SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 428
In Memory
of
Marie Flickinger
WHEREAS, Residents of southeast Houston lost a beloved
community activist and civic leader with the passing of Marie
Flickinger on November 11, 2024, at the age of 82; and
WHEREAS, Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on September 1,
1942, to Alexander and Mary Spence, the former Marie Spence grew
up with the companionship of two siblings, Morris and Alexis;
after graduating from high school, she exchanged wedding vows
with David Flickinger in 1962, and the pair went on to share in
the joy of raising two sons, Fred and David; her family later grew
to include three granddaughters, Kimberly, Courtney, and
Natalie, as well as seven great-grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson,
Penelope, Kelvin, Noah, Elliana, and Isabella; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Flickinger and her husband resided in
Minnesota before relocating to the Houston area, where they
eventually settled in the Sagemont subdivision; in addition to
being a homemaker, she found her way into the journalism field
when she was recruited by an editor for the Friendswood News;
after gaining experience reporting on issues in the South
Belt/Ellington community and Pasadena ISD, she joined a friend,
Bobby Griffin, in co-founding the South Belt-Ellington Leader,
and she served the weekly newspaper as publisher until her
passing; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, Mrs. Flickinger developed a
reputation as a tireless advocate for her community, earning the
moniker "the mayor of South Belt"; although she covered hundreds
of news stories throughout her career, she was perhaps best known
for a series of investigative articles that exposed the dumping
of toxic waste at the Brio Superfund site in the 1980s, and her
central role in uncovering the scale of contamination in its
neighboring subdivision led to her being tapped to serve as the
Environmental Protection Agency's community liaison for the
site; for many years, she was also integral in securing
infrastructure improvements to mitigate flooding, including the
construction of the South Belt Stormwater Detention Basin; and
WHEREAS, During the 1990s, Mrs. Flickinger had the
distinction of being the first woman to be elected to the San
Jacinto College Board of Trustees, where she served for nearly 30
years before recently retiring as its chair; among her many
achievements, she was a founding member and inaugural president
of the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce, and she oversaw
the introduction of an Early College High School program in
Pasadena ISD, for which the district named her its Distinguished
Citizen of the Year in 2015; moreover, she was known for
organizing community events such as the annual Fourth of July
parade and Christmas drive for the needy, and she demonstrated
her strong Catholic faith as a parishioner at St. Frances Cabrini
Catholic Church and later as one of the founding members of St.
Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Flickinger was inducted into the Hall of Honor
at Dobie High School in 2015 and received the M. Dale Ensign
Trustee Leadership Award from the Association of Community College
Trustees in 2013; she was also recognized by Governor Greg Abbott
with the Governor's Volunteer Award for her role in coordinating
emergency relief efforts during Hurricane Harvey; and
WHEREAS, Through her widespread civic contributions, Marie
Flickinger had a profound and positive impact on her community,
and those she leaves behind will continue to find inspiration in
their memories of this extraordinary woman; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life of Marie Flickinger
and extend deepest sympathy to the members of her family: to
her husband, David Flickinger; to her sons, Fred Flickinger and
his wife, Leslie, and David Flickinger and his wife, Ellie; to
her granddaughters, Kimberly Lipina and her husband, Matthew,
Courtney Durham, and Natalie Abarca and her husband, Jose; to
her great-grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson, and Penelope
Durham, Kelvin Lopez, Noah and Elliana Abarca, and Isabella
Delgado and her husband, Sebastian; to her siblings, Morris
Spence and Alexis Lochner; and to her other relatives and
friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
this day, it do so in memory of Marie Flickinger.
Middleton
Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
Bettencourt Hall Miles Bettencourt Hall Miles
Bettencourt Hall Miles
Birdwell Hancock Nichols Birdwell Hancock Nichols
Birdwell Hancock Nichols
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
Cook Huffman Perry Cook Huffman Perry
Cook Huffman Perry
Creighton Hughes Schwertner Creighton Hughes Schwertner
Creighton Hughes Schwertner
Eckhardt Johnson Sparks Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
Flores King West Flores King West
Flores King West
Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini
Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini
Patrick, President of the Senate
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on April 23, 2025, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate
Alvarado Hagenbuch Menéndez
Bettencourt Hall Miles
Birdwell Hancock Nichols
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Parker
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Paxton
Cook Huffman Perry
Creighton Hughes Schwertner
Eckhardt Johnson Sparks
Flores King West
Gutierrez Kolkhorst Zaffirini