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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Wharton County Historical Commission is hosting |
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the dedication of a Texas Historical Marker at the site of the |
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Wharton Training School on November 6, 2021; and |
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WHEREAS, Established in 1896 as the Wharton Colored School, |
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the institution was created to provide a high-quality education for |
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local African American students at all grade levels; originally |
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situated on Milam Street, the school received a grant in 1927 from |
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the Rosenwald Fund to build a larger facility on the corner of |
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Outlar Street and what is now Martin Luther King Boulevard; and |
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WHEREAS, Renamed the Negro Training School, the new building |
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was destroyed by a fire in December 1936; classes were subsequently |
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held in the livestock barns at the county fairgrounds until a new, |
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seven-room structure was finished in 1937; by 1939, African |
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American students from all over the county were attending the |
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school, now rechristened the Wharton County Training School, and |
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that same year, C. W. Dawson became principal, a position he would |
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hold for nearly three decades; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1955, a new brick building with more classrooms |
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and the school's first science labs was added, enabling the |
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institution to offer a full curriculum that included advanced |
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science, home economics, art, and music, and in 1962, the football |
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team took the AA League state championship; over the years, the |
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school served as a community center and the venue for numerous |
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events; many graduates returned to the campus to work as teachers or |
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administrators, and since the facility's closure in 1968, the |
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members of the Wharton Training High School Alumni and Ex-Students |
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Association have continued to preserve the school's rich heritage; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout its history, the Wharton Training School |
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contributed to the intellectual and social development of |
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generations of African American students, and it is indeed fitting |
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that its notable legacy in Wharton County be recognized; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas, |
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2nd Called Session, hereby commemorate the dedication of the Texas |
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Historical Marker at the site of the Wharton Training School and |
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extend to all those in attendance sincere best wishes for a |
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meaningful and memorable event; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Wharton County Historical Commission as an |
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expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives and |
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Senate. |