83R6963 BK-D

By: Frullo H.R. No. 460

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting Austin on February 26, 2013, to pay tribute to their city's rich heritage and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and

WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated more than 100 years ago, on March 16, 1909; the railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade center, but residents also wanted the benefits of an institution of higher learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological College was finally passed in 1923, the site selection committee, impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of the citizens of Lubbock, chose that city for the college's location; and

WHEREAS, Today a community of approximately 230,000 people, Lubbock is home to the Texas Tech University System and its flagship, Texas Tech University, an institution well deserving of its tier one status; it enjoys a diverse economy that draws its strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well as from educational and medical facilities, boasting the largest medical infrastructure between Dallas and Phoenix; 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 and hybrid grain sorghum seed; and

WHEREAS, This bustling city also offers a wealth of cultural and recreational opportunities, including the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, and the museum and planetarium at Texas Tech University; those wanting a glimpse of the frontier can find it in the restored structures at the university's National Ranching Heritage Center, a 27-acre site tracing the evolution of ranch architecture and the history of the cattle industry; the region's history is also celebrated at the American Museum of Agriculture; and

WHEREAS, The talented musicians who have come from the Lubbock area include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family, Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock; their rich and diverse contributions have earned Lubbock recognition as "The Music Crossroads of Texas"; and

WHEREAS, Representing Lubbock's thriving business community is the largest business federation on the Texas South Plains, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which marks its centennial in 2013; through the past 100 years, this important organization has helped guard and enhance the prosperity of Lubbock, and in so doing, it has played a pivotal role in the city's history; and

WHEREAS, Among numerous early achievements, the chamber recruited farmers to cultivate the fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, worked to bring the railroad to Lubbock, founded the South Plains Fair, and drafted the application to the Texas Capitol that resulted in the creation of Texas Technological College; it was also instrumental in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Reese Air Force Base, an outstanding transportation infrastructure, and a market-driven Employer Health Care Plan that is a model nationwide; and

WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber is capping off this century-long legacy by overseeing Imagine Lubbock Together, a community-based effort to build a road map for the city's future; today, it remains only one of approximately 70 organizations to be accredited at the five-star level by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and it has twice been named Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives; and

WHEREAS, The delegation visiting the Capitol today includes proud members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Leadership Lubbock Class of 2012-2013, who represent the future business and civic leaders of this community; and

WHEREAS, Renowned for their friendliness and warmth as well as their hardiness and determination, the citizens of Lubbock have helped to build a vital urban center that serves not only a large part of West Texas but also eastern New Mexico, and they may take great pride in their accomplishments as they work toward an even brighter future; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby recognize February 26, 2013, as Lubbock Day at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State.