TITLE: Congratulating Ebby Halliday of Dallas on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

SUMMARY: Congratulating Ebby Halliday of Dallas on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, On March 9, 2011, Ebby Halliday is celebrating her 100th birthday with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, famed tenor Mario Frangoulis, and a distinguished group of donors to the Ebby Halliday Fund of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans; and WHEREAS, This iconic Dallas entrepreneur and philanthropist was named a Distinguished American by the Horatio Alger Association in 2005, and her birthday gala benefits the fund supporting college scholarships; Ms. Halliday began commemorating her centennial in February with a benefit that raised some $700,000 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, of which she is a national trustee; in the course of that splendid event, she greeted hundreds of prominent Texans and danced with Tony Orlando as he serenaded her with "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree"; and WHEREAS, Born Vera Lucille Koch in Arkansas on March 9, 1911, the daughter of Louis and Lucille Koch grew up on a farm in Kansas; she entered the sales field at the age of eight, riding her pony to sell Cloverine Salve to neighbors; after graduating from high school, she rode a bus to Kansas City and applied for a job at the largest department store; she became a star of the millinery department, and, at the suggestion of a fellow clerk, adopted the suitably effervescent name Ebby Halliday; and WHEREAS, Ms. Halliday won promotions to Omaha and then Dallas, where she headed the millinery department at the W. A. Green store; a wise stock investment allowed her to open her own popular boutique, Ebby's Hats; a good customer was married to a developer of insulated-cement homes, who wondered that since she could sell his wife "those crazy hats," could she sell maybe his "crazy houses" too; taking a visionary approach, Ms. Halliday brought in attractive furnishings to make the modest homes more appealing, an example of "staging" long before the term was coined; she sold all the properties and launched her own real estate company in 1945; and WHEREAS, Through the years, Ebby Halliday, REALTORS, expanded extensively, making "Ebby" a household name; guided by founding principles of service to the client, the industry, and the community, she served in countless leadership roles; she founded the Dallas Chapter of the Women's Council of the National Association of Realtors and served as its president before becoming president of the National Women's Council; moreover, she was the first female president of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce; numerous realtors advanced in the profession through her mentoring, and she developed the talents of many women who went on to start their own businesses; and WHEREAS, Naturally driven, Ms. Halliday learned the importance of balancing work and home life in 1958, when she was in Beaumont for a speaking engagement and met an attorney named Maurice Acers; the couple married on April 29, 1965, and enjoyed a rewarding relationship until his passing in 1993; Ms. Halliday shared with her husband the motto "Do something for someone every day," and she has lent her considerable energies to myriad charitable and civic endeavors; in 2008, she received the prestigious Linz Award from the Junior League of Dallas for her contributions, and she has received a host of other accolades, among them the 2010 Public Service Award from Phoenix House of Texas; she is a member of the Texas Women's Hall of Fame and the Texas Business Hall of Fame; and WHEREAS, The "grande dame of Dallas real estate" today presides over the largest independently owned residential real estate firm in the Lone Star State, which ranks as one of the largest in the country, with 30 offices, two boutique firms under its umbrella, and leasing, property management, mortgage, and personal insurance businesses; as chair, Ms. Halliday continues to put in regular hours at her office, where two assistants help her manage her busy schedule; she credits her longevity to a simple program: "I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't retire"; and WHEREAS, Ebby Halliday blazed a trail for other women in the real estate industry and the business world, and her enduring commitment to her community is a source of inspiration to all who are privileged to know of her; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Ebby Halliday on the joyous occasion of her 100th birthday and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Ms. Halliday as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Button Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 753 was adopted by the House on March 17, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House