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| 5 | 6 | | |
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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Our communities draw immeasurable strength from |
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| 8 | 9 | | individuals such as Frances Northcutt of Houston, who has |
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| 9 | 10 | | distinguished herself in the course of her exemplary career; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, A graduate of The University of Texas, "Poppy" |
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| 11 | 12 | | Northcutt joined TRW Systems, a NASA contractor, in 1965, and she |
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| 12 | 13 | | accepted an assignment to work as a computational aide at Johnson |
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| 13 | 14 | | Space Center; admired and respected for her skill, determination, |
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| 14 | 15 | | and professionalism, she eventually received a promotion to the |
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| 15 | 16 | | technical team and became the first woman to serve in an operational |
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| 16 | 17 | | support role at NASA's Mission Control Center; some of her most |
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| 17 | 18 | | notable career highlights include calculating the return-to-Earth |
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| 18 | 19 | | trajectories for the Apollo 8 mission and receiving the |
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| 19 | 20 | | Presidential Medal of Freedom as part of the team that rescued the |
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| 20 | 21 | | Apollo 13 astronauts; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Ms. Northcutt continued to work as an engineer while |
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| 22 | 23 | | studying law at the University of Houston, and she received her |
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| 23 | 24 | | juris doctor in 1981; over the years, she served as the first felony |
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| 24 | 25 | | prosecutor in the domestic violence unit at the Harris County |
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| 25 | 26 | | District Attorney's Office, and she clerked for a federal appellate |
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| 26 | 27 | | judge in Alabama; she also prosecuted and later defended numerous |
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| 27 | 28 | | criminal cases, and after entering private practice, she |
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| 28 | 29 | | specialized in criminal trial and appellate work; today, she is a |
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| 29 | 30 | | referral lawyer for Jane's Due Process, a nonprofit that provides |
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| 30 | 31 | | legal assistance to pregnant minors; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, A dedicated advocate for women's rights, |
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| 32 | 33 | | Ms. Northcutt serves as president of the Houston Area and Texas |
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| 33 | 34 | | State chapters of the National Organization for Women, and she is a |
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| 34 | 35 | | former member of the organization's national board of directors; in |
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| 35 | 36 | | addition, she was the founding chair of the Harris County Women's |
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| 36 | 37 | | Political Caucus, and she was named the first women's advocate for |
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| 37 | 38 | | the City of Houston; she has also served as a special conference |
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| 38 | 39 | | consultant for the National Women's Conference; along the way, she |
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| 39 | 40 | | has volunteered at polling locations, and she currently serves as |
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| 40 | 41 | | an election judge; and |
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| 41 | 42 | | WHEREAS, A renowned trailblazer for women in engineering, |
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| 42 | 43 | | Poppy Northcutt made history through her contributions to the |
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| 43 | 44 | | Apollo program, and she has benefited her fellow citizens through a |
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| 44 | 45 | | lifetime of purposeful endeavor that continues to inspire all those |
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| 45 | 46 | | who know her; now, therefore, be it |
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| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 47 | 48 | | Legislature hereby honor Frances "Poppy" Northcutt for her |
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| 48 | 49 | | professional and civic achievements and extend to her sincere best |
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| 49 | 50 | | wishes for continued success in all her endeavors; and, be it |
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| 50 | 51 | | further |
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| 51 | 52 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 52 | 53 | | prepared for Ms. Northcutt as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 53 | 54 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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