TITLE: In memory of Sherman Hemsley of El Paso.

SUMMARY: In memory of Sherman Hemsley of El Paso.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Friends, loved ones, and television fans across the nation will forever treasure their memories of actor Sherman Hemsley, who died in El Paso on July 24, 2012, at the age of 74; and WHEREAS, Born in Philadelphia on February 1, 1938, Sherman Alexander Hemsley studied as a teenager at the Philadelphia Academy of Dramatic Arts; he dropped out of high school to serve in the U.S. Air Force for four years, then returned to Philadelphia to work for the U.S. Post Office while continuing to study acting at night; and WHEREAS, Mr. Hemsley moved to New York to pursue an acting career, and as a member of the Negro Ensemble Company and the Urban Arts Company, he appeared in a number of productions, including The Lottery,Old Judge Mose Is Dead,and Step Lively Boys;in 1970, he made his Broadway debut as Gitlow in the musical Purlie;and WHEREAS, During a national tour of the show, Mr. Hemsley was approached by television producer Norman Lear to play a character on the groundbreaking situation comedy All in the Family;he joined the cast in 1973 as the blustering and pompous George Jefferson; this character and his wife, Louise, played by Isabel Sanford, were such a success that they became the stars of their own show, The Jeffersons,which ran for 11 seasons, earning Mr. Hemsley nominations for the Emmy and the Golden Globe; and WHEREAS, The Jeffersons went off the air in 1985, and Mr. Hemsley went on to play a scheming church deacon on the sitcom Amen,voice a triceratops on the live-action puppet series, Dinosaurs,and make guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,Sister, Sister,Family Guy,and Tyler Perry's House of Payne;as one of the most beloved fictional couples in TV history, he and Ms. Sanford reprised their signature roles in commercials for The Gap, Old Navy, and Denny's, and they toured together in the stage show The Real Live Jeffersons;he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2012; and WHEREAS, In later years, Mr. Hemsley, who was more reserved than the character who made him famous, enjoyed a quiet life in El Paso, where he made many friends and became active in local charities; after his death, befitting his service to his country, he was buried with military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery; and WHEREAS, A gifted and energetic performer on the stage and the screen, Sherman Hemsley was in private life a modest and deeply spiritual man who took great pleasure in music and the company of his friends, and he leaves behind a legacy of laughter that continues to delight countless fans; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and career of Sherman Hemsley and extend sincere condolences to his friends and loved ones; and, be it further RESOLVED, That when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sherman Hemsley. Pickett Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr Alonzo Gooden Otto Alvarado Guerra Paddie Anchia Guillen Parker Anderson Gutierrez Patrick Ashby Harless Perez Aycock Harper-Brown Perry Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips Bohac Herrero Pickett Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price Branch Huberty Raney Burkett Hughes Ratliff Burnam Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Callegari Johnson Riddle Canales Kacal Ritter Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis Clardy King of Parker Rose Coleman King of Taylor Sanford Collier King of Zavala Schaefer Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell Creighton Krause Simmons Crownover Kuempel Simpson Dale Larson Smith Darby Laubenberg Smithee Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland Deshotel Longoria Strama Dukes Lozano Taylor Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris Elkins Martinez Toth Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin Farias McClendon Turner of Harris Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant Farrar Miles Villalba Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morrison White Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman Giddings Murphy Wu Goldman Naishtat Zedler Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1983 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 17, 2013. Chief Clerk of the House