DALLAS, April 19, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Bar Association, one of the largest
bar associations in the U.S., announced yesterday that, in a
unanimous vote of its Board of Directors, it will change the name
of its headquarters from "Belo Mansion." The new name has yet to be
determined, but the renaming process has begun.
Dallas Bar Association's review of its headquarters' namesake's
ties to the Confederacy began during the summer of 2020 following
the death of George Floyd.
In a March 2021 announcement by A.
H. Belo Corporation, owner of the Dallas Morning News, CEO
Robert W. Decherd stated, "We are
keenly aware that the relationship of our company's name to a
person who figured prominently in the Confederate Army is the
source of discomfort, even pain, for many of our fellow citizens.
And that is intolerable to the leaders of this enterprise."
Similarly, the company has sought shareholder approval to rename
the organization to "Dallas News Corporation."
A.H. Belo was a prominent officer of the Confederate Army and
remained known for that service over the following 37 years of his
life and business career. Throughout his life, A.H. maintained
connections and associations with the Old South and capitalized on
his service to the Confederacy. Both in business and socially, he
used his Confederate military title of "Colonel" throughout his
life.
The building was built by A. H. and his wife as their home, but
A. H. died less than a year later in 1901. When the Dallas Bar
Association, in a visionary move, purchased the building as its
headquarters from a granddaughter, Helen
Belo Morrison, in 1977, it began referring to it as the
"Belo Mansion". The building had been listed in the 1975 National
Registry of Historic Places as the "Alfred Horatio Belo House."
Other than this building, there is no connection between A.H.
Belo and the legal profession in Dallas.
The Dallas Bar Association has a storied and notable history in
the City of Dallas, as well as
regionally and nationally among all bar associations. Purchase of
the headquarters building was broadly regarded as bold and
farsighted, but also risky. The visionaries' purpose was to grow
and invest in a vibrant association membership that offered free
legal education, and was committed to access to justice, service to
the community and support of the judicial system. The
Association moved into its new headquarters in 1979 with 3,600
members and it has grown to more than 11,000 members today.
Dallas Bar Association President, Aaron
Tobin, said, "The Dallas Bar Association is one of the
strongest bar associations in the country. Our ability to hold
events in a venue that is welcoming to every member of our diverse
Association and City is vital to this strength. Our review, and
ultimately our Board's decision to rename our headquarters building
properly reflects who we are as an Association and doubles-down on
our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion."
Another press release will be issued when the renaming process
is complete and we can announce the new name of the Dallas Bar
Association headquarters.
The Dallas Bar Association is viewed as a gold-standard bar
association among major-metro bars in the
United States. It offers connection, relevant education,
understanding and proven roadmaps to enrich lawyers' lives through
every stage of their careers. www.dallasbar.org
Contact: Deborah McMurray, Content Pilot LLC
972-897-4921 | mcmurray@contentpilot.com / Aaron Tobin, Dallas Bar
President 214.265.3851 | atobin@condontobin.com //
Alicia Hernandez, Dallas Bar Executive Director 214-220-7401 |
ahernandez@dallasbar.org
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SOURCE Dallas Bar Association