H.R. No. 84
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor
    1-2  Mr. R. C. Hickman for the many significant contributions he has
    1-3  made to the preservation of African-American history in Texas; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, A native of Mineola, he began his distinguished
    1-5  career in photography while serving in the United States Army
    1-6  during World War II; he rapidly excelled in his chosen field and
    1-7  eventually became an official military photographer; and
    1-8        WHEREAS, When the war ended, he returned to the Dallas
    1-9  community and pursued his artistic talents as a photojournalist
   1-10  with the Dallas Star Post and several other local newspapers; he
   1-11  also did freelance work for many highly acclaimed national
   1-12  publications, including Jet, Sepia, and Ebony; and
   1-13        WHEREAS, This remarkable gentleman continued to make
   1-14  substantial contributions to the black community as a photographer
   1-15  for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,
   1-16  where his moving photographs documented the effects of racial
   1-17  segregation and the struggle to end it; as the community's
   1-18  "unofficial" photographer from 1949 to 1961, he recorded the daily
   1-19  lives of his friends and neighbors as they worked, played, and
   1-20  yearned for their fair share of the American dream; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, In 1985 Mr. Hickman generously donated 3,000 of his
   1-22  photographic negatives and prints to the Center for American
   1-23  History at The University of Texas at Austin, and today the R. C.
   1-24  Hickman Photographic Archive serves as an important resource for
    2-1  research in such areas as the post-1945 civil rights movement,
    2-2  photojournalism, urban studies, and African-American history; and
    2-3        WHEREAS, Moreover, his important works have been enjoyed by
    2-4  countless Texans at exhibitions in Austin and Dallas and will
    2-5  continue to have a positive impact on many others through his
    2-6  highly acclaimed book, Behold the People; and
    2-7        WHEREAS, In recognition of his outstanding efforts to
    2-8  chronicle three decades of the African-American experience in
    2-9  Texas, Mr. Hickman was commissioned an Ambassador of Goodwill by
   2-10  Governor William P. Clements and also earned special commendations
   2-11  from the United States Congress and the city of Dallas; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Hickman has
   2-13  worked to artistically preserve the fabric of life of the
   2-14  African-American community in our state, and through his remarkable
   2-15  efforts, he has enhanced the awareness and self-esteem of
   2-16  generations of Texans; by chronicling a difficult period in
   2-17  American life, he has ensured that it will not be forgotten, and
   2-18  his photographic record will stand as a tribute to the power,
   2-19  dignity, and strength of the human spirit; now, therefore, be it
   2-20        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-21  Legislature hereby commend Mr. R. C. Hickman for his outstanding
   2-22  contributions to the preservation of African-American history in
   2-23  Texas and wish him continued success in all his future endeavors;
   2-24  and, be it further
   2-25        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-26  prepared for Mr. Hickman as an expression of high esteem from the
   2-27  Texas House of Representatives.