MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2001 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Horhn

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING PROFESSOR RONALD OTTO SCHNELL UPON HIS RECEIPT OF THE 2001 ARTS PIONEER AWARD OF THE GOVERNOR'S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS.

WHEREAS, Professor Ronald Otto Schnell is the 2001 recipient of the Arts Pioneer Award of the Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts; and

WHEREAS, as a young teacher on the campus of Tougaloo College in the early 1960's, Ronald Otto Schnell came to Tougaloo at a time when the school was interwoven in the fibers of the Civil Rights Movement; and

WHEREAS, born and raised in southwestern Germany, Professor Schnell was heir to a rich cultural tradition and he arrived in Mississippi 38 years ago determined to make art a viable ingredient in the total education of students at Tougaloo; and

WHEREAS, amid all the turmoil and sometimes physically threatening circumstances during those remarkable times, Professor Schnell stayed focused on his goal because he realized that exposure to art is a mechanism for building bridges between cultures and for promoting tolerance; and

WHEREAS, Professor Schnell's vision and steadfast resolve has resulted in the widely-known Tougaloo Art Collection, which includes more than 2,000 pieces of African, American and European works; and

WHEREAS, as one supporter wrote: "Professor Schnell was able to envision, as those engaged in life and death struggles could not, the importance of aesthetics in the process of social change."; and

WHEREAS, over the past several decades, more than 100 museums and galleries throughout the United States have shown pieces from this incredible collection; and

WHEREAS, retired from the classroom, Professor Schnell's legacy continues through this collection, which is a true Mississippi treasure:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Professor Ronald Otto Schnell upon his receipt of the 2001 Arts Pioneer Award of the Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts, and wish him continued success in his future artistic endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to Professor Schnell and his family at The Awards Ceremony to be held on Friday, February 9, 2001, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.