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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The 70th anniversary of the Katy Independent School |
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District FFA Livestock Show and Rodeo provides a fitting |
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opportunity to honor the legacy of its founder, the late |
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L. D. Robinson; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early 1940s, the FFA program in Katy was on |
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the brink of closing when L. D. Robinson was recruited by the Texas |
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Education Agency to intervene; together with his wife, Ruby, |
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Mr. Robinson developed plans for a livestock show, a lighted rodeo |
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arena, and a working farm, all of it self-financed; established in |
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1943, the multifaceted Katy FFA program became the first of its kind |
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in the nation, offering hands-on opportunities for students to |
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perform actual farm work; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Robinson received the National Honorary |
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American Farmer Degree in 1960, the highest honor bestowed on FFA |
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advisors and agricultural education teachers, and his program was |
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admired and acclaimed throughout the country; as a result of the |
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Katy program's success, other school districts asked for his help |
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in developing their own programs; and |
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WHEREAS, After 44 years as a Texas educator and nearly three |
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decades in Katy, Mr. Robinson retired in 1970; that same year, the |
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L. D. Robinson Scholarship Fund was established by his former |
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students in recognition of his work; the fund has awarded more than |
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100 four-year scholarships since its inception; and |
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WHEREAS, Although L. D. Robinson passed away in 1978, the six |
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Katy ISD FFA chapters, their advisors, and their many supporters |
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carry on his legacy, and the rodeo and livestock show remain beloved |
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mainstays of the program; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katy ISD |
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FFA Livestock Show and Rodeo and pay tribute to the extraordinary |
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contributions of L. D. Robinson. |