[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 3, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 3, 1999

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate West University 
Place, Texas, on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, which they will 
celebrate with a series of events throughout 1999. The first event will 
be the reopening this Saturday, February 6, 1999, of the newly 
refurbished City Hall, which was built back in 1955.
  West University Place was originally developed by former Tennessee 
Governor Ben Hooper, who wanted to build a community of country homes 
outside Houston out of an old Spanish land grant that had been surveyed 
by A.C. Reynolds. In 1912, Governor Hooper bought 750 acres of land 
that became the city of West University Place because of its proximity 
to Rice University.
  West University Place, known affectionately as ``West U,'' had humble 
origins. By early 1923, only about 40 families lived in West University 
Place, an area remembered as a low-lying, poorly drained swamp, that 
flooded whenever it rained heavily. West University Place incorporated 
to help its residents accomplish together what they could not do alone. 
That is, residents needed to build the necessary infrastructure to 
protect themselves and their property from heavy rain and flooding--
streets, drainage systems and water sewers--and provide for schools, 
police, and fire protection.
  In the first step toward incorporation, community leaders filed a 
plat of their proposed city in October 1923. There were 29 signatories, 
all of whom had lived in West U for at least six months. The petition 
to incorporate was filed with Harris County Commissioners Court on 
December 1, 1923, and signed by County Judge Chester H. Bryan. The 
Judge ordered an election for incorporation on December 18, 1923. The 
election drew a total of 30 people, all of whom voted to incorporate. 
The incorporation papers were signed on January 2, 1924.
  In the years since, West U has grown into a thriving community that, 
together with Houston and the rest of Harris County, is one of the 
nation's great metropolitan areas. Today, over 13,000 residents live in 
West U. The City has progressed toward its present position as one of 
the area's most desirable neighborhoods. Civic-minded citizens and 
small-town governments, combined with a proximity to major business, 
educational, cultural, and scientific centers have enriched life for 
all living in the Houston metropolitan area.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate West University Place and all of its 
citizens as they celebrate their 75 anniversary. I wish them continued 
success as they build on the strong sense of community they have 
established in West University Place, Texas.

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