35 | 36 | | visitors to, Wilson Plaza, and through her warmth and friendliness, |
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| 36 | 37 | | she has brightened the day of all whom she has greeted; now, |
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| 37 | 38 | | therefore, be it |
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| 38 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 39 | 40 | | Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commend Cruz Pantoja for |
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| 40 | 41 | | her many years of service at Wilson Plaza and extend to her sincere |
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| 41 | 42 | | best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 42 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 43 | 44 | | prepared for Mrs. Pantoja as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 44 | 45 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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