Bill Text: TX HR1264 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled

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Bill Title: In memory of Benjamin N. Matta of Pecos.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2011-04-27 - Reported enrolled [HR1264 Detail]

Download: Texas-2011-HR1264-Enrolled.html

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H.R. No. 1264

R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A life made rich through meaningful service drew to
a close when restaurateur, rancher, and activist Benjamin N. Matta
of Pecos died on November 4, 2010, at the age of 90; and
WHEREAS, Ben Matta was born in Saragosa on April 1, 1920, to
Sebestian and Margarita Matta; he learned the value of hard work at
an early age, leaving school after the sixth grade; and
WHEREAS, In 1939, Mr. Matta was managing a grocery store in
Pecos when he started his first restaurant in a house on the corner
of Fourth and Walnut Streets; by 1960, Ben's Spanish Inn had moved
to its fifth location on West Third Street, seating 450 patrons; the
restaurant was known throughout West Texas for its popular chile
relleno, and Mr. Matta designed and built a chile roaster that could
roast 500 pounds of chiles in an hour; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Mr. Matta was a champion for
civil rights; in 1943, he refused to accept a seat in the upper
balcony of the Grand Theater in Pecos, where Hispanics usually had
to sit; from 1949 to 1952, he led a successful campaign to obtain
pavement and gutters for the East Pecos neighborhood, and in the
early 1950s he helped to stop the segregation of Hispanic students
in Pecos schools, despite a boycott of his restaurant; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Matta continued to be a leader in his community,
serving as a Pecos city councilman, president of the League of
United Latin American Citizens, and president of the Pecos
Development Association; he was a 20-year member of the Pecos Lions
Club, and in 1970 he was named as an Outstanding Director of the
Pecos Chamber of Commerce; he attended St. Catherine's Catholic
Church; and
WHEREAS, In 1978, Mr. Matta retired to his ranch near Fort
Davis, where he continued to demonstrate his skill at design and
engineering, constructing an irrigation system for his vegetables
and fruit trees that used half the water of a traditional system; he
relocated to Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1992 and then returned to
Pecos in 1997; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Matta was joined in matrimony to the former
Jesusita Chuy, and together they were blessed with six children,
Ben, Jr., Louis, Jerry, Raymond, Hilda, and Mary; a passionate
believer in education, Mr. Matta devoted much of his earnings from
his restaurant for many years to sending his children to college;
and
WHEREAS, Ben Matta lived a full and generous life centered
around his family and his community, and his devotion to both will
continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Benjamin N. Matta and
extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Jesusita Chuy Matta; to his sons, Ben Matta, Jr., Louis Matta,
Jerry Matta, and Raymond Matta; to his daughters, Hilda Kershman
and Mary Hollopeter; to his brother, Thomas Matta; to his sisters,
Elvira Garcia and Maria Matta; to his grandchildren and
great-grandchildren; and to his other relatives and friends; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Benjamin N.
Matta.
Gallego
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1264 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 21, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House