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.