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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, July 4, 2017, represents the centennial of the first |
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landing by an aircraft at Mineola-Wisener Field Airport in Wood |
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County; and |
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WHEREAS, On the Fourth of July, 1917, Lieutenant Ralph W. |
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Stone of the U.S. Army Signal Corps landed his Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" |
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biplane at what was then known as Massingale Meadow, proving the |
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field's suitability as an emergency landing site between Love Field |
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in Dallas and a military base in Shreveport, Louisiana; witnessing |
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this first landing was a 12-year-old local farm boy named Robert |
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Henry Wisener Jr.; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the next few years, the field was used by such |
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pioneer aviators as Wiley Post, who was the first man to fly solo |
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around the world, and Hollywood stunt pilot Roy Wilson, who in the |
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summer of 1923 taught Henry Wisener how to fly; in 1926, Mr. Wisener |
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leased the site, renamed it Royal Field, and began providing flight |
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lessons, aircraft repairs, and aircraft fuel; together with his |
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brother, Bryce, he also established the Royal Flying Circus, which |
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offered airplane rides and performed aerobatics; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1941, Henry Wisener bought the site and 50 |
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adjacent acres and lengthened the runway to accommodate newer |
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aircraft, and after World War II, the brothers added an aircraft |
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repair shop, a classroom, a flight office, and a beacon tower; from |
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1963 to 1983, the airport was leased to the City of Mineola and |
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called Mineola Municipal Airport, and since 1983, it has been known |
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as Mineola-Wisener Field Airport; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, this historic airfield and the |
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family behind it have been honored on a number of occasions; Charles |
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Lindbergh presented the airport in 1928 with a certificate from the |
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Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, and the |
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Texas Historical Commission has conferred on the airport both an |
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Official Texas Historical Marker and a Texas Treasure Business |
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Award; on May 2, 1980, the city of Mineola celebrated Henry and |
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Bryce Wisener Day, in recognition of their contributions to |
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American and Wood County aviation; today, the site of the airport is |
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also home to the Royal Flying Circus Aviation Museum and to a |
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chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association; and |
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WHEREAS, Still owned by the Wisener family, the |
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Mineola-Wisener Field Airport is the oldest privately held |
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public-use airport in Texas and the home base of more than 70 |
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aircraft, and it continues to support the local economy and to |
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contribute to the rich history of aviation in the Lone Star State; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first landing at |
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Mineola-Wisener Field Airport and extend to the Wisener family and |
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to everyone associated with the airport sincere best wishes for the |
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future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mineola-Wisener Field Airport as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |