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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, The community of The Woodlands lost an inspiring |
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| 6 | 7 | | spiritual leader with the death of the Reverend Donald R. Gebert on |
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| 7 | 8 | | March 15, 2021, at the age of 91; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Don Gebert was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, |
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| 9 | 10 | | on June 11, 1929; after graduating from the Wharton School of |
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| 10 | 11 | | Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he was called to the |
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| 11 | 12 | | ministry and entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary in |
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| 12 | 13 | | Philadelphia; he married the former Barbara Hermanns in 1951, and |
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| 13 | 14 | | the couple shared a loving union that spanned nearly 70 years; he |
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| 14 | 15 | | was the proud father of five children, Sue, Judy, Rick, Bob, and |
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| 15 | 16 | | Kathy, and later in life he was blessed with eight grandchildren and |
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| 16 | 17 | | five great-grandchildren; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1957, Reverend Gebert moved with his family to |
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| 18 | 19 | | the South American nation of Guyana, where he worked as a Lutheran |
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| 19 | 20 | | missionary until 1963; returning to Pennsylvania, he became senior |
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| 20 | 21 | | pastor at St. Matthews Lutheran Church; he was in the audience in |
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| 21 | 22 | | Washington, D.C., during Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" |
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| 22 | 23 | | speech, and he became active in the civil rights movement; with a |
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| 23 | 24 | | group of Black pastors, he helped found King's Way Community Church |
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| 24 | 25 | | in one of the poorest communities of Philadelphia, and he also |
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| 25 | 26 | | helped establish several charities and churches in eastern |
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| 26 | 27 | | Pennsylvania; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Reverend Gebert and his family moved to The |
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| 28 | 29 | | Woodlands in 1975, and he became the founder and executive director |
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| 29 | 30 | | of Interfaith of The Woodlands, playing a vital role in the growth |
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| 30 | 31 | | of the community during its early years; he also contributed to the |
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| 31 | 32 | | creation of The Woodlands Resident Directory, The Woodlands Child |
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| 32 | 33 | | Development Center, The Woodlands Villager, Montgomery County |
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| 33 | 34 | | Youth Services, and The Woodlands Hospital; and |
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| 34 | 35 | | WHEREAS, After retiring from Interfaith, Reverend Gebert |
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| 35 | 36 | | served as assistant to the Bishop of the ULCA Texas Lutheran Synod; |
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| 36 | 37 | | he came back to The Woodlands as associate pastor of Lord of Life |
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| 37 | 38 | | Lutheran Church, where he became pastor emeritus; he worked until |
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| 38 | 39 | | he was 90, serving as the chaplain at The Village in The Woodlands; |
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| 39 | 40 | | in 2018, The Woodlands Hometown Heroes honored him for his |
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| 40 | 41 | | contributions to the community with the prestigious Mitchell Award; |
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| 41 | 42 | | and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, Don Gebert lived a rich and purposeful life |
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| 43 | 44 | | dedicated to the service of others, and he leaves behind a legacy |
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| 44 | 45 | | that will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now, |
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| 45 | 46 | | therefore, be it |
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| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 47 | 48 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Reverend Donald |
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| 48 | 49 | | R. Gebert and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and |
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| 49 | 50 | | friends; and, be it further |
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| 50 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 51 | 52 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 52 | 53 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Donald R. |
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| 53 | 54 | | Gebert. |
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