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Mrs. 8. 8. Sapp, DIrector uukExecutlva Secretuy Touhsr Ret~remellt Syrtom ofTour fiustia, Teur

Dear Mrs. Sapp: Opinion Numbs; **O-3434** R;r: Pqrnoitt of l curnuMsd contributions ofmember of Tcacber ketlrrmsat System who **died** bsfors retbanent.

Wehave **received** your letter of recent data la which you ssk the oplalon of tbfs depsrtaasnt oa s question concsrnh~ ths proper person to whom the **accumulated** coatributlons of a **dscoucd** member of tbr Tcsehsr Rcttremsnt System should k psfd.

.,~ISubssctfon 6. Section S, of the **Tmukr** Retlremrat Act (Article 29221, Vs~aoa ’s Aaaot&sd Civil Statukr) coatdam tba following prorlsioal

Should l member **dk** before ntiromcn$ tbs unouut **of**his l ecumul&ed coatributloas standingto ths credit ofhis individual occouat slW1 be psid ss **provlded** br ths lsws of descent and distribution OfT~T.Mualess he hss **dlneted tkt**  sccouat to be pad othexriss.~
State; Cecil8 Mary Wattem iu a member oftha Tseclaer Rotlmment Systan. Vader the suthotit7 of ths l beve qootad **provisioa she**  **desipated as**  bsrrfieiary ‘Rwennd Mothsr Bonsventun Geaarsl.. 

### AfterSister Cecile’s death, butkfon the monsy could bs paid to **Rovsrend Mother**  BOBWOPtUT4, **the Reverend**  **Mother died.** 

Revsrend Mother Boasventure was Superior Gaaersl of the congzapsttoa ofthe SMerm of Charity of tbs htsrasts Word, l Chtholic nl!glous order which bss Its bssdquaztors la Ssa Antonio, Text. Reverend Mother Bonweature was her rellglow nuno. Her SUCC~~~O~

in office es Supertor General is Rennad Met&t L4wrkn.
YOU **with** to kaow wbetlwr tbs contrlbutioas should bs paid to **Reverend**
**k(Qthc?** LueAu or to the heirs OfReverend Mother Boasuattm, ss**sun&g** sbs died tatestate, undsr our st&utes of **descent and**  dirtribution. Tttle 46, Vsrnon

’s Annotated Civil St+teq Cptaioa No. o-2009.Mrs. B. 8. S~PP.P~V 2.

He cuauot glvs s **CatAgoric ulawor**  to your qwrttcm. In the first place, tbir department 5saot smpowrred to pasr upon questions of feet. Inths second place, we have ken unable to find my COWSdirsctly Inpofat. However, ia view of the **conelusloa** which w reach. a c~tsgo riclnswr 5s not aeessssry.

**we** beliuve that it **ts proper**  **to rmsort**  **to eats**  **involving** tbs constructlea of wills aad to draw aa saology between those ~ssss and the sltustion radar eons5dsrat5oa.

It 5swll sstabl5~hsd that 5funder s will Abensf5ciary 5saot designatsd with prseisioa, or 5fthe dssignstioa 5s underteh
or amb5guous,sxtr5nsle evidence or circumstances surrounding the testator may be relorted to ia order to 5dsat5fy the Icgstss **or** devissc. Lightfoot v. Poindoxtsr (U‘rit of **error** nfuocd), 199S.W. 1152; Lsdd v. Xhitledge (Writ of error refused), 205 S.W. 463; Methodist C:rphtige of Waco v. Buckads Orphms ’ Home ofDallas, at al. (Writ of**error** dismissed), 261 S.K. 203; 69 CJ. 152; 44 TexJur.792.

**we quota**  **the** followiag from the opiaioa of ths court 5a Ladd v. Whitlsdge, suprat

*It 5s **compstcnt** to l dm5t psrol evidence, as it 5s somet5mes, though not **vary** accurately 

### l

xprsesed, to explalo aw5ll (or et&r written kstrument) by showhg tbs sltut5oa of the testator ia his reX&ion to **perroam** and th5ags armad h5m. or, as it Is often **expxsrsed,** by **proof of** the surroamdiag drcumstmsss, la **order** that his will may be read in tha light of tbs eircxmstuues in rhleh hs WBS

placed at ths time of-Mae it. His 

### intent

must be 4scert4iasd trern thr me-- iag of the **words** ia tbs iastrxmeat, **and from**  **Thor** words ~Xoas; **but,** aa b **may** be supposed to have uesdlangublle WithNfO~aCetOths liht~tiollh which ha was placed to the et&e of his f&y, his **property,** sd other circamstuaes rekttag to hlmsslf iadividually, aad to his affsirs, the lbw admits eatrixwie lvfdence of there facts amj circumstances to l **nabk ths**  **court** to dlscover thr muniag attached **by** ths Ustatorr ts the wrdr used 5atbs w5il, aad to spply tbsm to the particuler fwtr of ths C&se. For this purpose, every materlrl fret thst will eaabls the **Court** to **idSaltily** tb. **p8?SOM O?**  thiSlg* **PMIL** tioasd Inthe tnstrsment la sdmissibbls, ia or&r to piece the court, whoss provia- it is to dstsrm5ae the mesalag of the **words, as** near **as** may be, in the situation of ths testrtor, when he used **them in**  **maltta~** his will...

