Bill Text: TX HR107 | 2011 | 82nd Legislature 1st Special | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of the Reverend R. A. Callies of San Antonio.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-06-30 - Reported enrolled [HR107 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR107-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 107 |
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WHEREAS, Those Texans who give freely of their time and | ||
talents to benefit the larger community make the world a better | ||
place through their actions, and the Reverend Raymond A. Callies, | ||
Sr., of San Antonio, who passed away on June 9, 2011, at the age of | ||
81 | ||
, was indeed one such person; and | ||
WHEREAS, R. A. Callies was born in El Campo on September 12, | ||
1929; he earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of | ||
Arkansas and served two years in the U.S. Army before embarking on | ||
dual careers in the ministry and education; he founded the First | ||
Gethsemane Baptist Church in San Antonio, where he served as pastor | ||
for three decades, and he also taught for more than 35 years at a San | ||
Antonio school once known as James W. Riley, Jr., Middle School; | ||
Reverend Callies was instrumental in persuading the San Antonio | ||
Independent School District to rename that campus Martin Luther | ||
King, Jr., Middle School, in just one of many examples of his | ||
efforts to celebrate the life of Dr. King; and | ||
WHEREAS, Driving his red truck, with Dr. King's "I Have a | ||
Dream" speech broadcasting from the speakers, Reverend Callies | ||
would lead his family and a few close friends through San Antonio's | ||
East Side in the 1970s; thanks to his perseverance, these informal | ||
processions grew into the city-sponsored MLK March, the largest | ||
such march in the country, with upwards of 100,000 individuals | ||
participating; and | ||
WHEREAS, Also in the 1970s, Reverend Callies initiated a | ||
drive to erect a statue in Dr. King's honor; he and his supporters | ||
raised more than $9,000 over the course of some five years, and in | ||
1982, the statue was dedicated as the Monument of Brotherhood at the | ||
intersection of East Houston Street and North New Braunfels Avenue, | ||
a site that he later worked to have designated MLK Plaza; among his | ||
other local accomplishments are the development of Martin Luther | ||
King Park and the naming of Martin Luther King Drive and the MLK | ||
Freedom Bridge; and | ||
WHEREAS, Through the years, Reverend Callies joined forces | ||
with activists across Texas to lobby for the recognition of Martin | ||
Luther King, Jr., Day as a state holiday; their goal was ultimately | ||
realized in 1991, with the enactment of Senate Bill 134; and | ||
WHEREAS, Reverend Callies distinguished himself as well | ||
through his work to enhance the quality of life for residents of San | ||
Antonio's East Side, advocating for such general improvements as | ||
traffic lights and drainage projects; and | ||
WHEREAS, Reverend Callies was the recipient of many | ||
accolades, including three honorary doctorates; moreover, the San | ||
Antonio MLK Commission presented him with its first annual MLK | ||
Distinguished Achievement Award in 1987; in January 2008, the city | ||
further recognized his contributions with a plaque fittingly placed | ||
in MLK Plaza, near the foot of the King monument; in all of his | ||
undertakings, Reverend Callies enjoyed the support of his loving | ||
wife, Eunice, and their five children; and | ||
WHEREAS, Passionate, inspiring, and devoted to the causes he | ||
held dear, R. A. Callies helped to preserve the legacy of a great | ||
American and to empower his fellow citizens, and his achievements | ||
will continue to resonate for years to come; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory | ||
of the Reverend R. A. Callies and extend sincere sympathy to the | ||
members of his family: to his wife, Eunice; to his children, Aaron, | ||
Doris, Arlington, Yvette, and Phylis; to his six grandchildren; and | ||
to his other relatives and many 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 the | ||
Reverend R. A. Callies. | ||
McClendon | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 107 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
rising vote of the House on June 28, 2011. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||