SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 372

In Memory

of

Reverend S. A. Pleasants

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas honors and commemorates the life of the late Reverend S. A. Pleasants, who died April 5, 1953; and

WHEREAS, S. A. Pleasants was born in 1879 in Cuero, where he attended high school, and he was later a student at Guadalupe College; he married Pansy O. Le Grendne in 1913, and they were blessed with a daughter and two grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, The Reverend Pleasants served as pastor of Sweet Home Baptist Church in Seguin, Mount Zion Baptist Church in Edgar, and Macedonia Baptist Church in Cuero before assuming the pulpit of Saint John Baptist Church in Houston in 1925; and

WHEREAS, Under his leadership, Saint John Baptist Church increased its membership from 280 to more than 8,000, retired its outstanding debt, and constructed a magnificent new sanctuary and parsonage; he was influential in such organizations as the National Baptist Convention and the Houston Baptist Ministerial Alliance and was a pioneer in religious radio broadcasting; and

WHEREAS, He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who gave unselfishly to others, and he was one of the country's leading religious figures; his commitment to living each day according to the tenets of his faith was an inspiration to all who were privileged to know him and to those who were fortunate to share in his life; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life and legacy of the Reverend S. A. Pleasants; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in his honor and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the Reverend S. A. Pleasants. Kolkhorst

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 6, 2017, by a rising vote.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate