HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Brandon Slay of Amarillo, who won the gold medal in 1-2 wrestling at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, is visiting the State 1-3 Capitol on May 23, 2001; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Born in Amarillo, Mr. Slay is the son of Doug and 1-5 Becky Slay, and he has benefited greatly from their love and 1-6 support and that of his grandmother; and 1-7 WHEREAS, At the age of six he began attending wrestling 1-8 practice at the YMCA, and in his first match he was summarily 1-9 beaten by Brandon Brown, sparking a childhood bond that has grown 1-10 into a lifelong friendship and business partnership; refusing to 1-11 give up, Mr. Slay steadily progressed and became Texas state 1-12 champion by the third and fourth seasons; and 1-13 WHEREAS, When attending Tascosa High School, this 1-14 accomplished young Texan and two other wrestlers, Brandon Brown and 1-15 Brandon Caster, formed the "Killer B's" of the school's Wrestling 1-16 Rebels team; they helped their team win the state title in 1991, 1-17 and Mr. Slay continued in his path of victory, garnering three 1-18 state titles and a place on the state championship team as well as 1-19 being a three-time All-American at The Juniors; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Mr. Slay also excelled in his schoolwork, and, when 1-21 he chose to wrestle for the University of Pennsylvania, this 1-22 exceptional individual earned a dual degree from Penn's prestigious 1-23 Wharton School of Business in finance and entrepreneurial 1-24 management, while twice winning second place in the NCAA and 2-1 setting his sights on the Olympics; and 2-2 WHEREAS, In September 1998, Mr. Slay moved to Colorado 2-3 Springs to train at the Olympic Training Center under coach Kevin 2-4 Jackson; his strong faith, determined spirit, and hard work helped 2-5 him to win the 2000 National Championship; a lone Texan competing 2-6 at the 2000 Olympic Trials in Dallas, this proud citizen of the 2-7 Lone Star State won an Olympic berth on June 24, 2000; and 2-8 WHEREAS, At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Mr. Slay 2-9 competed with true Texas honor, courage, and skill; meeting the 2-10 challenges of his staunch competitors, he won the gold medal with 2-11 the honesty and sportsmanship indicative of his character and 2-12 career; and 2-13 WHEREAS, Mr. Slay, in partnership with Brandon Brown, that 2-14 childhood friend who handed him his first defeat, has started a 2-15 company called "Greater Gold" to contribute to the sport and the 2-16 community all that he has learned and gained over the years; 2-17 furthermore, he is creating a nonprofit organization called 2-18 "Greater Gold Outreach," which holds rallies in Amarillo and 2-19 establishes scholarships for high school seniors, and he has plans 2-20 to perform other good works for young people; and 2-21 WHEREAS, A champion on and off the mat, Mr. Slay is a 2-22 remarkable Texan living an inspirational life, and his integrity, 2-23 commitment, and strong character make him a source of great pride 2-24 for his state and a wonderful role model for children everywhere; 2-25 now, therefore, be it 2-26 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-27 hereby honor Brandon Slay for his Olympic gold medal victory and 3-1 commend him for his many other achievements; and, be it further 3-2 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-3 prepared for Mr. Slay as an expression of high regard by the Texas 3-4 House of Representatives and Senate. Smithee Swinford Laney Goodman Merritt Alexander Goolsby Miller Allen Gray Moreno of Harris Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso Bailey Grusendorf Morrison Berman Gutierrez Mowery Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat Bosse Hamric Najera Brimer Hardcastle Nixon Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira Burnam Heflin Olivo Callegari Hilbert Pickett Capelo Hilderbran Pitts Carter Hill Puente Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay Chisum Hochberg Rangel Christian Hodge Raymond Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas Cook Hopson Ritter Corte Howard Sadler Counts Hunter Salinas Crabb Hupp Seaman Craddick Isett Shields Crownover Janek Smith Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons Delisi Junell Swinford Denny Keel Talton Deshotel Keffer Telford Driver King of Parker Thompson Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery Dunnam Kitchen Truitt Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal Ellis Longoria Walker Farabee Luna West Farrar McCall Williams Flores McClendon Wilson Gallego McReynolds Wise Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth George Marchant Wolens Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley Giddings Maxey Yarbrough Glaze Menendez Zbranek _______________________________ _______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 305 was adopted by the House on May 23, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 305 was adopted by the Senate on May 23, 2001, by a viva-voce vote. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________________ Date __________________________ Governor