R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, February 1, 1997, will mark the grand opening of the 1-2 newly constructed Lumberton Public Library, and this historic 1-3 milestone in the life of the community is truly an event worthy of 1-4 special praise and recognition; and 1-5 WHEREAS, This welcome addition to the city of Lumberton 1-6 represents years of hard work on the part of numerous citizens from 1-7 all walks of life, and the successful completion of the project is 1-8 a tribute to the vision and commitment of its supporters; and 1-9 WHEREAS, The City of Lumberton demonstrated its commitment to 1-10 this project in 1990 by designating the library a department of the 1-11 city and naming an advisory board, whose members continue to guide 1-12 the library's course today; and 1-13 WHEREAS, In 1991 Lumberton's original library opened in a 1-14 portable building staffed almost entirely by dedicated volunteers, 1-15 and shortly thereafter the Friends of the Lumberton Public Library, 1-16 under the leadership of President Laverne Damos, secured a $50,000 1-17 construction grant from the T. L. L. Temple Foundation, contingent 1-18 on raising the same amount locally and receiving $100,000 in 1-19 matching funds from the Texas Library System; this generous gift 1-20 provided both a solid foundation for the project and the motivation 1-21 needed to begin a concerted fund-raising effort; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Over the next four years, the people of Lumberton 1-23 and the surrounding area met this challenge in no uncertain terms; 1-24 the community rallied to raise the necessary amount, and 2-1 contributions of time, effort, and money came from individuals and 2-2 from civic-minded groups such as the Lumberton Lions Club and the 2-3 Lumberton Civic Women's League, whose members spearheaded one of 2-4 the earliest library committees in 1988; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Their dedicated efforts were richly rewarded when 2-6 Lumberton became one of six cities in Texas to receive a Title II 2-7 Library Construction Grant from the Texas Library System; further 2-8 assistance came from the City of Lumberton's pledge of $100,000 as 2-9 well as the "Buy-A-Brick" project, which was led by local resident 2-10 Bob Agnew with the able assistance of Roland Cox and Mike Colton; 2-11 and 2-12 WHEREAS, In October 1995, construction of the new building 2-13 began, and the project continued to attract talented volunteers, 2-14 including Dennis Williams, who oversaw the construction of the 2-15 library's parking lot, and the members of the Library Advisory 2-16 Board: Homer Brodeur, Carol Dumatrait, Dr. Betty Iles, Barbara 2-17 Murphy, Willie Soileau, Harold Westmoreland, and Chairman Linda 2-18 Surratt; and 2-19 WHEREAS, With the opening of the Lumberton Public Library 2-20 under the direction of librarian Irene Hegwood, local residents 2-21 will not only have the opportunity to celebrate the worlds of 2-22 literature and learning contained within its walls, but will also 2-23 have a tangible, lasting tribute to the many members of the 2-24 community who have helped to make it a reality, and these 2-25 civic-minded citizens may take justifiable pride in their 2-26 accomplishment; now, therefore, be it 2-27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 3-1 Legislature hereby congratulate the citizens of Lumberton on the 3-2 grand opening of the Lumberton Public Library; and, be it further 3-3 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-4 prepared for display in the Lumberton Public Library as an 3-5 expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Zbranek _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 46 was adopted by the House on January 28, 1997, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House