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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life drew to a close with the |
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passing of former Tuskegee Airman and longtime educator Robert |
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T. McDaniel of Fort Worth on March 19, 2019, at the age of 96; and |
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WHEREAS, Robert Tennerson McDaniel was born in Mertens on |
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February 28, 1923, to Alfred and Molly McDaniel, and he grew up with |
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two sisters, Gladys and Carrie; following his graduation as |
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valedictorian and president of the Class of 1940 at I. M. Terrell |
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High School in Fort Worth, he enrolled at Prairie View State Normal |
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and Industrial College on a scholarship; and |
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WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. McDaniel was drafted into |
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the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 and trained as a bombardier and |
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pilot in Alabama as one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen; he rose to the |
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rank of second lieutenant, and while stationed at Freeman Field in |
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Indiana, he was one of the black officers who protested racial |
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inequity by repeatedly attempting to enter a segregated officers' |
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club; threatened with court martial, the men were later exonerated, |
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and their courageous actions helped lead to the integration of the |
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military; and |
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WHEREAS, After concluding his service in the armed forces, |
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Mr. McDaniel returned to the Prairie View A&M campus, where he |
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earned bachelor's and master's degrees, and he also held a |
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counselor's certification from the University of Colorado Boulder; |
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in the course of his tenure with the Fort Worth Independent School |
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District, he worked as a mathematics teacher, counselor, and |
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volunteer coach and served as vice principal at Dunbar |
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Junior-Senior High School and as principal at James E. Guinn and |
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Morningside Middle Schools; in 2009, he was inducted into the |
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district's Wall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. McDaniel shared a rewarding marriage with |
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Hester Randle McDaniel that spanned 55 years before she passed |
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away, and he was the proud father of a son, Robert Mennefee; later |
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in life, he was blessed with three grandchildren, Keisha, Ashlee, |
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and Robert, five great-grandchildren, Taylor, Dennis, Morgan, |
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Jordan, and Jerrod, and a great-great-grandson, Steven; a man of |
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strong religious faith, he was a member of St. Peter Presbyterian |
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Church; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, |
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Mr. McDaniel received an honorary doctorate from Tuskegee |
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University in 2006, and the following year, he and his fellow airmen |
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received the Congressional Gold Medal of Freedom from President |
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George W. Bush; in January 2009, he was invited to attend the |
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inauguration of President Barack Obama; and |
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WHEREAS, A pioneer who helped break down racial barriers in |
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the armed forces, Robert McDaniel also distinguished himself as an |
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influential teacher and administrator, and his life and |
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achievements will forever remain a source of inspiration to all who |
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knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert T. McDaniel |
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and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Robert |
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T. McDaniel. |