By Hodge H.R. No. 72 75R5161 PAN-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, February 3, 1997, marks the 21st birthday of Brian 1-2 Rashad Hodge, and to his family and many close friends, this event 1-3 is truly a joyous occasion; and 1-4 WHEREAS, The beloved son of State Representative Terri Hodge, 1-5 he was born in Dallas on February 3, 1976, and from an early age 1-6 exhibited the warm and friendly personality that he continues to 1-7 display today; and 1-8 WHEREAS, At the tender age of three, young Brian was enrolled 1-9 in National Child Care, a day care center carefully selected by his 1-10 mother; it was quickly determined, however, that young Brian was 1-11 not quite ready for the big leagues when, after three tearful days 1-12 for both mother and son, he was returned to home care for an 1-13 additional six-month period; and 1-14 WHEREAS, In April 1979, he returned to preschool, attending 1-15 Christ Lutheran Day Care until entering Our Redeemer Lutheran 1-16 School, which he would attend through the eighth grade; and 1-17 WHEREAS, It was during his years in elementary school that 1-18 Brian first made the acquaintance of Aaron, Keith, Johnathan, and 1-19 Michael, a number of whom remain in his circle of friends today; he 1-20 also began to play in the school band and to become involved in 1-21 sports, playing basketball and soccer; and 1-22 WHEREAS, A soccer enthusiast from the age of five, Brian 1-23 played on many teams as a child, including the Jaguars, Titans, 1-24 Richardson Select, and the Storm '76, and he will no doubt long 2-1 remember the exciting moment when he kicked the winning goal in a 2-2 team shootout to advance the Storm '76 to the next round of play in 2-3 a tournament; and 2-4 WHEREAS, He idolized both "Pele" and Carlos Antonio Pecorari, 2-5 known to many Dallas Sidekicks fans as "Tatu"; Tatu would later 2-6 become a mentor to Brian, enabling him to serve as a ball boy for 2-7 the Sidekicks when he was 10 years old; and 2-8 WHEREAS, After completing his early education at Our 2-9 Redeemer, Brian went on to attend Lutheran High School of Dallas, 2-10 and in that setting he continued to build on his earlier 2-11 experiences, becoming a member of the school's small band as well 2-12 as a standout soccer player for the Lutheran High Wildcats during 2-13 the period that the team earned several consecutive state 2-14 championships; and 2-15 WHEREAS, Popular among his peers, Brian made many new friends 2-16 in high school, including Allan Wilkerson, who had a car, and 2-17 Jeremy Quast, perhaps his most adventurous new pal; unbeknownst to 2-18 the boys' parents, Allan had been teaching Brian how to drive and, 2-19 on one occasion, when Brian decided to show Jeremy what he had 2-20 learned, the two boys set off in an adventure that would end with 2-21 Brian accidentally totalling Allan's car and breaking Jeremy's arm 2-22 in the process; and 2-23 WHEREAS, Despite this little mishap, Brian's popularity 2-24 remained intact and he was voted "Mr. Student Body" his junior 2-25 year; this fine young man is a good student as well and after 2-26 graduating from high school in 1994, he began his higher education 2-27 at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he is a junior 3-1 majoring in political science on a pre-law track and plays soccer 3-2 for the Centenary Gents; and 3-3 WHEREAS, For 21 years, Brian Rashad Hodge has earned a 3-4 special place in the hearts of all who know him, and it is fitting 3-5 that he receive special recognition as he marks this significant 3-6 milestone in his life; now, therefore, be it 3-7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 3-8 Legislature hereby congratulate Brian Rashad Hodge on the momentous 3-9 occasion of his 21st birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes 3-10 for continued success and happiness in the years to come; and, be 3-11 it further 3-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-13 prepared for Mr. Hodge as an expression of high regard by the Texas 3-14 House of Representatives.