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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of El Paso lost one of their most admired |
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community leaders with the death of Anita Blair on August 25, 2010, |
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at the age of 93; and |
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WHEREAS, A native of the Sun City, Ms. Blair was born on |
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September 8, 1916; the course of her life was forever changed |
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shortly after her graduation from Austin High School, when she was |
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blinded in an automobile accident; determined to regain her |
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independence, she became the first El Paso resident to receive a |
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Seeing Eye dog, a German shepherd that enabled her to sustain her |
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mobility and move forward with confidence and a renewed hope for a |
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promising future; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Blair earned a bachelor's degree from Texas |
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College of Mines & Metallurgy and accomplished a remarkable feat in |
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1953 when she became the first blind woman elected to any state |
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legislature; during her term in the Texas House of Representatives, |
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she championed safety legislation and the rights of the disabled, |
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serving on the committees of Education, Public Lands and Buildings, |
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School Districts, and State Hospitals and Special Schools; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to her service in the house, Ms. Blair |
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served as a member of Harry Truman's Presidential Safety Committee |
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and as a valued resource for the El Paso City Council and County |
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Commissioners Court; and |
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WHEREAS, Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of a |
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person's life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark on |
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the world as they move through it, and Anita Blair's contributions |
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to her community will long resonate in the lives of all who knew |
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her; now, therefore, 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 Anita Blair and |
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extend deepest sympathy to all those who mourn her passing; 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 her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Anita |
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Blair. |