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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Residents of Wichita Falls are gathering on |
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October 6, 2021, to pay tribute to hometown hero and motorsports |
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superstar Eddie Hill; and |
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WHEREAS, A champion racer on land and water, Eddie Hill has |
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been named the 2021 Legend of North Texas by the Museum of North |
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Texas History; in conjunction with that honor, Eddie Hill Day is |
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being celebrated to recognize his racing legacy and his |
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contributions to the Wichita Falls community; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Longview on March 6, 1936, Mr. Hill |
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received his first racing trophy at age 11; he began building |
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dragster cars a few years later and continued to compete while |
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attending Texas A&M University; after earning his bachelor's |
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degree, he won the American Hot Rod Association championship in |
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1959 and set several records over the course of the following |
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years, including one for breaking the 200-mile-per-hour barrier |
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in a gas-powered car; he is credited with numerous racing |
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innovations during this period, including introducing front |
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wings to dragsters and inventing the tire-smoking burnout, which |
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became standard practice for top fuel cars; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1966, Mr. Hill opened Eddie Hill's Fun Cycles, |
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beginning a successful Wichita Falls business that has continued |
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for more than five and a half decades; to promote the dealership, |
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he started racing motorcycles, earning over 100 trophies in the |
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next eight years; he shifted his focus to boat racing in 1974 and |
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went on to hold the Guinness World Record for fastest speed in a |
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propeller-driven boat in addition to winning regional, national, |
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and world championships, including two titles in the World Series |
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of Dragboat Racing; and |
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WHEREAS, A severe crash concluded his boat racing career, |
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but this determined competitor opted to return to asphalt drag |
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racing in 1985 following a two-decade absence from the sport; |
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three years later, he became the first person to break the |
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five-second barrier, and in 1993, at age 57, he became the oldest |
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person to win the National Hot Rod Association top fuel world |
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championship; he retired from drag racing for good in 1999 and |
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was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame the |
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next year; he is also a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of |
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America and the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Mr. Hill has drawn strength |
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from his religious faith; he also benefits from the love and |
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support of his wife of 37 years, Ercie, and his two children, |
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Sabrina and Dustin; and |
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WHEREAS, A world-renowned figure who has excelled in |
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multiple types of motorsports racing, Eddie Hill is a source of |
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great pride to the residents of Wichita Falls and the Lone Star |
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State, and he is indeed deserving of this prestigious honor; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 87th Texas Legislature, |
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3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate Eddie Hill Day in Wichita |
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Falls and commend Mr. Hill for his many achievements; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Eddie Hill as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas Senate. |