Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HR531 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.R. No. 531
	1	+	By: Shofner H.R. No. 531
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6	6		R E S O L U T I O N
7	7		WHEREAS, In observance of the 88th anniversary of the New
8	8		London school explosion, the West Rusk Alumni Association, and the
9	9		New London Museum are hosting a Day of Remembrance and All-School
10	10		Reunion on March 18, 2025; and
11	11		WHEREAS, In 1937, New London, Texas, boasted one of the most
12	12		prosperous rural school districts in the nation, thanks to the
13	13		area's booming oil fields, and community residents took pride in
14	14		their new state-of-the-art school building; and
15	15		WHEREAS, Shortly after three o'clock on the afternoon of
16	16		March 18, children were preparing for an upcoming interscholastic
17	17		meet in a nearby town when a shop instructor switched on a sanding
18	18		machine; unbeknownst to anyone, a natural gas leak had filled the
19	19		school's basement with an incendiary mix of gas and air, and the
20	20		machine's spark ignited an explosion that destroyed the school in
21	21		an instant, collapsing the walls and bringing the roof down upon the
22	22		children and teachers below; the explosion was heard four miles
23	23		away, and a two-ton slab of concrete was hurled 200 feet, crushing a
24	24		car; and
25	25		WHEREAS, Hundreds of frantic parents and community members
26	26		rushed to the scene, and some 1,500 roughnecks from the nearby
27	27		oilfields dropped their work to join in the rescue and recovery
28	28		effort; within an hour, Governor James Allred had sent the Texas
29	29		Rangers and the highway patrol to lend assistance; and
30	30		WHEREAS, Of the 500 students and 40 teachers in the building
31	31		at the time, nearly 300 died; the new Mother Francis Hospital in
32	32		Tyler canceled its dedication ceremony to treat the injured, and
33	33		the Texas Funeral Directors Association sent 25 embalmers to the
34	34		scene; the disaster became international news, drawing journalists
35	35		from around the nation, including a young Walter Cronkite; and
36	36		WHEREAS, In the aftermath of the explosion, the Texas
37	37		Legislature passed a law requiring that a distinctive scent be
38	38		added to natural gas so that future tragedies of that nature might
39	39		be avoided; today, the worst school disaster in U.S. history is
40	40		recorded in the exhibits of the New London Museum and remembered
41	41		with a cenotaph displaying the names of all those who lost their
42	42		lives; and
43	43		WHEREAS, The memory of this horrific tragedy reminds us of
44	44		the fragility of life, but it also serves as a testament to the
45	45		power of community, and even as we pay tribute to the lives that
46	46		were lost, we also honor the heroic efforts of all those who rushed
47	47		to their aid; now, therefore, be it
48	48		RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
49	49		Legislature hereby commemorate the 88th anniversary of the New
50	50		London school explosion and extend to all those associated with the
51	51		Day of Remembrance sincere best wishes for a meaningful and
52	52		memorable event; and, be it further
53	53		RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
54	54		for the West Rusk Alumni Association, and the New London Museum as
55	55		an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
56		-	Shofner
57		-	______________________________
58		-	Speaker of the House
59		-	I certify that H.R. No. 531 was adopted by the House on March
60		-	31, 2025, by a non-record vote.
61		-	______________________________
62		-	Chief Clerk of the House