1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 293 1-3 WHEREAS, Monday, March 1, 1999, has been selected by the 1-4 citizens of Erath County, Texas, as a special day to gather at 1-5 the State Capitol to recognize and celebrate the contributions 1-6 of Erath County to the heritage of the State of Texas; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Erath County, located in West Central Texas, 1-8 was created in 1855 out of a land patent awarded to the heirs 1-9 of John Blair for his service to the Republic of Texas at the 1-10 Alamo in 1836, and the heirs of John Blair subsequently conveyed 1-11 17 2/3 labors or 3,127 acres of said patent to John M. Stephens, 1-12 for whom Stephenville was named, and Stephens contracted the 1-13 surveying services to George B. Erath, for whom the county is 1-14 named; and 1-15 WHEREAS, Erath County has been ranked the fifth best county 1-16 among 205 rural counties in the state for economic development 1-17 for five years, according to a report released by the State 1-18 Comptroller; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Stephenville, the county seat of Erath County, has 1-20 been listed as one of the 100 best small towns in the nation in a 1-21 registry compiled by Norman Crampton and published by Prentice-Hall; 1-22 and 1-23 WHEREAS, The Stephenville High School Yellow Jacket football 1-24 team has become the team of the decade in Class 4A University 2-1 Interscholastic League competition by winning state championships 2-2 in 1993, 1994, and 1998; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Dublin, the second largest city in Erath County, 2-4 is the home of the oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in the world, 2-5 opened in 1891 as the first Dr Pepper franchise, and now markets 2-6 throughout the country as the only plant still using the original 2-7 Dr Pepper formula; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Erath County has a strong, diversified economic 2-9 base, featuring agriculture as the leading industry; recognized 2-10 as the number one dairy county in Texas, it is complimented by 2-11 national and worldwide industrial operations; and 2-12 WHEREAS, Erath County is known as the "Cowboy Capital of 2-13 the World," earning this designation by being the home of Ty Murray, 2-14 who recently won a record seventh National Championship All-Around 2-15 Cowboy title, and several other world-class rodeo performers; and 2-16 WHEREAS, Tarleton State University in Stephenville 2-17 is currently celebrating 100 years of providing outstanding 2-18 educational opportunities for students throughout Texas and the 2-19 nation, and it is an integral part of The Texas A&M University System 2-20 with approximately 6,500 students in four undergraduate colleges and 2-21 one graduate college; and 2-22 WHEREAS, Erath County is justifiably proud of its history, 2-23 culture, progressive development, and contributions to the heritage 2-24 of the State of Texas; and 2-25 WHEREAS, This special day is an appropriate occasion for 2-26 the Texas Senate to recognize the citizens of Erath County and 3-1 to commend them for their notable endeavors and achievements; 3-2 now, therefore, be it 3-3 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 3-4 76th Legislature, hereby declare March 1, 1999, as Erath County 3-5 Day at the State Capitol and join Erath residents as they celebrate 3-6 their county's greatness; and, be it further 3-7 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the 3-8 citizens of Erath County as an expression of the recognition and 3-9 appreciation of the Texas Senate. 3-10 Sibley 3-11 ______________________________________ 3-12 President of the Senate 3-13 I hereby certify that the above 3-14 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 3-15 on March 1, 1999. 3-16 ______________________________________ 3-17 Secretary of the Senate 3-18 ______________________________________ 3-19 Member, Texas Senate