Frank L. Madla

Frank Lloyd Madla, Jr. (January 23, 1937 — November 24, 2006), was for thirty-three years a Democratic member of both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate from south San Antonio. Madla died in a house fire in the early morning hours on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day in 2006. [cite news | first = Mike | last = Ward | title = Madla killed in fire at his San Antonio home | url = http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/25/25safire.html | work = Austin American-Statesman | date = 2006-11-24 | accessdate = 2006-11-24]

Political career

Born in Helotes, Texas, Madla was initially elected to the lower house of the Texas legislature in a San Antonio-based district in 1972. He served for twenty years in the House until he was elected to the District 24, later District 19, state Senate seat, which is geographically large and stretches from San Antonio to as far west as El Paso. (In Texas, state Senate districts are geographically and demographically larger than United States House of Representatives districts.)

In 1985, "Texas Monthly", in its biennial feature on the best and worst Texas legislators named Madla to the "Honorable Mention" category, as one of the top twenty legislators for that session. [cite news | first = Paul | last = Burka | authorlink = Paul Burka | coauthors = and Alison Cook | title = The Ten Best and (Groan) The Ten Worst Legislators | url = http://texasmonthly.com/mag/issues/1985-07-01/feature4.php | format = subscription required | work = Texas Monthly | date = 1985-07 | accessdate = 2006-11-26]

Among the nearly seven hundred legislative bills which Madla supported that came to fruition was the establishment of the Toyota plant in San Antonio. The first San Antonio-made Toyota Tundra rolled off the assembly line only days before Madla's death. Madla also worked for years to establish a Texas A&M University branch campus in south San Antonio. In 2005, the legislature passed a bill that Madla wrote which authorized the creation of the campus. In the special 2006 legislative session dedicated to educational finance matters, Madla persuaded his colleagues to approve $40 million in tuition revenue bonds for the development of the new campus, which is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

2006 Democratic primary

Madla had maintained his Senate seat without opposition until challenged in the Democratic Party Primary Election in March 2006 by District 118 state representative Carlos I. "Charlie" Uresti. Uresti claimed that Madla was too closely tied to the Republican leadership in the Senate and had voted in 2003 to remove 180,000 youngsters from the Children's Health Insurance Program. Madla referred to Uresti's charge as a "procedural matter." There were also questions about Madla's more than $1.1 million in campaign contributions, some from lobbyists. State Senator Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso campaigned for Uresti, breaking a Senate tradition of not campaigning against an incumbent. [cite news
first = Greg | last = Jefferson | coauthors = and Laura E. Jesse | title = Uresti dethrones Madla | url = http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/stories/MYSA030806.01A.uresti.410dc8c.html | work = San Antonio Express-News | date = 8 March 2006 | accessdate = 2006-12-17] Uresti, a San Antonio attorney, prevailed with 56.5% of the vote to Madla's 43.5%. [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2006 Democratic Party Primary Election | accessdate = 2006-11-26 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)]

After his primary loss, Madla announced that he would resign his Senate seat effective May 31 2006. [cite news | first = Peggy | last = Fikac | title = Madla to quit state Senate post in May | work = San Antonio Express-News | page = 7A | date = 18 April 2006]

Personal life

Madla was born in just outside of San Antonio in Helotes to Frank L. Madla, Sr., and the former Epigmenia Alcala. [cite web | url = http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/bexar/vitals/births/1937/bexab37g.txt | title = Birth Certificate for Francisco Eloy Madla | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | date = 1937-01-23 | format = Third party index of birth records for Bexar County | publisher = [http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb.com] | author = Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records] Madla attended St. Mary's University and graduated with a B.A. in Government in 1959, and in 1963, an M.A. in Government. [cite web | url = http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist19/dist19.htm | title = Senator Frank L. Madla: District 19 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | format = Official biography from 76th Legislature | publisher = Texas Senate | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20000412051834/http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist19/dist19.htm | archivedate = 2000-04-12] Madla was married in 1961, and he and wife Rosemary [cite web | url = http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/bexar/vitals/divorces/1975/bexav75c.txt | title = Divorce Record No. 75943 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | date = 1975-08-06 | format = Third party index of divorce records for Bexar County | publisher = [http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb.com] | author = Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records] had a son, Frank L. Madla, III. [cite web | url = http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/bexar/vitals/births/1965/bexab65f.txt | title = Birth Certificate for Frank Lloyd Madla, III | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | date = 1965-05-23 | format = Third party index of birth records for Bexar County | publisher = [http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb.com] | author = Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records] Madla was remarried in 1977 to the former Helen Cruz, [cite web | url = http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/bexar/vitals/marriages/1977/bexam77f.txt | title = Marriage Record No. 55135, Frank L. Madla to Helen G. Cruz | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | date = 1977-06-16 | format = Third party index of marriage records for Bexar County | publisher = [http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb.com] | author = Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records] and had a daughter, Marci Morgan Madla. [cite web | url = http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/bexar/vitals/births/1984/bexav84h.txt | title = Birth Certificate for Marci Morgan Madla | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | date = 1984-09-11 | format = Third party index of birth records for Bexar County | publisher = [http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb.com] | author = Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records]

