By Swinford                                           H.C.R. No. 97
         76R6970 GMW-F                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Texas is pleased to
 1-2     join the citizens of the Texas Panhandle in commemorating Tuesday,
 1-3     February 23, 1999, as Panhandle Day at the Capitol; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, A spectacular region in Texas, the Panhandle is rich
 1-5     in history and scenic plains and is home to a host of cities
 1-6     offering a wide array of opportunities; and
 1-7           WHEREAS, The area is a combination of traditional ranch lands
 1-8     unchanged for centuries, High Plains agriculture, and large
 1-9     stretches of oil and gas reserves; and
1-10           WHEREAS, A glimpse of the region's past is provided by the
1-11     Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum located on the campus of West
1-12     Texas State University; the museum provides an intriguing overview
1-13     of life in the Old West; and
1-14           WHEREAS, Since 1995 the Amarillo National Resource Center for
1-15     Plutonium, an Amarillo-based university research consortium, has
1-16     provided Texas universities with more than $32.5 million for
1-17     research and has represented the interests of the State of Texas
1-18     with the Department of Energy; and
1-19           WHEREAS, The Panhandle city of Amarillo has also recently
1-20     been chosen as the result of a nationwide search as the city to
1-21     house the new Tiltrotor Assembly Center to be built by Bell
1-22     Helicopter Textron, Incorporated; the center will be the first
1-23     major aircraft manufacturing facility to be built in Texas in
1-24     decades; and
 2-1           WHEREAS, The state's well-known Palo Duro Canyon State Park
 2-2     is located in the heart of the Panhandle, and the park's arresting
 2-3     scenic canyon contains rocks spanning 200 million years of
 2-4     geological time; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, With more than 400,000 residents, the Panhandle
 2-6     offers the opportunities and vitality generated by modern cities
 2-7     and industry, yet its natural beauty and spectacular scenery remain
 2-8     unchanged; now, therefore, be it
 2-9           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-10     hereby commend the residents of the Panhandle on their many
2-11     contributions to our state and extend to them best wishes for a
2-12     joyous Panhandle Day.