R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to join

 1-2     the citizens of Corpus Christi in the joyous celebration of Corpus

 1-3     Christi Day on February 19, 1997; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, First settled as a frontier trading post in 1839,

 1-5     Corpus Christi is now the 74th largest city in the nation and the

 1-6     eighth largest community in Texas, and happily, it has managed to

 1-7     attain that status without sacrificing the delightful quality of

 1-8     life that remains one of its chief attractions; and

 1-9           WHEREAS, A vacationer's paradise, it is located near the

1-10     Padre Island National Seashore and has long been regarded as one of

1-11     the state's most popular coastal playground communities and the

1-12     recreational center of South Texas; and

1-13           WHEREAS, This beautiful seaside city has also earned

1-14     distinction as the deepest port in the state and as the sixth

1-15     busiest in the nation; its major cargoes are oil and refined

1-16     products, chemicals, bulk materials, and agricultural products, and

1-17     the vessels that ply the area transported more than 81 million tons

1-18     of freight to and from all ports of the world in 1996; and

1-19           WHEREAS, The bay area enjoys a bright economic forecast and

1-20     is creating new jobs faster than either the state or national

1-21     average; moreover, Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend region

1-22     continue to attract new residents, as roughly 500,000 people have

1-23     come to make their home in this lovely and desirable region; and

1-24           WHEREAS, The city is doubly proud to host two excellent

 2-1     centers for higher education, Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi,

 2-2     and Del Mar College; and

 2-3           WHEREAS, The community draws many visitors who come to enjoy

 2-4     its wide array of cultural activities, including the Texas State

 2-5     Aquarium, the Corpus Christi Watergarden, the Columbus Fleet, the

 2-6     USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, the Art Museum of South Texas, the

 2-7     Bayfront Arts and Science Park, the Harbor Playhouse, and the

 2-8     Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, which houses the

 2-9     highly acclaimed Spanish Shipwreck Collection; and

2-10           WHEREAS, Corpus Christi is also famous for its widely popular

2-11     festivals, including the Texas Jazz Festival, renowned as one of

2-12     the longest-running festivals of its kind in the country, and

2-13     Bayfest, an annual waterfront event that regularly draws crowds of

2-14     150,000; throughout the year, the Corpus Christi Greyhound Race

2-15     Track provides tourists and South Texans much enjoyment as well;

2-16     and

2-17           WHEREAS, Rich in culture and tradition, Corpus Christi is a

2-18     prosperous, forward-looking community and a leading participant in

2-19     the state's dynamic growth, and it gives the Texas House of

2-20     Representatives great pleasure to join with our fellow citizens in

2-21     saluting this fine Texas community; now, therefore, be it

2-22           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

2-23     Legislature hereby designate February 19, 1997, as Corpus Christi

2-24     Day at the Capitol and extend best wishes to all its citizens on

2-25     this noteworthy occasion; and, be it further

2-26           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

2-27     prepared for the citizens of Corpus Christi as an expression of

 3-1     high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                    Berlanga

                                             _______________________________

                                                   Speaker of the House

               I certify that H.R. No. 186 was adopted by the House on

         February 19, 1997, by a non-record vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House