R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, On March 16, 2001, Wheatsville Co-op of Austin marks
 1-2     its  25th anniversary, and this noteworthy occasion is truly
 1-3     deserving of special legislative recognition; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Wheatsville Co-op was founded with $13,000 of
 1-5     start-up capital raised from a ZZ Top concert sponsored by the UT
 1-6     Students Association, and it took its name from the 1860s
 1-7     Austin-area freedom town called Wheatville; in the beginning,
 1-8     volunteers performed the store's daily operations and adhered to
 1-9     "Old Austin" pro-community ideals, which have always remained its
1-10     driving force; and
1-11           WHEREAS, Since its opening on March 16, 1976, Wheatsville
1-12     Co-op has been at the forefront of the natural foods industry,
1-13     making various organic food products readily available to the
1-14     Austin public while promoting its ideals of community control,
1-15     social action, and environmental responsibility; and
1-16           WHEREAS, Operating under a system of democratic and local
1-17     control, Wheatsville Co-op also benefits the Austin community by
1-18     supporting area businesses and food producers, many of whom got
1-19     their start on the Wheatsville shelves; moreover, the store's
1-20     profits remain within the Austin economy; and
1-21           WHEREAS, The only retail consumer food co-op in Texas,
1-22     Wheatsville Co-op was one of the first to become a certified
1-23     organic retailer by the Texas Department of Agriculture; with
1-24     present-day annual sales totaling almost $4 million and membership
 2-1     exceeding 4,000 people, this exceptional grocery store remains an
 2-2     invaluable member of the natural foods industry and of the local
 2-3     economy; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, The 25th anniversary of Wheatsville Co-op is an
 2-5     important milestone for this successful cooperative representing
 2-6     the admirable standards of social justice and nature's goodness
 2-7     long shared by many of Austin's fine citizens; now, therefore, be
 2-8     it
 2-9           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-10     Legislature hereby honor Wheatsville Co-op of Austin on its 25th
2-11     anniversary and extend sincere best wishes for continued success;
2-12     and, be it further
2-13           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-14     prepared for Wheatsville Co-op as an expression of high regard by
2-15     the Texas House of Representatives.
                                                                    Naishtat
                                             _______________________________
                                                   Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.R. No. 540 was adopted by the House on March
         19, 2001, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House