82R531 MMS-D
 
  By: Flynn H.C.R. No. 20
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The State of Texas has customarily recognized a
  variety of official symbols as tangible representations of the
  state's historical and cultural heritage; and
         WHEREAS, An American classic, the hamburger has been
  associated with Texas since the late 19th century, when Fletcher
  Davis, a resident of Athens, developed the new sandwich and sold it
  at his lunch counter on the courthouse square; in 1904, Mr. Davis
  secured vending privileges on the midway at the Louisiana Purchase
  Exposition in St. Louis, and it was there that his creation caught
  the attention of countless visitors from across the country; the
  novelty of the hamburger so impressed a reporter from the New York
  Tribune that he even mentioned it in a newspaper article; a century
  later, the 80th Texas Legislature paid tribute to Mr. Davis's
  innovation by designating Athens as the Original Home of the
  Hamburger; and
         WHEREAS, In the years since its first appearance, the
  hamburger has come to figure prominently in the state's cultural
  landscape; a fixture at innumerable restaurants, roadside stands,
  and backyard cookouts, it is consumed by Texans in significant
  numbers; according to statistics provided in the 23rd Annual Report
  on Eating Patterns in America, residents of the state enjoy more
  than 770 million hamburgers annually; and
         WHEREAS, In economic terms, the impact of the hamburger is
  similarly pronounced; the immense volume of the burger business
  helps to drive the beef and grain industries of Texas and supports
  the employment of a substantial workforce; and
         WHEREAS, A Texan was instrumental in introducing the
  hamburger to the American public, and that sandwich has gone on to
  become a mainstay in the cultural and economic life of the Lone Star
  State; it is fitting, therefore, that the association between Texas
  and this iconic American sandwich be appropriately recognized; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby designate the hamburger as the official State Sandwich of
  Texas.