78R9836 MDM-D

By:  Dutton                                                       H.R. No. 626



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Members of the Phillis Wheatley High School Class of 
1963 are gathering in Houston June 20-22, 2003, to celebrate their 
40th reunion, and the occasion promises to be a memorable event for 
all concerned; and
	WHEREAS, Named in honor of the 18th-century African-born 
American poet, Phillis Wheatley High School was established on 
January 31, 1927, in the former McGowan Elementary School building 
at 3415 Lyons Avenue; situated at 4900 Market Street since 1950, the 
institution has provided for the educational needs of Bayou City 
students for more than three-quarters of a century; and
	WHEREAS, Through the years following their high school 
graduation, the men and women of the Class of '63 have assumed 
leadership roles in Houston and throughout the nation; their 
accomplishments have added still further to the luster of a school 
whose alumni have excelled in such diverse professions as 
education, sports, law, music, architecture, medicine, 
engineering, industry, business, military science, and national, 
state, and local politics; and
	WHEREAS, One of the most notable members of the Class of '63 
is Brown University president Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, the first woman 
to serve the institution in that capacity; formerly president of 
Smith College, she made history as the first African American 
president of a Seven Sisters college; and
	WHEREAS, Over the course of their time together, the former 
Wheatley classmates will rekindle old friendships and bring each 
other up-to-date, and there will no doubt be much laughter and some 
tears as they reminisce and regale one another with stories of their 
trials and triumphs of the last four decades; and
	WHEREAS, In returning to pay tribute to their alma mater and 
their days as Phillis Wheatley Wildcats, they acknowledge the 
school's deep and abiding influence in shaping their lives, and it 
is indeed fitting at this time to recognize both the breadth of 
their accomplishments and their moving loyalty to their beloved 
school; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby commemorate the 40th anniversary of Phillis 
Wheatley High School's Class of 1963 and extend to its members 
warmest wishes for continued success and happiness.