NEWS RELEASE FOR CEREMONY HONORING
PRESIDENT MIRABEAU B. LAMAR
On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 1:00
p.m. in the afternoon, we will hold the 5th annual memorial
ceremony honoring the 2nd President of the Republic of Texas,
Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar. On this very
day, 176 years ago, President Lamar signed an Act reserving three Leagues
of land in each county to be used to pay for a public school system in Texas. Even thought it was years before Public
Schools came into being in Texas, President Lamar
is remembered as the “Father of Texas
Education.”
In addition, President Lamar reserved 50 Leagues of
land for two state supported colleges in Texas, which continue to benefit both
the University of Texas and Texas A&M University today. In fact, one of his most popular phrases
President Lamar used in his speeches was: “A Cultivated Mind is the Guardian
Genius of Democracy,” and this phrase remains the Motto of the University of
Texas to this today.
On January 25, 1839, President Lamar signed an Act
making the current State Flag of Texas the
last flag of the Republic
of Texas, and on January
29, 1839, President Lamar signed the first Homestead Act in the world! The Homestead Act keeps the home place from
being taken from the widow by the mortgage company when the husband dies. This was a monumental week in Texas history,
with three (3) important bills being signed in a five (5) day period, which continues
to affect our lives today. Do you know
of any other governmental entity that has acted on three important bills in a
five day period?
The ceremony will be at the grave of President
Mirabeau B. Lamar in the Morton Cemetery, located just north of downtown Richmond, Texas. This is a historic cemetery with Jane Long
also buried just to the south of President Lamar’s grave, and the first Masonic
Burial Monument located just to the east of President Lamar’s grave. The major purpose of both the Sons of the
Republic of Texas (SRT) and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is to
perpetuate the history of the Republic of Texas and educate our citizens, so
please not only mark your calendar to attend this important event, but forward
this News Release to anyone you know who might be interested. Please contact Tom Green at 713-340-1965 or TBGreen3@gmail.com if you have any
questions.