WHEREAS, the late James Dean, during his all-too-brief career as a motion picture star, exerted a powerful and wholesome influence on the youth of our country, and

WHEREAS, James Dean, although barely more than a teenager himself, so won the hearts of young people, he was elevated to stardom almost overnight, and

WHEREAS, despite his untimely death, James Dean has been nominated for a motion picture Academy Award as the “Best Actor” of the year, and

WHEREAS, in tribute to James Dean’s positive influence on teenage life, the Majestic Theatre of Tulsa, in conjunction with other theatres across the country, will present a combination of “East of Eden” and “Rebel Without A Cause,” two pictures which marked his rise to stardom, and

WHEREAS, the re-issues of these two pictures will be shown on the screen at the Majestic, February 28, to March 6, as a salute to the memory of the late James Dean,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, George E. Norvell, Mayor of the City of Tulsa, do hereby proclaim the week of Thursday, February 28, to Wednesday, March 6, 1957, as

“JAMES DEAN WEEK”

and urge all teenagers of Tulsa to share in the tribute to the memory of this fine young actor.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Tulsa to be affixed this 26th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven.

George E. Norvell, Mayor
City of Tulsa, Oklahoma

Originally published in This Land, Volume 5, Issue 4, February 15, 2014.