TITLE: In memory of South Belt community leader Marie Flickinger.

SUMMARY: In memory of South Belt community leader Marie Flickinger.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Residents of southeast Houston lost a beloved community activist and civic leader with the passing of Marie Flickinger on November 11, 2024, at the age of 82; and WHEREAS, Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on September 1, 1942, to Alexander and Mary Spence, the former Marie Spence grew up with the companionship of two siblings, Morris and Alexis; after graduating from high school, she exchanged wedding vows with David Flickinger in 1962, and the pair went on to share in the joy of raising two sons, Fred and David; her family later grew to include three granddaughters, Kimberly, Courtney, and Natalie, as well as seven great-grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson, Penelope, Kelvin, Noah, Elliana, and Isabella; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Flickinger and her husband resided in Minnesota before relocating to the Houston area, where they eventually settled in the Sagemont subdivision; in addition to being a homemaker, she found her way into the journalism field when she was recruited by an editor for the Friendswood News;after gaining experience reporting on issues in the South Belt/Ellington community and Pasadena ISD, she joined a friend, Bobby Griffin, in co-founding the South Belt-Ellington Leader,and she served the weekly newspaper as publisher until her passing; and WHEREAS, Through the years, Mrs. Flickinger developed a reputation as a tireless advocate for her community, earning the moniker "the mayor of South Belt"; although she covered hundreds of news stories throughout her career, she was perhaps best known for a series of investigative articles that exposed the dumping of toxic waste at the Brio Superfund site in the 1980s, and her central role in uncovering the scale of contamination in its neighboring subdivision led to her being tapped to serve as the Environmental Protection Agency's community liaison for the site; for many years, she was also integral in securing infrastructure improvements to mitigate flooding, including the construction of the South Belt Stormwater Detention Basin; and WHEREAS, During the 1990s, Mrs. Flickinger had the distinction of being the first woman to be elected to the San Jacinto College Board of Trustees, where she served for nearly 30 years before recently retiring as its chair; among her many achievements, she was a founding member and inaugural president of the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce, and she oversaw the introduction of an Early College High School program in Pasadena ISD, for which the district named her its Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 2015; moreover, she was known for organizing community events such as the annual Fourth of July parade and Christmas drive for the needy, and she demonstrated her strong Catholic faith as a parishioner at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church and later as one of the founding members of St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Flickinger was inducted into the Hall of Honor at Dobie High School in 2015 and received the M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award from the Association of Community College Trustees in 2013; she was also recognized by Governor Greg Abbott with the Governor's Volunteer Award for her role in coordinating emergency relief efforts during Hurricane Harvey; and WHEREAS, Through her widespread civic contributions, Marie Flickinger had a profound and positive impact on her community, and those she leaves behind will continue to find inspiration in their memories of this extraordinary woman; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Marie Flickinger and extend deepest sympathy to the members of her family: to her husband, David Flickinger; to her sons, Fred Flickinger and his wife, Leslie, and David Flickinger and his wife, Ellie; to her granddaughters, Kimberly Lipina and her husband, Matthew, Courtney Durham, and Natalie Abarca and her husband, Jose; to her great-grandchildren, Abigail, Jackson, and Penelope Durham, Kelvin Lopez, Noah and Elliana Abarca, and Isabella Delgado and her husband, Sebastian; to her siblings, Morris Spence and Alexis Lochner; and to her other relatives and 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 Marie Flickinger. Paul Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 870 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 23, 2025. Chief Clerk of the House