| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Amarillo and Lubbock and |
|
|
their outstanding and supportive neighbors from other communities |
|
|
located in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains are visiting Austin |
|
|
on February 27, 2007, to pay tribute to their region's rich heritage |
|
|
and to celebrate Panhandle and South Plains Day at the State |
|
|
Capitol; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Panhandle and |
|
|
South Plains are home to one of the oldest inhabited places in |
|
|
Texas, the Lubbock Lake Site, a national historic and state |
|
|
archeological landmark where evidence of some 12,000 years of |
|
|
continuous habitation has been discovered; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Stretching through the northern part of the region |
|
|
is Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the country, which |
|
|
boasts spectacular views and reveals, through its exposed strata, a |
|
|
geologic record spanning 250 million years; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Rich in history, this remarkable region of vast |
|
|
scenic plains is known for its traditional ranch lands, crop and |
|
|
meat production, large stretches of oil and gas reserves, major |
|
|
industry, and nationally recognized employees with a work ethic |
|
|
that is beyond reproach; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Amarillo, the northern principal city of the |
|
|
Panhandle and South Plains, is a dynamic urban center with a |
|
|
population of more than 180,000 and affords its residents and |
|
|
visitors a wide array of cultural amenities; contributing to |
|
|
Amarillo's economic vitality are a Bell Helicopter tilt-rotor |
|
|
assembly center, where the V-22 Osprey and the US101 presidential |
|
|
helicopters are assembled, as well as the only assembly/disassembly |
|
|
plant for the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal, a facility operated |
|
|
by BWXT Pantex for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear |
|
|
Security Administration; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Lubbock is the southern principal city of the |
|
|
Panhandle and South Plains; today, with a population of |
|
|
approximately 210,000, the community is home to the largest medical |
|
|
infrastructure between Dallas and Los Angeles and enjoys a |
|
|
diversified economy that draws its strength from agribusiness, |
|
|
manufacturing, and commerce; with the growth of cotton culture on |
|
|
the High Plains, Lubbock has become one of the world's primary |
|
|
centers for the processing of cottonseed; the city's economy is |
|
|
further bolstered by numerous small businesses that were the first |
|
|
in the state to band together to make insurance more affordable for |
|
|
employers, resulting in almost 7,000 covered employees, 1,500 of |
|
|
which were previously without major medical coverage; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Panhandle and South Plains are also home to |
|
|
excellent educational institutions whose successes ensure that the |
|
|
area will continue to prosper; the Texas Tech University System, |
|
|
including its medical, law, and pharmacy schools, and West Texas |
|
|
A&M University are among the premier institutions in Texas and |
|
|
boast ever-increasing enrollments, nationally recognized programs |
|
|
and faculty, and outstanding graduates; Amarillo College and South |
|
|
Plains College, which continue to be among the finest community |
|
|
colleges in the country, and Lubbock Christian University, Wayland |
|
|
Baptist University, Frank Phillips College, Western Texas College, |
|
|
and Clarendon College, are other outstanding educational |
|
|
institutions in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Area attractions include the Panhandle-Plains |
|
|
Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state, located |
|
|
on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, and Texas Tech |
|
|
University is home to many restored structures at the National |
|
|
Ranching Heritage Center, a 15-acre site tracing the evolution of |
|
|
ranch architecture and the history of the cattle industry in Texas; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The citizens of the Panhandle and South Plains |
|
|
regions are renowned for their friendliness and warmth; they have |
|
|
helped to build vital urban centers that serve not only a large part |
|
|
of Texas but also of eastern New Mexico, and it is indeed |
|
|
appropriate to take this opportunity to pay tribute to them; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 27, 2007, as Panhandle and |
|
|
South Plains Day at the State Capitol and extend to the delegation |
|
|
in attendance today, and to all their fellow citizens, sincere |
|
|
appreciation for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State. |