[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5885-S5886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING LANGSTON GOLF COURSE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to S. 
Res. 162.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (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.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to,

[[Page S5886]]

the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, that there be no 
intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to this 
resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 162) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 162

       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.

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