HR1254 - In memory of Dr. Nedra Kinerk of McAllen.

      H.R. No. 1254       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Residents of McAllen lost a beloved member of their   community with the passing of Dr. Nedra Kay Swart Kinerk on May 13,   2025, at the age of 92; and          WHEREAS, The daughter of Marvin and Okal Swart, the former   Nedra Swart was born in Frankton, Indiana, on June 30, 1932, and she   grew up with the companionship of two sisters, Marilyn and Leanna;   she graduated from Anderson High School in 1950, and she received a   bachelor's degree in education in 1955 and a master's degree in 1962   from Ball State Teachers College in Muncie; she went on to earn a   doctorate from the institution in 1970, after it became Ball State   University; and          WHEREAS, She married the love of her life, Robert Lewis   Kinerk, in 1951, and the couple shared a fulfilling union that   spanned nearly six decades before his passing in 2010; she took   great pride in her four children, Michael, Karen, Steven, and   Cheryl Marie, who preceded her mother in death; over the years,   Dr. Kinerk saw her treasured family grow to include three   grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; and          WHEREAS, Dr. Kinerk enjoyed a rewarding career as an educator   in Anderson, and in 1970, she was appointed professor at the Indiana   University campus in Kokomo; she was later named chair of the   education division, and she continued to serve as an administrator   until her retirement in 1988; she accepted her first appointment as   an Indiana Civil Rights Commissioner in 1973, and she held that post   for 14 years; in October 1987, she was named a Sagamore of the   Wabash, one of the highest honors bestowed by the governor of   Indiana; and          WHEREAS, After vacationing in South Texas in 1979, Dr. Kinerk   and her husband bought property in the area, and they owned local   citrus groves for several years; the couple made Texas their   year-round home in 1988, and Dr. Kinerk became highly involved in   the McAllen and Hidalgo County communities; in 1999, she cofounded   the civic organization Futuro McAllen, and she helped to expand its   efforts to serve the entire Rio Grande Valley area; the   organization became Futuro RGV in 2014, and two years later, she was   elected its president; she also played an instrumental role in   establishing the McAllen Heritage Center and the Fiesta de Palmas   festival, and she served on numerous municipal boards and   committees; a woman of deep faith, she was a member of the First   Christian Church, where she served as an elder; and          WHEREAS, In recognition of her myriad civic contributions,   the City of McAllen proclaimed February 24, 2025, as Dr. Nedra   Kinerk Day, and she has also had the distinction of being named   McAllen's Woman of the Year in 2014 and being inducted into the RGV   Walk of Fame in 2020; and          WHEREAS, Admired for her warmth, generosity, and unwavering   dedication to her community, Nedra Kinerk lived a caring and   purposeful life, and she leaves behind a record of service that her   loved ones can remember with great pride; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Dr. Nedra Kay Swart   Kinerk and extend heartfelt sympathy to her family and to her many   friends; 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 Dr. Nedra   Kinerk.     Guerra     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 1254 was unanimously adopted by a   rising vote of the House on May 23, 2025.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House