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  H.R. No. 893
 
 
 
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 Higinio "Gene" Vasquez 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. Vasquez 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. Vasquez 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, Mr. Vasquez hailed from a background that was quite
  different from that experienced by most state champion golfers of
  his era; born in Del Rio in 1940, he, his parents, and his three
  sisters were migrant farm workers for many years during the 1950s,
  and he fought his way onto the Mustangs roster in 1957 despite being
  a left-handed player who had to learn to golf with right-handed
  clubs; after graduation, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in
  education from Sul Ross State College and taught in the San Felipe
  Independent School District for more than 10 years; he then entered
  the real estate business and continues to work in that field today;
  he lives in Del Rio and still enjoys golf, crediting the sport for
  having had a very positive impact on his life; and
         WHEREAS, Through talent, determination, and ingenuity, Gene
  Vasquez 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 Gene Vasquez 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. Vasquez 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. 893 was adopted by the House on March
  24, 2011, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House