By Merritt                                           H.C.R. No. 230
         76R12219 JBR-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, Many proud residents of Kilgore will travel to
 1-2     Austin on April 13, 1999, to celebrate Kilgore Day at the State
 1-3     Capitol, and this noteworthy event furnishes an ideal opportunity
 1-4     to extol the virtues of this outstanding city; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, Widely known for its role in the development of
 1-6     Texas, Kilgore is located near the center of the East Texas Oil
 1-7     Field, which was the largest oil field in the world at the time of
 1-8     its discovery; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, Although the area was settled by plantation owners
1-10     before the Civil War, the town was not established until 1872, when
1-11     the International and Great Northern Railroad was built on land
1-12     owned by C. B. "Buck" Kilgore; and
1-13           WHEREAS, The huge East Texas Oil Field was discovered on
1-14     October 5, 1930, when the Daisy Bradford #3 gushed in south of
1-15     Kilgore; at one time, more than 1,100 oil wells were operating
1-16     simultaneously within the city limits; and
1-17           WHEREAS, The East Texas Oil Museum re-creates every aspect of
1-18     the oil boom days of the 1930s and the daily lives of the people
1-19     affected by it through dioramas, films, sound, and mementos of the
1-20     oil field; and
1-21           WHEREAS, Today Kilgore is blessed with a strong and
1-22     diversified economy and farsighted and determined citizens; the
1-23     city boasts over 35 industries that produce such diverse goods as
1-24     bass boats, plastic bags, communication satellite antennae, plastic
 2-1     containers and lids, aircraft parts, industrial ovens, chocolate
 2-2     candy, and bathroom fixtures; and
 2-3           WHEREAS, For nearly 90 years, Kilgore has enhanced the
 2-4     economy of the state, and its citizens continue these efforts by
 2-5     actively participating in the regional development of the area
 2-6     through such programs as the Lone Star City, the Northeast Texas
 2-7     Economic Developers Roundtable, and the Northeast Texas Tourism
 2-8     Council; and
 2-9           WHEREAS, The city is the home of Kilgore College, a two-year
2-10     liberal arts and industrial training institution that was founded
2-11     in 1935 and currently enrolls 4,155 students, and is the proud
2-12     sponsor of the world-famous precision drill and dance team, the
2-13     Kilgore College Rangerettes; and
2-14           WHEREAS, Kilgore is the boyhood home of world renowned
2-15     pianist Van Cliburn, who brought enormous prestige and fame to
2-16     Kilgore and the State of Texas by winning the 1958 Tchaikovsky
2-17     International Piano Competition in Moscow; in addition, this
2-18     talented gentlemen recorded Tchaikovsky's Concerto in B-Flat, which
2-19     sold one million copies by 1962 and was the first classical album
2-20     to have achieved such a level of prominence; and
2-21           WHEREAS, Technical Sergeant James Marion Logan is also a
2-22     distinguished Kilgore resident who is known as the "Hero of
2-23     Salerno" for his conspicuous gallantry and bravery during World War
2-24     II; he is the recipient of the United States' highest military
2-25     honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the first recipient of
2-26     the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, and has received the
2-27     Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart;
 3-1     this extraordinary man is still active in community affairs and
 3-2     with his local Texas National Guard unit, exemplifying the best
 3-3     that Kilgore has to offer Texas and our nation; and
 3-4           WHEREAS, One of the city's chief assets is its warm and
 3-5     hospitable citizenry, and their many important contributions to the
 3-6     State of Texas are truly worthy of special legislative recognition;
 3-7     now, therefore, be it
 3-8           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
 3-9     hereby recognize April 13, 1999, as Kilgore Day at the State
3-10     Capitol and join the citizens of that city in paying tribute to a
3-11     fine Texas city; and, be it further
3-12           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-13     prepared for the city of Kilgore as a commemoration of this grand
3-14     occasion and as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of
3-15     Representatives and Senate.