H.R. No. 2360
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Port of Port Arthur commissioner Linda Turner Spears
has greatly benefited the citizens of Southeast Texas through her
exceptional record of civic engagement; and
WHEREAS, A veteran educator and Port Arthur native,
Commissioner Spears is currently secretary/treasurer of the port;
for two years, she served as president, becoming the first Black
commissioner to hold that office; she is the founder of Camp
Seaport, an educational program designed to introduce high school
students to careers in the maritime industry; in 2010, the camp was
honored by the American Association of Port Authorities for its
success; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Spears graduated from Thomas Jefferson
High School in 1971 and attended Lamar University; she began her
rewarding career in education as a teacher's aide in Germany before
returning to Texas; for 17 years, she worked for the Port Arthur
Independent School District as an instructional aide in the special
education department; she then went on to earn her bachelor's and
master's degrees as well as an associate of applied science degree;
though she retired in 2015, she returned to the classroom three
years later, and today she teaches 11th-grade students at Woodrow
Wilson Early College High School; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated to her community, Commissioner Spears is a
founding member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Support Group of
Southeast Texas; a certified family life minister and a member of
Greater Grace Temple Church of God in Christ, she serves as an
evangelist missionary with the Texas Gulf Coast Ecclesiastical
Jurisdiction; moreover, she was employed for seven years as the
district coordinator for former state representative Joe Deshotel;
she and her husband, Joseph Spears, shared a rewarding relationship
until his passing in 2022; she is the proud mother of four children,
and her treasured family also includes 11 grandchildren and 4
great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Linda Turner Spears has made a lasting, positive
difference in her community, and her outstanding accomplishments
have earned the admiration and appreciation of countless area
residents; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Linda Turner Spears for her contributions
to Port Arthur and Southeast Texas and extend to her sincere best
wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Commissioner Spears as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives.
Manuel
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2360 was adopted by the House on May
29, 2023, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House