SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 390
WHEREAS, On February 9, 2020, former NASA astronaut
Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. will celebrate the 25th anniversary of
the historic day on which he became the first African American to
conduct a space walk, and the Senate of the State of Texas is
proud to honor the native Texan's tremendous accomplishment with
this recognition; and
WHEREAS, Born on June 26, 1956, in Temple, Texas,
Dr. Harris graduated from Sam Houston High School in San
Antonio, Texas; he earned a bachelor of science degree in
biology from the University of Houston, and in 1982, he earned
his medical degree from the Texas Tech University Health
Sciences Center School of Medicine; Dr. Harris then completed
his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1985;
he went on to earn a National Research Council Fellowship at
NASA's Ames Research Center and to train as a flight surgeon at
the Aerospace School of Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in
San Antonio; in addition, he received a master's degree in
biomedical science from The University of Texas Medical Branch
at Galveston in 1996 and a master's degree in business
administration from the University of Houston Clear Lake in
1999; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Harris joined NASA's Johnson Space Center as
a clinical scientist and a flight surgeon in January of 1990,
fulfilling a dream that began as he watched the Apollo 11
mission on television; following years of training, Dr. Harris
first flew in space on the Columbia for 10 days in 1993 and
logged more than four million miles; NASA then chose him to be
the payload specialist for its Shuttle Discovery Mission
STS-63, and during the mission, he spent a total of four hours
38 minutes in extravehicular activity, becoming the first
African American to do so; Dr. Harris and the rest of the crew
traveled more than three million miles in that historic
mission, which also represented the first rendezvous with
Russian space station Mir; and
WHEREAS, Inspired by his own passion for the study of
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Dr. Harris set his
sights on making improvements to the country's educational
programs; he first established The Harris Foundation, a
Houston-based nonprofit organization that connects low-income
students to STEM education opportunities; Dr. Harris later
expanded his passion for bringing STEM education opportunities
to children across the United States when he became chief
executive officer of the Dallas-based National Math and Science
Initiative; the organization annually provides hundreds of
schools across the nation, including schools supporting
America's military families, with STEM education programs to
make America's next generation prepared for the world of the
future; and
WHEREAS, A former astronaut, a licensed pilot, a certified
scuba diver, and a founder of educational programs and
institutes, Dr. Harris is a man of countless passions, interests,
and talents; his achievements would be too numerous to list, but
he serves as a role model of what a native Texan can accomplish;
for his commitment to helping thousands of children across the
United States to seize the benefits offered through STEM
education availability, his outstanding accomplishments in
multiple fields, and his unending thirst to help others, he is
truly a treasured citizen of our state; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th
Legislature, hereby congratulate Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. on
the 25th anniversary of his historic space walk and commend him
on his lifetime commitment to improving the educational
opportunities for the children of our state and nation; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
Dr. Harris as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
Whitmire
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 13, 2019.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate