ENROLLED SENATE
RESOLUTION NO. 10	By:	Corn

A Resolution acknowledging the leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt; designating March 4, 2009, "Franklin D. Roosevelt Appreciation and Remembrance Day" in the State of Oklahoma; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, during an era known as the "Great Depression", a time with economic conditions similar to today’s economic situation, the American people elected Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) as President of the United States.  During his first Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1933, FDR, a former state senator, rallied the people of this great nation and displayed his leadership by forcibly reminding us that:  "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"; and

WHEREAS, Oklahoma was particularly hard hit, especially in what became known as the "Dust Bowl".  A severe drought which preceded the Great Depression had decimated agricultural efforts in much of Oklahoma and surrounding states.  Historical literature is full of vivid descriptions of the plight of the Oklahoma populace during that period; and

WHEREAS, Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to these conditions with what is known as the "New Deal".  This included the introduction, passage, and administration of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Shelterbelt Project, and other New Deal initiatives.  FDR exerted the leadership necessary to ensure that these efforts came to successful fruition; and

WHEREAS, one of the key by-products of the New Deal was the introduction of agriculture and watershed management sponsored by the federal government.  This was accompanied by an increase in conservation efforts.  These efforts, along with other New Deal economic initiatives such as Social Security, greatly aided Oklahoma and individual Oklahomans and were crucial in the recovery effort of both this state and nation; and

WHEREAS, we as a state and a nation today face similar economic challenges and difficulties.  It is altogether appropriate that we remember and appreciate the successful responses from the past to combat the conditions that confronted us then and to some extent do so again today.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 52ND OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT the Oklahoma State Senate recognizes the bleak economic conditions that faced FDR upon assuming the Presidency, acknowledges his leadership during those dark days, and voices its collective gratitude for FDR’s contributions to Oklahoma and Oklahomans in the ecological and economic calamities known as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

THAT the Oklahoma State Senate designates March 4, 2009, the anniversary of FDR’s first inaugural address, as "Franklin D. Roosevelt Appreciation and Remembrance Day" in the State of Oklahoma. 

THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the Oklahoma History Center and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.

Adopted by the Senate the 4th day of March, 2009.

	
Presiding Officer of the Senate