84R31413 JGH-D
 
  By: Anderson of McLennan H.R. No. 3197
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Steven Moss is winning critical acclaim as co-author
  of a new book, We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the
  Space Program; and
         WHEREAS, An associate professor in the English department at
  Texas State Technical College in Waco, Mr. Moss first explored this
  subject in his master's thesis, "NASA and Racial Equality in the
  South, 1961-1968"; several years ago, he met public radio producer
  Richard Paul, who was pursuing a similar project, and the two men
  shared their research and turned it into a book, which has just been
  published by The University of Texas Press; and
         WHEREAS, The book focuses on the personal stories of 10
  African Americans who were associated with the space program,
  including the first black technician at Cape Canaveral, an engineer
  who built the first extraterrestrial observatory to be installed on
  the moon, and a black test pilot who took part in the first round of
  astronaut training; and
         WHEREAS, We Could Not Fail has received positive reviews from
  the New York Times, Booklist, Library Journal, and the BBC World
  News; Esquire magazine has featured it among its list of "Six Books
  You Absolutely Can't Miss This May," and the book has also received
  glowing comments from the director of the Smithsonian National
  Museum of African American History and Culture and from former NASA
  astronaut Mae Jemison; and
         WHEREAS, With this engaging account, Professor Moss shines a
  long overdue spotlight on a group of individuals who were both civil
  rights pioneers and contributors to one of the greatest scientific
  and technological efforts in human history, and he is to be
  commended for telling this unique story; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
  Legislature hereby congratulate Professor Steven Moss on the
  publication of We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the
  Space Program and extend to him sincere best wishes for the book's
  success; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for Professor Moss as an expression of high regard by the
  Texas House of Representatives.