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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 526 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 526

 Recognizing the 70th anniversary of John Mercer Langston Golf Course.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 2009

     Ms. Norton (for herself and Mr. Clay) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
                           Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Recognizing the 70th anniversary of John Mercer Langston Golf Course.

Whereas the site for the historic John Mercer Langston Golf Course was selected 
        in 1929, following repeated demands from African-Americans who were 
        excluded from all but one of the District's public courses, the Lincoln 
        Memorial;
Whereas construction did not begin until the mid 1930s, and in 1938, African-
        American women from the Wake Robin Golf Club pressed for desegregation 
        of the District of Columbia's public courses by drafting and introducing 
        a petition to Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes;
Whereas the historic Langston Golf Course was officially opened in 1939, as a 
        segregated golf facility for African-Americans;
Whereas Langston Golf Course was named for John Mercer Langston, a renowned 
        Howard University educator, prominent political figure, and the first 
        African-American Congressman from Virginia, elected in 1888;
Whereas the Langston Golf Course is listed in the National Register of Historic 
        Places and has been the home course of both the Royal Golf Club and the 
        Wake Robin Golf Club, the Nation's first clubs for African-American men 
        and women respectively;
Whereas over its 70-year existence, the Langston Golf Course has attracted many 
        famous African-American golfers, like Lee Elder, Ted Rhodes, Calvin 
        Peete, and Jim Thorpe, who all made regular and annual stops on the 
        circuit of African-American professionals when they were unable to play 
        regularly on the racially restricted PGA Tour;
Whereas other notable visitors include heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, 
        Hall of Fame baseball player Maury Wills, Senators baseball player Chuck 
        Hinton, Washington Redskins players Darrell Green and Brian Mitchell, 
        the Dallas Cowboys, and Alvin Harper, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 
        Gale Norton, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay, South Carolina Congressman 
        James Clyburn, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, actor and professor, Al 
        Freeman, Jr., and the musical superstars the O'Jays have all enjoyed the 
        Langston course;
Whereas without Government resources, the Langston Golf Course has developed an 
        invaluable relationship with youth and DC and regional residents;
Whereas in 2002, a partnership was formed with Howard University to open the 
        Interpretive Education Center, and this program was integrated into the 
        Langston community schools in 2003;
Whereas for more than 15 years, three junior golf programs have made the 
        Langston Golf Course their home, Masons Army, Langston Junior Boys and 
        Girls, and the First Tee, DC;
Whereas juniors from these programs are nationally and internationally known as 
        The Jimmy Garvin All-Stars and are required to utilize the Education 
        Center in order to learn golf and use the facilities;
Whereas these programs operate year round offering educational and golf 
        instruction;
Whereas the Langston Golf Course is known as the home of the internationally 
        renowned Capital City Open Pro-Am Tournament and the Jimmy Garvin Legacy 
        Scholarship Classic;
Whereas the Langston Golf Course, Rock Creek Golf Course, and East Potomac Golf 
        Course are owned by the National Park Service, and each has a long 
        history of service to the general public as an integral part of the 
        Nation's capital, including services to local and regional residents, 
        visitors, and tourists;
Whereas the National Park Service has continuously struggled to manage and 
        maintain the three golf courses because concession restrictions do not 
        generate sufficient revenue to provide affordable recreation while 
        properly maintaining and making the capital investments required for 
        golf courses today;
Whereas concession restrictions will continue to cause deterioration, disrepair, 
        and limited public use, reducing the quality of play and jeopardizing 
        the historic preservation of the courses;
Whereas these courses together constitute an undervalued and underused asset 
        that can be maintained and modernized as affordable facilities for use 
        by the general public if an appropriate lease arrangement is utilized 
        that encourages private investment in keeping with the existing Federal 
        procedures;
Whereas the capital improvement necessary to maintain and modernize the courses 
        and to prevent their deterioration is not possible using a traditional 
        concession contract; and
Whereas a long-term lease for all three courses together, designed outside of 
        the constraints of concession law, will encourage private investment in 
        these courses, improve and modernize them, ensure affordable play, and 
        preserve the historic nature of the courses: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 70th 
anniversary of John Mercer Langston Golf Course.
                                 <all>
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