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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Joseph W. Samuels, owner and publisher of the Jewish |
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Herald-Voice and a beloved figure in the Jewish community of |
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Houston, passed away on January 19, 2011, at the age of 95; and |
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WHEREAS, The eldest of three children, Joe Samuels was born |
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in Dallas on December 10, 1915, to Tillie Marion Wiener and Morris |
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Joseph Samuels; he lost his father when he was 13 years old and |
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spent the next five years with his siblings in the Jewish Children's |
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Home in New Orleans; and |
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WHEREAS, Settling in Houston at the age of 18, Mr. Samuels |
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worked at the post office, sold Remington typewriters, and produced |
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dramas for a local radio station, and he was later able to further |
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his education by taking classes at Rice University and the |
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University of Houston; he met the love of his life, Jeanne, at a |
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city bus stop, and the two were married in 1943; after enlisting in |
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the U.S. Army Air Corps, he served in Africa and Europe during World |
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War II, and then remained in the reserve until he retired with the |
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rank of lieutenant colonel; and |
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WHEREAS, On returning to Houston after the war, Mr. Samuels |
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opened a record and radio shop with his brother, and the two took |
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turns managing the business while completing their degrees; he and |
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his wife also began their family, and their son, Marc, was born in |
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1948, followed by two daughters, Maurene and Vicki; he helped found |
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the B'nai B'rith Downtown Lodge and published its newsletter, and he |
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later opened an insurance agency and a real estate office; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Samuels purchased the Jewish |
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Herald-Voice in 1973 and began a remarkable tenure as owners and |
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publishers that lasted for nearly four decades; under the direction |
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of the couple, the newspaper, which has been in print for more than |
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a century and is one of the oldest Jewish papers in the country, has |
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consistently championed the underdog and worked to fight injustice; |
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in addition, by overseeing the Jewish Herald-Voice, Mr. Samuels was |
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able to realize a dream held by his father, who had run a printing |
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business but had not lived long enough to begin a Jewish newspaper |
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of his own; and |
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WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan was a friend to synagogues and |
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organizations such as the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, |
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Jewish Family Service of Houston, Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care |
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Services, and Holocaust Museum Houston; he was also a strong |
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supporter of the nation of Israel, visiting there more than a dozen |
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times, and receiving the Defender of Jerusalem Award along with his |
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wife in 2002; moreover, he gave financial backing to the Jewish |
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Children's Regional Service and hosted reunions for others who had |
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lived in the New Orleans children's home where he spent part of his |
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youth; and |
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WHEREAS, Through industry and tireless advocacy, Joe Samuels |
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became a legendary figure in his community, and his efforts did much |
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to promote unity, shared values, and mutual assistance among the |
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Jewish citizens of Houston and the State of Texas; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Joseph W. Samuels |
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and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his |
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wife of 67 years, Jeanne Samuels; to his children, Marc Samuels and |
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his wife, Maylee, Maurene Bencal and her husband, Michael, and |
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Vicki Samuels Levy and her husband, Lawrence; to his grandchildren, |
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Wendy Waterman, Amy Duke and her husband, Jesse DeMartino, Michael |
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Duke and his wife, Naomi, Matthew Samuels and his wife, Kristy, |
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Daniel Waterman, David Duke and his wife, Lan, Benjamin Samuels, |
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Caroline Samuels, Sam Levy, Rebekah Levy, and Kimberly Bencal; to |
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his great-grandchildren, Alyssa Campbell, Isabel Duke, Cameron |
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Samuels, Joseph Duke, and Dylan Samuels; to his brother, Alvin "A. |
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Pat" Samuels; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be |
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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 adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joe |
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Samuels. |