H.R. No. 892

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, In the 1950s, the golf team of San Felipe High School
	in Del Rio battled adversity and defied expectations to become the
	best in Texas, and Felipe Romero was an important member of that
	storied squad; and
	WHEREAS, The team got its start after J. B. Pena became the
	superintendent of the San Felipe Independent School District in the
	mid-1950s, and he and a friend introduced golf as a school sport at
	San Felipe High; they were surprised and pleased to discover that
	there were some very talented golfers among the students in the
	then-segregated school, including Mr. Romero and the other players
	that joined the Mustangs golf team; and
	WHEREAS, These students had learned much about the game while
	working as caddies at the exclusive San Felipe Country Club, a
	course that they were initially prohibited from playing; determined
	to take part in the sport, several of these aspiring athletes
	decided in 1954 to build their own course, which they dubbed the El
	Llanito Country Club; it was, by necessity, a rather crude design:
	one hole surrounded by multiple tees with a "green" that was
	actually made of caliche instead of grass; nonetheless, the boys
	used the hardscrabble course to hone their skills through long
	hours of practice, often playing until after dark; and
	WHEREAS, After the harsh conditions of El Llanito, the team
	members found that competing on regulation courses as part of
	school matches was relatively easy, and they quickly established
	themselves as winners, even as they had to ignore verbal abuse and
	other forms of discrimination; the San Felipe Mustangs were
	regional champs in 1956 and finished second to Ranger High in the
	state championships; in 1957, the team qualified once more for the
	finals and traveled to the Austin Country Club to battle for the
	title, where they were the only minority players in the tournament;
	there, Mr. Romero and his teammates turned in an outstanding
	performance, shooting a combined 643; this bested runner-up
	Shamrock High by 35 strokes and earned San Felipe the state title;
	and
	WHEREAS, Though he was only in his sophomore year in 1957, Mr.
	Romero was the silver medalist in the tournament, posting the
	second-best individual score; he continued playing during his
	junior and senior years before graduating in 1959; after high
	school, he attended the first national PGA Business School in San
	Antonio and learned the business side of golf; for the next 30
	years, he competed professionally in national and international
	golf mini-tours while working as a bus conductor and instructor for
	the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston; now retired, he is
	still an active golfer; and
	WHEREAS, Through talent, determination, and ingenuity,
	Felipe Romero and the other members of the Mustangs golf team
	overcame difficult circumstances to become state champions, and
	their achievement is a continuing source of pride for the residents
	of Del Rio and an inspiration for all who have heard their story;
	now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
	Legislature hereby honor Felipe Romero for his contributions to the
	title-winning San Felipe High School golf team of 1957 and extend to
	him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Mr. Romero as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Gallego
	Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
	Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
	Allen Gooden Murphy
	Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
	Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
	Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
	Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
	Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
	Aycock Harless Parker
	Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
	Berman Hartnett Paxton
	Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
	Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
	Branch Hochberg Phillips
	Brown Hopson Pickett
	Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
	Burnam Howard of Travis Price
	Button Huberty Quintanilla
	Cain Hughes Raymond
	Callegari Hunter Reynolds
	Carter Isaac Riddle
	Castro Jackson Ritter
	Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
	Christian Keffer Schwertner
	Coleman King of Parker Scott
	Cook King of Taylor Sheets
	Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
	Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
	Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
	Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
	Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
	J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
	S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
	Deshotel Lavender Strama
	Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
	Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
	Dutton Lozano Thompson
	Eiland Lucio III Torres
	Eissler Lyne Truitt
	Elkins Madden Turner
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Margo Villarreal
	Fletcher Marquez Vo
	Flynn Martinez Walle
	Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
	Gallego McClendon White
	Garza Menendez Woolley
	Geren Miles Workman
	Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
	Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 892 was adopted by the House on March
	24, 2011, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House