By Eiland                                            H.C.R. No. 238
         76R12701 GMW-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, United States senator John Glenn is visiting the
 1-2     State Capitol on April 22, 1999, and this outstanding occasion
 1-3     provides a fitting opportunity to reflect on the remarkable
 1-4     achievements of this American hero; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, A native of Ohio, Senator Glenn holds a bachelor of
 1-6     science degree in engineering as well as nine honorary doctoral
 1-7     degrees; in 1942 he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program and was
 1-8     commissioned in the Marine Corps the following year; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, Senator Glenn then became a highly skilled fighter
1-10     pilot, flying 59 combat missions during World War II and 90 combat
1-11     missions during the Korean War; he next excelled as a Navy test
1-12     pilot, setting a transcontinental speed record from Los Angeles to
1-13     New York and accumulating nearly 9,000 hours of flying time,
1-14     including 3,000 in jet aircraft; and
1-15           WHEREAS, One of the original seven American astronauts,
1-16     Senator Glenn joined the NASA Mercury project in 1959; on February
1-17     20, 1962, he accomplished an extraordinary feat by piloting the
1-18     first American-manned orbital mission, circling the earth three
1-19     times in the Mercury-Atlas 6 "Friendship 7" spacecraft; and
1-20           WHEREAS, He resigned from the Manned Spacecraft Center in
1-21     1964 and, following a promotion to colonel, retired from the Marine
1-22     Corps in 1965; Senator Glenn then pursued business interests until
1-23     1974 when he was elected by the citizens of Ohio to the office of
1-24     United States senator, in which capacity he served with the utmost
 2-1     distinction for 24 years; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, After retiring from the senate in October 1998, he
 2-3     once again achieved fame as an astronaut when he returned to space
 2-4     36 years after his initial Mercury flight as a part of the STS-95
 2-5     crew of the space shuttle Discovery; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, Senator Glenn has received numerous prestigious
 2-7     honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross on six occasions,
 2-8     the Air Medal with 18 Clusters for his service during World War II
 2-9     and Korea, the National Defense Service Medal, United Nations
2-10     Service Medal,  the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the
2-11     Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and a host of others too
2-12     numerous to mention; and
2-13           WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Senator Glenn has brought
2-14     great honor to this nation, and it is our distinct privilege to
2-15     honor him for his many significant accomplishments; now, therefore,
2-16     be it
2-17           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-18     hereby welcome Senator John Glenn to the State Capitol and extend
2-19     to him sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness;
2-20     and, be it further
2-21           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-22     prepared for Senator Glenn as an expression of highest regard by
2-23     the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.