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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, The Harris County Historical Commission and Second |
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| 6 | 7 | | Chance Outreach are hosting the dedication of a county historical |
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| 7 | 8 | | marker at Rest Lawn Cemetery in Houston on March 16, 2019; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, One of the oldest cemeteries in the African American |
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| 9 | 10 | | community of Acres Homes, Rest Lawn was established in 1932 by |
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| 10 | 11 | | Mrs. Robert E. Doty, who set aside two acres for burials in a |
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| 11 | 12 | | 10-acre parcel she purchased on the corner of Wheatley Street and |
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| 12 | 13 | | Ferguson Way; and |
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| 13 | 14 | | WHEREAS, Several plots had been sold by 1942, when Elmer Hay |
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| 14 | 15 | | and Luther M. Inkley bought Rest Lawn and the adjacent lot; in 1970, |
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| 15 | 16 | | the cemetery was acquired by MJM Cemeteries, Inc., which added |
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| 16 | 17 | | several nearby lots, expanding the property to almost 3.2 acres; |
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| 17 | 18 | | and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, The earliest known burial came in 1943, and over the |
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| 19 | 20 | | years, the cemetery has served veterans of World War I, World War |
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| 20 | 21 | | II, and the Korean War, as well as the blues singer and musician |
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| 21 | 22 | | Weldon "Juke Boy" Bonner and other notable residents; since 2012, |
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| 22 | 23 | | Rest Lawn has been cared for by Second Chance Outreach and the Iota |
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| 23 | 24 | | chapter of Omega Psi Phi; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, For more than 75 years, Rest Lawn Cemetery has |
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| 25 | 26 | | served as a final resting place for members of the Acres Homes |
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| 26 | 27 | | community, and this marker is a fitting tribute to the cemetery's |
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| 27 | 28 | | long history and to the contributions of all those who are interred |
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| 28 | 29 | | there; now, therefore, be it |
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| 29 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 30 | 31 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of a Harris County |
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| 31 | 32 | | Historical Marker at Rest Lawn Cemetery and extend to all those |
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| 32 | 33 | | involved in securing this recognition sincere appreciation for |
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| 33 | 34 | | their efforts to bring this project to fruition. |
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