H.R. No. 546



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, under the 
leadership of cofounder and chairman of the board Lonnie "Bo" 
Pilgrim, has brought increased economic opportunity to many East 
Texas residents through its extensive contributions to Texas 
agriculture; and
	WHEREAS, In 1946, 17-year-old Bo Pilgrim and his older 
brother, Aubrey, started a modest farm supply store in Pittsburg, 
Texas, and that business was the forerunner of today's highly 
successful Pilgrim's Pride Corporation; now the second-largest 
poultry producer in both the United States and Mexico, Pilgrim's 
Pride employs 24,500 people at its Pittsburg headquarters and more 
than two dozen other offices and facilities; the company processes 
approximately 2.5 billion pounds of ready-to-cook chicken, 300 
million pounds of turkey, and 500 million eggs annually, and it 
utilizes more than 800 contract family farms in the State of Texas 
for the purpose of producing chickens for Pilgrim's Pride 
Corporation, thereby helping to preserve the family farm concept 
and helping to save rural America; and
	WHEREAS, A former chairman of the National Chicken Council 
(NCC), Mr. Pilgrim currently serves on the NCC's board of 
directors; he has also served as president of the Midwest Feed 
Manufacturers Association and has given generously of his time and 
talents as a member of the Texas Water Resources Board, the 
Governor's Task Force for Agriculture, the Governor's Business 
Council, and the board of Dallas Baptist University; in addition, 
he has chaired the board of Pilgrim Bank since 1969; and
	WHEREAS, A popular speaker with audiences in Texas, Mr. 
Pilgrim is known for his down-to-earth style and wit; this 
accomplished businessman is a person of strong faith who is deeply 
committed to traditional and biblical values and makes it a point to 
attribute his company's outstanding success to Jesus Christ; and
	WHEREAS, The recipient of several accolades for outstanding 
marketing campaigns, Mr. Pilgrim has been further honored with a 
Russell H. Perry Free Enterprise Award from Dallas Baptist 
University; moreover, he has been named East Texan of the Year by 
the East Texas Chamber of Commerce, Man of the Year in Texas 
Agriculture by the Texas County Agriculture Agents Association, and 
Distinguished Texan in Agriculture by the Agriculture Program of 
The Texas A&M University System; and
	WHEREAS, A devoted family man, Mr. Pilgrim enjoys the love 
and support of his wife, Patty, their children, Ken, Greta, and Pat, 
and their grandchildren; and
	WHEREAS, Committed to fostering the prosperity of rural 
America, Bo Pilgrim and the Pilgrim's Pride Corporation have 
provided employment to numerous Texans and greatly benefited the 
economy of our state; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby commend Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim and the Pilgrim's 
Pride Corporation for their longtime contributions to the economic 
strength of the Lone Star State and extend to all associated with 
the company warmest best wishes for continued success; and, be it 
further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mr. Pilgrim as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                       Christian

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 546 was adopted by the House on March 
25, 2003, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House