Bill Text: TX HCR130 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first aircraft landing at Mineola-Wisener Field Airport in Wood County.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Signed by the Governor [HCR130 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR130-Enrolled.html
H.C.R. No. 130 |
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WHEREAS, July 4, 2017, represents the centennial of the first | ||
landing by an aircraft at Mineola-Wisener Field Airport in Wood | ||
County; and | ||
WHEREAS, On the Fourth of July, 1917, Lieutenant Ralph W. | ||
Stone of the U.S. Army Signal Corps landed his Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" | ||
biplane at what was then known as Massingale Meadow, proving the | ||
field's suitability as an emergency landing site between Love Field | ||
in Dallas and a military base in Shreveport, Louisiana; witnessing | ||
this first landing was a 12-year-old local farm boy named Robert | ||
Henry Wisener Jr.; and | ||
WHEREAS, Over the next few years, the field was used by such | ||
pioneer aviators as Wiley Post, who was the first man to fly solo | ||
around the world, and Hollywood stunt pilot Roy Wilson, who in the | ||
summer of 1923 taught Henry Wisener how to fly; in 1926, Mr. Wisener | ||
leased the site, renamed it Royal Field, and began providing flight | ||
lessons, aircraft repairs, and aircraft fuel; together with his | ||
brother, Bryce, he also established the Royal Flying Circus, which | ||
offered airplane rides and performed aerobatics; and | ||
WHEREAS, In 1941, Henry Wisener bought the site and 50 | ||
adjacent acres and lengthened the runway to accommodate newer | ||
aircraft, and after World War II, the brothers added an aircraft | ||
repair shop, a classroom, a flight office, and a beacon tower; from | ||
1963 to 1983, the airport was leased to the City of Mineola and | ||
called Mineola Municipal Airport, and since 1983, it has been known | ||
as Mineola-Wisener Field Airport; and | ||
WHEREAS, Over the years, this historic airfield and the | ||
family behind it have been honored on a number of occasions; Charles | ||
Lindbergh presented the airport in 1928 with a certificate from the | ||
Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, and the | ||
Texas Historical Commission has conferred on the airport both an | ||
Official Texas Historical Marker and a Texas Treasure Business | ||
Award; on May 2, 1980, the city of Mineola celebrated Henry and | ||
Bryce Wisener Day, in recognition of their contributions to | ||
American and Wood County aviation; today, the site of the airport is | ||
also home to the Royal Flying Circus Aviation Museum and to a | ||
chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association; and | ||
WHEREAS, Still owned by the Wisener family, the | ||
Mineola-Wisener Field Airport is the oldest privately held | ||
public-use airport in Texas and the home base of more than 70 | ||
aircraft, and it continues to support the local economy and to | ||
contribute to the rich history of aviation in the Lone Star State; | ||
now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first landing at | ||
Mineola-Wisener Field Airport and extend to the Wisener family and | ||
to everyone associated with the airport sincere best wishes for the | ||
future; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for Mineola-Wisener Field Airport as an expression of high | ||
regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate. | ||
Hefner | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.C.R. No. 130 was adopted by the House on May | ||
25, 2017, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.C.R. No. 130 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
26, 2017, by a viva-voce vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |