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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 Lupe Felan 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. Felan 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, the team turned in an outstanding performance, shooting a |
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combined 643; this bested runner-up Shamrock High by 35 strokes and |
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earned San Felipe the state title; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Felan's background was quite different from that |
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experienced by most state champion golfers of his era; the oldest of |
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eight children, he was called on to help out the family financially, |
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so he began caddying at the San Felipe Country Club during his early |
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teens; he played in the 1956 state tournament, when the team |
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finished second, and was an alternate on the 1957 championship |
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squad; after graduating from San Felipe High, he enlisted in the |
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United States Marine Corps and served his country for more than 30 |
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years before retiring in 1990; during his years as a marine, he |
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often participated in military golf competitions; he is now retired |
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from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, where he |
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established a second career, and he continues to play golf as an |
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active member of the Southern California Golf Association, the |
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Southern California Mexican American Golf Association, and the |
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Marine Combat Center Golf Association, maintaining a single-digit |
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handicap; he lives in Yucca Valley, California; and |
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WHEREAS, Through talent, determination, and ingenuity, Lupe |
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Felan and the other members of the Mustangs golf team overcame |
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difficult circumstances to become state champions, and their |
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achievement is a continuing source of pride for the residents of Del |
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Rio and an inspiration for all who have heard their story; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Lupe Felan for his contributions to the |
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San Felipe High School golf teams of 1956 and 1957 and extend to him |
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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. Felan as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |
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Gallego |
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Straus |
Gonzales of Williamson |
Morrison |
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Aliseda |
Gonzalez |
Munoz, Jr. |
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Anderson of Dallas |
Hancock |
Orr |
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Anderson of McLennan |
Hardcastle |
Otto |
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Beck |
Harper-Brown |
Patrick |
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Bohac |
Hernandez Luna |
Pena |
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Burkett |
Howard of Fort Bend |
Pitts |
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Burnam |
Howard of Travis |
Price |
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Button |
Huberty |
Quintanilla |
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Callegari |
Hunter |
Reynolds |
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Christian |
Keffer |
Schwertner |
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Coleman |
King of Parker |
Scott |
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Cook |
King of Taylor |
Sheets |
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Craddick |
King of Zavala |
Sheffield |
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Creighton |
Kleinschmidt |
Shelton |
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Crownover |
Kolkhorst |
Simpson |
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Darby |
Kuempel |
Smith of Harris |
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Davis of Dallas |
Landtroop |
Smith of Tarrant |
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J. Davis of Harris |
Larson |
Smithee |
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S. Davis of Harris |
Laubenberg |
Solomons |
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Driver |
Legler |
Taylor of Collin |
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Dukes |
Lewis |
Taylor of Galveston |
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Farias |
Mallory Caraway |
Veasey |
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Frullo |
Martinez Fischer |
Weber |
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Giddings |
Miller of Comal |
Zedler |
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Gonzales of Hidalgo |
Miller of Erath |
Zerwas |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1010 was adopted by the House on March |
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24, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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