Mrs. 8. B. **Sapp,**page 1.

la the ease of Crubb v ’

.Aadsrooa (lb’rlt of error dismiusd) 3g S.w.(2d) **647,** the court had befors it ths conotructioa
ofl wffl. The court, speaking through ths press& ChiefJustice of our Supreme Court, **used** tbe follow5ag laaguager

‘* l l The courts in dstermiaing the in4 nt ofthe tsstator w5ll look to ths language used ia the purported will, hio rituetion at the t5ms of the maNag thereof,
as well as his conduct with rsfersncs thereto thereafter *+

l .î

“+ l *It 5strus that par01 ttstknoay 5s not l dmissibls to ceatradict ths terms of
awill aor to show aa 5ntention evidencedby other ltigwge not used **thereia,** yet extrinsic l vidsacs 50admissibls to show ths situation ofths tertator ia relation to psrrons bnd thirys around htm **ia order**  Chathis wU1my ’ bs read ia the ltght of ths circumstmcss in which bs warnplaud at the time ofmaking it, The Xawadmits such testimony to enable the court to discovsr the msaaing attached ’ br ths brstator to tba **words used**  **la W**  **will,** and for this purpose everymaterial fact that w5Uenable tbo court to 5dest5fy the person or things mentioasd ia ths instrument is bdmissibls in order ts plus tbs court in tbs situatloa of the tss8or when bs used the **words in**  the **w5xLw**
And our Su rem8 Court Lathe came ofHarsell et al,, v. Frey et al., ll? S.W.(Ld 413, meds the followfag statement. 5
% order io l

scertaio tbs intention of ths tsstator exprsssed ha wU1, the lurgurge ustd therein may bs eonstrued b toraection 

## with the l urrouad5agfacts andeircnmstaaeer sx5rting at the time the will w88mub. lf necessuy, per04 bstimoay may be heard to gathsr tke trse Lotkatlonofthe tsstator 

## l spressed in gucb w5llt urd such 5ntsatioa, 5flsgrl, must **pn VbU:** 
See tiso Federal Land Bask ofHcuston v. Little (Com..App.) 107s.w.(Ld) 3741

Ellet v, MeCord (Writ oferror rsfussd), 41S.W. (2d) ~. 110.I.’

.

Mrs. 8. B. Sspp, psg8 4.

As w hsvs heretofore meatlonsd, the dsslg~t5on In question wss to ‘Revsrend Mother Bonsvtnturc Gsnerel.. Jiswrend Mother Bomronture was her r4ligiou8 nune. ‘Cknsral” obvlously referee to the off5cs of Superlor General. You wish to know **whether** it ws8 intsndsd by the **member** tbat ths coatrlbutlone were to ba pdd, Lotbs event ofher daub, to Reverend hiother Bonsvechue~er aa individurl or to ths psrson holding the office of Superior General. He bellsve th8t there is sufficiaat UMeTtainty, & vlsvc of the foregoing sutbor5tie8, to suthorlu the faacbar Retksmsat Bosrd to rerort to cxtrlnric l

vldsncs 5s order to ekrlfy the dssignst5oon.

SLtrr C4cUe ‘liao l nPuarb4rof ths congrsgatlon. Ml members ofths conpregatloa tshe Vow8bf poverty upon becoming mamkrs sad lre unable under the lrws of ths church to own ‘say **propsrty** ladlvidually. The **fact8** may #howthat Sister Cede as a **member** ofthe congregrtlon wss cognlraut ofthe church rules **at** the t5me ofthe design&ton. rod thus knew that lbc lhwrend tiother could **own no**  **property** lndlvlduslly. Tbls would ccrtslaly 5ndicsts
sa intention to **designate the**  offks or lucc4asor ia off5cs **rether** thsn the tndtvldusl e8 such. .

We 818 informed thrt the congre&stion is WiuLtg to provide sn lndsmaity sgrcement fully protcctlng tvcryona spslast l ll Dsbllity, You are respscffully edvlsed thst rbould t.k+Tescher Retirement **Soard** make such l determination 88 outlined ln ths **preceding** parsgrsph, you would bs l uthorisod to **pay** the eoatrlbution8 to Reverend Mother~Ls8crien, Superior Geusral of the. Congregstion of the Sister8 of Cb8rity of Incarnate Word. Such en **bdemaity** sgreement would protect ths Board from furthsr llsbfllty. Vsry ’truly yours,
A~TURNEYGENERALOFiEXAS



### a/ George W. Sparks BY G4orge iK.bpsrks **hSSi#tut** APPROVED AEG If,1942 o/ GROVER SELLERS FiRST ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENXXAL SWIstvmb APPROVED ePP;13N CGMMiTTEE BT ,i’

. **RWG,CXAXRMAN**