TITLE: In memory of Lela Mae Hill Wicks of Dallas.

SUMMARY: In memory of Lela Mae Hill Wicks of Dallas.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, A life made rich through meaningful service drew to a close when Lela Mae Hill Wicks of Dallas passed away on April 1, 2013, at the age of 86; and WHEREAS, The daughter of Elijah and Earlie B. Hamilton, Lela Mae Hill was born on April 17, 1926, in Peno, Oklahoma, and moved with her family first to Garland and then to Dallas; she graduated from Lincoln High School in 1944 and enrolled in Phillips Business School, and later in the 1940s, she was employed in a clerical position in Washington, D.C.; returning to Texas, she earned a bachelor's degree from Bishop College, where she was a charter member of the Delta Omega Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and she later achieved a master's degree in education from North Texas State University; and WHEREAS, On June 12, 1954, she married Samuel Leon Wicks, and over the course of their 58 years together, their lives were further enriched by the addition of a daughter, Candace; Mr. and Mrs. Wicks shared a talent for writing and helped preserve local African American history by researching and contributing to the annual publication, Black Dallas Remembered;and WHEREAS, Mrs. Wicks was a longtime employee of the Dallas Independent School District; she was initially hired as a secretary at Frederick Douglass Elementary School and began teaching in 1957; during her 37 years of service, this esteemed educator taught many young Texans at Colonial, Erasmo Seguin, and John W. Carpenter Elementary Schools; and WHEREAS, Active in her community, she was a valued member of New Hope Baptist Church and held various leadership positions, serving as a Sunday school teacher, as a member of the deaconess council, and as chair of the Church Archives Committee; in addition, Mrs. Wicks volunteered her time and talents with the Showers of Blessings Ministry at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Center, the YWCA, Church Women United, the Bishop College Alumni Association, the Glenview Homeowners Association, and the Dallas chapter of Jack and Jill of America; moreover, she belonged to the Nine of Diamonds Bridge Club for 57 years and remained involved in her sorority through the Dallas Alumnae chapter; and WHEREAS, Lela Mae Wicks possessed a generosity of spirit that expressed itself in myriad ways, and countless lives were forever enriched by her warmth and kindness; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Lela Mae Hill Wicks and extend deepest sympathy to the members of her family: to her daughter, Candace Wicks; to her sister, Willie Sue Jefferson; to her brother, William Earl Hill, and his wife, Joyce; to her sister-in-law, Dorothy Johnson; to her godson, Daryl L. Jones; to her aunt, Dora Neal; and to her other relatives and many friends; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Lela Mae Hill Wicks. Rose Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1670 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 1, 2013. Chief Clerk of the House