R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, On March 24, 1999, many proud residents of Beaumont
1-2 will gather in Austin to celebrate Beaumont Day at the State
1-3 Capitol, and this festive event provides a fitting opportunity to
1-4 extol the area's many virtues; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Nestled deep in the heart of the East Texas Gulf
1-6 Coast on the banks of the lower Neches River, Beaumont is a city
1-7 with abundant natural resources and a significant place in Texas
1-8 history; Spanish and French fur trappers inhabited the area in the
1-9 early 1800s, followed in 1824 by the first family of settlers--Noah
1-10 and Nancy Tevis and their seven children; and
1-11 WHEREAS, Henry Millard, one of the city's organizers,
1-12 purchased 50 acres of the Noah Tevis survey for a townsite in 1835
1-13 and named it Beaumont, French for beautiful mountain; lumber
1-14 products, cattle ranching, and rice farming were among the early
1-15 industries of the city, which became the county seat of Jefferson
1-16 County; and
1-17 WHEREAS, Beaumont's fortunes were forever changed on January
1-18 10, 1901, when the Anthony F. Lucas Gusher blew in at Spindletop,
1-19 creating the Lone Star State's first boomtown and a new facet of
1-20 the nation's energy industry; 600 oil companies were formed,
1-21 including such industry giants as Texaco, Gulf, and Humble; and
1-22 WHEREAS, Though the city is home to one of the world's
1-23 largest refining and petrochemical complexes, Beaumont also ranks
1-24 as one of the state's largest ports in total ship tonnage handled;
2-1 residents have created a diverse economy by developing many
2-2 thriving industries, including shipyards, lumber products, rice,
2-3 salt, soybeans, blueberries, crawfish, wheat, grain sorghum,
2-4 livestock, medical instruments, and precision industrial equipment;
2-5 and
2-6 WHEREAS, Beaumont's food, entertainment, and folkways are
2-7 highly seasoned by the Cajun culture of nearby Louisiana, providing
2-8 residents and visitors alike with a unique mix of cultural and
2-9 recreational offerings; outdoor enthusiasts can be found
2-10 year-round enjoying local parks, lakes, beaches, marshlands,
2-11 rivers, and forests, as well as the Big Thicket National Preserve;
2-12 and
2-13 WHEREAS, The "Museum Capital of Texas," Beaumont has two
2-14 dozen museums located throughout the city; the world class Texas
2-15 Energy Museum houses the Western Company of Fort Worth and the
2-16 Lamar University Spindletop collections, valued at $6 million; the
2-17 official fire museum for the State of Texas displays horse-drawn
2-18 and antique motorized equipment, and the nearby Art Museum of
2-19 Southeast Texas promotes the visual arts and features, in addition
2-20 to its galleries, sculpture courtyards, an art library, and a tea
2-21 room; and
2-22 WHEREAS, Designed by Henry Conrad Mauer, the McFaddin-Ward
2-23 House is one of only a few restored Beaux-Arts colonial mansions in
2-24 the nation, while the John Jay French Museum, built in 1845, is the
2-25 oldest surviving residence in Beaumont and has been painstakingly
2-26 restored by the city's heritage society; and
2-27 WHEREAS, The city also provides area residents outstanding
3-1 educational opportunities; Lamar University offers an excellent
3-2 education to its 7,000-plus students while hosting sporting events
3-3 and fine arts presentations for the citizens of Southeast Texas;
3-4 the university's Institute of Technology offers programs of two
3-5 years or less and its curriculum is focused on technical, business,
3-6 health, and industrial education; and
3-7 WHEREAS, Beaumont is renowned for its dynamic and
3-8 forward-looking citizenry, and even as these notable Texans look
3-9 with justifiable pride on their community's past, they are also
3-10 eager to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the years to
3-11 come; now, therefore, be it
3-12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
3-13 Legislature hereby recognize March 24, 1999, as Beaumont Day at the
3-14 State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the members of the
3-15 delegation visiting on this day.
Ritter
Deshotel
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 395 was adopted by the House on March
25, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House