H.C.R. No. 85
                              HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS,  Ben Rogers contributed significantly to the
    1-2  citizens of this state as a business leader and philanthropist who
    1-3  demonstrated an exemplary concern for the well-being of others; and
    1-4        WHEREAS,  As a young man, he settled in Beaumont with his
    1-5  brothers and together they established Texas State Optical; and
    1-6        WHEREAS,  A man of many interests and talents, he also
    1-7  contributed his invaluable expertise to the banking industry and
    1-8  offered wise and thoughtful guidance as an organizer and director
    1-9  of numerous financial institutions in the Beaumont and Houston
   1-10  areas; in recognition of the vast contributions he made to the
   1-11  business community in our state, he was inducted into the
   1-12  prestigious Texas Business Hall of Fame; and
   1-13        WHEREAS,  Mr. Rogers continued to work for the betterment of
   1-14  the Southeast Texas community through his service as president of
   1-15  the Beaumont and Sabine Neches Chambers of Commerce, the Central
   1-16  City Development Corporation, the Beaumont Music Commission, United
   1-17  Appeals, and the Beaumont Optimist Club; in addition, this
   1-18  remarkable gentleman was the founder and president of the Joe Louis
   1-19  International Sports Foundation and, in 1976, helped to raise over
   1-20  half a million dollars for the organization to the benefit of boys'
   1-21  clubs throughout the country; and
   1-22        WHEREAS, As a result of his leadership, facilities have been
   1-23  provided in Beaumont for Boys Haven, the Minnie Rogers Juvenile
   1-24  Home, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, United Appeals, the YMCA, the
    2-1  new Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Babe Zaharias Museum, and
    2-2  the Julie and Ben Rogers Cancer Institute; and
    2-3        WHEREAS,  This dedicated gentleman worked to foster
    2-4  productivity and independence for individuals with mental
    2-5  retardation, and to that end, on July 30, 1979, he donated a
    2-6  building and property to the Beaumont State Center;  the building,
    2-7  called the Hollywood Workcenter, is used to provide supportive
    2-8  employment training to individuals at the center; and
    2-9        WHEREAS,  Ben Rogers's remarkable contributions to the
   2-10  quality of life in Southeast Texas survive his death on December
   2-11  14, 1994, and will continue to have a profound effect on the
   2-12  members of his community, and it is fitting that the Hollywood
   2-13  Workcenter that he helped establish be named in his memory; now,
   2-14  therefore, be it
   2-15        RESOLVED,  That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-16  hereby direct that the present Hollywood Workcenter at the Beaumont
   2-17  State Center be named the Ben Rogers Employment Training Facility
   2-18  as a testament to Mr. Rogers's devotion and service to his
   2-19  community; and, be it further
   2-20        RESOLVED,  That the secretary of state forward an official
   2-21  copy of this resolution to the executive director of the General
   2-22  Services Commission.