H.R. No. 855 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of Hazel Vaughn Leigh on April 27, 1995, 1-2 has deeply saddened the many friends of this esteemed civic leader 1-3 and founder of the Fort Worth Boys Club, and her death will be 1-4 widely mourned throughout the city she made her lifelong home; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A native of the Diamond Hill area of north Fort 1-6 Worth, Ms. Leigh organized the Fort Worth Boys Club Council 60 1-7 years ago in an effort to combat the high rate of juvenile 1-8 delinquency on the city's north side by providing positive 1-9 activities for the underprivileged and largely Hispanic youth of 1-10 the area, who were particularly hard hit by the Great Depression; 1-11 and 1-12 WHEREAS, Enlisting the help of several friends and the local 1-13 Kiwanis Club, she initiated the club's first after-school program 1-14 on February 1, 1935, which attracted 250 local boys who eagerly 1-15 exhausted the fledgling organization's supply of hot chocolate and 1-16 quickly signed on as charter members; under Ms. Leigh's direction, 1-17 the club was soon running its program at the Boulevard Methodist 1-18 Church gym where club members participated in volleyball and boxing 1-19 and occasionally were treated to trips to the Isis Theater, in 1-20 addition to receiving a square meal that was often hard to come by 1-21 in those days; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Within a year of the establishment of the Fort Worth 1-23 Boys Club, juvenile delinquency in the area had plummeted by more 1-24 than 75 percent, and Ms. Leigh's program began to garner local 2-1 acclaim and national attention from the Roosevelt administration, 2-2 which deemed the program worthy of staff assistance from the 2-3 National Youth Administration; and 2-4 WHEREAS, This extraordinary woman continued to provide 2-5 steadfast leadership to the boys club as its director in the years 2-6 that followed, and, determined to enhance her own professional 2-7 skills to better serve the club, she earned a degree in social work 2-8 from Texas Christian University while working a 60-hour week; in 2-9 the 1960s she furthered her education with graduate studies at New 2-10 York University; and 2-11 WHEREAS, Under Ms. Leigh's visionary direction, the Fort 2-12 Worth Boys Club continued to flourish and evolve, becoming a United 2-13 Fund agency and securing affiliation with the Boys Clubs of 2-14 America; in 1969, the club merged with several other youth clubs in 2-15 the Fort Worth area to operate under the auspices of the Boys & 2-16 Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, which today serves 5,000 young 2-17 people annually; and 2-18 WHEREAS, Roundly praised and admired by all who knew her, 2-19 Ms. Leigh was honored with the Golden Boy award from the Boys Clubs 2-20 of America in 1960 for her significant contributions to youth, and 2-21 she also enjoyed the distinction of being the first woman director 2-22 of a boys club to receive this coveted award; and 2-23 WHEREAS, Ms. Leigh retired as the executive director of the 2-24 boys club in 1972 after successfully guiding the organization she 2-25 had created for nearly four decades; in later years, she remained 2-26 active in the community and continued to support the club through 2-27 valuable fund-raising efforts as a member of the Women's Board; and 3-1 WHEREAS, Hazel Vaughn Leigh played a pivotal role in changing 3-2 the lives of numerous young men for the better as the founder of 3-3 the Fort Worth Boys Club Council, and the memory of this remarkable 3-4 woman will long endure in the hearts of the many people who were 3-5 touched by her dedication, compassion, and goodwill; now, 3-6 therefore, be it 3-7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-8 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Hazel Vaughn Leigh 3-9 and extend deepest sympathy to the many friends, colleagues, and 3-10 relatives of this beloved lady; and, be it further 3-11 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-12 prepared for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth and that 3-13 when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so 3-14 in memory of Hazel Vaughn Leigh.