By Oakley H.R. No. 424 74R8634 SRD-F R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Since the founding of the first permanent settlement 1-2 in Hunt County more than 140 years ago, the citizens of the area 1-3 have exemplified the courageous and hardy spirit of Texas; and 1-4 WHEREAS, McQuennie Howell Wright left Gibson, Tennessee, in 1-5 1839 in a train of covered wagons bound for Texas to eventually 1-6 settle in the area now known as Hunt County; and 1-7 WHEREAS, The act of creating Hunt County named five men as 1-8 town commissioners whose duty it was to organize the County of Hunt 1-9 by the 1st Legislature at its first meeting in Austin on April 11, 1-10 1846; and 1-11 WHEREAS, This richly historical district began its long 1-12 tradition of excellence during the 1840s, when Hunt County began to 1-13 see industrious growth and the establishment of Greenville as the 1-14 county seat; proprietors such as Ben Anderson, Lewis Moody, and 1-15 Hamilton and Ben Oldham began the first store in the community; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Under the direction of Judge O. M. Roberts, the 1-17 first courthouse was established under the old twin oak, 1-18 administering justice under a canopy until a more permanent 1-19 structure could be built in 1859; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Continuing its monumental growth and industrious 1-21 spirit, J. M. Porter founded The Gladiator, Hunt County's first 1-22 newspaper; others followed, with J. C. Bayne's Greenville Morning 1-23 Herald and The Banner ultimately merging to become The Greenville 1-24 Herald-Banner; and 2-1 WHEREAS, In 1852 the first church, Wesley Methodist Church, 2-2 was established and served by circuit riders; although the church 2-3 was Methodist, the building also served other denominations, as 2-4 well as being the town hall, school, and courthouse; and 2-5 WHEREAS, The late 1800s brought many civic organizations to 2-6 Hunt County, such as the Odd Fellows, the Masons, the Knights of 2-7 Pythias Lodge, the Knights of Honor, Woodmen of the World, the 2-8 United Benevolent Society, the Good Templar Society, and the 2-9 Federation of Woman's Clubs; and 2-10 WHEREAS, In 1889, the growth of the region inspired the 2-11 establishment of East Texas Normal College, beginning a tradition 2-12 of graduating fine teachers; eventually the school became East 2-13 Texas State University, a major university offering over 77 fields 2-14 of study, including 15 doctoral programs; and 2-15 WHEREAS, The commerce of the region required the founding of 2-16 several banks and institutions, including the Hunt County Bank, 2-17 Hunt County's first bank, the Commercial National Bank, the Hunt 2-18 County State Bank, the Citizens Bank, and in 1910 the Greenville 2-19 Area Chamber of Commerce; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Sports have always been popular in Hunt County 2-21 dating back to 1906 when such baseball greats as Walter (Hickory) 2-22 Dickson and Monty Statton were produced in Wagner, along with 2-23 Wright Ragdale, Bob Neyland, track and field great Edgar Albowich, 2-24 who reached the pinnacle of fame as a member of the 1932 Olympic 2-25 1600-meter relay team, setting a world record of 3:08.2, and 2-26 all-American football great George Maddox; most recently the 2-27 Celeste High School girls' basketball team has won the Texas state 3-1 championship two consecutive years; and 3-2 WHEREAS, Today, Hunt County boasts a population of almost 3-3 100,000 citizens and derives its principal means of income from 3-4 industries including E-Systems, Mary of Puddin' Hill, Lance 3-5 Corporation, and Rubbermaid as well as continuing its proud 3-6 tradition of farming such staples as cotton, peanuts, maize, and 3-7 cattle; and 3-8 WHEREAS, Rich in both history and tradition, Hunt County is a 3-9 prosperous, forward-looking community fully participating in the 3-10 state's dynamic growth, and it gives the members of the Texas House 3-11 of Representatives great pleasure to join our fellow citizens in 3-12 saluting Hunt County; now, therefore, be it 3-13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-14 Legislature hereby declare March 21, 1995, Hunt County Day at the 3-15 Capitol and extend best wishes to the people of Hunt County on this 3-16 noteworthy occasion.