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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The 21st annual Texas Scottish Festival & Highland |
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Games are being held at Maverick Stadium, on the campus of The |
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University of Texas at Arlington, June 1-3, 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the largest Scottish gatherings in the |
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country, this outstanding family event offers the public a chance |
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to enjoy traditional Scottish music and athletic competitions, as |
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well as a golf tournament and other Scottish-themed activities; and |
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WHEREAS, Scots and people of Scottish descent have long made |
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notable contributions to the exploration and development of this |
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state; in the early 1830s, Thomas Drummond, a native Scot, |
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collected extensively between the coast and the Edwards Plateau; |
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his botanical and zoological collections were later distributed |
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internationally to a number of museums and other institutions; and |
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WHEREAS, Among the first northern Europeans to settle in |
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Texas, Scots and their descendants composed more than 40 percent of |
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Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred and predominated among the |
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more than 600 families in Robertson's Colony; their number included |
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such heroes of the Texas Revolution as Sam Houston, David Crockett, |
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and the empresario Sterling Clack Robertson, who signed both the |
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Texas Declaration of Independence and the constitution of the |
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Republic of Texas; four Scottish-born soldiers fought with the |
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Texans at the Alamo, and one of them, John MacGregor, is reported to |
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have rallied his comrades with his bagpipes during the siege; and |
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WHEREAS, After Texas became a republic and then a state, |
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Scots and their descendants continued to make their mark; some who |
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achieved prominence were George Cupples, a physician, Jesse |
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Chisholm, a frontier trader, interpreter, and trailblazer, and |
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Edmund Duncan Montgomery, a scientist and philosopher; in addition, |
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Scottish capitalists financed the establishment of vast cattle |
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spreads and also the building of the present State Capitol, which |
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was constructed with the help of Scottish stonemasons; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, organizations around the state promote |
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fellowship among Scottish Texans, as well as such popular |
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traditions as Scottish dance and highland games; the state even has |
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its own official plaid, the Texas Bluebonnet Tartan; and |
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WHEREAS, Scots and their descendants have made an indelible |
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imprint on the Lone Star State, and the Texas Scottish Festival & |
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Highland Games provide a fitting opportunity to salute their myriad |
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contributions; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize June 2007 as Scottish Heritage Month |
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and extend to all who work to preserve the best of the Scottish |
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legacy in Texas sincere appreciation and best wishes. |
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Branch |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1517 was adopted by the House on May |
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4, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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