H.R. No. 985
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life drew to a close with the
passing of former Tuskegee Airman and longtime educator Robert
T. McDaniel of Fort Worth on March 19, 2019, at the age of 96; and
WHEREAS, Robert Tennerson McDaniel was born in Mertens on
February 28, 1923, to Alfred and Molly McDaniel, and he grew up with
two sisters, Gladys and Carrie; following his graduation as
valedictorian and president of the Class of 1940 at I. M. Terrell
High School in Fort Worth, he enrolled at Prairie View State Normal
and Industrial College on a scholarship; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. McDaniel was drafted into
the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 and trained as a bombardier and
pilot in Alabama as one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen; he rose to the
rank of second lieutenant, and while stationed at Freeman Field in
Indiana, he was one of the black officers who protested racial
inequity by repeatedly attempting to enter a segregated officers'
club; threatened with court martial, the men were later exonerated,
and their courageous actions helped lead to the integration of the
military; and
WHEREAS, After concluding his service in the armed forces,
Mr. McDaniel returned to the Prairie View A&M campus, where he
earned bachelor's and master's degrees, and he also held a
counselor's certification from the University of Colorado Boulder;
in the course of his tenure with the Fort Worth Independent School
District, he worked as a mathematics teacher, counselor, and
volunteer coach and served as vice principal at Dunbar
Junior-Senior High School and as principal at James E. Guinn and
Morningside Middle Schools; in 2009, he was inducted into the
district's Wall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Mr. McDaniel shared a rewarding marriage with
Hester Randle McDaniel that spanned 55 years before she passed
away, and he was the proud father of a son, Robert Mennefee; later
in life, he was blessed with three grandchildren, Keisha, Ashlee,
and Robert, five great-grandchildren, Taylor, Dennis, Morgan,
Jordan, and Jerrod, and a great-great-grandson, Steven; a man of
strong religious faith, he was a member of St. Peter Presbyterian
Church; and
WHEREAS, One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen,
Mr. McDaniel received an honorary doctorate from Tuskegee
University in 2006, and the following year, he and his fellow airmen
received the Congressional Gold Medal of Freedom from President
George W. Bush; in January 2009, he was invited to attend the
inauguration of President Barack Obama; and
WHEREAS, A pioneer who helped break down racial barriers in
the armed forces, Robert McDaniel also distinguished himself as an
influential teacher and administrator, and his life and
achievements will forever remain a source of inspiration to all who
knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert T. McDaniel
and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Robert
T. McDaniel.
Collier
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 985 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 12, 2019.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House