[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 162 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 162

   Recommending that the Langston Golf Course, located in northeast 
 Washington, DC and owned by the National Park Service, be recognized 
  for its important legacy and contributions to African-American golf 
                    history, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2009

 Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Udall of Colorado, and Mr. 
 Burris) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recommending that the Langston Golf Course, located in northeast 
 Washington, DC and owned by the National Park Service, be recognized 
  for its important legacy and contributions to African-American golf 
                    history, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Langston Golf Course was designated for construction by the 
        Department of the Interior in the 1930s as a safe and expanded 
        recreational facility for the local and national African-American 
        communities;
Whereas Langston Golf Course was named for John Mercer Langston, the first 
        African-American Representative elected to Congress from the 
        Commonwealth of Virginia, and who also was a founder of the Howard 
        University School of Law;
Whereas the Langston Golf Course is believed to be the first regulation course 
        in the United States to be built almost entirely on a refuse landfill;
Whereas Langston Golf Course has been placed on the National Register of 
        Historic Places, and the Capital City Open golf tournament has made 
        Langston Golf Course its home for the past 40 years;
Whereas the first American-born golf professional of African-American ancestry 
        was John Shippen, who was born circa 1878 in the Anacostia area of 
        Washington, DC, placed fifth in the second United States Open golf 
        tournament in 1896 when he was 16 years old, and helped found the 
        Capitol City Golf Club in 1925;
Whereas the Capitol City Golf Club, eventually renamed the Royal Golf Club and 
        Wake Robin Women's Club, historically has promoted a safe golf facility 
        for African Americans in Washington, DC, especially during an era when 
        few facilities were available, and these 2 clubs remain the oldest 
        African-American golf clubs in the United States;
Whereas the Langston facility continues to provide important recreational 
        outlets, instructional forums, and a ``safe haven center'' for the 
        enhancement of the lives of Washington, DC's inner-city youth;
Whereas the Langston Golf Course and related recreational facilities provide a 
        home for the Nation's important minority youth ``First Tee'' golf 
        instruction and recreational program in Washington, DC;
Whereas Langston Golf Course's operations and its related facilities seek to 
        increase course-based educational opportunities under the auspices of 
        the National Park Service for persons under 18 years of age, 
        particularly those from populations of the inner-city and historically 
        underrepresented among visitors to units of the National Park System;
Whereas the preservation and ecologically-balanced enhancements via future 
        public and private funding for the lands making up the 212 acres of the 
        Langston Golf Course will benefit the National Park System's 
        Environmental Leadership projects program, the Anacostia River 
        Watershed, the city of Washington, and the entire Washington, DC 
        metropolitan area;
Whereas Federal funds for enhancements to the Langston Golf Course have 
        perennially been promised but rarely provided, even after the 
        designation of Langston Golf Course as a ``Legacy Project for the 21st 
        Century'', and after significant private funding and contributions were 
        committed and provided; and
Whereas the Langston Golf Course and related recreational facilities 
        traditionally have provided additional quality of life value to all 
        residents of Washington, DC, and will do more so once upgraded to meet 
        its obvious athletic and historical promise: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) Langston Golf Course, its general management, and the 
        Royal Golf and Wake Robin Golf Clubs are to be commended for 
        their historical and ongoing contributions to the local 
        Washington, DC community and the Nation;
            (2) the Director of the National Park Service and the 
        Secretary of the Interior should give appropriate consideration 
        to the future budget needs of this important park in the 
        National Park System that is a historical site, recreational 
        facility, and educational center; and
            (3) the Secretary of the Senate should transmit an enrolled 
        copy of this resolution to the general manager of the Langston 
        Golf Course.
                                 <all>