Bill Text: TX HR472 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Phillis Wheatley High School in Houston.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-08-17 - Reported enrolled [HR472 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HR472-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 472 |
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WHEREAS, Phillis Wheatley High School in Houston is marking | ||
its 90th anniversary in 2017; and | ||
WHEREAS, Established in 1927 on Lyons Avenue in the historic | ||
Fifth Ward, Wheatley High became one of the nation's largest | ||
African American high schools during segregation, with an | ||
enrollment of 2,600 and a faculty of 60; the growth of the student | ||
population eventually caused the building to become so overcrowded | ||
that youngsters had to attend classes in shifts; and | ||
WHEREAS, A new facility was completed in 1949 on Market | ||
Street, and the $2.5 million spent on its construction was the most | ||
the district had allocated to a campus up to that time; described by | ||
the Houston Chronicle as one of the finest black schools in the | ||
South, it was designed by the architectural firm of MacKie and | ||
Kamrath in a style reflecting the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright | ||
and featured such amenities as a 1,500-seat auditorium, an | ||
industrial arts facility, and a gymnasium and swimming pool; and | ||
WHEREAS, In 2006, the mid-century building was replaced by a | ||
splendid new structure designed by a Wheatley graduate, noted | ||
architect Willie Cleveland Jordan Jr. of the Class of 1956; the | ||
school's many other distinguished alumni include two members of the | ||
U.S. Congress, Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, as well as members | ||
of the state legislature, professional athletes, local civic | ||
leaders, an Ivy League university president, and musicians Arnett | ||
Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Williams, and Joe Sample; and | ||
WHEREAS, The school has benefited from the efforts of many | ||
dedicated principals over the years, and that tradition is carried | ||
on today by Dr. Shirley Rose-Gilliam; maintaining awareness of the | ||
rich traditions of their alma mater, proud graduates are very | ||
active in the Phillis Wheatley Metropolitan Alumni and Ex-Students | ||
Association; and | ||
WHEREAS, Over the course of nine decades, Phillis Wheatley | ||
High has provided generations of young Texans with a strong | ||
foundation on which to build, and in so doing, it has contributed | ||
significantly to the vibrancy and prosperity of the Fifth Ward and | ||
the greater Houston area; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas | ||
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commemorate the 90th | ||
anniversary of Phillis Wheatley High School and extend to its | ||
students, faculty, staff, and alumni sincere best wishes for | ||
continued success; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for the school as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
House of Representatives. | ||
Dutton | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 472 was adopted by the House on August | ||
15, 2017, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||