82R13035 JBA-D
By: Gallego H.R. No. 893
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, In the 1950s, the golf team of San Felipe High School
in Del Rio battled adversity and defied expectations to become the
best in Texas, and Higinio "Gene" Vasquez was an important member of
that storied squad; and
WHEREAS, The team got its start after J. B. Pena became the
superintendent of the San Felipe Independent School District in the
mid-1950s, and he and a friend introduced golf as a school sport at
San Felipe High; they were surprised and pleased to discover that
there were some very talented golfers among the students in the
then-segregated school, including Mr. Vasquez and the other players
that joined the Mustangs golf team; and
WHEREAS, These students had learned much about the game while
working as caddies at the exclusive San Felipe Country Club, a
course that they were initially prohibited from playing; determined
to take part in the sport, several of these aspiring athletes
decided in 1954 to build their own course, which they dubbed the El
Llanito Country Club; it was, by necessity, a rather crude design:
one hole surrounded by multiple tees with a "green" that was
actually made of caliche instead of grass; nonetheless, the boys
used the hardscrabble course to hone their skills through long
hours of practice, often playing until after dark; and
WHEREAS, After the harsh conditions of El Llanito, the team
members found that competing on regulation courses as part of
school matches was relatively easy, and they quickly established
themselves as winners, even as they had to ignore verbal abuse and
other forms of discrimination; the San Felipe Mustangs were
regional champs in 1956 and finished second to Ranger High in the
state championships; in 1957, the team qualified once more for the
finals and traveled to the Austin Country Club to battle for the
title, where they were the only minority players in the tournament;
there, Mr. Vasquez and his teammates turned in an outstanding
performance, shooting a combined 643; this bested runner-up
Shamrock High by 35 strokes and earned San Felipe the state title;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Vasquez hailed from a background that was quite
different from that experienced by most state champion golfers of
his era; born in Del Rio in 1940, he, his parents, and his three
sisters were migrant farm workers for many years during the 1950s,
and he fought his way onto the Mustangs roster in 1957 despite being
a left-handed player who had to learn to golf with right-handed
clubs; after graduation, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in
education from Sul Ross State College and taught in the San Felipe
Independent School District for more than 10 years; he then entered
the real estate business and continues to work in that field today;
he lives in Del Rio and still enjoys golf, crediting the sport for
having had a very positive impact on his life; and
WHEREAS, Through talent, determination, and ingenuity, Gene
Vasquez and the other members of the Mustangs golf team overcame
difficult circumstances to become state champions, and their
achievement is a continuing source of pride for the residents of Del
Rio and an inspiration for all who have heard their story; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Gene Vasquez for his contributions to the
title-winning San Felipe High School golf team of 1957 and extend to
him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Vasquez as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.