| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 321 |
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| 2 | 2 | | In Memory |
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| 3 | 3 | | of |
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| 4 | 4 | | Pete T. Duarte |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, The city of El Paso lost an admired civic leader |
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| 6 | 6 | | and social justice advocate with the passing of Pete T. Duarte on |
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| 7 | 7 | | February 4, 2023, at the age of 84; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Born in Moorpark, California, on June 9, 1938, |
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| 9 | 9 | | Pete Duarte was the son of Eduardo Simon and Maria Jesus Duarte; |
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| 10 | 10 | | he labored in the fields alongside his parents and became the |
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| 11 | 11 | | first college graduate in his family, earning degrees from |
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| 12 | 12 | | California State College and The University of Texas at El Paso |
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| 13 | 13 | | and completing the Harvard University Hispanic Health Leadership |
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| 14 | 14 | | Program; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Duarte served with the Peace Corps in the |
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| 16 | 16 | | Dominican Republic and then became a health care organizer in El |
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| 17 | 17 | | Paso for the War on Poverty; recognizing the importance of a |
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| 18 | 18 | | holistic approach, he united other leaders in founding what |
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| 19 | 19 | | became the Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe clinic and served for 12 |
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| 20 | 20 | | years as its executive director; in the early 1990s, he became |
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| 21 | 21 | | CEO of Thomason General Hospital, later University Medical |
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| 22 | 22 | | Center of El Paso, which was twice named among America's Top 100 |
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| 23 | 23 | | Hospitals during his tenure as "chief servant," his preferred |
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| 24 | 24 | | title; he also led Project Upward Bound at UTEP, where he helped |
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| 25 | 25 | | establish Chicano Studies; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Over the years, Mr. Duarte garnered numerous |
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| 27 | 27 | | accolades, and the Pete Duarte Head Start center was named in his |
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| 28 | 28 | | honor; he returned the prestigious Golden Nugget alumni award to |
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| 29 | 29 | | UTEP in 2011 in solidarity with students protesting the |
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| 30 | 30 | | cancellation of the holiday honoring Cesar Chavez, a personal |
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| 31 | 31 | | hero and role model; the university quickly restored the |
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| 32 | 32 | | observance; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Deeply devoted to his family, Mr. Duarte was a |
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| 34 | 34 | | loving husband to Joy, and thereafter Irma, and proud father of |
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| 35 | 35 | | four children, Eduardo, Pedro, Marean, and Lilia; as the adoring |
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| 36 | 36 | | "Lito" of 13 grandchildren, he shared countless besos and ice |
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| 37 | 37 | | cream cones; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Pete Duarte made a lasting, positive difference |
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| 39 | 39 | | in El Paso through his vision and leadership, and those he left |
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| 40 | 40 | | behind will treasure their memories of his warmth, wit, and |
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| 41 | 41 | | passion for service; now, therefore, be it |
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| 42 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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| 43 | 43 | | Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life of Pete T. Duarte and |
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| 44 | 44 | | extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family and to all |
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| 45 | 45 | | who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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| 46 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
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| 47 | 47 | | prepared for his family; and that when the Texas Senate adjourns |
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| 48 | 48 | | this day, it do so in memory of Pete Duarte. |
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| 49 | 49 | | Blanco |
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| 50 | 50 | | ________________________________ |
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| 51 | 51 | | President of the Senate |
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| 52 | 52 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 53 | 53 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 54 | 54 | | the Senate on March 20, 2023, by a |
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| 55 | 55 | | rising vote. |
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| 56 | 56 | | ________________________________ |
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| 57 | 57 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 58 | 58 | | ________________________________ |
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| 59 | 59 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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