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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud members of the Class of 1957 of Texas Tech |
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University are meeting in Lubbock to celebrate their 50th reunion |
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from May 9 to 11, 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, When these students began their higher education in |
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1953 at what was then known as Texas Technological College, the |
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Class of 1957 was the 24th freshman class to enroll at the school, |
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and they were fortunate to attend the college during a lively period |
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of rapid growth; and |
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WHEREAS, That first year, the school's enrollment was less |
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than 5,000, and it quickly grew to more than 8,000 students by the |
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group's senior year; the ratio of men to women was four to one, and |
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1,400 of the students were veterans attending college on the G.I. |
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Bill; and |
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WHEREAS, Covering over 2,000 acres, the campus of Texas Tech |
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was considered to be one of the largest in the nation; the school's |
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eight dormitories housed some 2,700 students, who were required to |
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live on campus unless they were married or commuting; and |
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WHEREAS, The incoming class of 1953 was the first to be |
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required to pay a dollar to park on campus, with 1,500 cars |
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registered for its 700 paved parking spaces; by senior year, the fee |
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had been raised to $3.50, with nearly 7,000 applications for 4,000 |
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parking spaces; and |
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WHEREAS, The Class of '57 witnessed the rise of Texas Tech |
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football to national prominence; in January 1954, Texas Tech beat |
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Auburn University 35 to 14 at the Gator Bowl, the school's first |
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major bowl game; that game was also noteworthy for the first |
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appearance of the Red Raider mascot, which initiated a new |
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tradition; and |
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WHEREAS, Red Raider fans will likewise never forget their |
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football team's landmark defeat of The University of Texas |
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Longhorns in Austin in 1955, during the first game ever played under |
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lights in Memorial Stadium; with 10,000 Red Raider fans in |
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attendance among the crowd of 40,000, Tech scored an unforgettable |
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victory over UT, marking the first time the Longhorns had lost a |
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home game since 1893; and |
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WHEREAS, Due in part to that 1955 victory in Austin, Texas |
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Tech became part of the Southwest Athletic Conference the following |
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year, fulfilling a long-held dream for the school and its students; |
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that same year the Red Raiders basketball team played its first |
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games in the new Lubbock Municipal Coliseum; and |
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WHEREAS, In gathering to celebrate the special bond they will |
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always share, members of the Class of '57 will renew old friendships |
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and relive fond memories at their reunion, and the event promises to |
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indeed be a memorable one for all concerned; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the Texas Tech University Class of |
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1957 on the 50th anniversary of its graduation and extend to its |
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members best wishes for a most enjoyable reunion. |