By Gray                                          H.R. No. 215

      75R7070 JHS-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, February is Black History Month, and it is fitting

 1-2     that the Texas House of Representatives take this opportunity to

 1-3     commemorate the life of Jack A. Johnson, the first African-American

 1-4     world heavyweight boxing champion and a native Texan; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, Born in Galveston in 1878, Mr. Johnson began

 1-6     studying the "sweet science" at a young age and was soon traveling

 1-7     across the country sparring with veteran boxers in New York,

 1-8     Chicago, Boston, and other cities; and

 1-9           WHEREAS, On December 26, 1908, Mr. Johnson defeated Tommy

1-10     Burns in Sydney, Australia, to claim the world heavyweight

1-11     championship title, a title he held until April 5, 1915, when he

1-12     was defeated by Jess Willard in Havana, Cuba; and

1-13           WHEREAS, During the course of his tremendous career, this

1-14     flawless fighter lost only six bouts in more than 100 fights;

1-15     although he was subjected to taunts and threats because of his

1-16     race, Mr. Johnson held his head high and refused to give in to the

1-17     intolerance and ignorance that were prevalent during that time; and

1-18           WHEREAS, When the United States declared war on Germany,

1-19     Mr. Johnson was in Spain, and he immediately contacted the United

1-20     States Embassy in Madrid to offer his services to his country; his

1-21     involvement in the region's military intelligence operations helped

1-22     to prevent German U-boat crews from infiltrating the Spanish coast;

1-23     and

1-24           WHEREAS, Jack Johnson's life was tragically cut short in 1946

 2-1     when he died in a car crash, and the loss of this legendary figure

 2-2     was felt by a great many people; one of the Lone Star State's most

 2-3     famous citizens, he was immortalized in 1954 when he was

 2-4     posthumously inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, and he is

 2-5     indeed deserving of legislative recognition at this time; now,

 2-6     therefore, be it

 2-7           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

 2-8     Legislature hereby recognize February 24, 1997, as Jack A. Johnson

 2-9     Day to commemorate the life and many accomplishments of this

2-10     renowned Texan.