By Clark                                              H.C.R. No. 56
         76R3954 GMW-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The year 1999 marks the 150th anniversary of Austin
 1-2     College, and as the school commemorates this significant milestone
 1-3     it is indeed fitting to recognize this esteemed university and to
 1-4     reflect on its storied history; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, Founded by the Reverend Daniel Baker, the oldest
 1-6     liberal arts college in Texas was named in honor of Stephen F.
 1-7     Austin and initially benefited from the guidance of General Sam
 1-8     Houston and Anson Jones, presidents of the Republic of Texas, who
 1-9     served on the school's original board of trustees; Austin College
1-10     still operates under the charter granted it when it opened in
1-11     Huntsville in 1849, before social and economic forces caused it to
1-12     relocate to Sherman in 1876; and
1-13           WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1950s, the college implemented
1-14     extensive efforts to expand the traditional liberal arts and
1-15     sciences curriculum, and the comprehensive educational program that
1-16     was installed in 1972 still shapes the academic life of the college
1-17     and the student body of more than 1,200 men and women; the current
1-18     academic environment places an emphasis on international studies
1-19     and features such stellar programs as the January Term and the
1-20     Leadership Institute; and
1-21           WHEREAS, The architecturally splendid 60-acre campus, which
1-22     has more than doubled in size in the past 50 years, vividly
1-23     reflects the philosophy of Austin College: steeped in tradition and
1-24     history, yet fully modernized in its facilities and goals for the
 2-1     future; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, Throughout its 150 years Austin College has been a
 2-3     scholastic treasure, consistently providing its students with an
 2-4     exemplary education, and it is truly appropriate that we honor it
 2-5     at this time; now, therefore, be it
 2-6           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
 2-7     hereby honor Austin College on the occasion of its sesquicentennial
 2-8     and extend to the school's students, faculty, and administrators
 2-9     sincere best wishes for continued success in the future; and, be it
2-10     further
2-11           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-12     prepared for prominent display at Austin College as a token of high
2-13     regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.