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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 373
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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welcome the citizens of Harlingen who are visiting Austin on the |
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occasion of Harlingen Day at the State Capitol on March 6, 2013; and |
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WHEREAS, From the moment in 1904 when Lon C. Hill placed |
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his proposed town site astride the tracks of the Saint Louis, |
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Brownsville, and Mexico Railway, Harlingen was destined to |
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become a crossroads; the first train passed through the rugged |
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settlement that railroad workers called Rattlesnake Junction on |
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July 4, 1904; and |
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WHEREAS, Tales of rangers and customs patrol agents |
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target-shooting next to the Harlingen depot in the earliest years |
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gave Harlingen its next nickname of Six-shooter Junction; and |
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WHEREAS, From the 1910s to the 1930s, trains brought |
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thousands of frost-nipped Midwestern farmers to Harlingen and |
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the fertile Magic Valley that could grow at least two crops a |
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year; Harlingen at one point had Texas' biggest ice plant and |
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produced ice for countless railcars of produce heading north; and |
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WHEREAS, The city's World War II army air field evolved into |
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Harlingen Air Force Base and then Valley International Airport, the |
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largest airport in the Rio Grande Valley; additionally, Harlingen's |
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Free Trade Bridge gives access to Mexico, and its barge port |
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connects to the Intracoastal Waterway; and |
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WHEREAS, Harlingen's semitropical climate, natural |
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resources, and friendly people have long made it a destination |
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for travelers, including Winter Texans, birders, and other |
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outdoor enthusiasts; today the Iwo Jima Memorial, the historical |
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downtown district with its mural and heritage trails, and an |
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abundance of sports fields and parks have expanded the |
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community's list of attractions; and |
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WHEREAS, The caring hearts of Harlingen residents have |
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spurred the community's development into a regional health care |
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hub with assets including Valley Baptist Health System, |
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Harlingen Medical Center, and Su Clinica Familiar; Harlingen has |
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recently become headquarters of the state's newest Department of |
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Veterans Affairs Health System, serving South Texas and the |
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Coastal Bend with a 160,000-square-foot veterans ambulatory and |
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surgical facility; and |
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WHEREAS, Residents of Harlingen have long understood |
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education as a key to the future and have supported efforts to |
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expand public and private schools, including remarkable assets |
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such as Texas State Technical College, the Marine Military |
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Academy, and the Regional Academic Health Center, a branch campus |
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of the medical school of The University of Texas Health Science |
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Center at San Antonio, which has played an important role in |
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medical services and education across the Valley since 1999; and |
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WHEREAS, Harlingen is a dynamic city that is proud of its |
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heritage and is building a vibrant future; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd |
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Legislature, hereby proclaim March 6, 2013, as Harlingen Day at |
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the State Capitol and call upon all Texans to celebrate the |
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contributions made by this community and its citizens to the |
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economic vitality of this state and nation for more than 100 |
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years; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in |
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honor of Harlingen Day. |
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Lucio |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on March 6, 2013. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |