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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Anita Blair has dedicated half a century to making a |
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positive difference in the Lone Star State and beyond, and she is |
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truly an inspiration to her fellow El Paso residents; and |
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WHEREAS, A native of Oklahoma City, Ms. Blair was born in 1916 |
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and moved with her family to the Sun City, her adopted hometown, in |
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1924; after graduating from Austin High School, she worked as a |
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secretary for the Works Progress Administration; and |
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WHEREAS, The course of Ms. Blair's life was forever changed |
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on January 26, 1936, when she was blinded in an automobile accident; |
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determined to regain her independence, she attended Seeing Eye, |
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Inc., in Morristown, New Jersey, where she was first introduced to |
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Fawn, a German shepherd that enabled her to sustain her mobility and |
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move forward with confidence and a renewed hope for a promising |
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future; and |
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WHEREAS, In the following years, Ms. Blair earned a |
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bachelor's degree from Texas College of Mines & Metallurgy and a |
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master's degree from Texas Woman's College; the first person in El |
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Paso to use a guide dog, she became widely known as an expert on the |
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subject, and assisted a number of states in establishing guide dog |
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schools; she also shared her story with traffic safety schools and |
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city government groups across the country; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Blair accomplished another remarkable feat in |
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1953 when she won election to the Texas Legislature; she |
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cosponsored a bill that allowed women to serve on Texas juries and |
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worked to improve the lives of disadvantaged individuals, the |
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educational system, and guide dog access in facilities throughout |
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the state; and |
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WHEREAS, Historians believe that Ms. Blair remains the only |
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totally blind woman in the United States to ever win election to a |
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legislative office; following her service in the Texas House, she |
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continued to advance the rights of the disenfranchised as an active |
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participant in local and national politics, and today she remains a |
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valued resource for the El Paso City Council, the County |
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Commissioners Board, and local school boards; and |
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WHEREAS, Anita Blair's life has not been defined by tragic |
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circumstance; rather, she has conquered every challenge she has |
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faced with unflinching optimism, steadfast courage, disciplined |
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determination, and the certain knowledge that her efforts could |
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provide a better future for others; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend Anita Blair for her decades of service |
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to her fellow Texans and extend to her sincere best wishes for the |
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future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Blair as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |
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Chavez |
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Moody |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1539 was adopted by the House on April |
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30, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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