H.R. No. 1943
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Carroll Hall Shelby, a Texas native, has put an
indelible stamp on the automotive industry through his achievements
as a race car driver, owner, team manager, manufacturer, and
consultant; and
WHEREAS, Born in Leesburg on January 11, 1923, Mr. Shelby
graduated from high school in Dallas and served as a flight
instructor and test pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II;
after the war, he took up several occupations before becoming a
professional race car driver in 1954; and
WHEREAS, His first year as a driver, Mr. Shelby broke land
speed records for Austin Healey, and in 1959 he won the 24-hour Le
Mans alongside teammate Roy Salvadori; in 1956 and 1957, Sports
Illustrated named him Sports Car Driver of the Year, and in 1960 he
won the USAC championship; and
WHEREAS, Forced to retire from driving because of his health,
Mr. Shelby formed Shelby-American in 1962 and began work on a car he
named the Cobra; three years later, the Cobra ended Ferrari's
domination of the FIA World Manufacturers' Championship when it
became the only American car ever to take that prize; in 1999, Motor
TrendMagazine named the original Cobra Roadster as the most
significant car of the past 50 years; and
WHEREAS, During the 1960s, Mr. Shelby's racing team also
drove GT40s for Ford in international competition; the team took
first, second, and third place at Le Mans in 1966 and won at Le Mans
again in 1967, the same year it secured for Ford the Trans-Am
Manufacturer's title; and
WHEREAS, In addition to working with Ford on the GT40 and the
Shelby GT350 and GT500 Mustangs, Mr. Shelby conceived a sports car
for Chrysler that debuted in 1989 as the Viper; while continuing to
develop the Cobra, he has also designed and manufactured the Shelby
Series 1 sports car, and he is presently collaborating with Ford and
with Unique Performance of Farmers Branch to create still other
vehicles; and
WHEREAS, Deeply committed to lessening the automobile's
impact on the environment, Mr. Shelby serves today as president of
Advanced Engine Technologies, Inc., where he is leading the
development of a radically new, more environmentally friendly,
internal combustion engine; and
WHEREAS, He has also purchased a ranch near Annona, in Red
River County, which he is planning to make his principal residence
and which will give his herd of Tulli cattle room to roam; even
while living on the West Coast, Mr. Shelby maintained a connection
with his Texas roots; notable among his Texas-related ventures have
been the launch of a successful chili company and the inauguration,
with Frank Tolbert, of the Terlingua chili cook-off, now in its 39th
year; and
WHEREAS, In 1990, after contending for decades with a serious
heart ailment, Mr. Shelby received a heart transplant; the
following year, he established the Carroll Shelby Children's
Foundation, to provide assistance for acute coronary and kidney
care for indigent children; and
WHEREAS, Carroll Shelby was inducted into the International
Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Automotive Hall of Fame in
1992; and
WHEREAS, An exceptionally talented and accomplished driver,
this legendary Texan has contributed immeasurably to the
advancement of automotive design and technology, and through his
concern for the larger good he is touching the lives of people
around the world; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Carroll Hall Shelby for his lifetime
achievements and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued
success in all his endeavors; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Shelby as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Dunnam
Homer
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus
Dukes King of Parker Swinford
Dunnam King of Zavala Talton
Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor
Edwards Krusee Thompson
Eiland Kuempel Truitt
Eissler Laney Turner
Elkins Laubenberg Uresti
Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Farabee Luna Veasey
Farrar Madden Villarreal
Flores Martinez Vo
Flynn Martinez Fischer West
Frost McCall Wong
Gallego McClendon Woolley
Gattis McReynolds Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1943 was adopted by the House on May
25, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House