R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Many proud residents of Tarrant County and 1-2 representatives of the Coalition of Tarrant County Chambers of 1-3 Commerce are visiting the State Capitol on February 21 and 22 in 1-4 celebration of the prominent place this county has long occupied in 1-5 the annals of Texas; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Created in 1849 and organized in 1850, the county 1-7 was named for General Edward H. Tarrant, a successful militia 1-8 officer during the Republic of Texas; Fort Worth became the county 1-9 seat in 1856; and 1-10 WHEREAS, Straddling the Grand Prairie and Blackland Prairie 1-11 and the Eastern and Western Cross Timbers, the area offered early 1-12 settlers fertile soil and abundant water; in the years after the 1-13 Civil War, cattle drives and the arrival of the railroad spurred 1-14 development; the railroads and the advent of the windmill also 1-15 encouraged a great expansion of farming during the late 19th 1-16 century; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Since World War I, when the Army Air Corps built 1-18 three airfields in the county, aviation has also been a significant 1-19 factor in the county's growth; today the Tarrant County economy is 1-20 remarkably diverse, its strong agricultural segment complemented by 1-21 manufacturing, education, tourism, and government sectors; among 1-22 the corporate giants headquartered here are American Airlines, the 1-23 Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Radio Shack, and Pier 1; and 1-24 WHEREAS, The vitality of this dynamic county is equally 2-1 evident in its educational and cultural centers and its myriad 2-2 recreational attractions; Texas Christian University, The 2-3 University of Texas at Arlington, Southwestern Baptist Theological 2-4 Seminary, Texas Wesleyan University, and several other academic 2-5 institutions provide a wealth of programs and enroll students from 2-6 around the world; and 2-7 WHEREAS, Fort Worth's roots in the cattle industry are still 2-8 apparent in several specialized museums and in the Stockyards 2-9 National Historic District; these aspects of the city's persona 2-10 coexist comfortably with its exceptional museums for the arts: the 2-11 Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, and the Modern Art 2-12 Museum of Fort Worth; and 2-13 WHEREAS, The city offers discoveries of a still different 2-14 kind at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Fort Worth 2-15 Nature Center and Refuge, Fort Worth Zoo, and the Fort Worth 2-16 Botanic Garden; at the end of the day, the Sundance Square Downtown 2-17 Entertainment District, a vibrant 14-block urban center, draws 2-18 throngs of people to its restaurants, theaters, cinemas, and 2-19 live-music venues; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Nearby Arlington is famed as the location of Six 2-21 Flags Over Texas and the home stadium of the Texas Rangers; the 2-22 baseball museum at the Rangers' ballpark and the science center on 2-23 the banks of the Trinity River feature sophisticated, interactive 2-24 exhibits for the whole family; and 2-25 WHEREAS, The flourishing condition of Tarrant County is due 2-26 in no small measure to the Coalition of Tarrant County Chambers of 2-27 Commerce, a consortium of 23 chambers representing more than 7,500 3-1 businesses throughout the county; the coalition supports public 3-2 policy initiatives that meet the needs of employers, employees, 3-3 clients, and customers, while building productive partnerships 3-4 between the business community and local, state, and federal 3-5 governments to foster positive growth; and 3-6 WHEREAS, The members of the Coalition of Tarrant County 3-7 Chambers of Commerce and the citizens of Tarrant County are to be 3-8 congratulated on their success in preserving and enhancing the 3-9 assets of this crucial region; known as "Where the West Begins," 3-10 Tarrant County has been a leading force in the state's development 3-11 and today contributes in a multitude of ways to the richness of the 3-12 Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it 3-13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 3-14 Legislature hereby recognize February 21 and 22, 2001, as Tarrant 3-15 County Days at the State Capitol and extend to all the citizens of 3-16 this county sincere best wishes for success in their many 3-17 endeavors; and, be it further 3-18 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-19 prepared for the Coalition of Tarrant County Chambers of Commerce 3-20 as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of 3-21 Representatives. Carter Brimer Denny Geren Goodman Mowery Smith Truitt 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 _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 228 was adopted by the House on February 22, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House