83R7445 JWI-D
By: McClendon H.R. No. 471
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to
recognize February 21, 2013, as Viva San Antonio Day at the State
Capitol and 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; and
WHEREAS, 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
city has since retained its sense of history and tradition while
carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress; it has served and
continues to serve as a crossroads and a meeting place, where the
rich sounds and cultural influences of Native Americans, Old
Mexico, Germans, the Wild West, African Americans, and the Deep
South mingle and merge; and
WHEREAS, The city has a proud military heritage; great
military figures like Pershing, Stilwell, Krueger, LeMay,
Chennault, and Eisenhower served at San Antonio military
institutions, including Fort Sam Houston, the headquarters for the
U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South and Randolph Air Force Base, the
home of Air Education Training Command; in addition, San Antonio is
the site of Lackland Air Force Base, the largest training wing in
the United States Air Force, and the San Antonio Military Health
System, which oversees all U.S. military medical training; and
WHEREAS, Recent years have brought remarkable economic
development to San Antonio as its skilled workforce, excellent
institutions of public and higher education, and quality of life
have attracted some important corporate business and industry 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; their
efforts have been focused in the area's major local industries,
including health care, manufacturing, aerospace, information
technology, and cybersecurity; and
WHEREAS, Millions of visitors a year delight in the discovery
of San Antonio; in addition to the Alamo, highlights include La
Villita, San Fernando Cathedral, San Antonio Missions Trail, and
the famed Paseo del Rio, better known as "The Riverwalk"; 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 four-time world champion San Antonio
Spurs; and
WHEREAS, In April 2013, the city will once again celebrate
Fiesta San Antonio, the biggest 11-day party in the state; first
held 120 years ago, the event was founded by a group of ladies 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 House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 21, 2013, as Viva San Antonio
Day at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting
delegation best wishes for a memorable visit.