SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 390

WHEREAS, On February 9, 2020, former NASA astronaut Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the historic day on which he became the first African American to conduct a space walk, and the Senate of the State of Texas is proud to honor the native Texan's tremendous accomplishment with this recognition; and

WHEREAS, Born on June 26, 1956, in Temple, Texas, Dr. Harris graduated from Sam Houston High School in San Antonio, Texas; he earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Houston, and in 1982, he earned his medical degree from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine; Dr. Harris then completed his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1985; he went on to earn a National Research Council Fellowship at NASA's Ames Research Center and to train as a flight surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio; in addition, he received a master's degree in biomedical science from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1996 and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Houston Clear Lake in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Harris joined NASA's Johnson Space Center as a clinical scientist and a flight surgeon in January of 1990, fulfilling a dream that began as he watched the Apollo 11 mission on television; following years of training, Dr. Harris first flew in space on the Columbia for 10 days in 1993 and logged more than four million miles; NASA then chose him to be the payload specialist for its Shuttle Discovery Mission STS-63, and during the mission, he spent a total of four hours 38 minutes in extravehicular activity, becoming the first African American to do so; Dr. Harris and the rest of the crew traveled more than three million miles in that historic mission, which also represented the first rendezvous with Russian space station Mir; and

WHEREAS, Inspired by his own passion for the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Dr. Harris set his sights on making improvements to the country's educational programs; he first established The Harris Foundation, a Houston-based nonprofit organization that connects low-income students to STEM education opportunities; Dr. Harris later expanded his passion for bringing STEM education opportunities to children across the United States when he became chief executive officer of the Dallas-based National Math and Science Initiative; the organization annually provides hundreds of schools across the nation, including schools supporting America's military families, with STEM education programs to make America's next generation prepared for the world of the future; and

WHEREAS, A former astronaut, a licensed pilot, a certified scuba diver, and a founder of educational programs and institutes, Dr. Harris is a man of countless passions, interests, and talents; his achievements would be too numerous to list, but he serves as a role model of what a native Texan can accomplish; for his commitment to helping thousands of children across the United States to seize the benefits offered through STEM education availability, his outstanding accomplishments in multiple fields, and his unending thirst to help others, he is truly a treasured citizen of our state; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby congratulate Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. on the 25th anniversary of his historic space walk and commend him on his lifetime commitment to improving the educational opportunities for the children of our state and nation; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for Dr. Harris as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.

Whitmire

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 13, 2019.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate