H.R. No. 2 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The retirement of Captain Edward "Ned" Mercer, Jr., 1-2 brings to a close an illustrious 41-year career as a channel pilot 1-3 on the Houston Ship Channel; and 1-4 WHEREAS, This distinguished individual, at the age of 77, is 1-5 the senior pilot in Texas and has guided oceangoing vessels from 1-6 the open sea to port through the 54-mile-long channel on more than 1-7 12,000 occasions; and 1-8 WHEREAS, Piloting a great oceangoing vessel through the 1-9 narrow channel is a demanding and dangerous task requiring a sure 1-10 hand, an almost instinctual grasp of basic physics, and nerves of 1-11 iron; because of a phenomenon known as bank suction, which can 1-12 cause ships to sheer off course, pilots must engage in a tricky 1-13 maneuver called the Texas Chicken to avoid head-on collisions; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Having ridden on the channel as a boy with his 1-15 father, a tugboat captain and later a pilot in his own right, the 1-16 young Ned Mercer got a job on the water soon after graduating from 1-17 high school in 1933; shortly thereafter, he shipped out on an oil 1-18 tanker working the Gulf Coast, became a hand on harbor tugs three 1-19 years later, and made captain shortly before the United States' 1-20 entry into World War II; and 1-21 WHEREAS, The heightened sense of urgency and menace that 1-22 attended ship traffic all along the nation's coasts during the war 1-23 years is conveyed by the occasion on which Captain Mercer, heading 1-24 to Port Isabel from Galveston to pick up a barge, sighted the 2-1 conning tower of an enemy submarine off Freeport and eluded attack 2-2 by taking his unarmed tug into the shallowest water possible; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Throughout his long and eventful career, this 2-4 dedicated and hardworking pilot has performed his exacting tasks 2-5 with skill, courage, and aplomb, establishing a record that is a 2-6 source of both inspiration and justifiable pride to his brother 2-7 pilots and of awe and wonder to everyone who has ever witnessed 2-8 that dance of leviathans known as the Texas Chicken; now, 2-9 therefore, be it 2-10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 2-11 Legislature hereby honor Captain Edward "Ned" Mercer, Jr., ship's 2-12 pilot extraordinaire, on the occasion of his retirement and extend 2-13 to him sincere best wishes for happiness in the years to come; and, 2-14 be it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-16 prepared for Captain Mercer as an expression of high regard by the 2-17 Texas House of Representatives. 2-18 Texas House of Representatives. 2-19 Danburg 2-20 H.R. No. 2 2-21 _______________________________ 2-22 Speaker of the House 2-23 I certify that H.R. No. 2 was adopted by the House on March 2-24 11, 1993, by a non-record vote. 2-25 _______________________________ 2-26 Chief Clerk of the House