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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas has customarily recognized a |
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variety of official symbols as tangible representations of the |
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state's historical and cultural heritage; and |
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WHEREAS, An American classic, the hamburger has been |
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associated with Texas since the late 19th century, when Fletcher |
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Davis, a resident of Athens, developed the new sandwich and sold it |
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at his lunch counter on the courthouse square; in 1904, Mr. Davis |
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secured vending privileges on the midway at the Louisiana Purchase |
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Exposition in St. Louis, and it was there that his creation caught |
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the attention of countless visitors from across the country; the |
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novelty of the hamburger so impressed a reporter from the New York |
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Tribune that he even mentioned it in a newspaper article; a century |
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later, the 80th Texas Legislature paid tribute to Mr. Davis's |
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innovation by designating Athens as the Original Home of the |
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Hamburger; and |
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WHEREAS, In the years since its first appearance, the |
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hamburger has come to figure prominently in the state's cultural |
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landscape; a fixture at innumerable restaurants, roadside stands, |
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and backyard cookouts, it is consumed by Texans in significant |
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numbers; according to statistics provided in the 23rd Annual Report |
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on Eating Patterns in America, residents of the state enjoy more |
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than 770 million hamburgers annually; and |
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WHEREAS, In economic terms, the impact of the hamburger is |
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similarly pronounced; the immense volume of the burger business |
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helps to drive the beef and grain industries of Texas and supports |
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the employment of a substantial workforce; and |
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WHEREAS, A Texan was instrumental in introducing the |
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hamburger to the American public, and that sandwich has gone on to |
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become a mainstay in the cultural and economic life of the Lone Star |
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State; it is fitting, therefore, that the association between Texas |
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and this iconic American sandwich be appropriately recognized; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate the hamburger as the official State Sandwich of |
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Texas. |