AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Citizens of Texas have long enjoyed a reputation for developing original and imaginative ideas that have been embraced by individuals throughout the nation and beyond.  One such innovation is the domino game 42, a very popular pastime that was created in the Lone Star State

 

According to research conducted in 1985 by journalist Christopher Evans of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the game, also called "Texas 42," dates to 1887 and was developed by two enterprising boys in the North Texas town of Trapp Spring, known today as Garner.  There, 12-year-old William A. Thomas and 14-year-old Walter Earl one day found themselves in deep trouble with their parents when they were discovered in a barn hayloft playing the card game auction whist, which is similar to the modern game of bridge; card games were considered sinful in the boys' devoutly Baptist families, and William and Walter were disciplined for their actions.

 

The punishment did not end their love of whist, however, and they went on to devise a similar four-player game that used dominoes instead of cards; because there was no prohibition within their faith against playing dominoes, William and Walter were able to show their friends how to play, and their invention was soon taken up by other local residents; the activity later became popular in Fannin County after the Thomas and Earl families moved to the town of Windom. 

 

Through the decades, the boys' creation spread far and wide and became known as 42, an entertaining contest of skill and chance that is enjoyed by countless people the world over; the game is a true Lone Star original and a testament to the ingenuity and fun-loving nature of Texans, making it a most fitting symbol for our state. 

 

RESOLVED

 

That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate 42 as the official State Table Game of Texas.