Bill Text: TX SCR62 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Martha Leah Williams Morriss.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-04 - Signed by the Governor [SCR62 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SCR62-Enrolled.html
| S.C.R. No. 62 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Residents of Texarkana lost an admired civic leader | ||
| with the passing of Martha Leah Williams Morriss on April 6, 2019, | ||
| at the age of 92; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The daughter of Jeffie and Isaac Williams, the | ||
| former Martha Williams was born in Mount Pleasant on June 13, 1926, | ||
| and grew up with two brothers, Bill and Jim; her family moved to | ||
| Texarkana when she was 10, and after graduating from Texas High | ||
| School, she completed her bachelor's degree in mathematics at | ||
| Randolph-Macon Woman's College; on December 31, 1948, she married | ||
| Joshua Rutland Morriss Jr., and they were blessed with three sons, | ||
| Josh, Don, and William; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Morriss gave back to her fellow citizens | ||
| through her support for many worthwhile organizations; she served | ||
| as president of the Junior League of Texarkana, and she was | ||
| instrumental in the founding of the Texarkana Regional Arts and | ||
| Humanities Council; in addition, she generously shared her time and | ||
| talents with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, the Literary Council | ||
| of Bowie and Miller Counties, and numerous educational endeavors; | ||
| widely admired for her contributions to the cultural scene, she was | ||
| appointed to the Texas Commission on the Arts; together with her | ||
| husband, she also played a key role in the establishment of MRC | ||
| Cornerstone Retirement Community; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texarkana Independent School District | ||
| recognized Mr. and Mrs. Morriss for their exceptional efforts in | ||
| behalf of education by naming the Martha and Josh Morriss | ||
| Mathematics & Engineering Elementary School in their honor; | ||
| moreover, in 2015 the district named the couple Distinguished | ||
| Alumni and acknowledged Mrs. Morriss for her education advocacy and | ||
| her work to benefit the TRAHC ArtSmart program, which brings the | ||
| arts to schools; over the years, she was the recipient of myriad | ||
| other accolades, including the C. E. Palmer Award for community | ||
| service from the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For more than a half century, Mrs. Morriss taught | ||
| the Fellowship Sunday school class at Williams Memorial United | ||
| Methodist Church, and every summer, she organized Bible Storytime | ||
| for Vacation Bible School; she served on the Perkins School of | ||
| Theology Executive Board, and she and Mr. Morriss delivered Holy | ||
| Communion to shut-ins together as well; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Martha Morriss lived a rich and purposeful life | ||
| centered on her family, her faith, and her community, and she will | ||
| long be remembered with deep affection by all who knew her; now, | ||
| therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby pay tribute to the memory of Martha Leah Williams Morriss and | ||
| extend sincere sympathy to the members of her family: to her | ||
| husband, Josh Morriss Jr.; to her sons, Josh Morriss III and his | ||
| wife, Diana, Don Morriss and his wife, Patsy, and William Morriss | ||
| and his wife, Rita; to her grandchildren, Meredith and David | ||
| Farren, Susannah and Daniel Linnett, Marjorie and Chad Matthews, | ||
| Allison and Brady Wright, Whitney and Ross Ormond, Melanie and Ben | ||
| Tkach, and Brad and Goodwin McCutcheon; to her 15 | ||
| great-grandchildren; to her special niece, Joan Baldridge-Ballard; | ||
| and to her other relatives and friends; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for her family and that when the Texas House and Senate | ||
| adjourn this day, they do so in memory of Martha Leah Williams | ||
| Morriss. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 62 was adopted by the Senate | ||
| on May 8, 2019, by a rising vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 62 was adopted by the House | ||
| on May 17, 2019, by a rising vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
