88R30610 BPG-D
By: Zwiener H.R. No. 2009
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Kate Johnson of Kyle has greatly benefited Hays
County through her tireless efforts to preserve its historic and
cultural heritage; and
WHEREAS, The former chair of the Hays County Historical
Commission, Ms. Johnson has played a key role in numerous
preservation projects, among them the restoration of the Kyle
Railroad Depot and Heritage Center and of the 1884 Hays County Jail
and the establishment of the Historic Hays County Courthouse Museum
in San Marcos; she was the driving force behind restoration of the
Kyle home of author Katherine Ann Porter as well, now the Katherine
Ann Porter Literacy Center, which hosts writing programs and houses
a full-time writer-in-residence from Texas State University; under
her leadership, the commission produced 10 documentaries on such
topics as the county's namesake, Jack C. Hays, and local life during
the World War II era; since 2008, the Hays County Historical
Commission has received a consecutive series of annual
Distinguished Service Awards; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Johnson has also worked with other
organizations on the preservation of many area homes and buildings,
including the Buda Stagecoach House, the Winters-Wimberley House,
Kyle City Hall, and the Isham Jones Good House; she has served on
the boards of the Historic Hays County Courthouse Museum and of
Preservation Texas, which she further supported in its initiative
to identify and protect at-risk historic sites; she purchased and
restored two important sections of the Buck Winn "History of
Ranching" mural and donated them to the Hays County Government
Center; she has been a generous patron of the arts and culture as
well, supporting the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, the
Burdine Johnson Theater at Hays High School, and the Burdine
Johnson Indoor Studio Theatre at the EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens
in Wimberley; moreover, she has made significant donations to local
libraries and schools; and
WHEREAS, The Hays County commissioners court presented
Ms. Johnson with the inaugural Kate Johnson Award for Volunteer of
the Year, and it named November 10, 2015, as Kate Johnson Day; she
has also received the Commissioner's Award and two John Ben
Shepperd County Historical Commission Leadership Awards from the
Texas Historical Commission; and
WHEREAS, Through her steadfast devotion to protecting the
heritage of her community, Kate Johnson has earned the respect and
admiration of innumerable people in Hays County and beyond; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Kate Johnson for her contributions to Hays
County; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Johnson as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.