1-1                                       1

 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 510

 1-3           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride in

 1-4     recognizing Maya Angelou on the occasion of her presentation, "An

 1-5     Intimate Evening with Maya Angelou," which is being presented by the

 1-6     National Kidney Foundation of Southeast Texas, Incorporated; and

 1-7           WHEREAS, The presentation takes place on May 22, 1997, at the

 1-8     Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston and is part of

 1-9     an endeavor to involve all disciplines of the arts in fund raising

1-10     for the National Kidney Foundation of Southeast Texas, Incorporated;

1-11     and

1-12           WHEREAS, An extraordinary speaker who has inspired audiences

1-13     around the world, Maya Angelou has followers who transcend all

1-14     cultural, religious, and ethnic barriers and who range from young

1-15     children to world leaders and major corporate executives; and

1-16           WHEREAS, Maya Angelou is a remarkably talented poet, writer,

1-17     and actress who is famous for such internationally recognized works

1-18     as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of

1-19     Water 'Fore I Diiie; and

1-20           WHEREAS, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, one of her

1-21     autobiographical novels, was nominated for the National Book Award

1-22     in 1970 and ran for two years on the New York Times Paperback

1-23     Nonfiction Bestseller list; Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore

 2-1     I Diiie is a book of poetry that was published by Random House and

 2-2     nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1971; and

 2-3           WHEREAS, Her many other works include children's books such as

 2-4     Life Doesn't Frighten Me, plays such as Moon on a Rainbow Shawl,

 2-5     and scores of articles, short stories, and poems published in such

 2-6     periodicals and newspapers as Harper's Bazaar, Ebony, the Chicago

 2-7     Daily News, and the Sunday New York Times; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, She has served as a writer for the Oprah Winfrey

 2-9     television special, "Brewster Place," was an actress in the

2-10     television special "Roots," and wrote the score for the

2-11     Sidney Portier film, For the Love of Ivy; and

2-12           WHEREAS, Her many honors include serving as the Inaugural

2-13     Poet for President Bill Clinton and earning the Grammy for Best

2-14     Spoken Word Album, the Horatio Alger Award, the Essence Woman of the

2-15     Year award, and honorary degrees from Smith College and Lawrence

2-16     University; and

2-17           WHEREAS, Maya Angelou is a legendary figure who gives

2-18     generously of her time and talent, and she is a source of

2-19     inspiration and strength to individuals, groups, and communities

2-20     throughout the world; now, therefore, be it

2-21           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,

2-22     75th Legislature, hereby commend Maya Angelou on her outstanding

2-23     accomplishments and express appreciation to her for making a

2-24     presentation that will be of great benefit to the National Kidney

2-25     Foundation of Southeast Texas, Incorporated; and, be it further

 3-1           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for

 3-2     Maya Angelou as an expression of high esteem from the Texas Senate.

 3-3                                                                   Ellis

 3-4                                  ______________________________________

 3-5                                          President of the Senate

 3-6                                       I hereby certify that the above

 3-7                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate

 3-8                                  on April 16, 1997.

 3-9                                  ______________________________________

3-10                                          Secretary of the Senate

3-11                                  ______________________________________

3-12                                           Member, Texas Senate