H.R. No. 1927R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The long and distinguished history of Kingsville has its source with the King family and the business they founded exactly 150 years ago, the King Ranch; and WHEREAS, Built three miles east of the King Ranch headquarters on land carved out of the ranch by Henrietta King, Kingsville originated as a town on the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway, a project that linked the ranch lands to the city of Brownsville; in 1904, only a short time after the creation of Kingsville, the town's citizens cheered the passage of the first regular passenger train on the new rail line, and the community soon became an important trade center for farm, ranch, and railroad families; and WHEREAS, In later years, Kingsville would also enjoy economic prosperity brought by oil and natural gas production, by Texas A&M University--Kingsville, and by important military installations; and WHEREAS, The trailblazing spirit of the early Texans lives on in modern-day Kingsville, where local officials are supporting such emerging high-tech industries as the South Texas Spaceport; the city has also attracted companies such as Lowe's and Calling Solutions to the area, creating nearly 500 jobs, and recently the National Weather Service recognized Kingsville's preparedness by designating it a storm-ready city; this year, as the Lone Star State celebrates the sesquicentennial of the King Ranch, it is indeed fitting to pay tribute to the municipality without which Kleberg County would not have prospered so greatly; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas Legislature hereby honor the many cultural and economic contributions of the citizens of Kingsville over the course of the town's long and distinguished history and extend to Mayor Filemon "Phil" Esquivel, Jr., and to every resident of Kingsville, very best wishes for future success. Escobar ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1927 was adopted by the House on June 2, 2003, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House