[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 76 (Thursday, May 10, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 503--COMMEMORATING THE TRICENTENNIAL OF THE CITY OF 
                           SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

  Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. Cruz) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 503

       Whereas in 1718, the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the 
     Presidio San Antonio de Bejar, and the Villa de Bejar were 
     founded in the area that would become the City of San Antonio 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``San Antonio'');
       Whereas in 1821, San Antonio became a part of the Mexican 
     empire;
       Whereas in the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, Mexican forces 
     led by General Lopez de Santa Anna stormed the Alamo and more 
     than 200 United States colonists, Texians, and Tejanos died 
     defending the future State of Texas;
       Whereas in 1836, the new government of the State of Texas 
     formed the county government of Bexar, and made San Antonio 
     the county seat of Bexar;
       Whereas in 1837, by action of the City Council, Ciudad San 
     Antonio de Bejar was officially renamed the City of San 
     Antonio;
       Whereas the United States Army post at San Antonio was 
     established in 1865, and is known today as Fort Sam Houston;
       Whereas in 1877, the first passenger train of the renamed 
     Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio railroad arrived in 
     San Antonio;
       Whereas Brooks Air Force Base was built in 1917 in San 
     Antonio and operated until closure in 2011;
       Whereas Kelly Field, also known as Kelly Air Force Base, 
     was founded in 1917 and operated until 2001, making it the 
     oldest continuously operating air base in the United States;
       Whereas in 1931, Randolph Air Force Base began operating as 
     a training facility in San Antonio and is now part of Joint 
     Base San Antonio;
       Whereas in 1941, Lackland Air Force Base began operating as 
     a training facility in San Antonio and is now part of Joint 
     Base San Antonio;
       Whereas in 1968, San Antonio hosted a 6-month international 
     exposition known as ``HemisFair '68'', which welcomed more 
     than 6,000,000 visitors from across the world;
       Whereas in 1973, San Antonio received the first and only 
     major professional sports team of the city, the San Antonio 
     Spurs, which has won a total of 5 National Basketball 
     Association championships;
       Whereas in 1987, Pope John Paul II became the first and 
     only pontiff to visit the State of Texas and San Antonio;
       Whereas in 1992, the United States, Mexico, and Canada 
     signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in San 
     Antonio;
       Whereas in 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific 
     and Cultural Organization inscribed the 5 Spanish colonial 
     missions in San Antonio as a World Heritage Site;
       Whereas San Antonio is also called the Alamo City, the 
     Mission City, and the River City, and was officially 
     trademarked ``Military City, USA'' in 2017;
       Whereas San Antonio has been home to several notable 
     individuals, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 
     President Lyndon B. Johnson, President Theodore Roosevelt, 
     Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Congressman David 
     Crockett, Congressman Garlington Jerome Sutton, General 
     Douglas MacArthur, General Jimmy Doolittle, Colonel James 
     Bowie, Lieutenant Colonel Ed White, Master Sergeant Raul 
     Perez Benavidez, Charles Lindbergh, Carol Burnett, Joan 
     Crawford, Tommy Lee Jones, Johnny Cash, Rosita Fernandez, 
     Santiago Jimenez, Santiago Jimenez Jr., Flaco Jimenez, and 
     Secretary Henry Cisneros;
       Whereas San Antonio hosts one of the largest annual marches 
     in the United States for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with 
     nearly 300,000 participants;
       Whereas San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the 
     United States based on population;
       Whereas San Antonio contributes to the cultural life and 
     historical understanding of the State of Texas through events 
     such as--
       (1) Fiesta;
       (2) Luminaria;
       (3) the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo;
       (4) the Armed Forces River Parade; and
       (5) the Texas Folk Life Festival; and
       Whereas during the first week of May, 2018--
       (1) San Antonio will honor and celebrate the tricentennial 
     anniversary of the city; and
       (2) each day of that week will have a specific focus, 
     including a Day of Reflection, History & Education Day, 
     Founders Day, Arts for All Day, Legacy Day, and Military 
     Appreciation Day: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates 2018 as the year of the ``San Antonio 
     Tricentennial''; and
       (2) honors the history and founding of the City of San 
     Antonio, Texas.

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