SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 319

WHEREAS, The Texas Senate is pleased to recognize March 5, 2019, as VIVA San Antonio Day at the State Capitol and to welcome the visiting delegation from the Alamo City; and

WHEREAS, The history of San Antonio can be traced back to 1691, when a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon a river and named it San Antonio, in honor of Saint Anthony, whose feast day was being celebrated; and

WHEREAS, The city was founded in 1718 by Father Antonio Olivares; he established Mission San Antonio de Valero, which would become etched in the annals of history in 1836 as the Alamo, the site where 189 brave individuals held the mission for 13 days against an army of some 4,000 Mexican soldiers; the cry "Remember the Alamo" became the rallying point of the Texas Revolution; today, the Alamo is a shrine and museum and is widely recognized as the cradle of Texas liberty; and

WHEREAS, San Antonio became formally incorporated in 1837, when the fledgling Republic of Texas granted the city a charter; the community retains its sense of history and tradition while carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress; it continues to serve as a crossroads and a meeting place, where the rich cultural influences of Native Americans, Old Mexico, German immigrants, the Wild West, African Americans, and the Deep South mingle and merge; and

WHEREAS, Known as Military City USA, San Antonio has a proud military heritage; great figures like Pershing, Stilwell, Krueger, LeMay, Chennault, and Eisenhower served at San Antonio military installations, including Fort Sam Houston, the headquarters for the United States Army North and United States Army South, and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, the home of the Air Education and Training Command, the Air Force Recruiting Service, the Air Force Personnel Center, and the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center; in addition, the city is the site of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, the largest training wing in the United States Air Force, which instructs all incoming airmen in basic military training, along with vital National Guard and Air Force Reserve missions; and

WHEREAS, The San Antonio Military Health System is the home of all area military medical training; its distinguished institutions include Brooke Army Medical Center, which houses the only Level I Trauma Center in the Department of Defense and the Center for the Intrepid, a world-renowned rehabilitation facility; and

WHEREAS, Recent years have brought remarkable economic development to San Antonio as its skilled workforce, excellent institutions of public and higher education, and high quality of life have attracted important corporate businesses and industries to the city; and

WHEREAS, The city's chambers of commerce serve as leading advocates for the business community and are dedicated to building and sustaining San Antonio's diverse and prosperous economy, particularly in the major local industries of health care, manufacturing, aerospace, and information technology; and

WHEREAS, San Antonio has the second-largest concentration of cybersecurity professionals in the United States, with a diverse workforce and globally competitive cybersecurity ecosystem that is strategically organized through CyberSecurity San Antonio; and

WHEREAS, Millions of people delight in visiting San Antonio each year; in addition to the Alamo, highlights include La Villita, San Fernando Cathedral, the San Antonio Missions Trail, and the famed Paseo del Rio, also known as The River Walk; among the other attractions that make San Antonio one of the top tourist destinations in the country are SeaWorld San Antonio and the Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park, as well as the PGA Tour Valero Texas Open, the Alamo Bowl, and the five-time world champion San Antonio Spurs; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, the San Antonio Tricentennial Commission commemorated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the Presidio San Antonio de Bejar, and the City of San Antonio; three centuries of the city's diverse history and culture were honored with special events and initiatives throughout the year; and

WHEREAS, The city will once again celebrate Fiesta San Antonio, the biggest 11-day party in the state, in April 2019; first held nearly 130 years ago, the event was founded by a group of women who decorated horse-drawn carriages for a parade in front of the Alamo and battled with flower blossoms instead of bullets to honor the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto; and

WHEREAS, San Antonio is truly one of the treasures of the Lone Star State, and VIVA San Antonio Day provides a welcome opportunity to honor the city and its many fine residents; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby recognize March 5, 2019, as VIVA San Antonio Day at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for an informative and enjoyable stay in Austin.

Menéndez

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 5, 2019.

________________________________

Secretary of the Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate