H.R. No. 1682
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dr. Trudy Hanson retired from West Texas A&M
University on January 15, 2021, drawing to a close 31 years of
distinguished service to the university and more than 13 years as
head of its Department of Communication; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hanson, whose parents were teachers, carried on
the family tradition by pursuing a career in education; after
moving to the area with her husband, Mike, in 1978, she was hired at
WTAMU in the fall of 1989; she initially taught basic public
speaking and business and professional communication courses, and
she went on to teach more than a dozen subjects; and
WHEREAS, In 2007, Dr. Hanson was appointed to lead the newly
created Department of Communication; as head of the department, she
handled an array of responsibilities, which include assisting with
student orientations, writing assessment reports, managing the
budget, conducting faculty performance reviews, and overseeing the
department's accreditation process; in addition to these duties,
she was tasked with coordinating the annual Storytelling Festival
and serving as advisor to both the Panhandle Storytelling Guild and
the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Honor Society, and she has
further shared her insights as a member of the Academic Leadership
Council; over the course of this journey, she has experienced the
joy of seeing countless students learn and grow as aspiring
communication professionals; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hanson has been affiliated with a number of
academic associations, including the Southern States Communication
Association and the Texas Speech Communication Association, both of
which she has led; she was recognized by the SSCA with its T. Earle
Johnson-Edwin Paget Distinguished Service Award in 2012; moreover,
she received the Colson-Herndon Educator Award by the Tejas
Storytelling Association in 2011, and a scholarship fund is being
established in her name at WTAMU; she has published several
textbooks on public speaking, and she served as editor of the Texas
Speech Communication Journal from 2004 to 2007; and
WHEREAS, Through her leadership, expertise, and vision,
Dr. Trudy Hanson has greatly benefited the students and faculty of
WTAMU and built a solid foundation for the future of the Department
of Communication, and her contributions will be remembered with
tremendous gratitude for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Dr. Trudy Hanson on her retirement
from West Texas A&M University and extend to her sincere best wishes
as she begins the next exciting chapter of her life; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Dr. Hanson as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Price
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1682 was adopted by the House on May
29, 2021, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House