[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E937-E938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF ARTHUR DOUGLAS' FIFTY YEARS OF SERVICE TO ST. MARK'S SCHOOL 
                                OF TEXAS

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                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2005

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the commemoration of 
Arthur Douglas'

[[Page E938]]

half-century of service to St. Mark's School of Texas. I am proud to 
represent St. Mark's School of Texas in the 32nd Congressional District 
of Texas, and join my colleagues in honoring this historic achievement 
by Arthur Douglas.
  Arthur Douglas was born in the Yorkshire town of Bradford in 1916. As 
a boy, he kept birds and developed his artistic skills. In 1932, Arthur 
won a national scholarship and matriculated to the Bradford College of 
Art and Crafts, from which he graduated in 1937. After Bradford, Arthur 
taught at the Leeds College of Art and Drawing and the Shipley School 
of Art (1937-1940), Avoncraft College (1940-1946), the Dudley Grammar 
School (1946-1949), and Victoria College on the Isle of Jersey (1949-
1955).
  In 1955, Arthur followed Victoria College colleagues D.G. Thomas and 
Norman Blake to join the St. Mark's faculty. He taught six days a week, 
instructing students in art, Spanish, English literature, and 
handwriting (then a required course through sophomore year). Within 3 
years, Arthur transferred to the Science Department where he taught 1st 
through 8th grade science on the second floor of Davis Hall. By 1960, a 
new science center was built with a greenhouse designed by the noted 
architect, O'Neil Ford. While attractive, it was a horticultural 
disaster and Arthur became a key member of the team responsible for 
designing a new Greenhouse containing a room of bromeliads and 
succulents, a tropical room, and a room specifically for cacti. In 
1963, Arthur devoted much of his time to seventh grade life science, a 
course he would teach for the next 2 decades.
  Cecil Green, who was President of the Board, admired Arthur's work 
and asked him to design the planting for the Math/Science courtyard. He 
used part of his own collection to illustrate the four natural growing 
areas of Texas. In 1969 Arthur developed and implemented plans for the 
Aviary. For his vast knowledge in the natural sciences, P.O'B. 
Montgomery, Jr. '38 appointed him ``Curator of Living Materials,'' a 
title he holds to this day.
  The Class of 1972 honored Arthur by dedicating the Marksmen to him. 
As they wrote, ``Mr. Douglas is a unique man at St. Mark's. Nowhere in 
our community is there to be found an individual as involved with the 
students, as humorous, and at the same time, as scholarly. . . . he is 
a fine and outstanding individual.''
  Without seeking it, Arthur's knowledge of ornithology and the natural 
sciences made him internationally renowned. From the 1960's through the 
1980's, he wrote articles and regularly appearing columns for the 
English weekly magazine Cage and Aviary Birds. He wrote and illustrated 
articles for The Canary & Finch Journal and The Journal of Yorkshire 
Cactus Society. For his research on the artificial feeding of 
insectivorous birds in captivity, he was elected a Fellow of the London 
Zoological Society in 1969. Arthur has written numerous articles and 
translated Seventeenth century ornithological works into English from 
Italian and French. In 1978 he was invited to make a presentation at 
the 1st International Symposium on Birds in Captivity. Arthur continues 
to catalog and illustrate birds and is currently on his fourth volume 
of compilations. He has been a member of the Avicultural Society, the 
Royal Horticultural Society, the Arizona Native Flora Society, and the 
Audubon Society.
  In 1963 Arthur met Alice Taliaferro, a substitute teacher at St. 
Mark's. They married in 1965 and he helped raise her two children Alan 
Douglas of Dallas and Anne Poole of Muenster. Alice died in 2000 after 
35 years of marriage.
  He retired from teaching in 1982, but Arthur continues to be an 
important member of the St. Mark's faculty. He takes care of and gives 
tours of the Greenhouse and Aviary, instructing boys on the wonders of 
the natural world. Faculty and students alike appreciate Arthur's 
encyclopedic knowledge, English wit, and considerable charm. For 50 
years, Arthur Douglas has embodied St. Mark's commitment to the pursuit 
of excellence and has taught by example what it means to be an 
inspiring teacher, a caring mentor, a true gentleman, and a great 
friend.

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