By: Button (Senate Sponsor - Carona) H.C.R. No. 96
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 3, 2013;
May 6, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on
Administration; May 15, 2013, reported favorably by the following
vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 15, 2013, sent to printer.)
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The cowboy hat has long been associated with
residents of the Lone Star State, and for many years, the city of
Garland has been home to the leading manufacturers of this
emblematic Texan headgear; and
WHEREAS, John B. Stetson first invented the hat that came to
be known as the "Boss of the Plains" in 1865, and in 1927, a Michigan
investor named E. R. Byer and a hatmaker named Harry Rolnick
founded the Byer-Rolnick company in Dallas to manufacture the brand
of cowboy hat called Resistol, for its ability to resist all
weathers; and
WHEREAS, Thanks to a growing demand, Byer-Rolnick opened a
larger factory in Garland in 1938, where Resistol hats have been
made ever since; Stetsons are now made in Garland as well, along
with the western fashion hats made by the Charlie 1 Horse Hat
Company; all three companies are part of Hatco, which is
headquartered in Garland and employs nearly 400 people; and
WHEREAS, The concentration of hat-making talent in Garland
has led to the formation of several other companies; Master Hatters
of Texas was founded in 1968 by a former Byer-Rolnick employee,
William Cook, and the Milano Hat Company, founded by John Milano in
1983, opened a new facility in 2006; Dallas Hats has been making
palm leaf and raffia cowboy hats in the city since 1989; and
WHEREAS, Garland is also home to the Dallas County
Manufacturing Association and the Garland Chamber of Commerce, and
their essential contributions to the community's
manufacturing-minded environment make the city an ideal location
for businesses of all sorts; and
WHEREAS, The production of cowboy hats contributes not only
to the Texas economy, but to the rich cultural history of our state,
and the city of Garland may indeed take great pride in its central
role in the design and manufacture of this iconic Texas product;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate Garland as the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas.
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