79R4938 MMS-D

By:  West                                                       H.C.R. No. 51 



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The citizens of Midland and Odessa are justly proud 
of the many contributions their communities have made to the 
building of the Lone Star State; and
	WHEREAS, Located in the Permian Basin, at the southern edge 
of the High Plains, the cities stand some 20 miles apart and have 
been shaped by similar historical forces; both originated in the 
early 1880s as stopping places along the Texas and Pacific Railway, 
and, within a few years of their founding, each had become the seat 
of a newly organized county government; today, Midland and Odessa 
are home to the overwhelming majority of citizens in Midland and 
Ector Counties, respectively; and
	WHEREAS, Originally trade and shipping centers for the 
surrounding ranches, the towns also became important petroleum 
centers in the 1920s, when oil was discovered in the Permian Basin; 
Midland subsequently developed into an administrative center for 
the oil and gas industry, while Odessa became the location of what 
is now the largest inland petrochemical complex in the nation; and
	WHEREAS, During World War II, the economy of the area 
benefited from the presence of the Midland Army Air Force Base; one 
of the largest training facilities in the world at that time, the 
base was home to the Army Air Force Bombardier School from 1942 to 
1945; and
	WHEREAS, United under the slogan "Two Cities--No Limits," 
leaders in both communities have worked together to establish the 
Midland International Airport and Midland-Odessa Transportation 
Alliance; in addition, they have created the Midland-Odessa Health 
and Retirement Endeavor, which promotes the attractiveness of the 
area as a retirement locale; and
	WHEREAS, Support for expanding the economic base is also 
provided by the Center for Energy and Economic Diversification at 
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB); in recent 
years, Midland and Odessa have welcomed several major new employers 
to the area--a distribution center for Family Dollar Stores, Inc., 
a Texas Independent Energy power plant, and a Cingular Wireless 
Call Center; and
	WHEREAS, Both cities can claim the distinction of having been 
home to two presidents, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, and 
visitors to Midland can now tour the George W. Bush Childhood Home; 
and
	WHEREAS, Midland also boasts the western history center and 
library established by J. Evetts and Nita Stewart Haley; the Museum 
of the Southwest; The Petroleum Museum, with its extensive archival 
collection and a new gallery devoted to Jim Hall and his Chaparral 
race cars; and the museum of the Commemorative Air Force, which 
possesses the most complete collection of flyable World War II 
combat aircraft in the country; and
	WHEREAS, Significant cultural resources in Odessa include 
the Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin, a replica of the 
Globe Theatre, where modern and classical works are staged, and a 
museum devoted to the U.S. presidency; since a merger of talents in 
1962, the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale has further enriched 
the cultural life of the communities; and
	WHEREAS, Area residents are fortunate to have a number of 
institutions of higher education in their midst--UTPB and a campus 
of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, both in 
Odessa, as well as Midland College and Odessa College; and
	WHEREAS, For nearly a century and a quarter, the citizens of 
Midland and Odessa have sought to preserve the best of their past 
while working to build an even brighter and more promising future 
for their children, and it is a pleasure to join in commemorating 
their outstanding achievements; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby designate February 15 as Midland-Odessa Day at the State 
Capitol.