87R23263 BPG-D
By: Herrero H.R. No. 982
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The 100th birthday of an esteemed Texan is truly
cause for celebration, and Maxine Edmondson Flournoy of Corpus
Christi marked this momentous milestone in her life on March 30,
2021; and
WHEREAS, Born in Wheaton, Missouri, in 1921, the former
Maxine Edmondson attended Joplin Junior College, which ran a
federal Civilian Pilot Training Act program that allotted 10
percent of its slots to women; after receiving her pilot's license,
she worked at a defense plant in the early days of World War II; she
was contacted by a recruiter for the Women Airforce Service Pilots
in 1943 and decided to volunteer; assigned to Hondo Army Air Field,
she trained cadets in Beechcraft C-45s, developing their navigation
skills before they went off to combat; she also flew test missions
and delivered aircraft across the country; and
WHEREAS, When the WASP program ended after the war, she
became a company pilot in Alice, where she met her future husband,
petroleum engineer Lucien Flournoy; the couple became the parents
of three daughters, Betty, Mary Anne, and Helen, and established an
oil drilling company; when her children were older, she
rediscovered her passion for aviation and flew a family-owned
Cessna 337 to WASP reunions across the country; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Flournoy served for two years as president of
the WASP association, the Order of Fifinella, and in 2010, she
traveled to Washington, D.C., with other members to accept the
country's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, in
recognition of their groundbreaking service; moreover, she served
on the Texas Historical Commission, and as a presidential appointee
to the board of World USO, she attended meetings in many countries;
the USO room at the Naval base in Ingleside is named in her honor, as
is the Third Coast Squadron Commemorative Air Force in Aransas
Pass; she and her husband donated to the squadron a hangar that also
serves as a military museum; they shared a rewarding relationship
of 56 years before Mr. Flournoy's death in 2003; today,
Mrs. Flournoy is the cherished matriarch of a fine family that has
grown to include 11 grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, An inspiring member of the Greatest Generation,
Maxine Flournoy has met life's challenges and opportunities with
bold determination, and she has earned the deep admiration of all
who are privileged to know her; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Maxine Edmondson Flournoy on her
100th birthday and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued
happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mrs. Flournoy as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.