HR429 - Congratulating Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. on his induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

      H.R. No. 429       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. is being inducted into the   U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 31, 2025; and          WHEREAS, A Temple native, Bernard Harris began dreaming of a   career as an astronaut as he watched the first moon landing on   television; he earned his bachelor's degree in biology at the   University of Houston and went on to earn his medical degree from   Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in   1982; after completing his residency in internal medicine at the   Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, he pursued research opportunities related   to the aerospace field at the NASA Ames Research Center in   California and then the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center; and          WHEREAS, Dr. Harris was admitted to the NASA Astronaut Corps   training group in 1990 and served as a mission specialist on the   space shuttle Columbia in 1993; two years later, he returned to   space as the payload commander for STS-63; he became the first   African American to walk in space as he and a fellow crew member   tested the temperature resilience of their spacesuits; during a   decade with NASA, he served at a number of key facilities, including   Moffett Federal Airfield in California and NASA Headquarters in   Washington, D.C.; among numerous accolades, he has received the   NASA Award of Merit, National Space Grant Distinguished Services   Award, the 2000 Horatio Alger Award, and the 2024 Presidential   Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as nine honorary doctorates; a   middle school in San Antonio was named in his honor in 2006; and          WHEREAS, Following his time with NASA, Dr. Harris embarked on   a new path in entrepreneurship, initially as vice president of   Spacehab, Inc.; he earned an MBA from the University of   Houston-Clear Lake and since 2001, he has led Versalius Ventures, a   venture capital firm that invests in early- to mid-stage health   care technologies and companies; in order to encourage minority   students to pursue STEM careers, he established both the ExxonMobil   Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp and the Dream Tour; and          WHEREAS, Bernard Harris has inspired innumerable people   through his outstanding achievements and wide-ranging   contributions, and he is richly deserving of this prestigious   honor; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby congratulate Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. on his   induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and that he be   extended sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it   further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for Dr. Harris as an expression of high regard by the Texas   House of Representatives.     Hickland     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 429 was adopted by the House on March   13, 2025, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House