Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my dear friend, an incredible person in education in Dallas, and that is Diana Flores, a DISD trustee. After 30 years of hard work and dedication to the community in education, Ms. Flores is the…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my dear friend, an incredible person in education in Dallas, and that is Diana Flores, a DISD trustee.
After 30 years of hard work and dedication to the community in education, Ms. Flores is the longest-serving member of the Dallas College Board of Trustees. Throughout her tenure, she served numerous roles, including chair of the board from 2018 until 2020 and vice chair on two occasions. Most recently, she chaired the board's education and workforce committee. She has helped to build a connection between higher education and the needs of the North Texas workforce like no other.
During her service, Ms. Flores helped guide Dallas College through periods of tremendous growth, including the 2019 bond program to modernize campuses and expand educational opportunities at El Centro in downtown Dallas.
After three decades, my dear friend, Ms. Flores, retired on August 30, 2026. Diana did so much for our young people in the community, especially her work through LULAC. Her work with scholarships and other merit-based educational programs really are like no other.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Diana on her retirement. I thank her for everything she has done to serve the community, and I wish her well in the next 30 years.
In Recognition of the Life and Legacy of Vernell Sturns
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my dear friend and neighbor, Vernell Sturns.
This is a legend right here, Mr. Speaker, someone who rose from Mount Enterprise, Texas, down in the Piney Woods of east Texas, on to KU, part of that tremendous KU background that helped shape the city of Fort Worth.
Vernell Sturns passed away on August 23, 2026, at the age of 86.
Mr. Sturns' life was dedicated to making Fort Worth and north Texas a better place for all. He was the city's first Black assistant city manager and later was acting city manager and chief administrative officer. He was also the CEO of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, one of our country's busiest and most successful airports, in 1991.
He served in various leadership roles throughout north Texas, including as a trustee of TCU and later on the board of trustees at Jarvis Christian College near east Texas, where he was from.
Mr. Sturns was also a force of the Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce in Fort Worth and so many other organizations.
Vernell's life touched so many people throughout Fort Worth, and I would not have time to list all of them here.
To his wife, Debra; his children, Michael, Robert, Paula, and Chris; and his grandchildren, I send my sincerest condolences. Their dad and their grandfather was an amazing man whose legacy will live forever.
In Recognition of the Life and Legacy of Fort Worth Civil Rights and
Community Advocate Johnny Lewis
Mr. Speaker, this is very sad for me.
I rise today to honor a good friend of mine who was a community leader in Southeast Fort Worth and the Southside, Johnny Lewis.
Johnny was just an incredible person who loved the community. Raised in Historic Southside of Fort Worth, Johnny Lewis dedicated his life to improving opportunities for others as vice president of the Historic Southside neighborhood.
Johnny was from Georgia, but he loved the Southside of Fort Worth and lived there for more than 50 years. He worked hard to make sure that there was quality economic development, worked hard to make sure that the youngsters weren't getting in trouble, worked hard to do things about crime in the community, and was really on the front line of so many.
He and his wife, Shirley, who preceded him in death, were just absolutely amazing people who loved Fort Worth, and you can see their influence with the monuments and the various edifices along Evans Avenue and East Rosedale and Terrell Avenue, where they lived and made a difference.
Johnny was an amazing person who served our country in the military, and his entire family, his daughter, his brother, his nieces--that entire family is incredible, and we want to keep them in prayer because we know that Johnny is going to be someone who is missed in that family for a long time to come, as he will be missed in our community.
Recognizing Mary Ann Kellam
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my dear friend Mary Ann Kellam, who served 12 incredible years at the Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She did so much to make sure that the Chamber was in tip-top shape, and the Chamber received so many awards. I hate that I was unable to make Mary Ann's retirement party, but she is going to be missed. She was an incredible person.
