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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Gregg County Days are taking place at the State |
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Capitol on March 31 and April 1, 2009, and this occasion provides a |
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welcome opportunity to pay tribute to this notable Texas county; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Present in the chamber on this occasion are the |
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following Gregg County dignitaries: county judge Bill Stoudt, |
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Longview mayor Jay Dean, Longview city manager David Willard, |
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Longview Partnership president Kelly Hall, Gladewater mayor Walter |
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Derrick, former Gladewater mayor Jackie Wood, Gladewater city |
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councilman John Ussery, Gladewater city manager Jay Stokes, |
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Gladewater Economic Development Corporation executive director Lon |
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Welton, former White Oak mayor Tim Vaughn, Kilgore Economic |
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Development Corporation executive director Amanda Nobles, Suzanne |
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Cook, Laura McKethan, Alfred Lacy, Steven Best, Bennie Corutt, |
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Patty Bell, Keith Honey, Jim Kendrick, Darwin Winfield, Mike |
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Northcutt, Tony Cain, Gene Keenon, Melissa Harris, Laura Hill, |
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Sidney Allen, Shirley Hook, Sandra Holm, Jeremy DuMond, Ingrid |
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Johnson, Paul Anderson, Amy Tatum, Jack Miller, Vickie Echols, |
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Courtney Gill, Laura McCarter, Cathy Cace, Richard Lazurus, and |
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Richard Manley; and |
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WHEREAS, The lands that today make up Gregg County were once |
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inhabited by various Native American groups, including the Caddo |
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and the Cherokee; originally part of Upshur County, this area of the |
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Lone Star State was established as Gregg County on April 12, 1873, |
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and named for Confederate General John B. Gregg; the local |
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population grew quickly in the following decades, and by 1920, |
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nearly 17,000 people were living in the county; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than a half-century after the county was |
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established, its economy continued to be based on farming, but when |
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oil was struck in the western part of the county in the early 1930s, |
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people flooded into the area, and the communities of Kilgore and |
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Gladewater became boom towns in the span of a few days; the energy |
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reserves of the East Texas Oil Field helped power the American war |
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effort in World War II, and petroleum resources have continued to |
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play a key role in the county's fortunes; in addition, a diverse |
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range of other commercial endeavors have been established, |
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including manufacturing, tourism, and lignite mining, and major |
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companies such as Eastman, LeTourneau Technologies, SITEL, and |
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Trinity Industries employ numerous residents; and |
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WHEREAS, Longview, the county seat, is Gregg County's largest |
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city; it is home to LeTourneau University and boasts numerous |
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cultural attractions, including the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, |
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the Gregg County Historical Museum, and the R. G. LeTourneau |
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Museum; and |
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WHEREAS, Residents and visitors alike enjoy the county's |
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numerous special events; they include the Great Texas Balloon Race |
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in Longview, the annual Texas Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore, the |
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Roughneck Day Festival in White Oak, and East Texas Gusher Days in |
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Gladewater; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout its history, Gregg County has been |
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blessed with abundant resources and innovative and industrious |
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citizens, and it has made significant contributions to the ongoing |
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prosperity of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate March 31 and April 1, 2009, as Gregg County Days at |
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the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation best wishes |
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for an enjoyable and informative stay in Austin. |