R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to join 1-2 the citizens of Port Arthur in the joyous celebration of Port 1-3 Arthur Day at the Capitol on February 22, 1999; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Located just nine miles from the Gulf of Mexico in 1-5 Jefferson County, Port Arthur was founded by Arthur E. Stilwell in 1-6 1895; a railroad promoter, Mr. Stilwell was looking for a town to 1-7 serve as the terminus of his railroad connecting Kansas City to the 1-8 Gulf of Mexico, and the city that came to bear his name seemed 1-9 ideally situated to serve as both a commercial seaport and a 1-10 tourist resort; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Mr. Stilwell's expansive vision for the city was 1-12 secured in 1901 when the nearby Spindletop eruption ushered in the 1-13 great Texas oilfield boom; by 1914, Port Arthur was the second 1-14 largest oil-refining point in the nation, and the city's motto "We 1-15 Oil the World" continues to hold true, as nearly one million 1-16 barrels of crude oil are refined there each day; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Throughout the years Port Arthur has established an 1-18 enduring commitment to educational excellence, serving as the first 1-19 city in Texas to adopt the 12-grade public school system and as the 1-20 proud home to Lamar University at Port Arthur since 1909, when it 1-21 was founded as Port Arthur College; and 1-22 WHEREAS, With its abundance of both freshwater and saltwater 1-23 fishing sites, Port Arthur has long been hailed as a fisherman's 1-24 paradise, and outdoor enthusiasts enjoy further recreational 2-1 opportunities at Sea Rim State Park and the McFaddin and Texas 2-2 Point national wildlife refuges; both of the wildlife refuges are 2-3 home to a tremendous variety of waterfowl, and the McFaddin Refuge 2-4 contains one of the densest populations of American alligators in 2-5 Texas; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Rich in history and tradition, Port Arthur is a 2-7 forward-looking community and a leading participant in the state's 2-8 dynamic growth, and it is truly a pleasure to salute this 2-9 remarkable city and its people on such an auspicious occasion; now, 2-10 therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-12 Legislature hereby recognize February 22, 1999, as Port Arthur Day 2-13 at the Capitol and join the citizens of that city in paying tribute 2-14 to one of the Lone Star State's finest communities. Deshotel Ritter Laney Glaze Moreno of El Paso Alexander Goodman Morrison Allen Goolsby Mowery Alvarado Gray Naishtat Averitt Green Najera Bailey Greenberg Nixon Berman Grusendorf Noriega Bonnen Gutierrez Oliveira Bosse Haggerty Olivo Brimer Hamric Palmer Brown of Kaufman Hardcastle Pickett Brown of Brazos Hartnett Pitts Burnam Hawley Puente Capelo Heflin Ramsay Carter Hilbert Rangel Chavez Hilderbran Reyna of Bexar Chisum Hill Reyna of Dallas Christian Hinojosa Ritter Clark Hochberg Sadler Coleman Hodge Salinas Cook Homer Seaman Corte Hope Shields Counts Howard Siebert Crabb Hunter Smith Craddick Hupp Smithee Crownover Isett Solis of Cameron Cuellar Janek Solis of Bexar Culberson Jones of Brazos Solomons Danburg Jones of Lubbock Staples Davis of Harris Jones of Dallas Swinford Davis of Dallas Junell Talton Delisi Keel Telford Denny Keffer Thompson Deshotel King of Parker Tillery Driver King of Uvalde Truitt Dukes Krusee Turner of Coleman Dunnam Kuempel Turner of Harris Dutton Lengefeld Uher Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Uresti Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Van de Putte Eiland Longoria Walker Elkins Luna West Ellis McCall Williams Farabee McClendon Wilson Farrar McReynolds Wise Flores Madden Wohlgemuth Gallego Marchant Wolens Garcia Maxey Woolley George Merritt Yarbrough Giddings Moreno of Harris Zbranek _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 133 was adopted by the House on February 22, 1999, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House