86R10589 GM-D

By: Collier H.C.R. No. 54

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a renowned civil rights leader and public servant with the death of former State Representative Reby Cary of Fort Worth on December 7, 2018, at the age of 98; and

WHEREAS, Reby Cary was born in Fort Worth on September 9, 1920, to Maggie B. Cary and the Reverend Smith Cary Jr.; he grew up during the era of segregation and attended all-black schools, graduating from I. M. Terrell High School in 1937 and earning a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Prairie View A&M College in 1941; answering his nation's call to duty at the start of World War II, he became one of the first African Americans to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard as an apprentice seaman and one of the first to train as a radio operator; he served in combat in the South Pacific and participated in the invasions of Saipan, Tinian, Leyte, Luzon, and Okinawa; and

WHEREAS, Following his discharge in November 1945, Mr. Cary returned to Texas and cofounded the Fort Worth Negro Chamber of Commerce and the McDonald College of Industrial Arts, a vocational school for black veterans who were excluded from white schools; after completing his master's degree, he began teaching history and government, first at Dunbar Middle School and later at Tarrant County Junior College; in 1969, he became the first African American professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, where he also served as associate dean of student affairs; while there, he led the efforts to remove the Confederate flag from the campus and to change the school's mascot from the Rebels to the Mavericks; in addition, he helped establish the chapters of two fraternities and a sorority at UTA, and he played a leading role in the creation of the school's Minorities Cultural Center, one of the first of its kind in the Southwest; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Cary was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and over the course of his three terms in the legislature, he served as the budget and oversight chair of the Regions, Compacts, and Districts Committee, as vice chair of the Energy Committee, and as a member of the County Affairs, the Rules and Resolutions, and the Government Organization Committees; moreover, he was the first African American elected to the Fort Worth school board, and he was a founding member of the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the president of the Black Republican Council of Texas, and a member of the State Republican Executive Committee; and

WHEREAS, Deeply engaged in a range of community issues, Mr. Cary was active with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the Tax Appraisal Review Board of Tarrant County, the Youth Services Bureau of Tarrant County, the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Minority Leaders and Citizens Council, the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, the Boy Scouts of America, the United Way, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; in addition to his other accomplishments, he was a prolific author, producing more than 20 volumes about the history of African Americans in Fort Worth; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Cary enjoyed the love and support of his wife, Nadine, and they shared a rewarding marriage that spanned 58 years until her passing in 2003; the couple were the parents of a treasured daughter, Faith; and

WHEREAS, Reby Cary made a lasting, positive difference through his strong commitment to social progress and public affairs, and his contributions and achievements will long resonate in the community and state he proudly called home; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby pay tribute to the life of former State Representative Reby Cary 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 and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of Reby Cary.