By Counts H.C.R. No. 58 74R4698 SRD-D 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.