78R11253 KMP-D

By:  Zedler                                                       H.R. No. 707



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, April 7, 2003, has been selected as Mansfield Day at 
the State Capitol to honor the people of this dynamic North Texas 
city and to recognize their outstanding contributions to the 
culture, history, and economy of the Lone Star State; and
	WHEREAS, Situated just south of Arlington, the community of 
Mansfield was established when two Fort Worth businessmen, Ralph  
Man and Julian Feild, moved to the area in the late 1850s to build a 
sawmill and one of the state's first steam-powered gristmills; and
	WHEREAS, With the advent of the Civil War, Mansfield became a 
critical component in the Confederate Army's supply lines and later 
played an important role in promoting America's westward expansion; 
Mr. Feild, a captain in the 15th Texas Cavalry, delivered milled 
flour to the Confederate Army and, after the war, received United 
States government contracts to supply flour and meal to Indian 
reservations and federal army outposts in West Texas, New Mexico, 
and the Indian Territory; and
	WHEREAS, The continuing demand for local products and the 
booming economy helped attract many new residents to the town, 
which was incorporated in 1909; Mansfield took a special interest 
in promoting education from its earliest days, and in 1869 area 
residents helped John Collier establish a new coeducational school, 
the Mansfield Male and Female College, in the community; and
	WHEREAS, Mansfield today continues to contribute to the 
success and prosperity of North Texas; over the course of the past 
four decades, the city's population has grown from only 1,375 
residents to nearly 30,000, and it will no doubt continue its upward 
trend given the community's many amenities; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout this period of growth, Mansfield's 
devoted civic leaders have worked hard to preserve the town's 
unique heritage and to ensure it remains a wonderful place in which 
to live, work, and raise a family; the town embarked on a bold 
experiment in city planning during the 1970s, when it welcomed a 
team of young Texans, graduate students from the Institute of Urban 
Studies at The University of Texas at Arlington, to renovate and 
revitalize the downtown area; and
	WHEREAS, Blessed with close proximity to many of the Lone 
Star State's finest cultural, recreational, and natural resources, 
the city of Mansfield combines the best qualities of small-town 
Texas living with those of a thriving Metroplex suburb, and its 
citizens are justifiably proud of their hometown's role in shaping 
both the past and the future of the great State of Texas; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby recognize April 7, 2003, as Mansfield Day at the 
State Capitol and extend to those in attendance warmest best wishes 
for a memorable and informative visit.