A RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE OF
MAX SIMS LALE

WHEREAS Max Sims Lale, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on August 31, 1916, and departed this life on April 22, 2006, was an distinguished journalist, historian, preservationist, author, scholar, and citizen, a founding member of the East Texas Historical Association, and the founder and patron of the annual Georgiana and Max Lale Lecture Series, through an endowment to the East Texas Historical Association; and

WHEREAS Max Sims Lale, attended Shawnee High School and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in journalism and an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, took his first job as a journalist with a weekly newspaper in Sapulpa, Oklahoma; and

WHEREAS, Max Sims Lale, anticipating the coming conflict of World War II, volunteered for active duty in 1940, and served with the 401st Field Artillery in campaigns in Northern France, Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge, and Central Europe, advancing to the rank of lieutenant colonel and receiving the Bronze Star and the Croix de Guerre, and after the war served in the Texas National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve; and

WHEREAS, Max Sims Lale joined the staff of the Marshall News-Messenger where he quickly became infatuated with the history of Marshall and East Texas, and became an avid historical preservationist and the unofficial historian of Marshall; and

WHEREAS, Max Sims Lale wrote books on the history of Marshall’s institutions, including the Trinity Episcopal Church, the Marshall Cemetery, co-authored a study of the First National Bank, and promoted historical preservation by overseeing or preparing numerous historical marker applications as well as nine successful listings on the National Register of Historical Places, and published numerous historical articles in the East Texas Historical Journal and other publications, as well as a memoir, Max’s Memoirs; and

WHEREAS, Max Sims Lale’s civic contributions were recognized by Marshall, Texas, with the proclamation of “Max Lale Day” in 1982, honoring his designation as Citizen of the Year, his life and works have been featured in several productions including Bill Moyers’ weekly television show, Now, and “Marshall, Texas; Marshall, Texas,” an episode in Moyers’ PBS series, A Walk Through the Twentieth Century, and his letters from World War II were excerpted in the Stephen Ambrose book Citizen Soldier, included in the permanent exhibit at the D-Day Museum, and placed in the Special Collections Library of the University of Texas at Arlington; and

WHEREAS, Max Sims Lale was an active member of the Trinity Episcopal Church for sixty years and served there as senior warden, and was a member of numerous civic and professional organizations, including serving as president and Fellow of the East Texas Historical Association, president of the Texas State Historical Association, and chairman of the Harrison County Historical Commission;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the membership of the East Texas Historical Association laments the passing of this “good and faithful servant” on April 22, 2006, extends sympathy to his family and friends; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be spread upon the minutes of the Annual Meeting and another presented as is appropriate to the family of Max Sims Lale, that they may know of the love and esteem in which he is yet held by all.

APPROVED THIS TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2006.

Cary Wintz, Chair, Resolutions, 2005-2006

R. G. Dean, President, 2005-2006

Archie P. McDonald, Executive Director