H.C.R. No. 58
                              HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Howard County Junior College will mark a significant
    1-2  milestone this year as faculty, students, and alumni celebrate the
    1-3  50th anniversary of the school's creation; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, The Howard County Junior College District was
    1-5  created November 17, 1945, by a countywide election that also
    1-6  established a seven-member governing board of trustees; one of its
    1-7  original members, Dr.  P. W. Malone, has maintained an active
    1-8  presence on the board throughout its distinguished history, and he
    1-9  has offered wise and thoughtful guidance to six district
   1-10  presidents; and
   1-11        WHEREAS, The college held its first class in 1946 in
   1-12  facilities that had previously been leased to the United States Air
   1-13  Force, and in 1951 opened the doors to its present 100-acre main
   1-14  campus; and
   1-15        WHEREAS, Currently boasting an enrollment of more than 6,100
   1-16  students, the district has campuses in San Angelo, Lamesa, and Big
   1-17  Spring, the latter of which includes both the original campus and
   1-18  the SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf, as well as
   1-19  extensive programs offered at the Big Spring Federal Correctional
   1-20  Institute; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, Deeply committed to enhancing economic opportunities
   1-22  throughout the region, the school also is home to the Small
   1-23  Business Development Center and works closely with leaders in
   1-24  business and industry to provide necessary training to ensure a
    2-1  qualified workforce; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, In addition, this commendable institution has worked
    2-3  to enhance the social and cultural growth and well-being of all of
    2-4  its students, and to that end offers a wide variety of
    2-5  extracurricular activities to complement its outstanding course
    2-6  work, including the widely popular Diplomat, Student Government
    2-7  Association, and Cheerleader programs, to name but a few; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, Its well-received Thistles literary magazine, which
    2-9  is published by the Thistles Writers Club, has garnered several
   2-10  first-place awards from the American Scholastic Press Association;
   2-11  the college also has earned a reputation for its outstanding
   2-12  athletic programs, and its women's and men's basketball and rodeo
   2-13  teams, as well as the baseball team, have all gone on to receive
   2-14  conference-wide and national acclaim; and
   2-15        WHEREAS, Throughout its proud 50-year history, Howard County
   2-16  Junior College has effectively addressed the educational needs of
   2-17  its community and in doing so has greatly enhanced the educational,
   2-18  social, and cultural fabric of our state; now, therefore, be it
   2-19        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-20  hereby congratulate Howard County Junior College on the occasion of
   2-21  its 50th anniversary and commend its outstanding board of trustees:
   2-22  Mr.  James Barr, Mr. Harold Davis, Mr. Charlie Gonzales, Dr. P. W.
   2-23  Malone, Mr. Donald B. McKinney, Mr. Adrian Randle, and Dr. Charles
   2-24  O. Warren; its president, Dr. Cheryl T. Sparks; its administrators;
   2-25  and its staff for their many years of outstanding service to the
   2-26  people of Texas; and, be it further
   2-27        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
    3-1  prepared for Howard County Junior College as an expression of high
    3-2  esteem by the Legislature of the State of Texas.