TITLE: Honoring former first lady Nancy Reagan on the occasion of the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth.

SUMMARY: Honoring former first lady Nancy Reagan on the occasion of the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Admirers across the country and around the world are celebrating the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth on February 6, 2011, and this occasion presents an ideal opportunity to honor his wife, Nancy Reagan, for her remarkable contributions as a first lady, role model, and advocate for research on Alzheimer's disease; and WHEREAS, Born in New York City on July 6, 1921, the former Nancy Davis graduated from Smith College with a degree in drama and began her acting career on New York stages; Hollywood beckoned, and she appeared in 11 movies, including East Side, West Side and Shadow on the Wall;on March 4, 1952, she married Ronald Reagan, and they starred together in Hellcats of the Navy;they became the parents of two children, Patricia and Ronald, and Mrs. Reagan devoted herself to caring for her family and supporting her husband as one of his most trusted political advisors; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Reagan worked with numerous charitable groups during her husband's tenure as governor of California from 1967 to 1975; she spent countless hours visiting veterans, the elderly, and the disabled, and she gave even more generously of her time and talents as first lady of the United States; a tireless supporter of the Foster Grandparent Program, she also took up the issue of drug and alcohol abuse among young people and raised awareness through the "Just Say No" campaign, and she traveled extensively to speak about those causes; moreover, she supported the arts and young performers through the public television series In Performance at the White House;her efforts won the hearts of her fellow Americans, and she was consistently listed among the 10 most admired women in the world in Gallup Polls in the 1980s; and WHEREAS, After her husband left office, Mrs. Reagan established the Nancy Reagan Foundation to continue teaching youth about the dangers of substance abuse; former president Reagan announced in 1994 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and the next year, the couple joined with the Alzheimer's Association to found the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute to accelerate the progress of research on this disease; in addition to serving as a caregiver for her husband until his death, Mrs. Reagan has dedicated herself to advocacy; she has helped raise millions of dollars for research and increased the level of knowledge among the public, breaking down misconceptions; and WHEREAS, Nancy Reagan has inspired innumerable people through her philanthropic endeavors, and she has set a shining example of devotion, compassion, and courage to which others may aspire; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby commend Nancy Reagan for her exceptional contributions to the citizens of this nation on the occasion of the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth and extend to her sincere best wishes for the future. Beck Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr. Allen Gooden Murphy Alonzo Guillen Naishtat Alvarado Gutierrez Nash Anchia Hamilton Oliveira Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto Aycock Harless Parker Beck Harper-Brown Patrick Berman Hartnett Paxton Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena Bonnen Hilderbran Perry Branch Hochberg Phillips Brown Hopson Pickett Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts Burnam Howard of Travis Price Button Huberty Quintanilla Cain Hughes Raymond Callegari Hunter Reynolds Carter Isaac Riddle Castro Jackson Ritter Chisum Johnson Rodriguez Christian Keffer Schwertner Coleman King of Parker Scott Cook King of Taylor Sheets Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons Deshotel Lavender Strama Driver Legler Taylor of Collin Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston Dutton Lozano Thompson Eiland Lucio III Torres Eissler Lyne Truitt Elkins Madden Turner Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey Farrar Margo Villarreal Fletcher Marquez Vo Flynn Martinez Walle Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber Gallego McClendon White Garza Menendez Woolley Geren Miles Workman Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 269 was adopted by the House on February 3, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House