85R31086 JGH-D
By: Phelan H.R. No. 2282
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Italians and Americans of Italian descent have
played a central role in the history and culture of our nation; and
WHEREAS, This heritage runs deep in Texas, from the earliest
days of our state; an Italian named Prospero Bernardi was among the
men who fought at Goliad and the Battle of San Jacinto, and Giuseppe
Cassini helped to finance the Texas War for Independence; a century
later, the sculptor Pompeo Coppini designed Sam Houston's grave
monument in Huntsville, the monument in Texas Heroes Square in
Gonzales, and the Alamo Cenotaph in San Antonio; and
WHEREAS, Other notable Italians in Texas include Joe Grasso,
a native of Sicily who pioneered the shrimp industry along the Gulf
Coast, Fraschio Fossati, who started the oldest delicatessen in
Texas, Salvatore Lucchese, who established the Lucchese brand of
boots in San Antonio, and Frederick Ruffini, an architect who
designed opera houses, office buildings, and courthouses all across
the state; and
WHEREAS, Houston native Jack Valenti was a decorated combat
pilot during World War II, a special assistant to President Lyndon
Johnson, and the head of the Motion Picture Association of America
for nearly 40 years; Romano's Macaroni Grill, the popular
nationwide chain of Italian restaurants, was founded by Texan
Philip J. Romano and maintains its headquarters in Houston; and
WHEREAS, In 1890, the Christopher Columbus Italian Society in
San Antonio established the first Italian hall in Texas, and the
Beaumont and San Antonio chapters of the Sons of Italy have donated
considerable sums to be used for scholarships, medical research,
disaster relief, and other causes over the years; and
WHEREAS, The celebration of Italian History Month provides a
fitting occasion to celebrate the rich history of Italians and
Italian Americans in Texas and the special contributions people of
Italian descent have made to our state and nation; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize October 2017 as Italian History Month
in the State of Texas.