H.R. No. 748
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The accomplished television, film, and stage actor
James Avery is visiting the State Capitol on this day, April 14,
2005, providing a welcome opportunity to commend him on his
successful career; and
WHEREAS, A New Jersey native, Mr. Avery began his college
career at Virginia State University, but he left school after a year
and joined the U.S. Navy; after serving his country in Vietnam, he
settled in San Diego, where he wrote poetry and television scripts
for PBS, winning an Emmy and a scholarship to the University of
California at San Diego; he earned a bachelor's degree in drama and
literature at UCSD and later received an honorary doctorate from
his earlier alma mater, Virginia State; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Avery is perhaps best known for his role as
Philip Banks on the enormously popular NBC television series, The
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996; his other
innumerable credits include recurring roles on executive producer
Will Smith's All of Us on UPN, Showtime's Soul Food, and Lifetime's
The Division, and he has previously had recurring roles on such
popular series as Murder One, L.A. Law, and Hill Street Blues; he
has guest-starred on NYPD Blue, That '70s Show, C.S.I., The Jamie
Foxx Show, and Dharma and Greg and has appeared in original movies
for the Disney Channel and ABC, among others; his feature film work
includes Third Wish, The Brady Bunch Movie, and Dancing in
September, which was selected as an official entry in the 2001
Sundance Film Festival; and
WHEREAS, In addition to hosting the critically acclaimed
travel and adventure PBS series, Going Places, he has lent his
distinctive voice to more than a dozen animated features and
television shows, including Aladdin, Spider-Man, and Dr. Doolittle
2; and
WHEREAS, Equally at home in the theater, this classically
trained actor most recently impressed critics and audiences alike
in a 2004 Los Angeles production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's
Black Bottom; he has also appeared in numerous Shakespeare plays
over the years, including performing the lead role in Othello at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Avery also finds time to give back to his
community; as the son of a schoolteacher, he recognizes the
importance of education and educators and serves as a spokesperson
for CalTeach, California's Teacher Recruitment Campaign; just as
passionate about supporting our troops at home and abroad, he has
made USO visits to Guam and the Marshall Islands in January 2005, to
Korea in 2003, and to Kosovo, Macedonia, and Bosnia in 2002; and
WHEREAS, In an address to the 1996 graduating class of
Virginia State University, James Avery advised the predominantly
African American student body that each generation stands on the
shoulders of the generation that came before, and while this gifted
and compassionate artist continues to excel in his own career, he
has clearly supplied strong and sturdy shoulders for the next wave
of young African American actors and actresses; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby extend a hearty Texas welcome to James Avery
and, in honor of his visit, recognize April 14, 2005, as James Avery
Day at the State Capitol.
Dutton
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus
Dukes King of Parker Swinford
Dunnam King of Zavala Talton
Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor
Edwards Krusee Thompson
Eiland Kuempel Truitt
Eissler Laney Turner
Elkins Laubenberg Uresti
Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Farabee Luna Veasey
Farrar Madden Villarreal
Flores Martinez Vo
Flynn Martinez Fischer West
Frost McCall Wong
Gallego McClendon Woolley
Gattis McReynolds Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 748 was adopted by the House on April
14, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House