H.C.R. No. 97 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, On February 3, 1995, Dr. James L. Sweatt III was 1-2 installed as president of the Dallas County Medical Society (DCMS) 1-3 and this special recognition is richly deserved; and 1-4 WHEREAS, The son of professional educators, Dr. Sweatt was a 1-5 national honor society scholar in high school and was influenced as 1-6 a young man by an adage in the black community that there are only 1-7 four true professions--teaching, preaching, law, and medicine; 1-8 gathering inspiration from an uncle and two cousins who were 1-9 physicians, he chose at an early age to follow them into the 1-10 medical profession; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Attending Vermont's Middlebury College on a 1-12 scholarship, he was accepted to the Washington University School of 1-13 Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1958 and broke racial barriers 1-14 by becoming the first African-American to gain admittance to the 1-15 university and the first to graduate from its rigorous program, 1-16 despite the stubborn obstacles posed by the racial climate of the 1-17 era; and 1-18 WHEREAS, In 1962 he married the former Mary Lois Hudson, who 1-19 holds a master's degree in modern dance and currently runs a 1-20 successful dance studio and is the sister of State Representative 1-21 Samuel W. Hudson III; together the pair have enjoyed a happy and 1-22 rewarding marriage that has produced four accomplished children, 1-23 James IV, Alisa, Mary Elizabeth, and William, who is pursuing his 1-24 father's path as a medical student at Johns Hopkins University; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Following his internship, Dr. Sweatt fulfilled his 2-2 military obligation as a flight surgeon at Sheppard Air Force Base 2-3 and completed his residency in general surgery at the University of 2-4 Colorado Medical Center in Denver before returning to Dallas; and 2-5 WHEREAS, This esteemed surgeon has since applied his skills 2-6 with characteristic determination to the practice of thoracic 2-7 surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and 2-8 Parkland Memorial Hospital, winning the respect and admiration of 2-9 his peers for his mastery of this complex field of specialization; 2-10 and 2-11 WHEREAS, For two decades, Dr. Sweatt also has shared his 2-12 considerable expertise with his professional colleagues in the 2-13 DCMS, holding a variety of demanding leadership positions that have 2-14 included chairmanship of the board of censors and membership on the 2-15 group's board of directors; most recently, in his role as 2-16 president-elect of the society, he volunteered to present brief 2-17 messages about general health topics on radio station KKDA; and 2-18 WHEREAS, Dr. Sweatt's remarkable career has been 2-19 distinguished by a number of "firsts"; in addition to pioneering 2-20 the way for African-American students at his alma mater, he also is 2-21 the first African-American to serve as president of the DCMS and 2-22 was the first African-American to serve on the board of directors 2-23 at Parkland Memorial Hospital; and 2-24 WHEREAS, This distinguished gentleman has given generously of 2-25 his time to benefit his community over the years, garnering 2-26 appreciation for his many contributions to others as a ruling elder 2-27 and committee chairman at St. Luke Presbyterian Church, as a board 3-1 member of Grace Presbyterian Village in Oak Cliff, as a participant 3-2 in the Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Leadership Program, and as a lifetime 3-3 member of the PTA; and 3-4 WHEREAS, Other notable organizations that have benefited 3-5 greatly from his commitment include the board of directors of the 3-6 Texas Medical Political Action Committee and the C. V. Roman 3-7 Society, of which he is a past president; and 3-8 WHEREAS, A consummate medical professional who is a 3-9 recognized leader in his field as well as his community, Dr. Sweatt 3-10 assumes his new responsibilities as president of the DCMS with the 3-11 overwhelming endorsement of his friends and colleagues and will 3-12 undoubtedly provide outstanding direction to this worthy 3-13 organization throughout the coming year; now, therefore, be it 3-14 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-15 hereby congratulate Dr. James L. Sweatt III on his installation as 3-16 the 1995 president of the Dallas County Medical Society and extend 3-17 sincere best wishes to him for his continued success and happiness; 3-18 and, be it further 3-19 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-20 prepared for Dr. Sweatt as an expression of highest regard by the 3-21 Legislature of the State of Texas.