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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, Two remarkable sisters, Wilhelm Williams Moye of |
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| 6 | 7 | | Cedar Lake and Tena Williams Simien of Sweeny, have earned great |
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| 7 | 8 | | distinction through their combined eight decades as teachers in |
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| 8 | 9 | | Matagorda and Brazoria Counties; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Recognized as two of the oldest living former |
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| 10 | 11 | | teachers in the nation, Mrs. Moye and Mrs. Simien are the last |
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| 11 | 12 | | surviving members of a prominent family of educators, and they were |
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| 12 | 13 | | on the front lines of desegregation in the 1960s; their father, Joel |
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| 13 | 14 | | Williams Sr., was a graduate of the Tuskegee Institute, and he |
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| 14 | 15 | | served for nearly 50 years as principal, teacher, and bus driver for |
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| 15 | 16 | | the Van Vleck Independent School District; their siblings, the late |
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| 16 | 17 | | Joel Williams Jr., Girtha Woodard, Augustus Williams Sr., and Fay |
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| 17 | 18 | | Woodard, were all teachers as well; and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Born in 1922, Wilhelm Moye is a graduate of Prairie |
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| 19 | 20 | | View A&M University, and she began her career in the 1940s at |
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| 20 | 21 | | Sargent Colored School; she went on to teach typing, shorthand, |
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| 21 | 22 | | bookkeeping, and business math at O. H. Herman High School in the |
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| 22 | 23 | | Van Vleck ISD, and in 1965, she became the first African American |
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| 23 | 24 | | teacher at Van Vleck High School; she retired in the late 1980s; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Tena Simien, who was born in 1924, graduated from |
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| 25 | 26 | | Jarvis Christian College, and she began her career at Jerusalem |
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| 26 | 27 | | Community School in the 1940s; she later taught English at George |
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| 27 | 28 | | Washington Carver High School, where she was a supervisor, program |
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| 28 | 29 | | director, and sponsor of the drama club; in 1966, she was one of the |
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| 29 | 30 | | first six black teachers to be hired at Sweeny Junior High School in |
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| 30 | 31 | | the Sweeny ISD; she taught junior high school English until her |
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| 31 | 32 | | retirement in 1984; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Known affectionately as the Queen BEES (for Business |
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| 33 | 34 | | and English Education Sisters), Mrs. Moye and Mrs. Simien count |
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| 34 | 35 | | many community leaders among their former students, including a |
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| 35 | 36 | | school superintendent and a mayor, as well as school board members, |
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| 36 | 37 | | coaches, professional football players, city managers, city |
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| 37 | 38 | | council members, and bank executives; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, Leaders in their profession, Wilhelm Moye and Tena |
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| 39 | 40 | | Simien have made a positive difference in the lives of generations |
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| 40 | 41 | | of area Texans, and they have earned the admiration and affection of |
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| 41 | 42 | | all who are privileged to know them; now, therefore, be it |
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| 42 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 43 | 44 | | Legislature hereby commend Wilhelm Williams Moye and Tena Williams |
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| 44 | 45 | | Simien for their outstanding careers in education and extend to |
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| 45 | 46 | | them sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it |
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| 46 | 47 | | further |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared |
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| 48 | 49 | | for Mrs. Moye and Mrs. Simien as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 49 | 50 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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