| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to |
|
|
recognize February 17, 2009, as Viva San Antonio Day at the State |
|
|
Capitol and welcome the visiting delegation from the Alamo City; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The history of San Antonio can be traced back to |
|
|
1691, when a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon a |
|
|
river and named it San Antonio, in honor of St. Anthony, whose feast |
|
|
day was being celebrated; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The city was founded in 1718 by Father Antonio |
|
|
Olivares; he established Mission San Antonio de Valero, which would |
|
|
become etched in the annals of history in 1836 as the Alamo, the |
|
|
site where 189 brave individuals held the mission for 13 days |
|
|
against an army of some 4,000 Mexican soldiers; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The cry "Remember the Alamo" became the rallying |
|
|
point of the Texas Revolution; today, the Alamo is a shrine and |
|
|
museum and is widely recognized as the cradle of Texas liberty; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, San Antonio became formally incorporated in 1837, |
|
|
when the fledgling Republic of Texas granted the city a charter; the |
|
|
city has since retained its sense of history and tradition while |
|
|
carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress; it has served and |
|
|
continues to serve as a crossroads and a meeting place, where the |
|
|
rich sounds and flavors of Native Americans, Old Mexico, Germans, |
|
|
the Wild West, African Americans, and the Deep South mingle and |
|
|
merge; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The city has a proud military heritage; great |
|
|
military figures like Pershing, Stilwell, Krueger, LeMay, |
|
|
Chennault, and Eisenhower served at San Antonio military |
|
|
institutions, including Fort Sam Houston, the headquarters for the |
|
|
Fifth U.S. Army and the home of the U.S. Army Medical Command and |
|
|
the Brooke Army Medical Center; in addition, San Antonio is the site |
|
|
of Lackland Air Force Base, the largest training wing in the U.S. |
|
|
Air Force, and Brooks City-Base, an innovative master-planned |
|
|
research and technology center; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Recent years have brought remarkable economic |
|
|
development to San Antonio as its skilled workforce, excellent |
|
|
institutions of public and higher education, and quality of life |
|
|
have attracted some important corporate business and industry to |
|
|
the city; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Millions of visitors a year delight in the discovery |
|
|
of San Antonio; in addition to the Alamo, highlights include La |
|
|
Villita, San Fernando Cathedral, San Antonio Missions Trail, and |
|
|
the famed Paseo del Rio, better known as "The Riverwalk"; among the |
|
|
other attractions that make San Antonio one of the top tourist |
|
|
destinations in the country are SeaWorld San Antonio and the Six |
|
|
Flags Fiesta Texas theme park as well as the PGA Tour Valero Texas |
|
|
Open, the Alamo Bowl, and the four-time world champion San Antonio |
|
|
Spurs; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In April 2009, the city will once again celebrate |
|
|
Fiesta San Antonio, the biggest 10-day party in the state; first |
|
|
held 118 years ago, the event was founded by a group of ladies who |
|
|
decorated horse-drawn carriages for a parade in front of the Alamo |
|
|
and battled with flower blossoms instead of bullets to honor the |
|
|
heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, San Antonio is truly one of the treasures of the Lone |
|
|
Star State, and Viva San Antonio Day provides a welcome opportunity |
|
|
to honor the city and its many fine residents; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 17, 2009, as Viva San Antonio |
|
|
Day at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting |
|
|
delegation best wishes for a memorable visit. |