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