By Maxey                                               H.R. No. 832
         76R14570 MDM-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The passing of Roberto Celestino Villanueva on April
 1-2     28, 1999, at the age of 74, has brought a great loss to the many
 1-3     friends and relatives of this esteemed gentleman; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Born in Mercedes, in the Rio Grande Valley, to
 1-5     parents who were natives of Mexico, Mr. Villanueva and his siblings
 1-6     enjoyed summer visits with their relatives in that country and
 1-7     consequently became fluent in both Spanish and English, which later
 1-8     enhanced his professional life; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, Mr. Villanueva served his country with distinction
1-10     as a member of the United States Navy and he completed 40 years of
1-11     dedicated military service; and
1-12           WHEREAS, He attended The University of Texas at Austin to
1-13     study accounting and he left in 1951 to begin an exemplary career
1-14     in radio broadcasting that spanned three decades; Mr. Villanueva
1-15     joined the staff of the Spanish-language station KXTN as a janitor
1-16     so that he could begin to learn the radio business, and he soon won
1-17     a news announcer position and became known on the air as "El
1-18     Gallito Madrugador"; and
1-19           WHEREAS, After KXTN closed in the 1960s, Mr. Villanueva
1-20     returned to his roots in Mercedes and established himself at KRGV
1-21     radio and television station, where he developed programs that
1-22     featured a combination of music, interviews, and news; in 1974, he
1-23     moved back to Austin as manager of KMXX, a Spanish-language radio
1-24     station that had just opened, and in 1981 he joined the Spanish
 2-1     Information Service; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, Those who were privileged to share the friendship of
 2-3     Mr. Villanueva will long miss his presence, and he will surely be
 2-4     remembered with great affection and admiration for many years to
 2-5     come; now, therefore, be it
 2-6           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
 2-7     Legislature hereby honor the memory of Roberto Celestino Villanueva
 2-8     and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his
 2-9     wife, Maria Christina Villanueva; to his sons and daughter-in-law,
2-10     Robert Gerard Villanueva and Christopher Robert and Alba
2-11     Villanueva; to his daughters and sons-in-law, Anne Marie and David
2-12     Ocasio and Regina Marie and Tomas Serrato; to his brother, Eleazar
2-13     D. Villanueva; to his sisters, Olivia V. Gonzales, Tommie Hoker,
2-14     and Isabel Presas; to his grandchildren, Robert, Leyda, and William
2-15     Ocasio; and to the many other friends and relatives of this fine
2-16     man; and, be it further
2-17           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-18     prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
2-19     Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Roberto
2-20     Celestino Villanueva.