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  H.R. No. 432
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
 
         WHEREAS, The legendary "Victory or Death" letter dispatched
  by Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis is being exhibited at the
  Alamo in San Antonio from February 23 to March 7, 2013, the first
  time the letter will have returned to the Alamo since it was drafted
  there 177 years ago; and
         WHEREAS, Colonel Travis, commander of the Texan forces at the
  Alamo, penned the document on February 24, 1836, shortly after a
  Mexican army under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna laid siege to
  the garrison; the letter called on its readers "in the name of
  Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character,
  to come to our aid, with all dispatch"; and
         WHEREAS, In his plea for reinforcements, Colonel Travis wrote
  with great eloquence and passion of his determination to defy the
  Mexican army, even under the threat of certain death; after a
  bombardment that had lasted 24 hours and a demand that the garrison
  surrender, he wrote, "I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, &
  our flag still waves proudly from the walls--I shall never
  surrender or retreat," and he ended his letter with the famous cri
  de coeur, "Victory or Death," boldly underlined three times; and
         WHEREAS, Smuggled out of the Alamo under cover of darkness,
  the letter inspired 32 men from Gonzales to join the garrison on
  March 1, 1836, and after the Alamo fell on the morning of March 6,
  the letter further inflamed the hearts of the Texan rebels, who
  rallied to defeat General Santa Anna and his troops at the Battle of
  San Jacinto on April 21, 1836; and
         WHEREAS, This historic letter has not returned to the Alamo
  since Colonel Travis entrusted it to his courier, and the effort to
  bring it back to one of the most revered locations in the Lone Star
  State was led by Texas land commissioner Jerry Patterson and
  coordinated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the
  Texas General Land Office archives, and the Daughters of the
  Republic of Texas; the letter will be escorted under armed guard to
  the Alamo and displayed for the public during the 177th anniversary
  of the famous siege and battle; and
         WHEREAS, The Travis "Victory or Death" letter is one of the
  most stirring embodiments of the spirit of liberty in American
  history, and this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view this
  Texas icon in its original, storied setting; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
  Legislature hereby commemorate the display of the Travis "Victory
  or Death" letter at the Alamo and extend to all those involved in
  the project sincere gratitude for their efforts.
 
  Villarreal
 
 
Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira
 
Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr
 
Alonzo Gooden Otto
 
Alvarado Guerra Paddie
 
Anchia Guillen Parker
 
Anderson Gutierrez Patrick
 
Ashby Harless Perez
 
Aycock Harper-Brown Perry
 
Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips
 
Bohac Herrero Pickett
 
Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts
 
Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price
 
Branch Huberty Raney
 
Burkett Hughes Ratliff
 
Burnam Hunter Raymond
 
Button Isaac Reynolds
 
Callegari Johnson Riddle
 
Canales Kacal Ritter
 
Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
 
Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis
 
Clardy King of Parker Rose
 
Coleman King of Taylor Sanford
 
Collier King of Zavala Schaefer
 
Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets
 
Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell
 
Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell
 
Creighton Krause Simmons
 
Crownover Kuempel Simpson
 
Dale Larson Smith
 
Darby Laubenberg Smithee
 
Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer
 
J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson
 
S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland
 
Deshotel Longoria Strama
 
Dukes Lozano Taylor
 
Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria
 
Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris
 
Elkins Martinez Toth
 
Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin
 
Farias McClendon Turner of Harris
 
Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant
 
Farrar Miles Villalba
 
Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal
 
Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
 
Frank Moody Walle
 
Frullo Morrison White
 
Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman
 
Giddings Murphy Wu
 
Goldman Naishtat Zedler
 
Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 432 was adopted by the House on February
  21, 2013, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House