78S41384 JNC-D

By:  McClendon                                                    H.R. No. 259



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The passing of Doris Rayford Scott on January 1, 
2004, at the age of 88, has brought a great loss to the many friends 
and family of this esteemed San Antonio educator; and
	WHEREAS, A graduate of Prairie View A&M University, Mrs. 
Scott began her distinguished teaching career in the 1930s, a time 
when segregation relegated African-American students and teachers 
to separate schools; and
	WHEREAS, In 1964, Mrs. Scott demonstrated a sincere 
commitment to providing a brighter future for her students when she 
became the first African American to teach at Valley Hi Elementary, 
a predominantly Anglo school in San Antonio's Northside School 
District; over the course of her tenure, she taught at Lee, 
Riverside Park, and Pfeiffer elementary schools and won the 
admiration and respect of parents and fellow teachers for the 
dedication she brought to the classroom each day; and
	WHEREAS, With courage, dignity, and an enduring faith in the 
power of knowledge, this remarkable woman was a true pioneer, 
crossing this country's educational divide, leading by example in 
demonstrating that all children deserve an equal opportunity for a 
quality education; though she is missed, her memory lives on in the 
hearts of the countless people whose lives she touched; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay special tribute to the 
life of Doris Rayford Scott and extend sincere sympathy to her 
family:  to her son, Samuel T. Scott, Jr.; to her grandchildren, 
Samuel T. Scott III, Katherine Scott Bryant, and James Weston 
Scott; to her five great-grandchildren; to her sister, Ruth Walton; 
to her brother, Robert Rayford; and to the many other relatives, 
friends, and admirers of this beloved woman; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas House 
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Doris 
Scott.