Bill Text: TX HR770 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled

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Bill Title: In memory of U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) and former Killeen mayor Raul Gabriel Villaronga.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2021-05-03 - Reported enrolled [HR770 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HR770-Enrolled.html

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H.R. No. 770

R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A life dedicated to the service of his nation and his
community has drawn to a close with the death of Raul Gabriel
Villaronga, retired U.S. Army Colonel and former mayor of Killeen,
on March 20, 2021, at the age of 82; and
WHEREAS, Raul Villaronga was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on
April 1, 1938, to Raul Gil Villaronga Pasarell and Maria Monserrate
Martinez Perez, and he grew up with two sisters, Magdalena and
Margarita; upon graduating from Texas A&M University in 1959 with a
bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, he accepted a
commission in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant; and
WHEREAS, At the start of his impressive military career,
Lieutenant Villaronga served with the 7th Special Forces Group at
Fort Bragg and with the original 8th Special Forces Group in the
Panama Canal Zone, where he was promoted to captain; he went on to
serve as a company commander with the 8th Cavalry (Airborne) and as
an instructor at the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, and he served
two tours of duty in Vietnam, including one as executive officer of
the 266th Supply and Service Battalion; and
WHEREAS, Returning to the United States, Major Villaronga
earned a master's degree in industrial engineering from Texas Tech
University; he subsequently was promoted to lieutenant colonel and
assigned to command the 66th Maintenance Battalion in Germany, and
he served as director of the Integrated Logistics System Branch at
the New Cumberland Army Depot in Pennsylvania; following his
promotion to colonel, he served in several leadership positions at
Fort Hood, ending his military career as director of the army's
study of Palletized Load Systems; his numerous military honors
included the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the
Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star with valor device and three oak
leaf clusters; and
WHEREAS, After retiring from the army, Mr. Villaronga was
elected to the Killeen City Council, and in 1992, he was elected
mayor, becoming the first native-born Puerto Rican to head a city
government in Texas; after three terms as mayor, he continued to
serve the city as associate municipal judge until his retirement in
2002; he chaired the Killeen-Fort Hood League of United Latin
American Citizens Council No. 4535, and he was a founder of the
Central Texas Area Veterans Advisory Committee and a member of the
board of Killeen Crime Stoppers, among many other affiliations; in
addition, he was chair emeritus of the Greater Killeen Area's
Promise; and
WHEREAS, A true leader both in and out of uniform, Raul
Villaronga lived a rich and purposeful life dedicated to serving
his fellow citizens, and he leaves behind a legacy that will
continue to inspire all those who were privileged to know him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of retired U.S. Army
Colonel Raul Gabriel Villaronga and extend heartfelt sympathy to
the members of his family: to his wife, Julia; to his sister,
Margarita; to his sons, Raul and his wife, Robin, Rafael and his
wife, Marie, and Robert; to his grandchildren, Rafael, Christopher,
Victoria, and Oleata; and to his other relatives and friends; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Raul
Villaronga.
Buckley
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 770 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 30, 2021.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House