79S20660 MAM-D



By:  Quintanilla                                                  H.R. No. 232







R E S O L U T I O N

	WHEREAS, The Socorro Mission is celebrating its restoration 

with a rededication ceremony on September 24, 2005; and

	WHEREAS, Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, 

the mission is a treasured monument of the region's cultural 

history; it was founded in 1682 by the Franciscan order to serve 

North American Indians; the present adobe structure was constructed 

in the 1840s and is particularly notable for its decorated beams and 

elements that show a strong relation to the building traditions of 

17th-century Spanish New Mexico; and

	WHEREAS, The Socorro Mission Preservation Project is working 

to conserve this rich architectural treasure, and the building's 

restoration has received support from a number of local and state 

organizations, including Cornerstones Community Partnerships, The 

University of Texas at El Paso, the Socorro Independent School 

District, the Texas Criminal Justice Department, Historic Missions 

Restoration, Inc., the Upper Rio Grande Workforce, the Texas 

Workforce Commission, and La Purisima Restoration Committee; and

	WHEREAS, Among the individuals who have been instrumental to 

the restoration project are Tury Morales, Frank Gorman, Pat Taylor, 

Jean Fulton, Donna Vogel, Amada Camargo, Cruz N. Camargo, Friar 

Frank Probst, OFM, H. W. "Skip" Clark, and Jon Hansen; and

	WHEREAS, The mission's many volunteers and participants have 

built nearly 20,000 adobes on site to replace sections of damaged 

foundation, walls, and parapets, and they have also delicately 

repaired the building's corbels and vigas; and

	WHEREAS, The Socorro Mission is one of the nation's important 

historic structures, and the individuals who have contributed to 

the restoration project deserve special commendation for their 

efforts; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 

Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby honor the Socorro Mission 

on the occasion of its restoration and rededication and extend to 

all those associated with this noteworthy project sincere best 

wishes for the future; and, be it further

	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 

prepared for the mission's volunteers as an expression of high 

regard by the Texas House of Representatives.