85R13888 KSM-D
By: Bernal H.R. No. 648
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Proud residents of the Alamo City are visiting
Austin on February 28, 2017, to celebrate VIVA San Antonio Day at
the State Capitol; 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 has since retained 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, 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 and 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, home of 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 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, information technology, and
cybersecurity; and
WHEREAS, Millions of visitors a year delight in visiting San
Antonio; 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 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 five-time world champion San Antonio
Spurs; and
WHEREAS, In April 2017, the city will once again celebrate
Fiesta San Antonio, the biggest 11-day party in the state; first
held more than 120 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 House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 28, 2017, as VIVA San Antonio
Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation
sincere best wishes for an informative and enjoyable stay in
Austin.