Texas HR 94: Congratulating Autumn Graf, valedictorian of the River Road High School Class of 2017.

Bill Text

89(R) HR 94 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

  

  

  
 H.R. No. 94

  

  

   

 R E S O L U T I O N

   

        WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever carry with them the 

  

 memory of Jose Maria Longoria Sr., a prominent Starr County 

  

 educator and public servant, who passed away on May 2, 1980, at the 

  

 age of 73; and

  

        WHEREAS, Born on June 20, 1906, and raised in La Grulla, Jose 

  

 Longoria was the son of Tristan and Guadalupe C. Longoria, who 

  

 instilled in him the importance of education from an early age; he 

  

 went on to be named the salutatorian at San Diego High School in 

  

 1925, and he subsequently graduated with honors from Texas A&I 

  

 University in 1933; he and both of his siblings, Guadalupe and 

  

 Roberto, attended college at a time when few minorities were 

  

 enrolled; and

  

        WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. Longoria enlisted in the 

  

 U.S. armed forces and became an army instructor in 1944; he had 

  

 previously taught Spanish at Texas A&I University, and upon 

  

 returning from military service, he resumed his career as an 

  

 educator in the San Isidro and Brownsville school districts; after 

  

 working as an editor for the Starr County Democrat for two years, he 

  

 took over as owner and manager of Valley Distributing Company, 

  

 operating the business from 1938 to 1974; along the way, he obtained 

  

 his law degree from La Salle Extension University; and

  

        WHEREAS, A fiscal conservative, Mr. Longoria served as a 

  

 county commissioner from 1949 to 1972; he also filled in as an 

  

 interim county judge and volunteered as a trustee for the La Grulla 

  

 and Rio Grande City school districts; although the 1950s were an 

  

 economically challenging decade for Starr County, Mr. Longoria's 

  

 efforts helped to fund two new elementary schools; and

  

        WHEREAS, Mr. Longoria was a charter member of LULAC as well 

  

 as a member of the International Platform Association and the 

  

 National Historical Society; he was the recipient of the Alpha Chi 

  

 Award Plaque, and he was posthumously honored with a Presidential 

  

 Memorial Certificate for his military service; and

  

        WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Longoria was blessed with 

  

 the love and support of his wife, Maria Saenz, and their six 

  

 children, Jose, Thelma, Isaac, Arturo, Romeo, and Roberto; in his 

  

 leisure hours, he found enjoyment in his favorite pastime, playing 

  

 the violin; and

  

        WHEREAS, The life of Jose Longoria was an inspiring example 

  

 of the good that one person can accomplish, and he will forever hold 

  

 a special place in the hearts of those he left behind; now, 

  

 therefore, be it

  

        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas 

  

 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and legacy of Jose Maria 

  

 Longoria Sr. and extend sincere condolences to his loved ones; and, 

  

 be it further

  

        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 

  

 prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of 

  

 Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Jose Maria 

   

 Longoria Sr.

  

   

 Guillen

   

   

 ______________________________

   

 Speaker of the House     

  

   

        I certify that H.R. No. 94 was unanimously adopted by a rising 

   

 vote of the House on March 13, 2025.

   

   

 ______________________________

   

 Chief Clerk of the House