| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 2360 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Port of Port Arthur commissioner Linda Turner Spears |
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| 6 | 6 | | has greatly benefited the citizens of Southeast Texas through her |
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| 7 | 7 | | exceptional record of civic engagement; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, A veteran educator and Port Arthur native, |
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| 9 | 9 | | Commissioner Spears is currently secretary/treasurer of the port; |
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| 10 | 10 | | for two years, she served as president, becoming the first Black |
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| 11 | 11 | | commissioner to hold that office; she is the founder of Camp |
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| 12 | 12 | | Seaport, an educational program designed to introduce high school |
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| 13 | 13 | | students to careers in the maritime industry; in 2010, the camp was |
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| 14 | 14 | | honored by the American Association of Port Authorities for its |
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| 15 | 15 | | success; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Commissioner Spears graduated from Thomas Jefferson |
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| 17 | 17 | | High School in 1971 and attended Lamar University; she began her |
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| 18 | 18 | | rewarding career in education as a teacher's aide in Germany before |
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| 19 | 19 | | returning to Texas; for 17 years, she worked for the Port Arthur |
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| 20 | 20 | | Independent School District as an instructional aide in the special |
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| 21 | 21 | | education department; she then went on to earn her bachelor's and |
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| 22 | 22 | | master's degrees as well as an associate of applied science degree; |
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| 23 | 23 | | though she retired in 2015, she returned to the classroom three |
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| 24 | 24 | | years later, and today she teaches 11th-grade students at Woodrow |
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| 25 | 25 | | Wilson Early College High School; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Dedicated to her community, Commissioner Spears is a |
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| 27 | 27 | | founding member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Support Group of |
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| 28 | 28 | | Southeast Texas; a certified family life minister and a member of |
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| 29 | 29 | | Greater Grace Temple Church of God in Christ, she serves as an |
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| 30 | 30 | | evangelist missionary with the Texas Gulf Coast Ecclesiastical |
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| 31 | 31 | | Jurisdiction; moreover, she was employed for seven years as the |
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| 32 | 32 | | district coordinator for former state representative Joe Deshotel; |
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| 33 | 33 | | she and her husband, Joseph Spears, shared a rewarding relationship |
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| 34 | 34 | | until his passing in 2022; she is the proud mother of four children, |
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| 35 | 35 | | and her treasured family also includes 11 grandchildren and 4 |
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| 36 | 36 | | great-grandchildren; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Linda Turner Spears has made a lasting, positive |
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| 38 | 38 | | difference in her community, and her outstanding accomplishments |
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| 39 | 39 | | have earned the admiration and appreciation of countless area |
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| 40 | 40 | | residents; now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 42 | 42 | | Legislature hereby honor Linda Turner Spears for her contributions |
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| 43 | 43 | | to Port Arthur and Southeast Texas and extend to her sincere best |
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| 44 | 44 | | wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 45 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 46 | 46 | | prepared for Commissioner Spears as an expression of high regard by |
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| 47 | 47 | | the Texas House of Representatives. |
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| 48 | 48 | | Manuel |
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| 49 | 49 | | ______________________________ |
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| 50 | 50 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 51 | 51 | | I certify that H.R. No. 2360 was adopted by the House on May |
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| 52 | 52 | | 29, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
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| 53 | 53 | | ______________________________ |
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| 54 | 54 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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