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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A 90th birthday is a pretty significant milestone |
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for any Texan, but Russell Louden of Canton |
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celebrated the arrival |
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of his ninth decade in high style, by jumping out of a perfectly |
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good airplane over South Padre Island on January 19, 2013; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Louden had wanted to be a paratrooper during |
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World War II, but the jump school had been closed to officers, so he |
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was forced to wait 70 years to fulfill his ambition of becoming a |
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skydiver; and |
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WHEREAS, On the day of his jump, Mr. Louden was accompanied |
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by 20 friends to the island, where they congregated at a local |
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establishment to offer him encouragement; thus encouraged, |
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Mr. Louden took off from Brownsville South Padre Island |
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International Airport and, with the assistance of staff members of |
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Skydive South Padre, successfully jumped from 11,000 feet; in so |
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doing, he accomplished two remarkable things: becoming the oldest |
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person ever to skydive on South Padre Island and surviving to |
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celebrate his actual birthday five days later, on January 24; and |
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WHEREAS, This lively and popular gentleman has also been |
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riding motorcycles for 72 years; he first conceived of the plan of |
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skydiving for his 90th birthday a year ago, and shortly before the |
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day itself, he arrived at Skydive South Padre on his Honda 750 to |
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pay the deposit; and |
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WHEREAS, Just getting to 90 is an impressive achievement in |
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and of itself, but Mr. Louden has made it even more special with his |
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fearlessness and sense of adventure; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Russell Louden on the most |
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impressive 90th birthday celebration ever and extend to him sincere |
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best wishes for continued happy landings; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be created |
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for Mr. Louden, if we can catch up with him, as an expression of |
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high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Flynn |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1783 was adopted by the House on May |
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8, 2013, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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