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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Van Zandt County Historical Commission and the |
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citizens of Van are celebrating the dedication of a Texas |
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Historical Marker honoring Van High School on May 21, 2011; and |
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WHEREAS, Van High School was built in 1931 in response to the |
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rapid growth in population that occurred after oil was discovered |
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near Van in October 1929; before the oil boom, Van was a quiet |
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farming community with one schoolhouse, the five-room Van Common |
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School; at the beginning of the 1929-1930 school year, the Common |
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School had an enrollment of 90 pupils; by the next year, however, |
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the school was struggling to meet the demands of 611 students, and |
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it was clear to school and community officials that new schools |
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would have to be constructed; and |
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WHEREAS, The Van Independent School District was able to |
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pursue its ambitious expansion plans through voter approval of a |
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bond issue and with the support of oil revenues, including a $12,500 |
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donation from the Pure Oil Company; by the summer of 1930, a new |
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gymnasium had been built, which served as a temporary high school; |
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construction started on a new high school and elementary school in |
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the spring of 1931; and |
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WHEREAS, Van High School opened at the beginning of the |
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1931-1932 school year; a state-of-the-art campus, it included the |
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new gym and a teachers' home, with an athletic park and a physical |
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education-vocational building being added within the next few |
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years; the school drew its water from the Pure Oil Company lines at |
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no charge, and the company also provided gas to heat the buildings; |
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money that continued to come in from the oil field allowed the |
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school district to pursue a second phase of campus expansion that |
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continued during World War II, and that was finished in 1947; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of eight decades, Van High School |
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has figured prominently in the history of Van, and recognition by |
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the Texas Historical Commission is a fitting tribute to the role it |
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has played in educating several generations of area residents; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of a Texas Historical |
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Marker at Van High School and that all those involved in securing |
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the historical marker be extended sincere appreciation; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Van Zandt County Historical Commission as an |
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expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Flynn |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1375 was adopted by the House on April |
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28, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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