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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, VIVA San Antonio Day is taking place at the State |
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Capitol on February 28, 2023, and this occasion provides a welcome |
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opportunity to honor San Antonio residents for the important |
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contributions they are making to the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, The history of San Antonio can be traced back to |
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1691, when a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon a |
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river and named it San Antonio, in honor of Saint Anthony, whose |
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feast day was being celebrated; and |
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WHEREAS, The city was founded in 1718 by Father Antonio |
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Olivares; he established Mission San Antonio de Valero, which would |
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become etched in the annals of history in 1836 as the Alamo, the |
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site where 189 brave defenders held the mission for 13 days against |
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an army of some 4,000 Mexican soldiers; the cry "Remember the Alamo" |
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became the rallying point of the Texas Revolution; today, the Alamo |
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is a shrine and museum and is widely recognized as the cradle of |
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Texas liberty; and |
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WHEREAS, San Antonio was formally incorporated in 1837, when |
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the fledgling Republic of Texas granted the city a charter; the |
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community retains its sense of history and tradition while |
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carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress; it continues to serve |
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as a crossroads and a meeting place, where the rich cultural |
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influences of Native Americans, Old Mexico, German immigrants, the |
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Wild West, African Americans, and the Deep South mingle and merge; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Known as Military City USA, San Antonio has a proud |
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military heritage, and great figures like Pershing, Stilwell, |
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Krueger, LeMay, Chennault, and Eisenhower served at San Antonio |
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military installations; today, the armed forces facilities in the |
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city include Fort Sam Houston, the headquarters for the U.S. Army |
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North and U.S. Army South, and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, the |
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home of the Air Education and Training Command, the Air Force |
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Recruiting Service, the Air Force Personnel Center, and the Air |
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Force Installation and Mission Support Center; in addition, the |
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city is the site of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, the largest |
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training wing in the United States Air Force, which instructs all |
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incoming airmen in basic military training, along with vital |
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National Guard and Air Force Reserve missions; and |
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WHEREAS, The San Antonio Market is home to several |
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distinguished medical institutions, including Brooke Army Medical |
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Center, which houses the only Level I Trauma Center in the Military |
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Health System and the Center for the Intrepid, a world-renowned |
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rehabilitation facility; and |
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WHEREAS, Recent years have brought remarkable economic |
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development to San Antonio as its skilled workforce, excellent |
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institutions of public and higher education, and high quality of |
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life have attracted important corporate businesses and industries |
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to the city; and |
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WHEREAS, The city's chambers of commerce serve as leading |
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advocates for the business community and are dedicated to building |
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and sustaining San Antonio's diverse and prosperous economy, |
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particularly in the major local industries of health care, |
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manufacturing, aerospace, and information technology; and |
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WHEREAS, San Antonio has one of the largest concentrations of |
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cybersecurity professionals in the United States, with a diverse |
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workforce and globally competitive cybersecurity ecosystem that is |
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strategically organized through CyberSecurity San Antonio; and |
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WHEREAS, Many people delight in visiting San Antonio each |
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year; in addition to the Alamo, highlights include La Villita, San |
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Fernando Cathedral, the San Antonio Mission Trails, and the famed |
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Paseo del Rio, also known as The River Walk; among the other |
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attractions that make San Antonio one of the top tourist |
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destinations in the country are SeaWorld San Antonio and the Six |
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Flags Fiesta Texas theme park, as well as the PGA Tour Valero Texas |
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Open, the Alamo Bowl, and the five-time world champion San Antonio |
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Spurs; and |
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WHEREAS, A highlight of the city's robust event calendar is |
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the annual Fiesta San Antonio; first held more than 130 years ago, |
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the event was founded by a group of women who decorated horse-drawn |
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carriages for a parade in front of the Alamo and battled with flower |
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blossoms instead of bullets to honor the heroes of the Alamo and the |
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Battle of San Jacinto; and |
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WHEREAS, A city of great historical, cultural, and economic |
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importance, San Antonio is one of the treasures of the Lone Star |
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State, and its citizens may indeed take great pride in the place |
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they call home; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize February 28, 2023, as VIVA San Antonio Day at the |
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State Capitol and extend to the city's residents sincere best |
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wishes for the future. |