|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Dr. William Charles Akins, an esteemed educator and |
|
a central figure in the integration of Austin schools, passed away |
|
on March 29, 2017, at the age of 84; and |
|
WHEREAS, A lifelong resident of East Austin, Charles Akins |
|
was born on November 9, 1932, to Elmer and Mattie Lee Akins; after |
|
graduating from the original L. C. Anderson High School in 1950, he |
|
received a bachelor's degree from Huston-Tillotson College in 1954; |
|
he later obtained a master's degree from Prairie View A&M |
|
University and an administrative certification from Southwest |
|
Texas State University; in 1982, he was awarded an honorary |
|
doctorate of humane letters from Huston-Tillotson; and |
|
WHEREAS, Charles Akins began his career in 1956 at Booker T. |
|
Washington High School in Marlin, teaching history, civics, and |
|
economics; he went on to join the faculty of his alma mater, L. C. |
|
Anderson, in 1959, and just three years later, he was named Teacher |
|
of the Year; and |
|
WHEREAS, In 1964, the effort to integrate the Austin |
|
Independent School District began in earnest, and Dr. Akins was |
|
selected as the first African American teacher in the newly |
|
desegregated Johnston High School, where he taught social studies, |
|
sponsored the Boys Service Club, and earned promotion to Dean of |
|
Boys; he returned to L. C. Anderson to serve as assistant principal |
|
in 1969, but when the school was closed following a court |
|
desegregation order, he transferred to Lanier High; and |
|
WHEREAS, Dr. Akins became the first principal of the new |
|
L. C. Anderson High School, which opened its doors in 1973; |
|
presiding over a diverse student body, he viewed the success of his |
|
tenure as vital to the cause of integration, and he worked hard to |
|
ensure fairness and harmony whenever challenges arose; he served |
|
nine years in that role and led the school to excellence in |
|
academics, performing arts, and other areas before accepting a |
|
promotion to assistant superintendent and later to associate |
|
superintendent for community relations; and |
|
WHEREAS, Acknowledging Dr. Akins's significant |
|
contributions in the field of education, the Austin ISD board voted |
|
in 1998 to rename the district's newest high school in his honor, |
|
and W. Charles Akins High opened in 2000, the same year that |
|
Dr. Akins concluded his 44 years of service to Texas |
|
schoolchildren; in his retirement, he remained active in the local |
|
school system, giving generously of his time and expertise to the |
|
boards of the Region 13 Education Service Center, the UIL |
|
Foundation, and other organizations; his civic involvement also |
|
included serving as president of the Capital City Lions Club and as |
|
chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and holding |
|
membership on several local bond issue committees; and |
|
WHEREAS, Devoted to his family, Dr. Akins enjoyed a rewarding |
|
marriage with his wife, Estella, whom he had met as a student at |
|
Huston-Tillotson, and he was further blessed with two daughters, |
|
Dianne and Joyce, and two grandchildren, Justin and Rena; he loved |
|
taking his family on cross-country trips to visit relatives in |
|
California as well as on vacations to historical sites; sustained |
|
by a deep faith, he was a valued congregant of Wesley United |
|
Methodist Church and served as a delegate to the General and |
|
Jurisdictional Conferences for the United Methodist Church; and |
|
WHEREAS, Dr. Charles Akins was a man of quiet strength and |
|
exceptional character, traits that made him a beacon of inspiration |
|
during a pivotal time in the history of Austin, and he leaves behind |
|
a legacy that will resonate long into the future; now, therefore, be |
|
it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Dr. William Charles |
|
Akins and extend sincere condolences to all who mourn his passing; |
|
and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
Representatives adjourns on this day, it do so in memory of |
|
Dr. Charles Akins. |