|
|
|
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
WHEREAS, Skeeter Products, a noted Texas manufacturer whose |
|
boats have won the admiration of fishing enthusiasts around the |
|
world, is approaching its 60th anniversary, and this milestone |
|
provides an opportunity to honor the many accomplishments of this |
|
successful company; and |
|
WHEREAS, The Skeeter story begins in 1948, when avid |
|
fisherman Holmes Thurmond of Marshall built a 13-foot wooden boat |
|
that was designed specifically for bass fishing; its stability and |
|
shallow-water hull design caught the attention of other bass |
|
fishermen in East Texas and western Louisiana, and Mr. Thurmond's |
|
model soon became the center of a thriving business; the |
|
needle-shaped nose on these craft made them resemble a mosquito, |
|
resulting in the name Skeeter, which soon became well known |
|
throughout the United States; and |
|
WHEREAS, Pioneering new ways to improve its product, Skeeter |
|
became one of the first companies to use fiberglass in boat |
|
manufacturing, introducing this durable new material in 1961; that |
|
same year, operations were moved to Longview after the Stemco |
|
Corporation became the owner of Skeeter; in subsequent years, the |
|
company has been associated with other leading firms in the |
|
recreational sports industry, including the Coleman Company and the |
|
Yamaha Marine Company; and |
|
WHEREAS, Innovation has continued to be a hallmark of this |
|
Texas corporation, with Skeeter helping to introduce |
|
groundbreaking elements such as the V-bottom hull and boat designs |
|
that are compatible with the ever more powerful motors being |
|
developed by engine manufacturers; in the 1990s, the company was |
|
one of the first to market a boat made from the technologically |
|
advanced composite materials that had been initially used in the |
|
aerospace industry; Skeeter has also designed popular craft that |
|
are used by walleye and inland bay anglers, while remaining a |
|
leading name in bass fishing; and |
|
WHEREAS, Skeeter settled into its longtime home in Kilgore in |
|
the early 1970s, where it continues to build its exceptional |
|
products; today, Skeeter is the only bass boat manufacturer in the |
|
State of Texas, and its many decades of producing superior fishing |
|
craft have made it a well-respected member of the state's business |
|
community and a source of homegrown pride to several generations of |
|
Lone Star fishermen; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
hereby congratulate Skeeter Products on its 60th anniversary and |
|
extend best wishes to the company's management and staff for |
|
continued success; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for Skeeter Products as an expression of high regard by the |
|
Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |
|
|
Merritt |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
|
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
|
|
|
I certify that H.C.R. No. 188 was adopted by the House on |
|
April 19, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|
|
|
I certify that H.C.R. No. 188 was adopted by the Senate on May |
|
2, 2007, by a viva-voce vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
APPROVED: __________________ |
|
Date |
|
|
|
__________________ |
|
Governor |