By Merritt                                           H.C.R. No. 229
         77R9889 MJS-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, On March 27, 2001, residents from Kilgore are
 1-2     gathering in Austin to celebrate Kilgore Day at the State Capitol;
 1-3     and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Established in 1872 when the International-Great
 1-5     Northern Railroad built a line between Longview and Palestine,
 1-6     Kilgore is uniquely situated in the Piney Woods of East Texas and
 1-7     is named for Constantine Buckley Kilgore, who was a delegate at the
 1-8     Constitutional Convention of 1875 and served as a state senator and
 1-9     U.S. congressman from the area; Kilgore is on the Green Carpet
1-10     Route and is located in the Texas-Louisiana border region; the city
1-11     is 60 miles from Shreveport, Louisiana, and 120 miles east of
1-12     Dallas; and
1-13           WHEREAS, In its infancy, the city relied on its cotton crops
1-14     to spur its economy; Kilgore underwent a dramatic transformation in
1-15     1930 with the discovery of the East Texas oilfield, which helped to
1-16     spark a boom that would see more than 1,100 oil-producing wells
1-17     spring up in the city; one block of downtown Kilgore had the
1-18     greatest concentration of derricks in the world and came to be
1-19     known as the "World's Richest Acre"; and
1-20           WHEREAS, Today, the city has a multifaceted economy that
1-21     revolves around petroleum, manufacturing, government, mining,
1-22     tourism, and various other business enterprises; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Kilgore features such diverse attractions as the
1-24     East Texas Oil Museum, the World's Richest Acre Park, and Kilgore
 2-1     College; the home of the Kilgore Rangerettes, who are world
 2-2     renowned for their trademark high-kick routines, the college is
 2-3     also the site of the popular Rangerette Showcase; in addition, at
 2-4     9:42 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 1998, the East Texas Oil Museum
 2-5     welcomed its one millionth visitor; moreover, Laird Memorial
 2-6     Hospital celebrated its 50th anniversary in March 2001; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, Kilgore is the home of James M. Logan, who was the
 2-8     first recipient of the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor and a
 2-9     recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor; it is also the home
2-10     of Van Cliburn, a world-renowned pianist who received the Texas
2-11     Medal of Arts Lifetime Achievement Award on March 20, 2001; along
2-12     those same lines, former Kilgore resident Wayne Bell, who attended
2-13     Kilgore Heights Elementary School with Van Cliburn and took piano
2-14     lessons from Van Cliburn's mother, was accorded the Texas Medal of
2-15     Arts Award in architecture on March 20, 2001; and
2-16           WHEREAS, The citizens of Kilgore are embracing the myriad
2-17     challenges and opportunities of the future while continuing to
2-18     build on their colorful history and rich culture; it is indeed most
2-19     appropriate that Kilgore and its fine citizens be recognized for
2-20     their contributions and accomplishments at this time; now,
2-21     therefore, be it
2-22           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-23     hereby designate March 27, 2001, as Kilgore Day at the State
2-24     Capitol and extend sincere best wishes to the delegation here today
2-25     for an enjoyable and memorable visit.