By Lengefeld H.R. No. 258 76R5836 JBR-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, On March 1, 1999, many proud residents of Erath 1-2 County will gather at the State Capitol to recognize and celebrate 1-3 the contributions made by citizens of that fine county to the 1-4 heritage of the Lone Star State; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Located in West Central Texas, Erath County was 1-6 created in 1855 from land awarded to the heirs of John Blair in 1-7 recognition of his outstanding service to the Republic of Texas at 1-8 the Battle of the Alamo; Mr. Blair's heirs later conveyed 3,127 1-9 acres to John M. Stephens, for whom the city of Stephenville was 1-10 named, and he contracted the surveying services of the county's 1-11 namesake, George B. Erath; and 1-12 WHEREAS, The county is doubly proud of the commendations it 1-13 has received; in 1992, the state comptroller ranked the county 1-14 fifth in economic development among the state's 205 rural counties 1-15 for the previous five-year period, and Stephenville, the county 1-16 seat, was listed as one of the 100 best small towns in the United 1-17 States in a registry compiled by Norman Crampton and published by 1-18 Prentice-Hall; and 1-19 WHEREAS, The citizens of Stephenville take great pride in the 1-20 Stephenville High School Yellow Jacket football team, which won 1-21 Class 4A state championships in 1993, 1994, and 1998; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Dublin, the county's second largest city, is 1-23 renowned as the location of the oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in 1-24 the world; at the time of its opening in 1891, this historic 2-1 facility was the first Dr Pepper franchise, and it is now the only 2-2 plant that markets the original formula; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Erath County has a strong and diversified economy 2-4 that is largely based on the agricultural industry and includes 2-5 recognition as the number one dairy county in Texas; this 2-6 prosperous county maintains industrial operations that are active 2-7 in the national and world markets; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Known as the "Cowboy Capital of the World," Erath 2-9 County has earned this distinction by being home to a number of 2-10 world-class rodeo performers, including Ty Murray, who recently won 2-11 a record seventh National Championship All-Around Cowboy title; and 2-12 WHEREAS, Tarleton State University in Stephenville is 2-13 celebrating its 100th anniversary of outstanding education for 2-14 students throughout Texas and the U.S.; an integral part of The 2-15 Texas A&M University System, TSU provides educational opportunities 2-16 for roughly 6,500 students who attend either the graduate college 2-17 or one of the four undergraduate colleges; and 2-18 WHEREAS, The citizens of Erath County are justifiably proud 2-19 of the county's history, culture, and progressive development and 2-20 the contributions they and their forebears have made to the 2-21 heritage of the great state of Texas, and it gives the members of 2-22 this chamber great pleasure to join with their fellow citizens in 2-23 saluting this fine Texas county; now, therefore, be it 2-24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-25 Legislature hereby recognize March 1, 1999, as Erath County Day at 2-26 the State Capitol and extend best wishes to its citizenry on this 2-27 noteworthy occasion; and, be it further 3-1 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-2 prepared for the citizens of Erath County as an expression of high 3-3 regard by the Texas House of Representatives.