78S41286 KO-D

By:  Dutton                                                       H.R. No. 219



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Phillis Wheatley High School Senior Class of 
1954 gathered in Houston in June 2004 to celebrate its 50th reunion; 
and
	WHEREAS, Located in Houston's Fifth Ward, this outstanding 
school opened in 1927 and was named for poet Phillis Wheatley, the 
first African American and the second American woman to publish a 
volume of poetry in our nation; among those members of the Class of 
1954 who were selected for inclusion in the Phillis Wheatley 
Metropolitan Alumni and Ex-Students Association Hall of Fame were 
the late Marion Ford, who, in 1958, became the first African 
American to graduate from The University of Texas and later one of 
Houston's finest dentists, Faye Bryant, a renowned educator, a 
former superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, 
and an Outstanding Alumni of Howard University, and Warren Olu 
Chapman, who established Boys Rites of Passage, an organization 
that provides guidance and direction for African American boys 
between the ages of 11 and 16; and
	WHEREAS, Although the former classmates maintained a lively 
interest in one another since leaving Wheatley, they were unable to 
take a break from their busy and productive lives to come together 
for an official reunion until the 30th anniversary of their 
graduation in 1984; members of the Wheatley High School Class of 
1954 have since enjoyed well-attended reunions in 1989, 1994, and 
1999, and their golden jubilee celebration in 2004; and
	WHEREAS, In their commitment to hold dear the bonds of 
friendship and to hold fast the principles instilled in their 
hearts and minds by exceptionally capable teachers, the Wheatley 
Class of '54 exhibits the same camaraderie, willingness to serve, 
faith, tenacity, and indomitable spirit that were their inheritance 
50 years ago; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby congratulate the Phillis 
Wheatley High School Senior Class of 1954 on the occasion of its 
50th high school reunion and that its members be extended sincere 
best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the class as an expression of high regard by the Texas 
House of Representatives.