79R8808 KO-D

By:  Dutton                                                       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.