Governor Perry to Make SHSU 125th Anniversary Visit
 Gov.
Rick Perry will help Sam Houston State University celebrate
its 125th anniversary April 21.
Perry has agreed to speak at a ceremony marking a historic
event for the university--the signing of Sam Houston Normal
Institute's charter document by Gov. Oran M. Roberts in 1879.
The ceremony will be held on the south side of Austin Hall
(near the General Sam Houston statue) at 4:30 p.m., followed
by a public reception.
Austin Hall is the oldest in-use educational facility west
of the Mississippi. It was dedicated in 1851 with General
Sam Houston in attendance, and bought by Huntsville citizens
for use by Sam Houston Normal Institute, the first teacher-training
institution in the Southwest.
"We are honored Governor Perry has agreed to join us
for our 125th anniversary," said James F. Gaertner, SHSU
president. "His presence will lend credibility to ceremony
and validity to the history of the day."
Sworn in as Texas' 47th governor in 2000, Perry was elected
to a four-year term in November 2002.
He is a 1972 graduate of Texas A&M University, where he
majored in animal science. He also served in the U.S. Air
Force for five years, flying in the United States, Europe
and the Middle East.
The West Texas native and fifth generation Texan was first
elected to statewide office in 1990, serving as Texas Commissioner
of Agriculture for two terms. From 1985 to 1991, he represented
a rural West Texas district in the Texas House of Representatives.
Several April events are scheduled around the 125th anniversary
of the signing of the legislation to establish Sam Houston
Normal Institute.
They include a President's Dinner and Concert with alumnus
Dan Rather; the inaugural President's Golf Tournament at Raven
Nest Golf Course; James Haley, author of the acclaimed biography
"Sam Houston," as lecturer for the President's Speaker
Series; and the main event featuring Perry at the commemorative
signing ceremony.
On Oct. 10, 2004, the university will recognize the anniversary
of its official opening with a homecoming week birthday extravaganza.
- END -
SHSU Media Contact: Frank
Krystyniak
March 22, 2004
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