H.R. No. 261

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Uvalde native James Ortiz has proven himself a man
	of monumental courage and determination in his efforts to recover
	from a serious accident he suffered in June 2006; and
	WHEREAS, A premier distance runner at the high school and
	collegiate level, James Ortiz has shown the same competitive spirit
	in recuperating from his injuries, and his resolve in facing these
	trials is an inspiration to all who know his story; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Ortiz first took up running after watching the
	track and cross-country performances of his older brother, Reuben,
	who competed for Uvalde High School and, later, for Texas State
	University; when he was old enough, James also joined the running
	teams at Uvalde High and demonstrated his outstanding athleticism
	by setting the Amateur Athletic Union national record in the
	2,000-meter steeplechase and helping the Coyotes to win three
	district titles; and
	WHEREAS, Following in his brother's footsteps, James Ortiz
	enrolled at Texas State University in 2002 and continued to hone his
	athletic talents; during his junior season in 2005, he enjoyed
	great success, winning a number of races, earning All-Southland
	Conference honors, and setting the TSU school record in the
	1,500-meter event; though he sat out the 2006 season due to
	tendonitis, Mr. Ortiz was looking forward to returning to
	competition in 2007 and bettering his previous times; and
	WHEREAS, Those plans changed on June 5, 2006, when his right
	leg was crushed in a truck-bicycle accident in San Marcos and had to
	be amputated below the knee; confined to the hospital for a month
	and subjected to numerous surgeries, the young man who had once sped
	away from his rivals now faced the prospect that he might never run
	again; and
	WHEREAS, In recovery, as in his races, James Ortiz didn't
	give up, and he received significant help from his loved ones; his
	brother, Reuben, left his job as a high school track coach in order
	to assist James; his girlfriend Tenley Determan, a fellow student
	and runner at Texas State, provided key daily support; and his
	mother, Pura Elia Ortiz, offered her loving guidance; Mr. Ortiz was
	further buoyed by an avalanche of letters and e-mail offering
	encouragement, much of it from total strangers who had learned of
	the accident through news and Internet stories; and
	WHEREAS, This valiant competitor was fitted with a prosthetic
	leg in August, and he soon set his sights on a new goal--to once
	again run for TSU; he continues to train with the track team and
	performs other intense physical therapy with the intent of
	regaining his running ability and reclaiming his place on the
	track; and
	WHEREAS, The true measure of an individual can be gauged by
	the manner in which he or she responds to life-changing events; the
	bravery and dedication exhibited by James Ortiz have defined him as
	a young man of immense strength and character, and his unwavering
	dedication to personal improvement is indicative of a bright and
	promising future still to come; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
	Legislature hereby honor James Ortiz for his determined recovery
	efforts and extend to him best wishes for continued success toward
	achieving his goals; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Mr. Ortiz as an expression of high regard from the
	Texas House of Representatives.
	Gallego
	Craddick Gattis Miles
	Allen Geren Miller
	Alonzo Giddings Moreno
	Anchia Gonzales Morrison
	Anderson Gonzalez Toureilles Mowery
	Aycock Goolsby Murphy
	Bailey Guillen Naishtat
	Berman Haggerty Noriega
	Bohac Hamilton O'Day
	Bolton Hancock Oliveira
	Bonnen Hardcastle Olivo
	Branch Harless Orr
	Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Brazos Hartnett Otto
	Burnam Heflin Parker
	Callegari Hernandez Patrick
	Castro Herrero Paxton
	Chavez Hilderbran Pena
	Chisum Hill Phillips
	Christian Hochberg Pickett
	Cohen Hodge Pierson
	Coleman Homer Pitts
	Cook of Navarro Hopson Puente
	Cook of Colorado Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Corte Howard of Travis Raymond
	Crabb Hughes Riddle
	Creighton Isett Ritter
	Crownover Jackson Rodriguez
	Darby Jones Rose
	Davis of Harris Keffer Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Parker Smith of Harris
	Delisi King of Taylor Smithee
	Deshotel King of Zavala Solomons
	Driver Kolkhorst Strama
	Dukes Krusee Straus
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Latham Talton
	Eiland Laubenberg Taylor
	Eissler Leibowitz Thompson
	Elkins Lucio III Truitt
	England Macias Turner
	Escobar Madden Van Arsdale
	Farabee Mallory Caraway Vaught
	Farias Martinez Veasey
	Farrar Martinez Fischer Villarreal
	Flores McCall Vo
	Flynn McClendon West
	Frost McReynolds Woolley
	Gallego Menendez Zedler
	Garcia Merritt Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 261 was adopted by the House on March
	22, 2007, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House