HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, For its unique characteristics and noteworthy status 1-2 as a threatened species, the Texas horned lizard was officially 1-3 designated the State Reptile with the passage of House Concurrent 1-4 Resolution 141 by the 73rd Texas Legislature; and 1-5 WHEREAS, The Texas horned lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum, is 1-6 variously known as a horned toad, horny toad, and horned frog, and 1-7 while these creatures stand out as a species for their 1-8 distinctive-looking features, one horned toad in particular has 1-9 captured the hearts of many Texans, that being Eastland's Old Rip; 1-10 and 1-11 WHEREAS, Old Rip was placed inside a cornerstone during the 1-12 1897 dedication of the Eastland County courthouse, and there he 1-13 slept peacefully until February 18, 1928, when the courthouse was 1-14 demolished to make way for new construction; and 1-15 WHEREAS, On hand to witness Old Rip's serendipitous return to 1-16 light after 31 years of darkness were 3,000 Eastland residents, in 1-17 ceremonies presided over by a pastor, a judge, and an oilman; the 1-18 crowd cheered as Old Rip was held aloft, his earnest wiggling 1-19 viable proof of the little lizard's stamina and determination; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Old Rip's story made him a celebrity; he was 1-21 exhibited in various parts of the country and even made a visit to 1-22 be viewed by President Calvin Coolidge in Washington, D.C.; sadly, 1-23 the Eastland hero died of pneumonia on January 19, 1929, though his 1-24 body was embalmed and can still be seen today in a plush lined 2-1 casket in the lobby of the Eastland County courthouse; and 2-2 WHEREAS, To honor the enduring spirit of Old Rip and to 2-3 perpetuate the telling of his story to future generations, Eastland 2-4 County residents have commissioned a large iron statue of a horned 2-5 toad for permanent display in the county seat; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Distinguished as a fitting symbol of Texas, the 2-7 horned toad has rightfully earned a place in Lone Star lore, and 2-8 the many fine citizens of Eastland have indeed proven their 2-9 commitment to increasing the public's awareness of and interest in 2-10 this singular Texas icon; now, therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-12 hereby designate Eastland as the official home of "Old Rip--The 2-13 Most Famous Horned Toad in Texas" and warmly welcome to Austin the 2-14 delegation of Eastland citizens visiting on this auspicious 2-15 occasion. Keffer Laney Goodman Merritt Alexander Goolsby Miller Allen Gray Moreno of Harris Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso Bailey Grusendorf Morrison Berman Gutierrez Mowery Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat Bosse Hamric Najera Brimer Hardcastle Nixon Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira Burnam Heflin Olivo Callegari Hilbert Pickett Capelo Hilderbran Pitts Carter Hill Puente Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay Chisum Hochberg Rangel Christian Hodge Raymond Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas Cook Hopson Ritter Corte Howard Sadler Counts Hunter Salinas Crabb Hupp Seaman Craddick Isett Shields Crownover Janek Smith Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons Delisi Junell Swinford Denny Keel Talton Deshotel Keffer Telford Driver King of Parker Thompson Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery Dunnam Kitchen Truitt Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal Ellis Longoria Walker Farabee Luna West Farrar McCall Williams Flores McClendon Wilson Gallego McReynolds Wise Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth George Marchant Wolens Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley Giddings Maxey Yarbrough Glaze Menendez Zbranek _______________________________ _______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 31 was adopted by the House on January 24, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 31 was adopted by the Senate on January 24, 2001, by a viva-voce vote. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: _____________________ Date _____________________ Governor