H.R. No. 49
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The city of Bullard lost a beloved physician and
civic leader with the death of Dr. Marjorie Roper on January 3,
2018, at the age of 96; and
WHEREAS, Marjorie Ferrell was born in Bullard on June 7,
1921, to Hattie and Oran Ferrell; she graduated at 15 from Bullard
High School as the 1937 class valedictorian, studied pre-med at
Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Austin, and won
early acceptance at the UT Medical Branch at Galveston, where she
was one of only three women in her class; she earned her medical
degree in 1943 and, following her residency, joined the pediatric
practice of Dr. Ben Andres and Dr. Hardy Cook in Longview; and
WHEREAS, In August 1944, Ms. Ferrell married Leonard Bauman
Roper; she was the proud mother of four children, Dan, Tom, Richard,
and Harriet, and later in life, she was blessed with 13
grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Roper returned to her hometown and opened her
own practice in the back of her father's pharmacy in 1947, and she
went on to work out of the same building for the next 59 years;
affectionately known as "Doctor Margie," she treated generations of
Bullard residents of all backgrounds, from veterans of the Civil
War to children born in the 21st century, sometimes accepting
payment in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables; from 1968 to
1987, she also worked part-time at Rusk State Hospital; after she
retired at the age of 85, she became the first director of Bullard
United Methodist Church's Christus House Clinic, which now bears
her name; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her medical practice, Dr. Roper was a
longtime supporter of the Bullard Mission House and the Bullard
Community Library, and she helped establish the Bullard Historical
Museum in her father's old building; her many accolades included
being named "Tomato Princess" during the Great Depression, winning
the Texas Baptist Mother of the Year award in 1963, and receiving
Tyler Junior College's Distinguished Graduate award in 1999; in
2014, a section of Highway 69 was renamed in her honor; and
WHEREAS, A true hometown hero, Marjorie Roper lived a rich
and purposeful life dedicated to her patients and to the town she
loved so well, and she leaves behind a legacy that will resonate in
the Bullard community for years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Dr. Marjorie Roper
and extend heartfelt sympathy to her relatives and many friends;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
Dr. Marjorie Roper.
Clardy
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 49 was unanimously adopted by a rising
vote of the House on March 6, 2019.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House