H.R. No. 1483



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, In 1965, J. N. Grimes and Ray Morrow embarked on a 
successful business venture by purchasing a Dairy Queen walk-up 
store in Jacksonville, Texas; and
	WHEREAS, The enterprise was a resounding success and allowed 
the industrious gentlemen to expand their business by opening two 
additional Dairy Queen stores in Palestine; and
	WHEREAS, Unfavorable market forces and poor sales demanded 
that Mr. Grimes and Mr. Morrow develop an improved marketing 
strategy to boost the sales volume in Palestine; faced with a 
competitive challenge for market share, Mr. Grimes and Mr. Morrow 
conferred and came up with a gastronomical experiment:  steak 
sandwiches and steak fingers; and
	WHEREAS, The new food products were an immediate and 
overwhelming success, and these generous and business-wise 
gentlemen readily shared their culinary concoctions with other 
Dairy Queen owners, who quickly diversified their own menus to add 
the savory fried meat offerings as a complement to the soft serve 
dairy products traditionally sold at their restaurants; and
	WHEREAS, The positive outcome of Mr. Grimes's and Mr. 
Morrow's marketing strategy led Dairy Queen owners to recognize the 
importance of sharing information and presenting to the public a 
consistent and unique product and resulted in the formation of the 
Texas Dairy Queen Advertising Association; because of his 
contributions to Dairy Queen's growth, Mr. Grimes was elected to 
lead the association as president; and
	WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Mr. Grimes, the products 
that he and Mr. Morrow first conceived of and produced came to be 
known by all Texans as the "Dude" and the "Country Basket"; and
	WHEREAS, The innovative entrepreneurship of J. N. Grimes and 
the late Ray Morrow dramatically improved the business model of 
Dairy Queen, a Lone Star icon on the order of the armadillo, chili, 
and bluebonnets; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to J. N. Grimes and the late Ray 
Morrow for the clever creations that helped to earn Dairy Queen 
recognition as the "Texas stop sign"; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mr. Grimes and for the family of Mr. Morrow as an 
expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                          Hopson

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 1483 was adopted by the House on May 
30, 2003, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House