Bill Text: TX HR1983 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Sherman Hemsley of El Paso.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-05-21 - Reported enrolled [HR1983 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HR1983-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1983 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Friends, loved ones, and television fans across the | ||
| nation will forever treasure their memories of actor Sherman | ||
| Hemsley, who died in El Paso on July 24, 2012, at the age of 74; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born in Philadelphia on February 1, 1938, Sherman | ||
| Alexander Hemsley studied as a teenager at the Philadelphia Academy | ||
| of Dramatic Arts; he dropped out of high school to serve in the | ||
| U.S. Air Force for four years, then returned to Philadelphia to | ||
| work for the U.S. Post Office while continuing to study acting at | ||
| night; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Hemsley moved to New York to pursue an acting | ||
| career, and as a member of the Negro Ensemble Company and the Urban | ||
| Arts Company, he appeared in a number of productions, including The | ||
| Lottery, Old Judge Mose Is Dead, and Step Lively Boys; in 1970, he | ||
| made his Broadway debut as Gitlow in the musical Purlie; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During a national tour of the show, Mr. Hemsley was | ||
| approached by television producer Norman Lear to play a character | ||
| on the groundbreaking situation comedy All in the Family; he joined | ||
| the cast in 1973 as the blustering and pompous George Jefferson; | ||
| this character and his wife, Louise, played by Isabel Sanford, were | ||
| such a success that they became the stars of their own show, The | ||
| Jeffersons, which ran for 11 seasons, earning Mr. Hemsley | ||
| nominations for the Emmy and the Golden Globe; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Jeffersons went off the air in 1985, and | ||
| Mr. Hemsley went on to play a scheming church deacon on the sitcom | ||
| Amen, voice a triceratops on the live-action puppet series, | ||
| Dinosaurs, and make guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of | ||
| Bel-Air, Sister, Sister, Family Guy, and Tyler Perry's House of | ||
| Payne; as one of the most beloved fictional couples in TV history, | ||
| he and Ms. Sanford reprised their signature roles in commercials | ||
| for The Gap, Old Navy, and Denny's, and they toured together in the | ||
| stage show The Real Live Jeffersons; he was inducted into the | ||
| Television Hall of Fame in 2012; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In later years, Mr. Hemsley, who was more reserved | ||
| than the character who made him famous, enjoyed a quiet life in El | ||
| Paso, where he made many friends and became active in local | ||
| charities; after his death, befitting his service to his country, | ||
| he was buried with military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, A gifted and energetic performer on the stage and | ||
| the screen, Sherman Hemsley was in private life a modest and deeply | ||
| spiritual man who took great pleasure in music and the company of | ||
| his friends, and he leaves behind a legacy of laughter that | ||
| continues to delight countless fans; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and career of Sherman | ||
| Hemsley and extend sincere condolences to his friends and loved | ||
| ones; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That when the Texas House of Representatives | ||
| adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sherman Hemsley. | ||
| Pickett | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1983 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on May 17, 2013. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
