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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of the Bryan-College Station area |
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are gathering in Austin on February 4, 2015, to celebrate |
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Bryan-College Station Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Located among the gentle, rolling hills of the |
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Brazos Valley, this part of east-central Texas was encompassed in |
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the land grant that Stephen F. Austin received in 1825; one of |
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Austin's nephews, William Joel Bryan, donated land for a town site |
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in 1859, and the new settlement was named in his honor; surrounded |
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by fertile farmlands and served by the railroad from the late 1860s |
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onward, Bryan became an important commercial center and was |
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formally incorporated in 1872; and |
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WHEREAS, Just south of Bryan, a defining event occurred in |
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1876 when the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas opened |
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its doors to students for the first time; the community that grew up |
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adjacent to the new school took its name, College Station, from the |
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post office that was established there, along the railway, in 1887; |
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home to many faculty members, the town expanded northward through |
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the years, aided in part by an electric railway that linked it to |
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Bryan in the early 1900s, and the community incorporated in 1938; |
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growing in conjunction with the university, College Station saw a |
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sixfold increase in its population between 1960 and 2000; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas A&M is one of the largest public universities |
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in the United States and ranks among the nation's leaders in |
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academic research; students from around the globe pursue degrees in |
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diverse areas of study, and this international presence infuses |
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additional vibrancy into a school already rich in tradition and |
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spirit; former A&M students have achieved distinction in many |
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fields of endeavor, and five individuals affiliated with the |
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university have earned the Nobel Prize; the university also |
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benefits from the loyal backing of a legion of students, alumni, and |
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other supporters, who know Bryan-College Station affectionately as |
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Aggieland; and |
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WHEREAS, The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on |
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the university campus is the area's leading tourist attraction and |
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has received more than 700,000 visitors since it opened in 1997; as |
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the repository of artifacts, documents, film, photographs, music, |
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and more, the library and museum document the career and |
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accomplishments of the nation's 41st president while promoting |
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civic literacy and fostering volunteerism and an interest in public |
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service; a number of other outstanding museums and galleries are |
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located in Bryan-College Station as well, making the area a |
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thriving center for cultural activities; and |
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WHEREAS, Excellent business opportunities are also found in |
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the two cities, encouraged by the notable efforts of the |
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Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce; for the last 17 years, |
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the chamber has benefited from the outstanding leadership of |
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President and CEO Royce Hickman, who is a graduate of A&M, past |
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president of the school's former students association, and member |
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of the George Bush School of Government and Public Services |
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Development Council, the Texas A&M Career Center Advisory Council, |
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and the Bush School Public Service Organization Advisory Board; and |
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WHEREAS, Together, Bryan and College Station afford the |
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amenities of a dynamic metropolitan area while also providing the |
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charm and warmth that are typical of small towns, and this |
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combination helps make these adjoining communities a unique, |
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prosperous, and enjoyable part of the Lone Star State; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 4, 2015, as Bryan-College |
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Station Day at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the |
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visiting delegation sincere best wishes for a rewarding visit to |
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Austin. |