|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Representatives of the William Leonard Davis |
|
District of the Sam Houston Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, are |
|
dedicating a building at El Rancho Cima Boy Scout Camp near Fischer |
|
on May 30, 2009, in honor of the district's namesake; and |
|
WHEREAS, W. L. Davis, an educator and civic leader, was born |
|
in Halletsville on January 6, 1873; he attended grade school and |
|
high school in La Grange, earned a bachelor's degree from Prairie |
|
View Normal Institute in 1894, and received a master's degree from |
|
the University of Kansas in 1940; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Davis served as an elementary school principal |
|
in Schulenburg from 1900 to 1902 and as principal of Hempstead High |
|
School from 1903 to 1914; after moving to Houston, he taught at |
|
Emancipation Blackshear Elementary School and later, from 1920 to |
|
1926, at Gregory Elementary School; he concluded his career in |
|
education as the principal of Gregory Elementary from 1943 to 1944; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, Deeply engaged in the community, Mr. Davis gave |
|
generously of his time and talents to Antioch Baptist Church in |
|
Houston and served as president of the Civic Betterment League of |
|
Houston and Harris County and as a member of the Texas Interracial |
|
Commission; and |
|
WHEREAS, At a time when African American youth had little |
|
access to scouting programs, Mr. Davis worked to achieve equality |
|
of opportunity within the Boy Scouts; in 1944, as a result of his |
|
efforts, the council created a district to serve African American |
|
boys and young men; the new jurisdiction was named after Mr. Davis, |
|
in tribute to his tireless determination to extend the reach of the |
|
organization; and |
|
WHEREAS, The same year that the Davis District was |
|
established, Mr. Davis donated a building to enhance the facilities |
|
at El Rancho Cima Boy Scout Camp; it is that building, given in |
|
memory of his wife, Roselle E. Davis, that is now being dedicated; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, W. L. Davis played a crucial role in enabling |
|
African American youth in the Houston area to enjoy the many |
|
benefits of the Boy Scout movement, and it is indeed fitting that |
|
his staunch devotion to scouting and to the welfare of his community |
|
be memorialized; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
|
Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of the William |
|
Leonard Davis Building at El Rancho Cima Boy Scout Camp and extend |
|
to all those associated with the W. L. Davis District sincere best |
|
wishes for continued success in all their endeavors; and, be it |
|
further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for the W. L. Davis District as an expression of high |
|
regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
|
|
Dutton |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 1935 was adopted by the House on May |
|
19, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|