H.R. No. 1517

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The 21st annual Texas Scottish Festival & Highland
	Games are being held at Maverick Stadium, on the campus of The
	University of Texas at Arlington, June 1-3, 2007; and
	WHEREAS, One of the largest Scottish gatherings in the
	country, this outstanding family event offers the public a chance
	to enjoy traditional Scottish music and athletic competitions, as
	well as a golf tournament and other Scottish-themed activities; and
	WHEREAS, Scots and people of Scottish descent have long made
	notable contributions to the exploration and development of this
	state; in the early 1830s, Thomas Drummond, a native Scot,
	collected extensively between the coast and the Edwards Plateau;
	his botanical and zoological collections were later distributed
	internationally to a number of museums and other institutions; and
	WHEREAS, Among the first northern Europeans to settle in
	Texas, Scots and their descendants composed more than 40 percent of
	Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred and predominated among the
	more than 600 families in Robertson's Colony; their number included
	such heroes of the Texas Revolution as Sam Houston, David Crockett,
	and the empresario Sterling Clack Robertson, who signed both the
	Texas Declaration of Independence and the constitution of the
	Republic of Texas; four Scottish-born soldiers fought with the
	Texans at the Alamo, and one of them, John MacGregor, is reported to
	have rallied his comrades with his bagpipes during the siege; and
	WHEREAS, After Texas became a republic and then a state,
	Scots and their descendants continued to make their mark; some who
	achieved prominence were George Cupples, a physician, Jesse
	Chisholm, a frontier trader, interpreter, and trailblazer, and
	Edmund Duncan Montgomery, a scientist and philosopher; in addition,
	Scottish capitalists financed the establishment of vast cattle
	spreads and also the building of the present State Capitol, which
	was constructed with the help of Scottish stonemasons; and
	WHEREAS, Today, organizations around the state promote
	fellowship among Scottish Texans, as well as such popular
	traditions as Scottish dance and highland games; the state even has
	its own official plaid, the Texas Bluebonnet Tartan; and
	WHEREAS, Scots and their descendants have made an indelible
	imprint on the Lone Star State, and the Texas Scottish Festival &
	Highland Games provide a fitting opportunity to salute their myriad
	contributions; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize June 2007 as Scottish Heritage Month
	and extend to all who work to preserve the best of the Scottish
	legacy in Texas sincere appreciation and best wishes.
	Branch
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1517 was adopted by the House on May
	4, 2007, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House