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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The cowboy hat has long been one of the defining |
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symbols of the culture and history of Texas, representative of the |
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state's wide open spaces and its spirit of freedom and |
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self-reliance; and |
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WHEREAS, For centuries, horsemen have worn broad-brimmed |
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hats to keep the sun off their faces, but the distinctive American |
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cowboy hat, with its high crown and wide brim, dates from the |
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mid-19th century, when John Batterson Stetson invented the hat |
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known as the "Boss of the Plains" in 1865; and |
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WHEREAS, Since then, the cowboy hat has been made of felt, |
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straw, and even leather, and it has been adapted into many different |
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styles as well as adorned with bows, buckles, decorative hat bands, |
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and feathers; some hats feature turned-up brims to make using a |
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lariat easier, while others feature "stampede strings" to keep them |
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from being blown off when riding at speed; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the past 150 years, the hat has become the |
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ultimate symbol of the Lone Star State in popular culture, worn |
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proudly by native Texans such as Tommy Lee Jones in Lonesome Dove, |
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or by stars playing iconic Texans, such as John Wayne in The |
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Searchers, Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger, and Taylor Kitsch |
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in Friday Night Lights; Texas musicians from Bob Wills to Willie |
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Nelson to Selena have all taken the stage in cowboy hats, and the |
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hat has likewise been worn by a host of prominent Texas politicians, |
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including Lyndon Johnson, Ann Richards, and George W. Bush; and |
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WHEREAS, The cowboy hat is worn to work every day by countless |
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cowboys and ranchers, as well as Texas Rangers and county sheriffs; |
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a unique expression of Lone Star style, the cowboy hat can also be |
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seen atop the Kilgore Rangerettes, high school students dressed up |
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for the senior prom, and professionals from all walks of life; and |
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WHEREAS, Around the world, whenever people picture a Texan, |
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they see a man or a woman wearing a cowboy hat, and that image has |
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become as emblematic of the Lone Star State as slow-roasted |
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brisket, the Texas two-step, and the Alamo; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate the cowboy hat as the official State Hat of Texas. |