IV 
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 Memo-
rial; 
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 Co-
lumbia’s public courses by drafting and introducing a pe-
tition 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; 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:57 Jun 11, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR526.IH
HR526
smartinez on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
•HRES 526 IH 
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, Wash-
ington Redskins players Darrell Green and Brian Mitch-
ell, the Dallas Cowboys, and Alvin Harper, U.S. Sec-
retary of the Interior, Gale Norton, Missouri Congress-
man Lacy Clay, South Carolina Congressman James Cly-
burn, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, actor and pro-
fessor, 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, 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:57 Jun 11, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR526.IH
HR526
smartinez on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
•HRES 526 IH 
and this program was integrated into the Langston com-
munity 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 edu-
cational 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 Na-
tional Park Service, and each has a long history of serv-
ice to the general public as an integral part of the Na-
tion’s capital, including services to local and regional resi-
dents, visitors, and tourists; 
Whereas the National Park Service has continuously strug-
gled to manage and maintain the three golf courses be-
cause 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 deterio-
ration, disrepair, and limited public use, reducing the 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:57 Jun 11, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR526.IH
HR526
smartinez on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
•HRES 526 IH 
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 modern-
ized as affordable facilities for use by the general public 
if an appropriate lease arrangement is utilized that en-
courages 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, de-
signed 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 recog-
nizes the 70th anniversary of John Mercer Langston Golf 
Course. 
Æ 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:57 Jun 11, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR526.IH
HR526
smartinez on PROD1PC70 with BILLS