By:  Turner                                      S.R. No. 484
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
    1-3  recognize Richard "Dick" King and Rachel Ellis King, whose
    1-4  gravesite has recently been granted a Texas Historical Gravemarker,
    1-5  for their exemplary contributions to the residents of
    1-6  Houston County; and
    1-7        WHEREAS, Their graves are located in the Jasper Cemetery
    1-8  near Crockett and are adjacent to the land they owned and farmed
    1-9  until their deaths; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, The well-known couple contributed to the
   1-11  development of their community and the residents' standard of
   1-12  living, and worked for needed improvements to Hopewell Missionary
   1-13  Baptist Church, where Richard King was pastor; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, A firm believer in education, Dick King served as
   1-15  trustee of the GudeBlye School Board for several years; in later
   1-16  years he worked for the development of the Houston County Training
   1-17  School in the 1930s; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, Richard King and Rachel Ellis King were born in
   1-19  Alabama to slave owners in 1849; Richard came to Texas with his
   1-20  owner, Mrs. Mary King, in 1855; the King family settled on
   1-21  Levington Hill near the present Jasper Cemetery and Richard served
   1-22  as a house boy on the plantation; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, When the Civil War ended, Dick King chose to
    2-1  remain in the Crockett area, and, with the help and encouragement
    2-2  of local residents, the industrious youth prospered, bought land,
    2-3  and expanded his interests; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, When he was 20 years old, Dick met Rachel and they
    2-5  were married in 1869; the couple had 10 children and sent seven of
    2-6  their nine surviving offspring to Prairie View State Normal College,
    2-7  Industrial College, or Wiley College; two of the sons remained
    2-8  farmers like their father; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, Each year on July 4, descendants of the beloved
   2-10  couple gather in Houston County to honor their King ancestors and
   2-11  the prominent role they played in their lives; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, The personal achievements of Richard and Rachel King
   2-13  continue to inspire the family members from all parts of the
   2-14  United States; they come to reminisce and honor the memory of their
   2-15  forbears who continue to serve as role models for young and old
   2-16  alike; now, therefore, be it
   2-17        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-18  73rd Legislature, hereby pay tribute to Richard "Dick" King and
   2-19  Rachel Ellis King for their exceptional contributions to the
   2-20  citizens of Houston County; and, be it further
   2-21        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
   2-22  the descendents of the couple as a memento of this special occasion
   2-23  from the Texas Senate.
   2-24                                 _____________________________________
   2-25                                        President of the Senate
    3-1                                      I hereby certify that the
    3-2                                 above Resolution was adopted by
    3-3                                 the Senate on March 23, 1993.
    3-4                                 _____________________________________
    3-5                                        Secretary of the Senate
    3-6                                 _____________________________________
    3-7                                         Member, Texas Senate