Bill Text: TX HR1321 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring UTSA professor emerita Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark for her contributions.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2025-06-01 - Reported enrolled [HR1321 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HR1321-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1321 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark, professor emerita at The | ||
| University of Texas at San Antonio, continues to find new avenues to | ||
| elevate Mexican American traditions in the popular sphere; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Legendary for her scholarship in | ||
| bicultural-bilingual studies, Dr. Clark is the subject of a | ||
| documentary short recently nominated for a James Beard Media Award; | ||
| La Mera Mera Tamalera showcases her passion for Mexican heritage, | ||
| exemplified by the tradition of the tamalada, which turns the | ||
| laborious tamale-making process into a celebration of connection; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Dr. Clark earned her master's degree from UTSA and | ||
| her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from UT Austin; in | ||
| 1978, she began serving UTSA as a Title VII coordinator, and over | ||
| more than four decades, she worked tirelessly to advance | ||
| bicultural-bilingual studies and Latino education; her research | ||
| has been published in numerous national and international journals | ||
| and received multimillion-dollar funding from the U.S. Department | ||
| of Education and the Rockefeller Foundation; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A mentor to countless people, Dr. Clark served as a | ||
| faculty advisor for student organizations and encouraged young | ||
| scholars to explore their own identities and their role in their | ||
| communities; she benefited UTSA in a host of leadership roles, | ||
| including as a member of the faculty review advisory committee and | ||
| faculty senate budget committee; moreover, she lent her expertise | ||
| to media productions, serving as content director for the | ||
| groundbreaking PBS KIDS series Maya & Miguel and producing a | ||
| documentary series on Latino and Latina artists; along the way, she | ||
| served as a strong voice for equity and social justice; and | ||
| WHEREAS, When she retired in 2012, the university named | ||
| Dr. Clark professor emerita, and in 2023, an endowed chair was | ||
| established in her honor; since her retirement, she has furthered | ||
| her cultural studies, particularly in the realm of cuisine; her | ||
| latest book, Pan Dulce, is set for September 2025 publication by | ||
| Trinity University Press; she has also built on her long record of | ||
| service to the wider community as a member of the San Antonio Arts | ||
| Commission and the Centro de Artes Committee; and | ||
| WHEREAS, An energetic, engaging culture-bearer and champion | ||
| of education, Ellen Riojas Clark has uplifted her community and | ||
| enriched the lives of innumerable people by sharing her deep | ||
| knowledge and longtime advocacy; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor University of Texas at San Antonio | ||
| professor emerita Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark for her contributions and | ||
| extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Dr. Clark as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
| House of Representatives. | ||
| Martinez Fischer | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1321 was adopted by the House on June | ||
| 1, 2025, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
