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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Harris County Historical Commission and Second |
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Chance Outreach are hosting the dedication of a county historical |
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marker at Rest Lawn Cemetery in Houston on March 16, 2019; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the oldest cemeteries in the African American |
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community of Acres Homes, Rest Lawn was established in 1932 by |
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Mrs. Robert E. Doty, who set aside two acres for burials in a |
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10-acre parcel she purchased on the corner of Wheatley Street and |
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Ferguson Way; and |
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WHEREAS, Several plots had been sold by 1942, when Elmer Hay |
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and Luther M. Inkley bought Rest Lawn and the adjacent lot; in 1970, |
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the cemetery was acquired by MJM Cemeteries, Inc., which added |
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several nearby lots, expanding the property to almost 3.2 acres; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The earliest known burial came in 1943, and over the |
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years, the cemetery has served veterans of World War I, World War |
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II, and the Korean War, as well as the blues singer and musician |
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Weldon "Juke Boy" Bonner and other notable residents; since 2012, |
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Rest Lawn has been cared for by Second Chance Outreach and the Iota |
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chapter of Omega Psi Phi; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than 75 years, Rest Lawn Cemetery has |
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served as a final resting place for members of the Acres Homes |
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community, and this marker is a fitting tribute to the cemetery's |
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long history and to the contributions of all those who are interred |
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there; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of a Harris County |
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Historical Marker at Rest Lawn Cemetery and extend to all those |
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involved in securing this recognition sincere appreciation for |
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their efforts to bring this project to fruition. |