Madla was a junior high school teacher for ten years before he entered politics. At various times he worked as an insurance and real estate broker, and an instructor at University of the Incarnate Word. [cite web | url = http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist19/dist19.htm | title = Senator Frank L. Madla: District 19 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 | format = Official biography from 76th Legislature | publisher = Texas Senate | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20000412051834/http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/members/dist19/dist19.htm | archivedate = 2000-04-12]

Death

Madla, along with Mary Cruz, his 81-year-old mother-in-law, and Aleena, his five-year-old granddaughter, died in a house fire. Madla had been asleep in his home upstairs and had tried to escape through the bedroom window. Burglar bars on the windows trapped him, and he succumbed to smoke and flames. His granddaughter was initially thought to have survived, but was declared without brain function and died after being removed from life support a day later. Madla's wife Helen survived the blaze but was hospitalized for a time afterward. [cite news | first = Katy | last = Camp | title = Frank Madla's Granddaughter Passes Away | url = http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=512C9102-D930-4C29-8BEF-B615F9E468B5 | work = WOAI | date = 2006-11-25 | accessdate = 2006-11-25] Madla's home had no smoke detectors.

U.S. President George W. Bush issued his condolences to the Madla family and promised to pray for Helen Madla's full recovery: "Frank was a dedicated public servant who devoted more than three decades of his life to serving his state and all its people in the Texas House and Senate." [cite press release | title = President Bush's Statement on Deaths of Former Texas State Senator Frank Madla, His Mother-in-Law and Granddaughter | publisher = George W. Bush | date = 2006-11-26 | url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061126.html | accessdate = 2006-11-26]

Texas Governor Rick Perry ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in Madla's honor on November 30, the day of Madla’s funeral, and 1 December, the date of his interment in the Texas State Cemetery. Perry issued this tribute: "Frank Madla was a dear friend and a dedicated public servant who was an exemplary representative for South and West Texas. Frank was a mentor to me when I came in to the legislature. He had a heart of gold and was a true Texas patriot. He and his wife, Helen, were two of Anita's [First Lady Anita Thigpen Perry] and my favorites. His death is a tragic loss to the community, to his friends and to his family. Anita and I offer our prayers on behalf of his wife Helen for her continued recovery." [cite press release | title = Gov. Perry Orders Flags at Half-Staff In Memory of Former Senator Frank Madla | publisher = Rick Perry | date = 2006-11-27 | url = http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2006-11-27.0839 | accessdate = 2006-12-17]

Legacy

In January 2006, the former Royalgate Elementary School in the South San Antonio Independent School District was renamed Frank Madla Elementary School. Madla described the renaming as the “single best honor” to him ever. [cite news | first = Michelle M. | last = Martinez | title = Grade school renamed for Madla | url = http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/stories/MYSA012006.3B.madlaelementary.1ca6b5d6.html | work = San Antonio Express-News | date = 2006-01-20 | accessdate = 2006-12-18]

Election history

Election history of Madla from 1992. [Uncontested primary elections are not shown.]

Most recent election

2006

Election box begin no party
title=Democratic Party Primary Election, 2006: Senate District 19 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2006 Democratic Party Primary Election | accessdate = 2006-11-26 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate no party with winner
winner =
candidate = Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)
votes = 18,936
percentage = 43.48
change = Election box candidate no party with winner
winner = ✓
candidate = Carlos I. Uresti
votes = 24,610
percentage = 56.51
change = Election box turnout no party
votes = 12,025
percentage =
change =

Previous elections

2002

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 2002: Senate District 19 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2002 General Election | accessdate = 2006-11-26 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)
votes = 76,590
percentage = 100.00
change = 0.00Election box majority
votes = 76,590
percentage = 100.00
change = +37.89Election box turnout
votes = 76,590
percentage =
change = +37.89Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

1998

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1998: Senate District 19 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1998 General Election | accessdate = 2006-11-26 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)
votes = 55,544
percentage = 100.00
change = 0.00Election box majority
votes = 55,544
percentage = 100.00
change = -8.07Election box turnout
votes = 55,544
percentage =
change = -8.07Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

1994

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1994: Senate District 19 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1994 General Election | accessdate = 2006-11-26 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Frank L. Madla (Incumbent) [Madla was the District 24 incumbent prior to the 1994 Senate redistricting.]
votes = 60,422
percentage = 100.00
change = Election box majority
votes = 60,422
percentage = 100.00
change = Election box turnout
votes = 60,422
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

1992

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1992: Senate District 24 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1992 General Election | accessdate = 2006-11-26 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Frank L. Madla
votes = 110,534
percentage = 100.00
change = Election box majority
votes = 110,534
percentage = 100.00
change = Election box turnout
votes = 110,534
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

References

Persondata
NAME=Frank Lloyd Madla, Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Francisco Eloy Madla
SHORT DESCRIPTION=San Antonio, Texas politician
DATE OF BIRTH=23 January 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH=San Antonio, Texas
DATE OF DEATH=24 November 2006
PLACE OF DEATH=San Antonio, Texas