86R6255 BPG-D
By: Clardy H.R. No. 46
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Admired philanthropist Louise Herrington Ornelas of
Tyler passed away on December 18, 2018, at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, Born to Bill and Minnie Herrington in Las Cruces,
New Mexico, on June 15, 1925, the former Lou Herrington grew up on a
tenant farm in Arp as the second of seven children; she married
Martin Eugene Pettis and following his untimely death, she was
joined in matrimony to Robert M. "Bob" Rogers; they founded TCA
Cable TV in 1981, and as they were building their business, she took
on many responsibilities, even flagging traffic while her husband
climbed poles; after a divorce, she married Joseph Z. Ornelas in
1992; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Ornelas volunteered in Tyler hospitals as a
Pink Lady for three decades, and she was a longtime benefactor of
the nursing program at Baylor University; in 1999, she and
Mr. Ornelas gave a $13 million endowment to the School of Nursing,
which Baylor renamed in her honor; the couple later made the lead
gift for the purchase of a building in Dallas for use as the new
academic home of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing;
"Ms. Lou," as she was known, took particular delight in giving
scholarships to numerous students who could not otherwise afford to
pursue a career in the field, and she established both The Lou
Ornelas Endowment for the School of Nursing and The Louise
Herrington Endowed Scholarship Fund in Nursing; moreover, she was a
major donor for the Rogers Engineering and Computer Science
Building; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, Mrs. Ornelas also gave generously to
Tyler Junior College, providing resources for many scholarships, as
well as for women's athletic programs, the Rogers Student Center,
the Ornelas Health and Physical Education Center, and the Ornelas
Hall Complex; the Ornelases funded a number of facilities at The
University of Texas at Tyler, among them the Fine and Visual Arts
Complex and the Louise Herrington Patriot Center, and they endowed
a professorship and scholarships in nursing, engineering, fine
arts, and education; in addition, they were tremendous benefactors
of East Texas Baptist University, Christus Trinity Mother Frances
Health System, and Brook Hill School; Mrs. Ornelas served on the
boards of ETBU and TJC and on the UT-Tyler Development Board, and
she took on leadership roles in a host of civic and charitable
organizations, including the East Texas Symphony League and the
Salvation Army; a woman of strong faith, she was a member of Green
Acres Baptist Church for 55 years; and
WHEREAS, Baylor granted Mrs. Ornelas an honorary nursing
degree, and it conferred on her some of its highest honors, among
them the Founder's Medal, the James Huckins Medallion, and the
Herbert H. Reynolds Exemplary Service Award; she was presented with
honorary degrees from Tyler Junior College and East Texas Baptist
University as well, and her myriad accolades included the national
Horatio Alger Award; in 2001, she and her husband received the
T. B. Butler Award recognizing Tyler's most outstanding citizens,
and their contributions to higher education earned them the
prestigious 2012 Mirabeau B. Lamar Medal; and
WHEREAS, Through her altruism and tireless civic engagement,
Louise Herrington Ornelas touched the lives of innumerable people,
and although she will be deeply missed, those who were privileged to
know her will forever remember her warmth, kindness, and wonderful
sense of humor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Louise Herrington
Ornelas and extend sincere condolences to the members of her
family: to her husband of 26 years, Joseph Z. Ornelas; to her
daughters, Becky Wangner and her husband, Rob, Sheryl Palmer, Cindy
Scott, Rita Seldenrust and her husband, John, and Andrea Wegener
and her husband, Dave; to her sons, Rick Rogers and his wife, Mary
Jane, Randy Rogers and his wife, Brenda, and Russell Rogers and his
wife, Esther; to her 20 grandchildren: Michelle Drewett, Andrea
Lazenby, Richard, Ryan, Austin, Bethany, Rebecca, Reid, Russ, and
Robby Rogers, Connor, David, Jackson, and Molly Wangner, Rachel
Tillery, and Lauren, Elise, Andrew, and Rachel Seldenrust, and
Benjamin Wegener; to her 8 great-grandchildren: Brandon, Daniel,
and Beau Drewett, William and Spencer Lazenby, Chuck and Victoria
Grace Tillery, and Crew Wangner; to her sister, Ann Kimrey; to her
brother, Billy Creel Herrington and his wife, Peggy; and to her many
other relatives and friends.