SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 120

	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to 
recognize Charlye Ola Farris, who in 1953 became the first 
African-American woman licensed to practice law in Texas; and
	WHEREAS, In celebration of Charlye O. Farris's many 
personal and professional achievements, the Wichita County Bar 
Association is paying tribute to her on November 13, 2003, at a 
dinner in her honor at The Woman's Forum; Arthur Bea Williams, 
her first secretary, is serving as master of ceremonies and 
several of Charlye's friends and colleagues are speaking at the 
event; and
	WHEREAS, Charlye Farris was born and raised in Wichita Falls;
her father was the first African-American school superintendent 
in Texas, and her mother was an elementary schoolteacher for 49 
years; in 1945, when Charlye was 15 years old, she graduated from 
Booker T. Washington High School; at the age of 18, she earned a 
bachelor's degree from Prairie View A&M College; and
	WHEREAS, Charlye taught third and fourth graders for one 
year before deciding to pursue her interest in becoming an 
attorney; at the time that Charlye applied and was admitted to 
law school, few women and even fewer African-American women were 
members of the legal profession in our nation; undeterred by 
these circumstances, Charlye entered law school at the 
University of Denver and transferred the following year to Howard 
University in Washington, D.C.; she earned her law degree in 1953 
and returned to Texas, where she passed the bar exam and received 
her license to practice law; and
	WHEREAS, Charlye Farris opened her law office in
February of 1955 on the east side of Wichita Falls, thus becoming 
the first woman to actively practice law in Wichita County; after 
the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, she moved her law 
practice downtown near the county courthouse where her office has 
remained for nearly 39 years; and
	WHEREAS, Prior to the passage of civil rights legislation in 
the nation, Charlye endured the many indignities of segregation 
while practicing law at the county courthouse; she nevertheless 
persevered, worked hard, and established a reputation for honesty 
and fairness; and
	WHEREAS, In recognition of her exceptional accomplishments 
over the past 50 years, Charlye Farris has been honored by the 
American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the 
State Bar of Texas; a scholarship named in her honor is in the 
process of being established by the Wichita County Bar Association 
and the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation; the scholarship 
will support individuals pursuing law and law-related professions 
with preference given to traditionally underrepresented groups; 
and
	WHEREAS, Charlye O. Farris epitomizes all that is honorable 
and desirable in the legal profession, and all Texans should be 
proud of her many contributions to the practice of law in our 
state; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
78th Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commend
Charlye Ola Farris for her courageous and diligent pursuit of a 
legal career and for her exemplary accomplishments as an attorney 
and extend best wishes to her on the occasion of the 50th 
anniversary of her earning a licence to practice law in Texas; 
and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for 
her as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.
                                                                           Estes




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on October 10, 2003.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate