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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Memorial Park marked its 100th anniversary in 2024, |
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providing a welcome opportunity to pay tribute to the rich legacy of |
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Houston's largest urban wilderness and recreational green space; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 1924, Will and Mike Hogg, with minority owner |
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Henry Stude, purchased two tracts of land that had previously |
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served as the Camp Logan training base during World War I and sold |
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the acreage at cost to the City of Houston; in May of that year, the |
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city officially established Memorial Park in honor of the soldiers |
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who trained at the camp and fought in the war; conservationist Ima |
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Hogg, the sister of Will and Mike Hogg, served for half a century as |
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guardian of the park, playing an instrumental role in saving it from |
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a number of potential encroachments; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Memorial Park is overseen by Memorial Park |
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Conservancy, a nonprofit group founded in 2000 that manages 1,100 |
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of the park's 1,500 acres; the conservancy directed the Memorial |
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centennial celebration in 2024 while raising more than $3.2 million |
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in support of the park's daily care; dedicated to keeping the park |
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free for all users, the conservancy conducts public education about |
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green space preservation, creates events, programs, and park areas, |
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and works to highlight Memorial's cultural history; moreover, the |
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organization has helped formulate and carry out the Memorial Park |
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Master Plan in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation |
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Department, Kinder Foundation, and Uptown Development Authority, |
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delivering transformational capital improvements, the restoration |
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of the park's ecological systems, and an operations and maintenance |
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plan for the park; and |
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WHEREAS, The millions of people who visit Memorial Park each |
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year enjoy a range of athletic facilities and recreational |
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amenities that include trails for running, walking, and cycling, |
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picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, a pool, volleyball |
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courts, ballfields, and the renowned Memorial Park Golf Course, |
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which in 2016 was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than a century, Memorial Park has served as |
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a sanctuary for relaxation and recreation for the residents of |
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Houston, and it is indeed a pleasure to join in recognizing this |
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treasured community asset; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature |
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hereby commemorate the centennial of Memorial Park in Houston and |
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extend to all those associated with the park sincere best wishes for |
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the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Memorial Park Conservancy as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas Senate. |