HJR 7013

                                                                      <BillNo> <Sponsor>
                               HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 7013
                                              By Gant
                               A RESOLUTION to honor the Collierville Contemporary Club on
                                            the occasion of its ninetieth anniversary.
       WHEREAS, it is fitting that we recognize those exemplary organizations and their
remarkable members who, through their unwavering commitment to excellence, are a credit to
this State; and
       WHEREAS, one such notable organization is the Collierville Contemporary Club, which
is celebrating its ninetieth anniversary this year; and
       WHEREAS, the Collierville Contemporary Club was founded in 1936 by Louise Cooper
and seventeen wives of local Rotary Club members as a literary club stressing the South and
Southern literature; and
       WHEREAS, during its first decade, the Collierville Contemporary Club sought to serve
the community by supporting the Red Cross Nutrition Center, the Veterans Administration
Hospital, and Tuberculosis Christmas Seals; establishing a special fund to supply cod liver oil to
every elementary school student in Collierville; and working with the Shelby County Health
Nurse to give physical exams to every preschool child in the community; and
       WHEREAS, in the 1940s, the Collierville Contemporary Club held a Red Cross drive for
the War Relief, going door-to-door to collect funds and sell War Bonds and Defense Savings
Stamps at Victory House on the Court Square in Memphis, in addition to raising funds for the
U.S.O. and making donations to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, later known as
the March of Dimes, in the fight against polio; and
       WHEREAS, to celebrate the end of World War II, the Club hosted a Christmas Tea,
which became a Christmas tradition for the organization for the next sixty-three years, until
2009, when it began its Home Tour; and
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       WHEREAS, in the 1950s, the Club held an annual Christmas lighting contest as a
fundraiser in addition to selling tickets for the Holiday Home Tour. The Club then donated funds
to the Collierville V.F.W. to defray the cost of the community swimming pool, sponsored a
Brownie and Girl Scout troop, and helped fund the paving of Magnolia Cemetery; and
       WHEREAS, in 1955, the Contemporary Club joined the effort to establish a town library
and persuaded city officials to purchase a building at North Rowlett and Walnut for the library,
which opened in 1956; and
       WHEREAS, during the 1960s, the Contemporary Club led in the establishment of a
Shelby County branch of The Friends of the Library, launched the popular "Mrs. Collierville"
contest, and held an Annual Watermelon Festival. The organization also sponsored a patient
for a year at the Arlington Developmental School and Hospital, providing for the patient's
various needs as well as contributing to the hospital; and
       WHEREAS, in the 1970s, the Contemporary Club supported activities for schools by
sponsoring poetry and art contests for elementary and high school students and honoring an
outstanding home economics student each year; and
       WHEREAS, additionally, the Club raised funds for the expansion of the Pink Palace
Museum and acquired the Old Log Cabin stagecoach stop building, relocating it to Town
Square, where it was refurbished and opened to tourists, and later acquired the old Red
Caboose from the Southern Railway Systems; and
       WHEREAS, in the 1980s, fundraising events were held for the restoration of the gazebo
at Magnolia Cemetery and to support Special Olympics, Collierville Cheerleaders, residents of
Youth Town, area nursing homes, and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis; and
       WHEREAS, the Club printed the book Collierville: A Place Called Home in the 1990s,
selling copies to benefit local charities, and members sold note cards featuring the artwork of
Club member Mary Mueller; and
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       WHEREAS, as the new century began, the Collierville Contemporary Club was involved
in the opening of the new library on Market Street and embarked on a major undertaking with
the Southern Living Corporation and Friends of the Library for the development of the Southern
Living Idea House, which was featured in Southern Living magazine and opened for tours; and
       WHEREAS, among the organizations supported at that time were the Page Robbins
Adult Day Care Center, the Collierville Library, the new Library Bookstore through Friends of the
Library, the Family Violence Council of Collierville, Collierville Animal Shelter, Collierville
Literacy Council, and the Collierville Education Foundation; and
       WHEREAS, more recently, the Collierville Contemporary Club has contributed to the
Morton Museum, established an annual food collection for the Collierville Food Pantry, and
worked on the Collierville Library Capital Expansion Campaign; and
       WHEREAS, today, the Collierville Contemporary Club proudly supports Books from
Birth, Friends of the Library, Collierville Animal Shelter, Friends of Morton Museum, Collierville
Arts Council, Collierville Connect, Collierville Education Foundation, New Day Children's
Theatre, Page Robbins Adult Day Care Center, Collierville Food Pantry, YMCA Schilling Farms,
Family Violence Council, Resource Redistribution Ministry, and Shelby Literacy Council; and
       WHEREAS, for nine decades, the Collierville Contemporary Club has upheld the highest
tenets of the Volunteer State, serving its community with respect, integrity, compassion, and
purpose; now, therefore,
       BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we honor and commend the members, both past and present, of the
Collierville Contemporary Club for their unwavering commitment to service and their community,
congratulate them on the club's ninetieth anniversary, and extend to them our best wishes for
every continued success in all their future endeavors.
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       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.
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