Bill Text: TX HR117 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the release of the motion picture 12 Mighty Orphans, filmed in Fort Worth.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-09-08 - Reported enrolled [HR117 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR117-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 117 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Residents of Fort Worth and the surrounding area may | ||
| indeed take great pride in the new motion picture 12 Mighty Orphans, | ||
| which was filmed in their community and tells the story of a | ||
| legendary local football team; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Based on a book by Dallas sportswriter Jim Dent, 12 | ||
| Mighty Orphans is about the Mighty Mites, the hardscrabble high | ||
| school football team of the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home in Fort | ||
| Worth during the Great Depression era; the team was coached by World | ||
| War I veteran Rusty Russell, who walked away from a better-paying | ||
| job to work at the orphanage in 1927; with few resources, the Mighty | ||
| Mites had to practice with two socks stuffed together instead of a | ||
| football, and they traveled to games in the back of Coach Russell's | ||
| smoke-belching Dodge pickup truck; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In spite of its hardships, the team won its first | ||
| game against Mineral Wells 34 to 14, and it went on to a remarkable | ||
| 8-2 first season; in 1932, the Mighty Mites made it to the state | ||
| championship, and they reached the state semifinals in 1934, 1938, | ||
| and 1940; two players, Hardy Brown and Dewitt Coulter, later played | ||
| professional football, and one of the players from the first | ||
| season, Abner McCall, went on to become president of Baylor | ||
| University and a Texas Supreme Court justice; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Released by Sony Pictures Classics, this | ||
| inspirational story has been brought to the screen by director and | ||
| West Texas native Ty Roberts, with a screenplay by Lane Garrison, | ||
| Kevin Meyer, and Mr. Roberts; it stars Dallas native Luke Wilson as | ||
| Coach Russell, and it features performances by such veteran actors | ||
| as Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Wayne Knight, and Treat Williams; | ||
| the film was shot in and around Fort Worth in the fall of 2019, and | ||
| it provided employment to hundreds of local residents, utilized | ||
| area businesses, and featured such iconic locations as Farrington | ||
| Field and the Masonic Temple, as well as Yellow Jacket Stadium in | ||
| Cleburne and the Texas Pythian Home in Weatherford; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Joining an elite group of motion pictures to be shot | ||
| in Fort Worth, 12 Mighty Orphans places the national spotlight on | ||
| the city as a filming and tourist destination, while providing an | ||
| entertaining showcase for the remarkable story of the Mighty Mites; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
| Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commemorate the release of | ||
| 12 Mighty Orphans and extend to all those associated with the film | ||
| sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for the cast and crew of 12 Mighty Orphans as an expression | ||
| of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. | ||
| Geren | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 117 was adopted by the House on | ||
| September 2, 2021, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
