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                                                                  H.R. No. 553



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Senior U.S. District Judge H. F. "Hippo" Garcia, the 
first Mexican American named a federal judge in the Western 
District of Texas, died on January 16, 2002, at the age of 76, and 
with his death this nation lost a distinguished jurist whose wisdom 
and dedication to the cause of justice inspired a great many people; 
and
	WHEREAS, Judge Garcia was born in San Antonio on December 4, 
1925, not far from the courthouse where he would preside as judge 
for more than two decades; he graduated from Brackenridge High 
School in 1943 and immediately thereafter answered his country's 
call to arms, serving with the U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Division in 
Germany during World War II; and
	WHEREAS, On his return to civilian life, he attended St. 
Mary's University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1949 and his 
law degree in 1951; his alma mater would later recognize him as the 
1980 Distinguished Law Graduate, and last year the college 
announced the creation of the Judge H. F. "Hippo" Garcia Memorial 
Scholarship to honor his countless contributions to his profession, 
community, and school; and
	WHEREAS, While still a student, Judge Garcia began working as 
a deputy district clerk for Bexar County, and in 1952, diploma in 
hand, he launched his career as an assistant district attorney, 
serving under four Bexar County district attorneys over the next 12 
years; following his election to public office in 1964, he served as 
the judge of Bexar County Court-at-Law No. 2 until the mid-1970s, 
when he won election to the 144th District Court; his exemplary 
record on the bench was soon recognized by President Jimmy Carter, 
who nominated him to the federal bench in 1980, and following his 
confirmation by the U.S. Senate, he served as a U.S. district judge 
for the Western District until his death in 2002; and
	WHEREAS, Over the course of his extraordinary life, Judge 
Garcia blazed new trails for Americans of Hispanic descent and 
brought incomparable integrity, fairness, and intelligence to his 
courtroom; he surmounted great obstacles to reach one of the 
highest summits in his profession, transforming himself from a 
young teenager who spoke no English on entering high school into a 
revered jurist who presided over many of the Southwest's most 
important civil and criminal cases; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable H. F. 
"Hippo" Garcia and extend profound sympathy to the members of his 
family: to his sister, Olga Garcia Rodriguez; to his brothers, 
Henry Garcia and Arthur Garcia; to his nieces and nephews; and to 
his many other friends and relatives; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House 
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in the memory of 
Senior U.S. District Judge H. F. "Hippo" Garcia.

                                                                Martinez Fischer


                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 553 was unanimously adopted by a 
rising vote of the House on April 25, 2003.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House