SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 115

	WHEREAS, The City of Dallas marked the 150th anniversary of 
its charter in February 2006; and

	WHEREAS, Dallas originated as a trading post near the 
confluence of the West and Elm Forks of the Trinity River; a town 
site was surveyed in 1844, and when Dallas County was organized 
in 1846, the fledgling community of Dallas became the county 
seat; and

	WHEREAS, The origin of the city's name has long been 
debated; possible namesakes include George Mifflin Dallas, vice 
president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, his brother, 
Commodore Alexander J. Dallas of the United States Navy, and 
Joseph Dallas, an early resident of the area; and

	WHEREAS, Granted a charter by the Texas Legislature on 
February 2, 1856, Dallas citizens proceeded to install a city 
government; the town's first public officials included
Mayor Samuel B. Pryor, six aldermen, a treasurer-recorder, and a 
constable; and

	WHEREAS, Over the years, the city's form of governance has 
changed several times; in 1907, Dallas instituted a commission 
form of government, with a mayor and four commissioners to manage 
city affairs, and in 1931 it moved to a council-manager system; 
the first city council sworn into office was headed by
Mayor T. L. Bradford and composed of W. H. Painter, Joe C. Thomas, 
T. M. Cullum, A. B. Moore, H. C. Burroughs, Victor H. Hexter, 
Charles F. Turner, and E. R. Brown; and

	WHEREAS, Since 1971, the Dallas City Council has been based 
on single-member districts, with the mayor elected at-large; the 
present council includes Mayor Laura Miller, Mayor Pro Tem
Donald W. Hill, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Elba Garcia, and
Pauline Medrano, Ed Oakley, Dr. Maxine Thornton-Reese,
Steve Salazar, Leo V. Chaney, Jr., James L. Fantroy, Gary Griffith,
Bill Blaydes, Linda Koop, Ron Natinsky, Mitchell Rasansky, and 
Angela Hunt; and

	WHEREAS, Early in its history, Dallas became a service 
center for farmers and ranchers in the surrounding area; its 
commercial importance expanded further with the arrival of the 
Houston and Texas Central Railway in 1872 and the Texas and 
Pacific Railway the following year; one of the first rail 
crossroads in the state, Dallas became the main regional shipping 
point for products destined for northern and eastern 
manufacturing plants, as well as a leading center for the leather 
and buffalo-hide trade; and

	WHEREAS, Strong-willed men and women helped Dallas to 
rebound from the Great Depression; in addition to securing the 
city's prominence in the realm of petroleum financing, they


achieved major successes with a project to straighten and tame 
the Trinity River and a winning bid to host the 1936 Texas 
Centennial; Fair Park, the site chosen for the exposition, was 
extensively made over with the investment of millions of dollars 
in private and public donations and now contains what is believed 
to be the largest assemblage of Art Deco art and architecture in 
the world; a National Historic Landmark, Fair Park continues to 
host the annual State Fair of Texas, which was first staged on its 
grounds in 1886; and

	WHEREAS, During World War II, with the acquisition of North 
American Aviation and other war-related industries, Dallas 
emerged as a significant manufacturing center; the city's status 
as one of the foremost urban areas in the nation was both 
underscored and immeasurably enhanced by the opening, in 1974, of 
the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; and

	WHEREAS, Embracing a half-square mile when it was first 
laid out, Dallas has grown to encompass 384 square miles and a 
population of more than 1.2 million people, making it the 
ninth-largest city in the United States; driven primarily by the 
robust Dallas economy, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 
Metropolitan Statistical Area currently accounts for 
approximately 30 percent of the gross state product of Texas; and

	WHEREAS, The advantages enjoyed by Dallas extend well 
beyond its commanding position as a bastion of business, finance, 
and industry; this city also enjoys renown for its outstanding 
cultural resources, including institutions such as the Dallas 
Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Natural History, Trammell and 
Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, and Nasher Sculpture 
Center; and

	WHEREAS, The city's major league sports franchises have all 
achieved notable success and garnered the loyalty of countless 
fans; contests featuring the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Stars, 
who won the 1999 Stanley Cup, and the Dallas Cowboys, who have 
captured five Super Bowl championships, rank among the area's 
most popular attractions; and

	WHEREAS, Given the eminent role that Dallas has played in 
the development of Texas, it is not surprising that a number of 
the state's most important political leaders have hailed from 
that community; public officials who have called Dallas home 
during their tenure include Governors Charles A. Culberson, 
1895-1899, and William P. Clements, 1979-1983 and 1987-1991, 
Lieutenant Governors John McClannahan Crockett, 1861-1863, 
Barnett Gibbs, 1885-1887, and Barry Miller, 1925-1931, and 
Speakers of the House Nicholas Henry Darnell, 1861-1862, 
Nathaniel Macon Burford, 1866, John Hughes Cochran, 1879-1881 
and 1893-1895, and William Otey Reed, 1947-1949; and

	WHEREAS, Under difficult circumstances, Lyndon Baines Johnson
was sworn in as the nation's 36th president at Love Field in Dallas 


in 1963; the city hosted its first major-party, presidential 
nominating convention in 1984, when Republicans met in Dallas to 
endorse Ronald Reagan for a second term in the White House, and 
George W. Bush resided in Dallas before his election to the 
governorship of Texas and subsequently to the presidency of the 
United States; and

	WHEREAS, A Lone Star State without Big D, that proud and 
vibrant city that epitomizes so many facets of the Texas 
mystique, would be utterly unthinkable, and it is indeed a 
pleasure to join in commemorating the momentous occasion of that 
city's sesquicentennial; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
79th Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby honor Dallas on the 
150th anniversary of its charter and extend to all the citizens 
of that great city sincere best wishes as they look with 
confidence to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
                                                                          Carona




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on May 2, 2006.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate