| H.R. No. 2390 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Henrietta Eugene Roberts Stevenson of San Antonio is | ||
| being honored as a Diamond Member by the Alpha Tau Omega Chapter of | ||
| Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., on June 13, 2009; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A native of the Alamo City, Mrs. Stevenson was born | ||
| on July 24, 1915, the granddaughter of former slaves; her father | ||
| grew up on a plantation in Mississippi, and her mother, the former | ||
| Ira Aldridge Kirkpatrick, was the granddaughter of runaway slave | ||
| Madison Kirkpatrick; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Stevenson graduated from Douglas Senior High | ||
| School and received a $25 scholarship to Fisk University, and she | ||
| completed her freshman year at St. Philip's College in San Antonio; | ||
| she went on to earn her bachelor's and master's degrees from the | ||
| University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where she was initiated into | ||
| the Beta Eta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and served as its | ||
| president; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Following completion of her education, Mrs. | ||
| Stevenson accepted a position at Samuel Huston College in Austin | ||
| and became a charter member of the Beta Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha | ||
| Kappa Alpha; she went on to teach Spanish at St. Philip's College, | ||
| support the war effort as a clerk for the War Department Office of | ||
| Dependency Benefits, and become the first African American educator | ||
| in the Morristown, New Jersey, public school system; and | ||
| WHEREAS, She continued her affiliation with Alpha Kappa | ||
| Alpha, serving as president of the Beta Alpha Omega Chapter in | ||
| Newark, New Jersey from 1960 to 1962, and in 1971, she returned to | ||
| San Antonio and transferred to the Alpha Tau Omega Chapter; she | ||
| taught at Laura Steele Elementary before retiring in 1982; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Stevenson has also made generous contributions | ||
| to her community; an active member of the NAACP since 1952, she was | ||
| co-chair of the 1983 Freedom Fund Dinner and the Branch Voting | ||
| Rights Roundtable and a founding member of the Carver Community | ||
| Cultural Center Volunteers; she earned the 2008 Service Award from | ||
| Carver Volunteers, the 2007 African American Reflections Sojourner | ||
| Truth Advocacy Award, and the 1993 Top Ladies of Distinction | ||
| Volunteer Service Award for her selfless efforts; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Stevenson was also honored with a Service Award | ||
| from Huston-Tillotson College, a St. Philip's College Presidential | ||
| Award for Service on the Centennial Celebration Committee, and a | ||
| Curry Award from the United Negro College Fund; in addition, she is | ||
| a conservator of the Schomburg Society for the Preservation of | ||
| Black Culture, a 2002 Inductee into the San Antonio Women's Hall of | ||
| Fame, and a recipient of a Headliner Award in the category of | ||
| education from the Association for Women in Communications; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Henrietta Stevenson has inspired countless people | ||
| with her unwavering commitment to serving others, and she is indeed | ||
| deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby congratulate Henrietta Eugene Roberts Stevenson | ||
| on being recognized as a Diamond Member by the Alpha Tau Omega | ||
| Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and extend to her sincere best | ||
| wishes for the future; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Mrs. Stevenson as an expression of high regard by the | ||
| Texas House of Representatives. | ||
| McClendon | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 2390 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 28, 2009, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||