H.R. No. 656

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Lamar County are visiting the
	State Capitol on March 27, 2013, to celebrate the prominent role
	this Northeast Texas county has played in the annals of the Lone
	Star State; and
	WHEREAS, At the time of the Republic of Texas, present-day
	Lamar County was located within the boundaries of Red River County;
	population growth led the Fifth Congress of the republic to
	establish Lamar County on December 17, 1840, and the current
	boundaries were drawn 30 years later when a portion of land was
	carved out for the creation of Delta County; and
	WHEREAS, Lamar County's namesake was the fourth president of
	the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar; the small settlement of
	Lafayette served as the first county seat, but after the Texas
	Congress passed a law requiring that each county seat be located
	within five miles of the county's geographic center, Mount Vernon
	served briefly in that capacity until the town of Paris was founded
	on 50 acres donated by George W. Wright; Paris has served as the
	county seat since 1844; and
	WHEREAS, Numerous early settlers migrated to Lamar County
	through Tennessee and Kentucky and established small farms; at the
	turn of the century, the county remained primarily rural, and
	although the population of Paris had grown to more than 9,000, no
	other community exceeded 1,000 residents; the industrial economy
	gradually began to make gains on agriculture in the 20th century as
	people moved into towns and smaller communities, and Paris played
	an increasingly important role in the economy of Northeast Texas;
	and
	WHEREAS, Today, Paris is a regional hub of retail trade,
	farming, and medical care and home to three Fortune 500 companies,
	Campbell Soup Company, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Florida
	Power and Light, as well as its newest major employer, James Skinner
	Baking Company; the city is located within an excellent multimodal
	transportation network, and in addition to numerous food and
	consumer goods manufacturing plants, it is home to distribution
	centers that serve the entire nation; and
	WHEREAS, Quality of life in Paris is enhanced by Paris Junior
	College and several excellent independent school districts, and by
	such beautiful recreation areas as Wade Park, Lake Gibbons, Lake
	Crook, and the Sam Bell Maxey State Historic Structure; every
	summer, citizens enjoy the Tour de Paris bike race along the 12-mile
	Trail de Paris, and concerts by the Paris Municipal Band, the oldest
	such ensemble in the state; landmarks include the Culbertson
	Fountain in the historic district, named "the prettiest plaza in
	the State of Texas" by Texas Monthly magazine, and the "third
	largest Eiffel Tower in the Second Largest Paris," a 65-foot-tall
	monument constructed by local workers and capped, appropriately,
	with a cowboy hat; and
	WHEREAS, The industrious residents of this vibrant Texas
	county are preserving the best of their past while working to meet
	the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and it is indeed a
	pleasure to honor them at this time; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize March 27, 2013, as Lamar County Day at
	the State Capitol and extend to the delegation sincere best wishes
	for an enjoyable and memorable visit.
	Lavender
	Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira
	Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr
	Alonzo Gooden Otto
	Alvarado Guerra Paddie
	Anchia Guillen Parker
	Anderson Gutierrez Patrick
	Ashby Harless Perez
	Aycock Harper-Brown Perry
	Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips
	Bohac Herrero Pickett
	Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts
	Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price
	Branch Huberty Raney
	Burkett Hughes Ratliff
	Burnam Hunter Raymond
	Button Isaac Reynolds
	Callegari Johnson Riddle
	Canales Kacal Ritter
	Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
	Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis
	Clardy King of Parker Rose
	Coleman King of Taylor Sanford
	Collier King of Zavala Schaefer
	Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets
	Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell
	Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell
	Creighton Krause Simmons
	Crownover Kuempel Simpson
	Dale Larson Smith
	Darby Laubenberg Smithee
	Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer
	J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson
	S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland
	Deshotel Longoria Strama
	Dukes Lozano Taylor
	Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria
	Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris
	Elkins Martinez Toth
	Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin
	Farias McClendon Turner of Harris
	Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant
	Farrar Miles Villalba
	Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal
	Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
	Frank Moody Walle
	Frullo Morrison White
	Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman
	Giddings Murphy Wu
	Goldman Naishtat Zedler
	Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 656 was adopted by the House on March
	13, 2013, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House