By Cuellar                                              H.R. No. 44
         76R4441 MDM-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, This year Texans will join millions of fellow
 1-2     Americans in celebrating the life of one of America's best known
 1-3     and most respected patriots, George Washington,  and the
 1-4     Washington's Birthday Celebration being held in Laredo February
 1-5     6-21, 1999, is indeed deserving of special recognition; and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Since 1898, Laredo has been welcoming citizens from
 1-7     throughout Texas as well as thousands of residents of northern
 1-8     Mexico to the festivities, and the event has become so popular that
 1-9     it now draws more than 250,000 people each year; and
1-10           WHEREAS, The Washington's Birthday Celebration is held to
1-11     honor our nation's first president by marking his birthday in a
1-12     manner that fosters understanding and goodwill among all the people
1-13     of the Americas and to patriotically and reverently perpetuate the
1-14     memory of "The Father of Our Country"; and
1-15           WHEREAS, What began as a two-day, two-event observance has
1-16     blossomed into a  three-week festival featuring more than 30
1-17     entertaining and informative activities, including parades and
1-18     pageants; during this period each February, the city of Laredo
1-19     creates an atmosphere that recalls the bygone era of colonial
1-20     Virginia; and
1-21           WHEREAS, Rich in culture and tradition, Laredo celebrates
1-22     George Washington's birthday with considerable gallantry and
1-23     spectacle, and it gives the members of this chamber great pleasure
1-24     to join with our fellow citizens in saluting this fine Texas city;
 2-1     now, therefore, be it
 2-2           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
 2-3     Legislature hereby commemorate the Washington's Birthday
 2-4     Celebration in Laredo and extend to its organizers and participants
 2-5     warmest best wishes for another successful and memorable event.