TITLE: Recognizing Memorial Park in Houston on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.

SUMMARY: Recognizing Memorial Park in Houston on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Memorial Park marked its 100th anniversary in 2024, providing a welcome opportunity to pay tribute to the rich legacy of Houston's largest urban wilderness and recreational green space; and WHEREAS, In 1924, Will and Mike Hogg, with minority owner Henry Stude, purchased two tracts of land that had previously served as the Camp Logan training base during World War I and sold the acreage at cost to the City of Houston; in May of that year, the city officially established Memorial Park in honor of the soldiers who trained at the camp and fought in the war; conservationist Ima Hogg, the sister of Will and Mike Hogg, served for half a century as guardian of the park, playing an instrumental role in saving it from a number of potential encroachments; and WHEREAS, Today, Memorial Park is overseen by Memorial Park Conservancy, a nonprofit group founded in 2000 that manages 1,100 of the park's 1,500 acres; the conservancy directed the Memorial centennial celebration in 2024 while raising more than $3.2 million in support of the park's daily care; dedicated to keeping the park free for all users, the conservancy conducts public education about green space preservation, creates events, programs, and park areas, and works to highlight Memorial's cultural history; moreover, the organization has helped formulate and carry out the Memorial Park Master Plan in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Kinder Foundation, and Uptown Development Authority, delivering transformational capital improvements, the restoration of the park's ecological systems, and an operations and maintenance plan for the park; and WHEREAS, The millions of people who visit Memorial Park each year enjoy a range of athletic facilities and recreational amenities that include trails for running, walking, and cycling, picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, a pool, volleyball courts, ballfields, and the renowned Memorial Park Golf Course, which in 2016 was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame; and WHEREAS, For more than a century, Memorial Park has served as a sanctuary for relaxation and recreation for the residents of Houston, and it is indeed a pleasure to join in recognizing this treasured community asset; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th Legislature, hereby commemorate the centennial of Memorial Park in Houston and extend to all those associated with the park sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared for Memorial Park Conservancy as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. Cook President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 25, 2025.