Bill Text: TX HR107 | 2023 | 88th Legislature 4th Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Ralph Hockley of Dallas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-12-05 - Reported enrolled [HR107 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR107-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 107 |
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WHEREAS, U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Ralph Hockley of Dallas, a | ||
Holocaust survivor who distinguished himself through his exemplary | ||
service to his fellow citizens, passed away on November 8, 2023, at | ||
the age of 98; and | ||
WHEREAS, Born as Rudolph Martin Hockenheimer on October 17, | ||
1925, Ralph Hockley grew up in a Jewish household in Karlsruhe, | ||
Germany; after Adolf Hitler rose to power, he and his family sought | ||
refuge in Marseille, France, only to once again find themselves | ||
under threat when the Nazis invaded France in May 1940; Mr. Hockley | ||
was targeted for being a German immigrant and ultimately expelled | ||
from school, while his father was arrested and held in various | ||
internment camps; and | ||
WHEREAS, Unable to return to school, Mr. Hockley used his | ||
German, English, and French language skills to become an | ||
interpreter for the American Friends Service Committee, a | ||
Quaker-run organization that helped refugees to escape Nazi Germany | ||
and occupied France; Mr. Hockley went on to use his connections to | ||
the Quakers and the U.S. Consulate to secure visas for himself and | ||
his family; after a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the | ||
Hockleys arrived in New York on June 30, 1941; and | ||
WHEREAS, On the day he turned 18 years old, Mr. Hockley | ||
enlisted in the U.S. Army, and he was eventually deployed to Europe | ||
for assignments in port security and counterintelligence; in May | ||
1946, he concluded his active duty service at the rank of sergeant | ||
and remained in the army reserve; he subsequently earned a | ||
bachelor's degree in Soviet studies from Syracuse University before | ||
returning to active duty during the Korean War; he served in seven | ||
campaigns in Korea, including as a forward observer for French | ||
United Nations forces during the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge; in | ||
recognition of his valorous actions in that war, he earned a Bronze | ||
Star Medal with a "V" device, and he continued his career in | ||
U.S. intelligence in West Germany until 1981; he accepted the | ||
Legion of Honour, France's top civilian honor, in 2021; and | ||
WHEREAS, From an early age, Mr. Hockley actively sought out | ||
service opportunities in a number of organizations, including the | ||
Free French youth association and the United Nations Appeal for | ||
Children; for more than 70 years, he was a member of the Reserve | ||
Officers Association of the United States, in which he held various | ||
offices; he further served as president of the San Francisco branch | ||
of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and as a | ||
chapter president of the Korean War Veterans Association; in 2000, | ||
he published a book about his military career and his experience | ||
living in Nazi Germany, Freedom Is Not Free; he resided in the | ||
Dallas area for a decade before his passing, and he had recently | ||
begun sharing his story with visitors to the Dallas Holocaust and | ||
Human Rights Museum and with other adult and student groups; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Hockley met his first wife, fellow Holocaust | ||
survivor Eva Frankel, in Oakland, California, and the couple shared | ||
in the joy of raising two children, Clifford and Denise; after her | ||
death in 1983, he was fortunate to find love a second time with the | ||
former Carolyn Glover Harris, his wife of nearly four decades; he | ||
was blessed with a blended family that included three stepchildren, | ||
Kris, Heidi, and Kirk, as well as many grandchildren, | ||
step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and | ||
WHEREAS, After bearing witness to one of the darkest chapters | ||
in history, Ralph Hockley courageously stepped forward to serve his | ||
adopted country and to defend the cause of freedom, and those he | ||
leaves behind will forever find inspiration in their memories of | ||
this extraordinary man; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of | ||
Ralph Hockley and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his | ||
family: to his wife, Carolyn Glover Hockley; to his children, | ||
Clifford Hockley and Denise Hockley; to his stepchildren, Kris | ||
Harris, Heidi Hargis, and Dr. Kirk Harris; to his grandchildren, | ||
step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and to his other | ||
relatives and friends; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Ralph | ||
Hockley. | ||
Johnson of Dallas | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 107 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
rising vote of the House on December 5, 2023. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||