H.R. No. 98
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, On February 3, 1995, Texans will celebrate the 150th
    1-2  anniversary of the founding of Nacogdoches University, and such an
    1-3  august occasion is indeed worthy of special legislative
    1-4  recognition; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Chartered by the Republic of Texas on February 3,
    1-6  1845, Nacogdoches University is thought to be the first
    1-7  nonsectarian institution of higher learning in Texas; at a time
    1-8  when all other local colleges and universities were affiliated with
    1-9  certain faiths, this institution opened its doors to all,
   1-10  regardless of religious belief, and thus it paved the way for the
   1-11  egalitarian public education system that we enjoy today; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, The university's first facility was the "Red House,"
   1-13  an adobe and frame structure built by Colonel Jose de los Piedros,
   1-14  the commander of the Mexican Army during the occupation of 1832;
   1-15  the school later moved to Temperance Hall, at the intersection of
   1-16  Hospital and Fredonia streets, before being relocated to the
   1-17  permanent site on Washington Square in 1858; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, The modified Grecian structure was built at a cost
   1-19  of approximately $8,000 and was paid for by donations of money,
   1-20  products, and labor by the citizens of Nacogdoches and East Texas;
   1-21  with the exception of a brief period during the Civil War and
   1-22  Reconstruction, when it served as a convalescent home and as
   1-23  military quarters, the building has been used for educational
   1-24  purposes since its construction nearly 140 years ago; and
    2-1        WHEREAS, Nacogdoches University ceased operations in 1895,
    2-2  but the building was subsequently leased by several other
    2-3  institutions of higher learning, including Stephen F. Austin State
    2-4  University; it was later deeded to the Nacogdoches Independent
    2-5  School District, but the grand old building was threatened with
    2-6  demolition in 1950 when the district could no longer afford to
    2-7  maintain it; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, Thanks to the dedicated and heroic efforts of a
    2-9  federation of women's clubs, the Old Nacogdoches University
   2-10  Building, as it is now called, was preserved for future generations
   2-11  of Texans to enjoy, and it has become one of the city's most
   2-12  popular tourist attractions; the building currently houses a museum
   2-13  dedicated to the history of education in the region, and its
   2-14  beautiful grounds are maintained through the attentive care of the
   2-15  Deep East Texas Rose Society; and
   2-16        WHEREAS, Texans take great pride in the relics and buildings
   2-17  that stand as a reminder of their state's illustrious past, and the
   2-18  Old Nacogdoches University Building, like the Alamo and the State
   2-19  Capitol, has earned a unique place in Lone Star State history; now,
   2-20  therefore, be it
   2-21        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-22  Legislature hereby commemorate the sesquicentennial of the founding
   2-23  of Nacogdoches University and recognize the university's many
   2-24  outstanding contributions to Texas history.