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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, A life made rich through meaningful service drew to |
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a close with the passing of William Douglas Jefferson of San Antonio |
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on June 26, 2013, at the age of 81; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Chicago on January 30, 1932, Bill Jefferson |
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was the son of William and Johnnie Mae Jefferson; the hardships of |
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the Great Depression prompted the family to move to Milwaukee |
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during his childhood, and he later attended the University of |
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Wisconsin, where he was a member of the football team; he left |
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college to enlist in the United States Air Force during the Korean |
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War, beginning a military career that ultimately spanned more than |
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two decades; he was promoted to technical sergeant within four |
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years and went on to join the officer ranks; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Jefferson met his future wife, Joyce Virginia |
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Olivier, when he was a teenager, and he corresponded with her |
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regularly from postings around the world; in July 1954, he used his |
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leave to fly to Buffalo, New York, to see her, and they married two |
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weeks later; the couple became the proud parents of six children, |
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Roxanne, Darrell, Lamont, Celeste, Wallace, and Leah; and |
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WHEREAS, During his years in uniform, Mr. Jefferson was |
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stationed in England, Japan, and Guam as well as in Colorado, New |
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Mexico, Nebraska, Massachusetts, California, and Washington; while |
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excelling in his military duties, he found time to complete his |
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bachelor's degree at the University of Puget Sound in 1962 and to |
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earn his master's degree in political science from St. Mary's |
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University eight years later; he retired at the rank of major in |
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1972 and then became a certified life underwriter and chartered |
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financial planner for Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company; he |
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also taught political science as an adjunct professor at St. |
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Philip's College and San Antonio College; and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan advocated powerfully for the |
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responsibilities of citizenship in a letter published in Time |
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magazine in 1968, and he embraced those obligations wholeheartedly |
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throughout his life; he volunteered with the Salvation Army for |
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decades and served on the board of St. Peter-St. Joseph Children's |
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Home, and he was a longtime member of the Friends of the San Antonio |
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Public Library; a devout Catholic, he was a Eucharistic minister at |
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Freedom Chapel at Lackland Air Force Base for more than 40 years; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In his free time, Mr. Jefferson enjoyed pursuing |
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genealogical studies; he discovered that one of his ancestors, |
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Shedrick Willis, was enslaved to a state court judge in Waco in the |
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1800s, and he marveled at the irony that one of his own sons, |
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Wallace B. Jefferson, became chief justice of the Supreme Court of |
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Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Bill Jefferson brought joy to innumerable people |
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through his warm smile and gentle, caring ways; although he will be |
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deeply missed, those who were privileged to know him will continue |
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to find inspiration in their memories of his profound devotion to |
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his family, his faith, and his country; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas, |
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2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of William |
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Douglas Jefferson and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his |
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family: to his wife, Joyce Jefferson; to his children, Roxanne |
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Jones, Darrell Jefferson, Lamont Jefferson, Chief Justice Wallace |
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Jefferson, and Leah Chapa; to his grandchildren and |
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great-grandchildren; to his sister, Ollie Price; and to his other |
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relatives and many friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of |
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William Douglas Jefferson. |
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Larson |
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Price |
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| Straus |
M. Gonzalez of El Paso |
Oliveira |
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| Allen |
N. Gonzalez of El Paso |
Orr |
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| Anderson |
Gutierrez |
Patrick |
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| Aycock |
Harper-Brown |
Perry |
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| Bell |
Hernandez Luna |
Phillips |
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| Bonnen of Brazoria |
Hilderbran |
Pitts |
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| Bonnen of Galveston |
Howard |
Price |
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| Capriglione |
Keffer |
Rodriguez of Bexar |
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| Carter |
King of Hemphill |
Rodriguez of Travis |
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| Clardy |
King of Parker |
Rose |
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| Coleman |
King of Taylor |
Sanford |
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| Collier |
King of Zavala |
Schaefer |
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| Cortez |
Klick |
Sheffield of Bell |
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| Craddick |
Kolkhorst |
Sheffield of Coryell |
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| Crownover |
Kuempel |
Simpson |
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| Davis of Dallas |
Lavender |
Springer |
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| J. Davis of Harris |
Leach |
Stephenson |
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| S. Davis of Harris |
Lewis |
Stickland |
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| Dutton |
Lucio III |
Thompson of Brazoria |
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| Eiland |
Marquez |
Thompson of Harris |
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| Fallon |
Martinez Fischer |
Turner of Collin |
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| Farias |
McClendon |
Turner of Harris |
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| Farney |
Menendez |
Turner of Tarrant |
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| Fletcher |
Miller of Comal |
Villarreal |
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| Flynn |
Miller of Fort Bend |
Vo |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 7 was unanimously adopted by a rising |
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vote of the House on July 11, 2013. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 7 was unanimously adopted by a rising |
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vote of the Senate on July 19, 2013. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |
