By Merritt                                           H.C.R. No. 222

         75R12397 JTR-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is known throughout the globe by

 1-2     a wide variety of distinctive symbols and typically Texan exports,

 1-3     and of these one of the most instantly recognizable is the world's

 1-4     first and finest dance-drill team, the Kilgore College Rangerettes;

 1-5     and

 1-6           WHEREAS, The Rangerettes came into being in 1940, when

 1-7     Kilgore College president Dr. B. E. Masters asked physical

 1-8     education instructor Gussie Nell Davis to develop a form of

 1-9     halftime entertainment that would hold the interest of restless

1-10     football fans, and her resounding success was immediately evident

1-11     when the Rangerettes made their spectacular debut in September of

1-12     that year; and

1-13           WHEREAS, By combining the razor-sharp precision of

1-14     traditional drill teams with the enchanting fluidity and grace of

1-15     dance movements, Miss Davis created an entirely new form of

1-16     entertainment, and in so doing carved an enduring niche in Texas

1-17     history for both herself and her beloved Rangerettes; and

1-18           WHEREAS, Since their inception, the Rangerettes have achieved

1-19     widespread fame while maintaining their stature as the planet's

1-20     preeminent drill-dance team, and they have appeared in such varied

1-21     venues as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the Rose Bowl, and

1-22     the Cotton Bowl and have been featured in numerous magazines and

1-23     television programs; they have also earned the singular distinction

1-24     of being designated a living art form by the Contemporary Arts

 2-1     Museum of Houston; and

 2-2           WHEREAS, The spirited Kilgore College freshmen and sophomores

 2-3     who constitute the Rangerettes are among the state's most popular

 2-4     goodwill ambassadors, and over the years they have taken their

 2-5     Texas-sized talent and charm across the nation and around the

 2-6     world, thrilling and delighting audiences as far afield as

 2-7     Venezuela, Hong Kong, Romania, France, Japan, and Singapore; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, Under the leadership of director Dana Blair, the

 2-9     Kilgore College Rangerettes continue to uphold their proud

2-10     traditions of discipline, dedication, and state-of-the-art

2-11     showmanship, and their stature as a unique touchstone of Texan

2-12     culture is indeed worthy of special recognition; now, therefore, be

2-13     it

2-14           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-15     hereby designate the Kilgore College Rangerettes the Official State

2-16     Dance-Drill Team of Texas.