81R15919 JH-D
By: Merritt H.C.R. No. 135
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Gregg County Days are taking place at the State
Capitol on March 31 and April 1, 2009, and this occasion provides a
welcome opportunity to pay tribute to this notable Texas county;
and
WHEREAS, Present in the chamber on this occasion are the
following Gregg County dignitaries: county judge Bill Stoudt,
Longview mayor Jay Dean, Longview city manager David Willard,
Longview Partnership president Kelly Hall, Gladewater mayor Walter
Derrick, former Gladewater mayor Jackie Wood, Gladewater city
councilman John Ussery, Gladewater city manager Jay Stokes,
Gladewater Economic Development Corporation executive director Lon
Welton, former White Oak mayor Tim Vaughn, Kilgore Economic
Development Corporation executive director Amanda Nobles, Suzanne
Cook, Laura McKethan, Alfred Lacy, Steven Best, Bennie Corutt,
Patty Bell, Keith Honey, Jim Kendrick, Darwin Winfield, Mike
Northcutt, Tony Cain, Gene Keenon, Melissa Harris, Laura Hill,
Sidney Allen, Shirley Hook, Sandra Holm, Jeremy DuMond, Ingrid
Johnson, Paul Anderson, Amy Tatum, Jack Miller, Vickie Echols,
Courtney Gill, Laura McCarter, Cathy Cace, Richard Lazurus, and
Richard Manley; and
WHEREAS, The lands that today make up Gregg County were once
inhabited by various Native American groups, including the Caddo
and the Cherokee; originally part of Upshur County, this area of the
Lone Star State was established as Gregg County on April 12, 1873,
and named for Confederate General John B. Gregg; the local
population grew quickly in the following decades, and by 1920,
nearly 17,000 people were living in the county; and
WHEREAS, For more than a half-century after the county was
established, its economy continued to be based on farming, but when
oil was struck in the western part of the county in the early 1930s,
people flooded into the area, and the communities of Kilgore and
Gladewater became boom towns in the span of a few days; the energy
reserves of the East Texas Oil Field helped power the American war
effort in World War II, and petroleum resources have continued to
play a key role in the county's fortunes; in addition, a diverse
range of other commercial endeavors have been established,
including manufacturing, tourism, and lignite mining, and major
companies such as Eastman, LeTourneau Technologies, SITEL, and
Trinity Industries employ numerous residents; and
WHEREAS, Longview, the county seat, is Gregg County's largest
city; it is home to LeTourneau University and boasts numerous
cultural attractions, including the Longview Museum of Fine Arts,
the Gregg County Historical Museum, and the R. G. LeTourneau
Museum; and
WHEREAS, Residents and visitors alike enjoy the county's
numerous special events; they include the Great Texas Balloon Race
in Longview, the annual Texas Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore, the
Roughneck Day Festival in White Oak, and East Texas Gusher Days in
Gladewater; and
WHEREAS, Throughout its history, Gregg County has been
blessed with abundant resources and innovative and industrious
citizens, and it has made significant contributions to the ongoing
prosperity of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate March 31 and April 1, 2009, as Gregg County Days at
the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation best wishes
for an enjoyable and informative stay in Austin.