R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The people of Motley County will join in paying 1-2 tribute to one of their most prominent favorite sons during Shannon 1-3 Davidson Pony Express Days, which will be held in June 1997; and 1-4 WHEREAS, In addition to an arts and crafts festival, food 1-5 concessions, music, and western dancing, this unique festival will 1-6 also feature 25-mile and 60-mile endurance rides, as well as a 1-7 quarter-mile ranch horse race, to memorialize Mr. Davidson's famed 1-8 victory in the 2,000-mile Pony Express Race of 1939; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Conceived as a publicity event for the small Texas 1-10 community in which it originated, the punishing race stretched from 1-11 Nocona, Texas, to San Francisco, California; Mr. Davidson, a 1-12 22-year-old cowboy from Flomot, pushed himself to ride 13 or more 1-13 hours a day through the deserts and plains of Texas, New Mexico, 1-14 Arizona, and California, all for the promise of $750 in freshly 1-15 minted silver dollars and a Hollywood screen test; and 1-16 WHEREAS, On March 24, 1939, 23 days after the starting shot 1-17 was fired, Mr. Davidson and his two faithful cow ponies, Rocket and 1-18 Ranger, crossed the finish line in Oakland, California, and later 1-19 that day, they received a hero's welcome at the San Francisco 1-20 World's Fair; and 1-21 WHEREAS, True to their word, the sponsors of the race 1-22 arranged for a screen test, and Mr. Davidson went on to work for 1-23 Republic Studios for the next three years, playing small roles in 1-24 several western movies, including Gene Autry's Colorado Sunset; and 2-1 WHEREAS, In the course of winning the 1939 Pony Express Race, 2-2 Shannon Davidson exemplified the courage, fortitude, determination, 2-3 and honesty that Texans have always attributed to our most powerful 2-4 mythic hero: the cowboy; this esteemed Texan's spirit lives on 2-5 today in the hearts of all who hold these values dear, and the 2-6 Shannon Davidson Pony Express Days celebration is a fitting homage 2-7 to his memory; now, therefore, be it 2-8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 2-9 Legislature hereby recognize June 21, 1997, as Shannon Davidson 2-10 Pony Express Day and commend the Motley County Chamber of Commerce 2-11 for paying tribute to this notable Texan; and, be it further 2-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-13 prepared for the Motley County Chamber of Commerce as an expression 2-14 of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Laney Laney Gutierrez Oliveira Alexander Haggerty Olivo Allen Hamric Palmer Alvarado Hartnett Patterson Averitt Hawley Pickett Bailey Heflin Pitts Berlanga Hernandez Place Bonnen Hightower Price Bosse Hilbert Puente Brimer Hilderbran Rabuck Burnam Hill Ramsay Carter Hinojosa Rangel Chavez Hirschi Raymond Chisum Hochberg Reyna of Bexar Christian Hodge Reyna of Dallas Clark Holzheauser Rhodes Coleman Horn Rodriguez Cook Howard Roman Corte Hunter Sadler Counts Hupp Seaman Crabb Isett Serna Craddick Jackson Shields Cuellar Janek Siebert Culberson Jones of Lubbock Smith Danburg Jones of Dallas Smithee Davila Junell Solis Davis Kamel Solomons Delisi Keel Staples Denny Keffer Stiles Driver King Swinford Dukes Krusee Talton Dunnam Kubiak Telford Dutton Kuempel Thompson Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Tillery Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Torres Eiland Longoria Turner of Coleman Elkins Luna Turner of Harris Farrar McCall Uher Finnell McClendon Van de Putte Flores McReynolds Walker Gallego Madden West Galloway Marchant Williams Garcia Maxey Williamson Giddings Merritt Wilson Glaze Moffat Wise Goodman Moreno Wohlgemuth Goolsby Mowery Wolens Gray Naishtat Woolley Greenberg Nixon Yarbrough Grusendorf Oakley Zbranek _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1122 was adopted by the House on May 27, 1997, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House