Bill Text: TX HR88 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Ada Cecilia Collins Anderson of Austin.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-09-08 - Reported enrolled [HR88 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR88-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 88 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Residents of Austin lost an admired philanthropist, | ||
| arts advocate, and civil rights activist with the death of Ada | ||
| Cecilia Collins Anderson on June 2, 2021, at the age of 99; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The daughter of Walter and Cecilia Collins, the | ||
| former Ada Collins was born in Pilot Knob on October 2, 1921, and | ||
| grew up as the fourth of nine children; she attended Pilot Knob | ||
| Elementary School, founded by her paternal grandfather, and went on | ||
| to graduate from L. C. Anderson High School in Austin; after | ||
| receiving her bachelor's degree in home economics from | ||
| Huston-Tillotson University, she became the first African American | ||
| to enroll in The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of | ||
| Library Science, and although she completed her coursework, the | ||
| segregated Texas State Library refused to give her a field | ||
| placement, and she was denied her diploma; she was employed as a | ||
| counselor by the Texas Employment Commission and strove to improve | ||
| pay and conditions for African American domestic workers; later, | ||
| she taught in the Austin Independent School District, earned a | ||
| master's degree in educational psychology, and became a | ||
| psychometrist; in addition, she was a partner in Anderson Wormley | ||
| Real Estate and Insurance Company, established by her husband, | ||
| Marcellus J. "Andy" Anderson, with her assistance; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Andersons married during World War II and became | ||
| the parents of two treasured children, Sandra and Marcellus, | ||
| nicknamed "Jack"; benefiting youth of color, Mrs. Anderson helped | ||
| found the Austin chapter of Jack and Jill of America, and she served | ||
| the organization in such offices as regional director and national | ||
| corresponding secretary; she organized a successful boycott of a | ||
| Whites-only skating rink in East Austin and then formed the Austin | ||
| Human Relations Commission, a coalition of pastors, professors, and | ||
| others determined to end segregation; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1982, Mrs. Anderson became the first African | ||
| American to win a countywide election in the Texas capital when she | ||
| joined the board of Austin Community College; committed to | ||
| education and the arts, she organized and directed the Leadership | ||
| Enrichment Arts Program for underserved youngsters; she co-chaired | ||
| the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Austin Independent | ||
| School District and served on the board of Laguna Gloria Art Museum; | ||
| at the behest of her friend, Lady Bird Johnson, she facilitated two | ||
| exhibitions of African American art at the LBJ Library and Museum; | ||
| she was also a founding member of the Austin Lyric Opera and served | ||
| on gubernatorial commissions; breaking yet another barrier, she | ||
| became the first African American woman to sit on a bank board in | ||
| Austin; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Dedicated to their community, the Andersons helped | ||
| provide affordable housing for African Americans; they were active | ||
| in the Democratic Party at the local, state, and national levels and | ||
| became personal friends of Governor John Connally and President | ||
| Lyndon Baines Johnson; Mrs. Anderson coordinated voter | ||
| registration and mobilization drives that got thousands across | ||
| Texas to the polls; in addition, the Andersons were both involved in | ||
| Masonry and a host of civic issues; the couple shared a fulfilling | ||
| relationship of 61 years before Mr. Anderson's passing; | ||
| Mrs. Anderson was also preceded in death by both her children; in | ||
| memory of her daughter, she donated $3 million to Huston-Tillotson | ||
| University, the largest gift in its history, for the Sandra Joy | ||
| Anderson Community Health and Wellness Center; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Anderson was the recipient of myriad | ||
| accolades, including an honorary doctorate from Huston-Tillotson | ||
| and the Community Legacy Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award from | ||
| UT; moreover, UT's Briscoe Center holds a collection of her and her | ||
| husband's papers; she was inducted into both the African American | ||
| Women's Hall of Fame and the Texas Black Women's Hall of Fame; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Through her trailblazing achievements and numerous | ||
| civic contributions, Ada Anderson made a lasting, positive | ||
| difference in her community, and her legacy will continue to | ||
| resonate in the years to come; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
| Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of | ||
| Ada Cecilia Collins Anderson and extend sincere condolences to all | ||
| who mourn her passing; 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 Ada Cecilia | ||
| Collins Anderson. | ||
| Cole | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 88 was unanimously adopted by a rising | ||
| vote of the House on August 30, 2021. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
