| H.R. No. 1792 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Proud members of the Class of 1957 of Texas Tech | ||
| University are meeting in Lubbock to celebrate their 50th reunion | ||
| from May 9 to 11, 2007; and | ||
| WHEREAS, When these students began their higher education in | ||
| 1953 at what was then known as Texas Technological College, the | ||
| Class of 1957 was the 24th freshman class to enroll at the school, | ||
| and they were fortunate to attend the college during a lively period | ||
| of rapid growth; and | ||
| WHEREAS, That first year, the school's enrollment was less | ||
| than 5,000, and it quickly grew to more than 8,000 students by the | ||
| group's senior year; the ratio of men to women was four to one, and | ||
| 1,400 of the students were veterans attending college on the G.I. | ||
| Bill; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Covering over 2,000 acres, the campus of Texas Tech | ||
| was considered to be one of the largest in the nation; the school's | ||
| eight dormitories housed some 2,700 students, who were required to | ||
| live on campus unless they were married or commuting; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The incoming class of 1953 was the first to be | ||
| required to pay a dollar to park on campus, with 1,500 cars | ||
| registered for its 700 paved parking spaces; by senior year, the fee | ||
| had been raised to $3.50, with nearly 7,000 applications for 4,000 | ||
| parking spaces; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Class of '57 witnessed the rise of Texas Tech | ||
| football to national prominence; in January 1954, Texas Tech beat | ||
| Auburn University 35 to 14 at the Gator Bowl, the school's first | ||
| major bowl game; that game was also noteworthy for the first | ||
| appearance of the Red Raider mascot, which initiated a new | ||
| tradition; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Red Raider fans will likewise never forget their | ||
| football team's landmark defeat of The University of Texas | ||
| Longhorns in Austin in 1955, during the first game ever played under | ||
| lights in Memorial Stadium; with 10,000 Red Raider fans in | ||
| attendance among the crowd of 40,000, Tech scored an unforgettable | ||
| victory over UT, marking the first time the Longhorns had lost a | ||
| home game since 1893; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Due in part to that 1955 victory in Austin, Texas | ||
| Tech became part of the Southwest Athletic Conference the following | ||
| year, fulfilling a long-held dream for the school and its students; | ||
| that same year the Red Raiders basketball team played its first | ||
| games in the new Lubbock Municipal Coliseum; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In gathering to celebrate the special bond they will | ||
| always share, members of the Class of '57 will renew old friendships | ||
| and relive fond memories at their reunion, and the event promises to | ||
| indeed be a memorable one for all concerned; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby congratulate the Texas Tech University Class of | ||
| 1957 on the 50th anniversary of its graduation and extend to its | ||
| members best wishes for a most enjoyable reunion. | ||
| Craddick | ||
| Goolsby | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1792 was adopted by the House on April | ||
| 30, 2007, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||