85R7530 BPG-D
 
  By: Pickett H.R. No. 190
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost an esteemed citizen with
  the passing of Nelda McQuien Laney of Hale Center on August 24,
  2016, at the age of 73; and
         WHEREAS, The daughter of Helen and John McQuien, the former
  Nelda McQuien was born in Garza County on June 7, 1943; she
  graduated from Plainview High School and went on to complete her
  bachelor's degree in education with honors at Texas Tech
  University, where she met her future husband, James E. "Pete"
  Laney; the couple became the parents of four children, James,
  KaLyn, Jamey, and J. Pete, and later welcomed into their family six
  grandchildren, Austin, Grant, Gavin, and Holden Phillips and
  Clayton and Kendall Laney; and
         WHEREAS, Mrs. Laney taught in Hale Center schools, and as her
  husband pursued a career in public life, she became a splendid
  campaigner; during his long tenure in the Texas House of
  Representatives, including five terms as speaker, Mrs. Laney
  provided invaluable assistance, and she led the effort to restore
  the State Capitol and served as vice chair of the Texas Capitol
  Restoration Celebration and as co-chair of the Capitol Fund Drive,
  which raised private money for furnishings; in order to sustain
  continuing preservation efforts and related educational programs,
  she created a series of collectible Texas Capitol holiday
  ornaments, which became enormously successful, generating more
  than $8 million to date; and
         WHEREAS, In 2004, Mrs. Laney implemented a commemorative
  ornament series for Keep Texas Beautiful, and for a dozen years, she
  handled everything from the selection of themes to marketing and
  public relations; she was the most successful salesperson for the
  program and attended the organization's annual conferences each
  summer in order to promote the project; along the way, she designed
  ornaments for more than a dozen other entities across the state,
  among them Texas Tech; and
         WHEREAS, Mrs. Laney worked tirelessly in behalf of her alma
  mater, serving as national president of the Texas Tech Alumni
  Association and chairing the fund-raising committee for the $4.5
  million McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center expansion; in addition, she
  served on the boards of the Texas Book Festival, the Friends of
  Libraries and Archives of Texas, the National Center for Missing
  and Exploited Children, and Greater Texas Community Partners, and
  she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, the Omega Delphi Study Club,
  the Caprock District Women's Club, and a host of other
  organizations; and
         WHEREAS, Widely admired for her vision and leadership,
  Mrs. Laney won the affectionate nickname "the First Lady of West
  Texas"; her work on the Capitol restoration earned a Star of Texas
  Preservation Award and special recognition from the Texas Women's
  Alliance; moreover, she was the recipient of the inaugural Woman of
  Achievement Award from the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, and
  she was selected as Woman of the Year in both Plainview and Hale
  Center; in 2007, she and her husband received the Texas Tech Alumni
  Association's Lauro F. Cavazos Award, and two years later, she was
  named a Distinguished Alumna of the Texas Tech College of
  Education; she was also inducted into the Future Homemakers of
  America Texas Hall of Fame and was named a Lifetime Member of the
  Girl Scouts; and
         WHEREAS, While pursuing her many civic endeavors, Mrs. Laney
  made time for her cherished family and many friends, and she was a
  surrogate mother and grandmother to countless people; her warmth,
  kindness, grace, and good humor brightened the days of everyone
  around her; and
         WHEREAS, Nelda Laney demonstrated her great love for Texas
  and its people in myriad ways, and although she is deeply missed by
  all who were privileged to share in her love and friendship, her
  enormous contributions will continue to resonate for years to come;
  now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
  Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Nelda McQuien
  Laney and extend profound condolences to her loved ones; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Nelda
  Laney.