H.R. No. 213
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, Ronnie L. Cox, the owner of Cox Jewelers in
    1-2  Sweetwater, will mark a momentous occasion this year when he joins
    1-3  his employees and customers in celebrating the centennial of this
    1-4  distinguished family-owned business; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Founded by John R. Cox, Sr., in 1895, this jewelry
    1-6  store has since been passed on to two generations of the Cox
    1-7  family; Mr. Cox settled in Sweetwater in 1887 and served as an
    1-8  apprentice to another jeweler before opening his own store eight
    1-9  years later; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, His son, John R. Cox, Jr., later took over the
   1-11  management of the business, and the two men encountered only one
   1-12  serious disagreement over the store's operation; the elder Mr. Cox
   1-13  was reluctant to stock wristwatches, which he considered a passing
   1-14  fad, while his son believed that such timepieces would soon
   1-15  supplant the pocket watch; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, The younger Mr. Cox prevailed, and by the time he
   1-17  turned the store over to his son, Ronnie L. Cox, the store had
   1-18  changed with the times and had become a permanent fixture in the
   1-19  town; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, Established in its current location in 1936, the
   1-21  store has served several generations of Sweetwater residents and
   1-22  has successfully withstood growing competition from department
   1-23  stores, discount stores, and mass merchandisers; and
   1-24        WHEREAS, A graduate of Rice University and a certified
    2-1  gemologist, Ronnie Cox has demonstrated that his education and
    2-2  business acumen will enable him to ably guide his grandfather's
    2-3  store into its next century of operation; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, For 100 years, Cox Jewelers has stood as a tribute
    2-5  to the entrepreneurial spirit that has made our country strong, and
    2-6  the Cox family's uncompromising dedication to professional service,
    2-7  quality merchandise, and fair business practices is truly deserving
    2-8  of special praise and recognition; now, therefore, be it
    2-9        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-10  Legislature hereby congratulate Ronnie L. Cox on the centennial of
   2-11  Cox Jewelers and extend to him warmest best wishes for many more
   2-12  years of continued success; and, be it further
   2-13        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-14  prepared for Mr. Cox as an expression of high regard by the Texas
   2-15  House of Representatives.