SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 256

WHEREAS, A group from Baylor University is visiting the State Capitol on February 19, 2009, and this occasion provides a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to the rich history of this notable institution; and

WHEREAS, Baylor University dates back to 1841, when 35 delegates at the Union Baptist Association meeting accepted a proposal by the Reverend William Milton Tryon and State District Judge R. E. B. Baylor to create a Baptist university in Texas; the Texas Baptist Education Society later petitioned the Congress of the Republic of Texas, and, on February 1, 1845, an act was signed into law that officially established Baylor University; Reverend Tryon and Judge Baylor are regarded as the founders of the university, along with the Reverend James Huckins, who was the first Baptist missionary to Texas and the university's first full-time fund-raiser; each year in February, the Baylor University community hosts a Founders Day celebration to commemorate the anniversary of its charter; and

WHEREAS, Today, Baylor University is a nationally ranked liberal arts institution with a population of more than 14,000 students working toward degrees in 145 areas of study; this private college is small enough to offer its students personal attention but large enough to feature Big 12 athletics programs and nearly 300 student organizations; the university places special emphasis on community service, and students, faculty, and staff volunteer countless hours in the Waco area; and

WHEREAS, For more than a century and a half, Baylor University has provided its students with an outstanding education and a solid foundation for future success and, in so doing, it has contributed to the continued progress of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st Legislature, hereby honor Baylor University and extend a warm welcome to the representatives from the university who are present in the State Capitol today; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for Baylor University as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. Averitt, Harris, Watson

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 23, 2009.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate

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Member, Texas Senate

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Member, Texas Senate