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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Matilde Zambrano, a valued employee of the historic |
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Wilson Plaza in Corpus Christi, has earned the appreciation and |
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esteem of many members of her community over the course of her long |
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career at a South Texas landmark; and |
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WHEREAS, Wilson Plaza had its origins in 1927 as the Nixon |
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Building, the first skyscraper to be erected in Corpus Christi; |
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that structure was expanded in 1935 with the addition of the "Cotton |
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Exchange" annex; in 1947, the complex was purchased by oil and real |
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estate financier Sam E. Wilson, and in 1951, he added a 17-story |
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office tower with a four-story luxury penthouse, where he lived |
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with his wife, Ada; until Mrs. Wilson died in 1977, the tower was |
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the center of Corpus Christi's social scene; and |
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WHEREAS, Matilde Zambrano is the daughter of Estanislao |
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Valdez and Martha Valdez Pinones; her sister, Geneva, was the first |
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member of the family to work at Wilson Plaza, and when Geneva moved |
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to California in the late 1950s, Mrs. Zambrano took over her job as |
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an elevator operator; "Tillie" Zambrano came to be known as "Lucky" |
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by the other operators, because Mrs. Wilson herself often asked her |
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to run the elevator for the penthouse meetings of the Ladies' Club |
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and then had her driven home by the Wilsons' chauffeur; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Zambrano's other sister, Cruz Pantoja, joined |
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her as an elevator operator at Wilson Plaza in 1966, and apart from |
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a four-year period, they have worked together ever since; the |
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manually operated elevators were replaced with automatic models in |
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1995, but the two sisters were held in such high regard by the |
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building's tenants and management that they were asked to stay on; |
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today, Mrs. Zambrano represents the plaza as an official greeter |
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and concierge; and |
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WHEREAS, Tillie Zambrano and her husband, Edward Zambrano, |
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shared a rewarding marriage that spanned 39 years, until his |
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passing in 2008; and |
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WHEREAS, For some six decades, this dedicated, hardworking |
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woman has assisted the tenants of, and countless visitors to, |
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Wilson Plaza, and through her warmth and friendliness, she has |
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brightened the day of all whom she has greeted; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commend Matilde Zambrano |
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for her many years of service at Wilson Plaza and extend to her |
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sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mrs. Zambrano as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Herrero |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 136 was adopted by the House on August |
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15, 2017, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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