SR116 - In memory of Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas.

        SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 116       In Memory   of   Eddie Bernice Johnson            WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to   honor and commemorate the life of Eddie Bernice Johnson, who died   on December 31, 2023, at the age of 89; and            WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson was born on December 3,   1934, in Waco; a graduate of A. J. Moore High School, she studied   nursing at Saint Mary's College and later went on to earn a   nursing degree from Texas Christian University and a master's   degree in public administration from Southern Methodist   University; and            WHEREAS, Upon moving to Dallas in the late 1950s, she   experienced the blatant racism and discrimination that helped to   inspire her commitment to activism and advocacy, and she went on   to lead an exceptional career of public service that helped to   transform the city and improved the lives of people across the   nation; and            WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her career as a chief   psychiatric nurse, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman   elected to represent Dallas County in the Texas House of   Representatives, where she earned a reputation as a champion for   women and children and was admired for her bipartisan and   no-nonsense approach to policymaking; and            WHEREAS, In 1977, she accepted an appointment to serve as a   regional director of the United States Department of Health,   Education, and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; after a   period of time with the federal government and in the private   sector, she returned to Texas, and in 1986, she became the first   Black person since Reconstruction to represent Dallas in the   Texas Senate; she brought her state service to a close in 1992,   when she was elected to the United States Congress; and            WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson led many committees and   subcommittees that effected progress in such areas as human   rights, STEM education, transportation, environmental policy,   and foreign relations; widely recognized as one of the most   effective legislators in Congress, she was responsible for   authoring and co-authoring more than 175 enacted bills; and            WHEREAS, Her distinguished career in public service   included 15 terms of leadership representing the 30th   Congressional District of Texas, and she continued serving her   Dallas community while tirelessly supporting human rights in   the United States and around the globe; an esteemed Democratic   leader and a woman of great courage and strength, Eddie Bernice   Johnson was a devoted mother to her son, Kirk Johnson, whom she   raised by loving example; she was a proud grandmother to her   three grandsons and to her great-grandchildren, who all   enriched her life immeasurably; and          WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson's extraordinary leadership   and dedication to public service will long be remembered by the   people of the Lone Star State and by citizens and leaders   throughout our great nation; her remarkable life and her   outstanding achievements are a source of inspiration to   countless people, and her enduring legacy is a shining example to   current and future generations; now, therefore, be it            RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th   Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Eddie Bernice   Johnson; and, be it further            RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for   her family and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in   memory of Eddie Bernice Johnson.     West       Alvarado Eckhardt Miles   Cook Gutierrez Paxton   Hinojosa of Hidalgo     Patrick, President of the Senate             ________________________________          President of the Senate               I hereby certify that the     above Resolution was adopted by     the Senate on February 18, 2025,     by a rising vote.             ________________________________          Secretary of the Senate             ________________________________           Member, Texas Senate