SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 531
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
join the members of various Texas and Tejano organizations and
the members of Tejano Monument, Incorporated, in celebrating the
fifth anniversary of the unveiling of the Tejano Monument at the
Texas Capitol; and
WHEREAS, Tejanos are Texans of Spanish and Mexican descent
whose ancestors were among the first non-indigenous people to
explore and colonize the region that would become Texas; Tejano
Monument, Incorporated, was established in 2001, with the goal of
erecting a monument on the Capitol grounds to commemorate Tejano
influences in Texas history and culture; and
WHEREAS, The founding Tejano Monument, Incorporated,
executive board consisted of board president Dr. Cayetano
Barrera, who called for the first meeting; vice president Andrés
Tijerina, a professor of history at Austin Community College;
vice president Homero Vera, the editor and publisher of El
Mesteño magazine; vice president Renato Ramirez, the president
and chief executive officer of the International Bank of Commerce
in Zapata, Texas; and secretary-treasurer Richard Sanchez, the
associate vice president for governmental relations at The
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; these dedicated community
leaders advocated for legislation to authorize the monument, and
in 2001, a concurrent resolution approving the construction of a
privately funded Tejano monument on the Capitol grounds was
passed by the Texas Legislature and signed by Governor Rick
Perry; and
WHEREAS, Initial funding for the monument was established
through grants, individual donations, and corporate contributions;
in 2007, the legislature approved the use of public funds to
complete the project; and
WHEREAS, The talented team of professionals selected to
design and construct the monument were engineer Jose I. Guerra,
architect Jaime Beaman, and artist Armando Hinojosa; the
impressive bronze and granite statue was unveiled at a public
ceremony on March 29, 2012, with hundreds of well-wishers in
attendance, and it has since been viewed by thousands of State
Capitol visitors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
Legislature, hereby commend the members of Tejano Monument,
Incorporated, and all who participated in creating the Tejano
Monument for raising the public's awareness of the contributions
of Tejanos to our state's storied history and extend best wishes
to all on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the unveiling
of the Tejano Monument at the Texas Capitol; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as a
memento of this special anniversary.
Zaffirini
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 29, 2017.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate