By Kubiak                                             H.R. No. 1097

         75R13557 SAJ-F                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Lone Star State enjoys a rich and proud history

 1-2     that encompasses a variety of cultural and ethnic heritages; and

 1-3           WHEREAS, The many individuals who helped form our past were

 1-4     laid to rest in now-historic cemeteries in communities, homesteads,

 1-5     and churchyards across the state; and

 1-6           WHEREAS, Thousands of these cemeteries, particularly those in

 1-7     rural areas, are located on private property owned by individuals

 1-8     who have no relationship to those interred there, and many of the

 1-9     cemeteries are now in an imperiled condition; and

1-10           WHEREAS, Texas law allows interested citizens and descendants

1-11     of individuals buried in historic cemeteries to visit these sites

1-12     and maintain them, but inaccessibility, inconvenience, or lack of

1-13     public awareness concerning the issues of cemetery visitation often

1-14     prevents these actions from occurring; and

1-15           WHEREAS, In 1994, Save Texas Cemeteries, Inc., was organized

1-16     as a nonprofit educational corporation to enhance knowledge of the

1-17     importance of preserving historic Texas cemeteries; and

1-18           WHEREAS, An essential element of this goal is the provision

1-19     of guaranteed access to all cemeteries in the state; towards this

1-20     end, the first Sundays in April and October should be set aside

1-21     annually as dates of visitation to Texas cemeteries; and

1-22           WHEREAS, The members of this chamber endorse this important

1-23     initiative in hope of fostering a greater understanding of our

1-24     state's rich legacy, especially as it exists in thousands of

 2-1     historic cemeteries; now, therefore, be it

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

 2-3     Legislature hereby recognize the annual observance of the first

 2-4     Sundays in April and October as Texas Cemetery Visitation Days, to

 2-5     be known as Texas Cemeteries: A Bridge to the Past, and encourage

 2-6     all Texans to participate in this worthy effort.