H.R. No. 1010 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, May 24, 1995, marks the birthday of our esteemed 1-2 colleague, the Honorable Gerard Torres, and it gives the members of 1-3 this chamber great pleasure to acknowledge him for his achievements 1-4 on his special day; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, 1-6 Mr. Torres was interested in politics from an early age and began 1-7 his governmental career while still in college, employed as a 1-8 sergeant for the Texas House of Representatives; and 1-9 WHEREAS, This initial exposure to the workings of state 1-10 government continued to fuel his interest in local, county, and 1-11 state affairs and prompted Mr. Torres to accept positions of 1-12 employment in the offices of such notable public servants as former 1-13 State Representative Roman Martinez, the late Congressman Mickey 1-14 Leland, Councilman Ben Reyes, Senator Mario Gallegos, and Harris 1-15 County Commissioner Jim Fonteno; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Having received a solid grounding in political 1-17 affairs through his extensive experience, Mr. Torres decided to run 1-18 for elective office himself and is currently serving his first term 1-19 as a state representative; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Throughout the 74th Legislative Session, this 1-21 respected gentleman has served the constituents of District 143 1-22 with the utmost integrity and has distinguished himself through his 1-23 contributions as a member of the house committees on energy 1-24 resources, licensing & administrative procedures, and rules & 2-1 resolutions; and 2-2 WHEREAS, Outside the legislature, Mr. Torres has worked 2-3 diligently on many worthy projects of import to the community 2-4 through his leadership in the Knights of Columbus, the East End 2-5 Chamber of Commerce, the Galena Park Chamber of Commerce, the 2-6 Houston Higher Education Finance Corporation, and a number of other 2-7 respected civic organizations; and 2-8 WHEREAS, This native Texan plays an active role in making 2-9 this state a better place in which to live, work, and raise a 2-10 family, and the occasion of his birthday provides a fitting 2-11 opportunity to honor him; now, therefore, be it 2-12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-13 Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable Gerard Torres on the 2-14 memorable occasion of his birthday and wish him many more years of 2-15 success and fulfillment; and, be it further 2-16 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-17 prepared for Mr. Torres as an expression of highest regard by his 2-18 colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives.