By Merritt H.C.R. No. 207
76R11738 WMS-F
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor
1-2 the world's first dance drill team, the Kilgore College
1-3 Rangerettes, on the 60th anniversary of its founding; and
1-4 WHEREAS, The Rangerettes concept began in October of 1939,
1-5 when Kilgore College president Dr. B. E. Masters recruited physical
1-6 education instructor Gussie Nell Davis to develop halftime
1-7 entertainment that would attract more female students and hold the
1-8 interest of restless football fans; and
1-9 WHEREAS, Ms. Davis's resounding success was immediately
1-10 evident when the Rangerettes made their spectacular debut on
1-11 September 19, 1940, and introduced to the world the dance drill
1-12 concept, a unique combination of precision drill movements with the
1-13 grace and charm of dance steps; that inaugural performance laid the
1-14 foundation for gridiron entertainment to be enjoyed by millions of
1-15 people from that day forward; and
1-16 WHEREAS, The Rangerettes have always brought positive
1-17 recognition to Texas because the group embodies the Lone Star
1-18 spirit--unique, gracious, and fun--and the team's dedication to
1-19 detail and requirement for perfection have propelled the
1-20 Rangerettes since 1940; and
1-21 WHEREAS, This renowned group created and set the standard to
1-22 which other dance drill teams aspire and are measured, traveling
1-23 more than one million miles and serving as able ambassadors of both
1-24 Texas and the United States with their polished showmanship and
2-1 distinctive red, white, and blue uniforms; and
2-2 WHEREAS, Since their inception, the Rangerettes have garnered
2-3 widespread fame, and they have appeared in an array of parades,
2-4 celebrations, and rallies such as the Houston Livestock Show and
2-5 Rodeo, the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant, the State Fair of Texas
2-6 Gala, the Macy's and Foley's televised Thanksgiving Day parades,
2-7 and major United States bowls, including the Sugar Bowl and the
2-8 Cotton Bowl; and
2-9 WHEREAS, Rangerettes have been featured as cover girls and
2-10 story material in hundreds of magazines such as Life, Esquire, and
2-11 The Saturday Evening Post; they have appeared at Texas governors'
2-12 and presidential inaugural events, as well as starred on numerous
2-13 national television programs, including the Ed Sullivan Show and 60
2-14 Minutes, and they have earned the singular distinction of being
2-15 designated a living art form by the Contemporary Arts Museum of
2-16 Houston; and
2-17 WHEREAS, The spirited freshmen and sophomores who constitute
2-18 the Rangerettes are among the state's brightest and most positive
2-19 role models; over the course of the past six decades, they have
2-20 taken their expert performances of Texas-sized talent across the
2-21 nation and around the world, thrilling and delighting audiences in
2-22 Canada, Korea, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Romania, France, Japan, and
2-23 Singapore; and
2-24 WHEREAS, The talented members of this year's Kilgore
2-25 Rangerettes are Captain Kristi Lacey, Lieutenant Tracy Singleton,
2-26 Lieutenant Kelley Koeffler, Lieutenant Brooke Beauchamp, Lieutenant
2-27 Brooke Buescher, Mary Brennecke, Katie Bue-Haas, Carlie Buford,
3-1 Anna Buxton, M'Kay Cox, Ashley Dalton, Karen Dawson, Beth Ann
3-2 Gafford, Leslie George, Stephanie Guely, Melissa Hall, Amy Harris,
3-3 Bess Heard, Erin Hodges, Heather Ketchum, Liz Knobeloch, Amanda
3-4 Marotto, Angela Mather, Kara Mattingly, Jennie McGraw, Misty
3-5 McGrory, Regina Morales, Marissa North, Sara Rose, Lindsay Smith,
3-6 Jasmine Tucker, Aimee Weber, Angela Brown, Amy Campbell, Genevieve
3-7 Campbell, Mandy Everitt, Maria Foret, Emily Foster, Brooke Fuller,
3-8 Andrea Gartman, Dyann Gill, Erin Hargrove, Shannon Harty, Brittnee
3-9 Hayes, Amanda Hedrick, Kimberly Kerley, Katie Krenz, Anna May,
3-10 Glenda Mendoza, Katie Ostrom, Brittany Palmer, April Pickral,
3-11 Ann-Marie Proft, MacKenzi Pullen, Lyndsey Resendez, Lydia Reyes,
3-12 Christa Robertson, Stephanie Rodabaugh, Carrie Schmidt, Jamie
3-13 Shives, Courteney Thompson, Lacey Turner, Jamie Vallejo, and Nikki
3-14 Young, and managers Kyle Bennett, Milo Greye, Blake Lyon, Jimmy
3-15 Wallace, and Michael Willett; and
3-16 WHEREAS, Formerly under the direction of Deana Bolton from
3-17 1979 to 1993, and currently led by Dana Blair with the assistance
3-18 of Shelley Wayne, the Kilgore College Rangerettes continue to
3-19 uphold the proud traditions of discipline, dedication, and
3-20 state-of-the-art showmanship, and their stature as a treasured
3-21 touchstone of Texas culture is indeed worthy of special
3-22 recognition; now, therefore, be it
3-23 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-24 hereby recognize the world-famous Kilgore College Rangerettes on
3-25 the occasion of the group's 60th anniversary and extend to its
3-26 members sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness;
3-27 and, be it further
4-1 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
4-2 prepared for the Kilgore College Rangerettes as an expression of
4-3 high regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.