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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, In the 1950s, the golf team of San Felipe High School |
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in Del Rio battled adversity and defied expectations to become the |
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best in Texas, and Felipe Romero was an important member of that |
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storied squad; and |
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WHEREAS, The team got its start after J. B. Pena became the |
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superintendent of the San Felipe Independent School District in the |
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mid-1950s, and he and a friend introduced golf as a school sport at |
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San Felipe High; they were surprised and pleased to discover that |
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there were some very talented golfers among the students in the |
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then-segregated school, including Mr. Romero and the other players |
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that joined the Mustangs golf team; and |
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WHEREAS, These students had learned much about the game while |
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working as caddies at the exclusive San Felipe Country Club, a |
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course that they were initially prohibited from playing; determined |
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to take part in the sport, several of these aspiring athletes |
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decided in 1954 to build their own course, which they dubbed the El |
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Llanito Country Club; it was, by necessity, a rather crude design: |
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one hole surrounded by multiple tees with a "green" that was |
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actually made of caliche instead of grass; nonetheless, the boys |
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used the hardscrabble course to hone their skills through long |
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hours of practice, often playing until after dark; and |
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WHEREAS, After the harsh conditions of El Llanito, the team |
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members found that competing on regulation courses as part of |
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school matches was relatively easy, and they quickly established |
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themselves as winners, even as they had to ignore verbal abuse and |
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other forms of discrimination; the San Felipe Mustangs were |
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regional champs in 1956 and finished second to Ranger High in the |
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state championships; in 1957, the team qualified once more for the |
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finals and traveled to the Austin Country Club to battle for the |
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title, where they were the only minority players in the tournament; |
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there, Mr. Romero and his teammates turned in an outstanding |
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performance, shooting a combined 643; this bested runner-up |
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Shamrock High by 35 strokes and earned San Felipe the state title; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Though he was only in his sophomore year in 1957, Mr. |
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Romero was the silver medalist in the tournament, posting the |
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second-best individual score; he continued playing during his |
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junior and senior years before graduating in 1959; after high |
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school, he attended the first national PGA Business School in San |
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Antonio and learned the business side of golf; for the next 30 |
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years, he competed professionally in national and international |
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golf mini-tours while working as a bus conductor and instructor for |
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the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston; now retired, he is |
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still an active golfer; and |
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WHEREAS, Through talent, determination, and ingenuity, |
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Felipe Romero and the other members of the Mustangs golf team |
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overcame difficult circumstances to become state champions, and |
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their achievement is a continuing source of pride for the residents |
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of Del Rio and an inspiration for all who have heard their story; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Felipe Romero for his contributions to the |
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title-winning San Felipe High School golf team of 1957 and extend to |
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him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Romero as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |