By Puente                                        H.R. No. 241

      75R4384 JHS-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, For 50 years, the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf

 1-2     Children has been helping deaf and hearing-impaired children learn

 1-3     to communicate more effectively; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, Founded in 1947 by Dela White, Sunshine Cottage

 1-5     began with seven students and one teacher and was originally housed

 1-6     in a small caretaker's cottage near San Antonio's Trinity

 1-7     University; Mrs. White started the fledgling school in response to

 1-8     her daughter Tuleta's hearing impairment, determined that she would

 1-9     one day hear her daughter speak; and

1-10           WHEREAS, The Junior League of San Antonio provided the first

1-11     funding for the school, a $1,500 donation for the first three years

1-12     of operation; other early donations included playground equipment,

1-13     hearing aids, and several cans of bright yellow paint that was soon

1-14     applied to the cottage, prompting the christening of the school as

1-15     "The Sunshine Cottage"; and

1-16           WHEREAS, Two years later, after demonstrating the tremendous

1-17     progress made by the school's students, Mrs. White petitioned local

1-18     benefactors and raised $160,000, which was used to finance the

1-19     construction of a new building; the school, which is open to all

1-20     children, regardless of their ability to pay, continues to rely on

1-21     the generosity of the local citizenry and to this day has operated

1-22     without receiving any government funding; and

1-23           WHEREAS, This is not the only unique trait of the Sunshine

1-24     Cottage; rather than teaching sign language, the school's teachers

 2-1     prefer to develop what hearing the students possess and to teach

 2-2     them to speak, enhancing their skills with intensive lip-reading

 2-3     training; another unusual feature that has recently been

 2-4     incorporated into the program is the integration of hearing

 2-5     students, as it has been realized that children learn language

 2-6     better through their peers; and

 2-7           WHEREAS, Mrs. White's dedication and enthusiasm are truly

 2-8     remarkable, and after 50 years she shows no signs of reducing her

 2-9     involvement in the day-to-day operations of the school; as the

2-10     Sunshine Cottage's international reputation grows, this remarkable

2-11     woman can take great satisfaction in the knowledge that the school

2-12     continues to lead the way in providing a successful, alternative

2-13     educational environment for deaf and hearing-impaired children;

2-14     now, therefore, be it

2-15           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

2-16     Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Sunshine

2-17     Cottage School for Deaf Children and extend sincere thanks to Dela

2-18     White for her many years of service to this fine institution; and,

2-19     be it further

2-20           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

2-21     prepared for Dela White and the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf

2-22     Children as an expression of highest regard by the Texas House of

2-23     Representatives.