SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 233
WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting
Austin on February 27, 2019, to pay tribute to their city's rich
heritage and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Lubbock area
is one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas; archeologists
have discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous
habitation at the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic
and state archeological preserve; and
WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16,
1909; the railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade
center, but residents also wanted the benefits of an institution
of higher learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological
College was finally passed in 1923, the site selection committee
was impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of the city's
residents and chose Lubbock for the college's location; and
WHEREAS, Today, the city with its surrounding area has a
population of more than 300,000 people, and it is home to the
Texas Tech University System and its flagship institution, Texas
Tech University, a school well deserving of its recently acquired
tier-one status; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center attracts
nearly 5,000 students from around the world and is currently
ranked as the number-one health university in the nation by the
SR Education Group; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's three universities and one public
community college annually draw more than 50,000 students to the
area and refresh the local economy with around 10,000 new
graduates each year, creating a community where 30 percent of
residents over the age of 25 hold a college degree; and
WHEREAS, Texas Tech's athletic programs have recently
achieved historic successes; the men's basketball team reached
its first Elite Eight last season; the baseball team has appeared
three times in the College World Series in the past five years,
and the track and field team has won indoor and outdoor Big 12
championships; in addition, Lubbock Christian University's women's
basketball team won the national championship in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's metropolitan area labor force numbers
more than 165,000 and the cost of doing business in the area
continues to rank as one of the lowest in the nation, due to the
low costs for electric and natural gas utilities and affordable
wage rates, land, and cost of living; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national
organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, and it has
been named the number-one city for women professionals, ranked in
the top 20 for young entrepreneurs to start a business, and named
number seven in the Forbes list of top "Opportunity Cities" based
on the city's low cost of living, its cultural offerings, and the
strength of its business community; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock enjoys a diverse economy that draws its
strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well
as from educational and health care services, and the city boasts
the largest medical infrastructure between Dallas and Phoenix;
with the growth of cotton culture on the High Plains, Lubbock has
become one of the world's primary centers for the processing of
cottonseed and hybrid grain sorghum seed; and
WHEREAS, The Lubbock economy is deeply rooted in cotton
farming; the area is home to the world's largest contiguous
cotton-growing region and is now also the home of several major
award-winning wineries and vineyards, which produce over 80 percent
of all the state's wine grapes; the region north of Lubbock has
the highest density of cattle in the entire country; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock also offers a wealth of cultural and
recreational opportunities, including the Lubbock Symphony
Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Silent Wings Museum, the
Museum and Planetarium of Texas Tech University, and many other
cultural offerings at Texas Tech University; a new,
state-of-the-art performing arts center is under construction
and is to be named after local legend and Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame inductee Buddy Holly; Lubbock County voters have also
approved the construction of the new Lubbock County Expo Center
to serve as a multipurpose event center for the region; and
WHEREAS, Through meticulously planned infrastructure,
city leaders have created a low-traffic community with the
number-one-ranked commute in Texas and more neighborhood parks
per capita than any other city in Texas; and
WHEREAS, Those wanting a glimpse of the frontier can find
it in the restored structures at the Ranching Heritage Center, a
15-acre site that traces the evolution of ranch architecture and
the history of the cattle industry; the region's history is also
celebrated at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture; and
WHEREAS, Many talented musicians have come from the
Lubbock area; they include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines
family, Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya
Tucker, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Pat Green,
and Josh Abbott; their rich and diverse contributions have earned
Lubbock recognition as "The Music Crossroads of Texas"; and
WHEREAS, Lubbock's thriving business community is
represented by the largest business federation on the Texas South
Plains, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which grows and guards
the prosperity of the Lubbock area; and
WHEREAS, Early major achievements propelled by the chamber
during more than a century of service include recruiting farmers
from out of state to populate and make productive the fertile
soils of the Llano Estacado, working to bring the railroad to
Lubbock, establishing the South Plains Fair, and drafting and
delivering the application to the Texas Capitol that would result
in establishing Texas Technological College there, which today
thrives as the heart of the Texas Tech University System; and
WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was also
instrumental in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International
Airport, Reese Air Force Base, and the area's outstanding
transportation infrastructure, and it recently introduced an
Association Health Plan for its small-business members in 34 West
Texas counties and is the first chamber in Texas to launch such a
plan; and
WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today
are proud members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce's 43rd
Leadership Lubbock Class, who represent the business and
community leaders of Lubbock; and
WHEREAS, The citizens of Lubbock have truly kept faith with
the founders of their West Texas community; renowned for their
friendliness and warmth as well as their hardiness and
determination, they have helped to build a vital urban center
that serves not only a large part of West Texas but also eastern
New Mexico; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th
Legislature, hereby recognize February 27, 2019, as Lubbock Day
at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting
delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation
for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State.
Perry
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 27, 2019.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate