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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life drew to a close with the |
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| 6 | 7 | | passing of former Tuskegee Airman and longtime educator Robert |
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| 7 | 8 | | T. McDaniel of Fort Worth on March 19, 2019, at the age of 96; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Robert Tennerson McDaniel was born in Mertens on |
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| 9 | 10 | | February 28, 1923, to Alfred and Molly McDaniel, and he grew up with |
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| 10 | 11 | | two sisters, Gladys and Carrie; following his graduation as |
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| 11 | 12 | | valedictorian and president of the Class of 1940 at I. M. Terrell |
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| 12 | 13 | | High School in Fort Worth, he enrolled at Prairie View State Normal |
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| 13 | 14 | | and Industrial College on a scholarship; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. McDaniel was drafted into |
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| 15 | 16 | | the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 and trained as a bombardier and |
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| 16 | 17 | | pilot in Alabama as one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen; he rose to the |
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| 17 | 18 | | rank of second lieutenant, and while stationed at Freeman Field in |
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| 18 | 19 | | Indiana, he was one of the black officers who protested racial |
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| 19 | 20 | | inequity by repeatedly attempting to enter a segregated officers' |
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| 20 | 21 | | club; threatened with court martial, the men were later exonerated, |
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| 21 | 22 | | and their courageous actions helped lead to the integration of the |
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| 22 | 23 | | military; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, After concluding his service in the armed forces, |
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| 24 | 25 | | Mr. McDaniel returned to the Prairie View A&M campus, where he |
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| 25 | 26 | | earned bachelor's and master's degrees, and he also held a |
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| 26 | 27 | | counselor's certification from the University of Colorado Boulder; |
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| 27 | 28 | | in the course of his tenure with the Fort Worth Independent School |
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| 28 | 29 | | District, he worked as a mathematics teacher, counselor, and |
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| 29 | 30 | | volunteer coach and served as vice principal at Dunbar |
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| 30 | 31 | | Junior-Senior High School and as principal at James E. Guinn and |
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| 31 | 32 | | Morningside Middle Schools; in 2009, he was inducted into the |
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| 32 | 33 | | district's Wall of Fame; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Mr. McDaniel shared a rewarding marriage with |
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| 34 | 35 | | Hester Randle McDaniel that spanned 55 years before she passed |
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| 35 | 36 | | away, and he was the proud father of a son, Robert Mennefee; later |
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| 36 | 37 | | in life, he was blessed with three grandchildren, Keisha, Ashlee, |
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| 37 | 38 | | and Robert, five great-grandchildren, Taylor, Dennis, Morgan, |
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| 38 | 39 | | Jordan, and Jerrod, and a great-great-grandson, Steven; he is also |
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| 39 | 40 | | survived by his cousins, Roslyn Williams and Joyce Thierry, and a |
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| 40 | 41 | | host of extended family and friends; a man of strong religious |
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| 41 | 42 | | faith, he was a member of St. Peter Presbyterian Church; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, |
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| 43 | 44 | | Mr. McDaniel received an honorary doctorate from Tuskegee |
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| 44 | 45 | | University in 2006, and the following year, he and his fellow airmen |
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| 45 | 46 | | received the Congressional Gold Medal of Freedom from President |
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| 46 | 47 | | George W. Bush; in January 2009, he was invited to attend the |
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| 47 | 48 | | inauguration of President Barack Obama; and |
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| 48 | 49 | | WHEREAS, A pioneer who helped break down racial barriers in |
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| 49 | 50 | | the armed forces, Robert McDaniel also distinguished himself as an |
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| 50 | 51 | | influential teacher and administrator, and his life and |
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| 51 | 52 | | achievements will forever remain a source of inspiration to all who |
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| 52 | 53 | | knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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| 53 | 54 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 54 | 55 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert T. McDaniel |
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| 55 | 56 | | and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends; and, be it |
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| 56 | 57 | | further |
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| 57 | 58 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 58 | 59 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 59 | 60 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Robert |
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| 60 | 61 | | T. McDaniel. |
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