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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president of the |
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United States, is to be honored with a national memorial in |
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Washington, D.C.; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Denison, Texas, in 1890 and raised in |
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Abilene, Kansas, Dwight Eisenhower devoted his life to the service |
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of his country; in 1911, he left Abilene to attend the U.S. Military |
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Academy at West Point, taking the first step on one of the most |
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distinguished military careers in U.S. history, a career that |
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culminated in his appointment as the supreme commander of Allied |
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forces in Europe during World War II and, subsequently, as the first |
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supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1952, General Eisenhower was elected president of |
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the United States in a landslide victory; as our nation's |
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commander-in-chief over the next eight years, he worked to preserve |
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the hard-won peace during the height of the Cold War; at home, he |
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oversaw an era of prosperity, signed important civil rights |
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legislation, and launched the construction of the modern interstate |
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highway system; he also established the Defense Advanced Research |
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Projects Agency, which went on to create the Internet, as well as |
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the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, helping to |
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initiate one of the greatest periods of technological and |
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scientific advancement in human history; and |
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WHEREAS, Renowned for his unwavering integrity, skillful |
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leadership, and lifelong public service, Dwight Eisenhower is to be |
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honored with a memorial in our nation's capital, situated in a |
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four-acre park at the base of Capitol Hill; the monument's design by |
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famed architect Frank Gehry appropriately captures the two main |
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elements of Eisenhower's life, as general and as president; his |
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military service will be represented by a bronze statue inspired by |
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the famous photo of his visit with the 101st Airborne Division just |
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before D-Day, in front of a bas-relief of the Normandy landing; |
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another bronze statue depicts him as president, flanked by abstract |
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figures representing the balance between civilian authority and |
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military power; and |
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WHEREAS, The effort to fund and break ground for this |
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memorial is being overseen by the members of the Dwight D. |
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Eisenhower Memorial Commission, with Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas |
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serving as chair and Representative Mike Thompson of California |
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serving as vice chair; once completed, the monument will join those |
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honoring Presidents Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington as a fitting |
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tribute to one of America's greatest military leaders and most |
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influential presidents; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the legacy of President Dwight D. |
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Eisenhower and the effort to build a national memorial to him in |
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Washington, D.C.; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission as an |
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expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |