H.R. No. 178R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The passing of Oscar Louis Henry Mehl at the age of 92 has left a void in the lives of his many friends and family; and WHEREAS, Born the sixth of 10 children on May 9, 1910, Oscar Mehl was raised in Sylvan Grove, Kansas, by his parents, Frederick and Elizabeth Mehl; the family lived on 25 acres, with milk cows, chickens, and a garden that created ample opportunity for childhood chores; and WHEREAS, Mr. Mehl graduated magna cum laude as student body president from Valparaiso University in 1933 with a degree in electrical engineering; he worked briefly as a county engineer in Lincoln, Kansas, where he met the love of his life, Garnet Sheets; and WHEREAS, In 1935, the Carrier Corporation offered him a job as one of 20 engineers nationwide, prompting a move to Chicago; shortly after, Mr. Mehl was transferred to Dallas and on his way to the Lone Star State, he stopped in Kansas to marry the lovely Miss Sheets; and WHEREAS, While in Dallas, Mr. Mehl worked on such buildings as the Lone Star Gas Building, the Medical Arts Building, the Magnolia Building, and many others; after 40 years of faithful service, he retired from the Carrier Corporation as Southern Zone Manager in 1975; and WHEREAS, He was a lifetime member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers and was also actively involved with the Park Cities Rotary Club for many years; and WHEREAS, Mr. Mehl found many interests after retirement, not the least of which was expanding and displaying his collection of about 12,000 beer cans; he also did his best to keep Mrs. Mehl supplied with wooden parts for the many craft items she produced over the years; and WHEREAS, The couple joined Our Redeemer Lutheran Church shortly after its installation and have had lifelong friends in the church; an active member, Mr. Mehl served as president, elder, and on various committees and built a cross from the original wood flooring that still hangs in the gymnasium; and WHEREAS, Mr. Mehl spent the past five years in independent living at The Forum retirement home, where he and his beloved wife made and enjoyed many new friends; the Wednesday night poker group was particularly gratifying to the venturesome Mr. Mehl; and WHEREAS, Oscar Louis Henry Mehl was devoted to his wife, children, and faith and although his love and guidance will be missed by all who were privileged to know him, his spirit will long live on in the hearts and minds of the many people whose lives he touched; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas Legislature hereby honor the life of Oscar Louis Henry Mehl and extend sincere sympathy to his family: to his wife, Garnet; to his children, Jim and wife Judith, Lynette Hilliard and Jim Hearne, and John and wife Julie; to his grandchildren, Dr. Stuart Hilliard, Brooke and Mike Mercer, and Laura, Sarah, and Michael Mehl; to his great-grandchildren, Campbell and Hank Mercer; and to the many friends of this esteemed gentleman; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Oscar Louis Henry Mehl. Goolsby Craddick Giddings Merritt Allen Goodman Miller Alonzo Goolsby Moreno of Harris Bailey Griggs Moreno of El Paso Baxter Grusendorf Morrison Berman Guillen Mowery Bohac Gutierrez Naishtat Bonnen Haggerty Nixon Branch Hamilton Noriega Brown of Kaufman Hamric Oliveira Brown of Brazos Hardcastle Olivo Burnam Harper-Brown Paxton Callegari Hartnett Pena Campbell Heflin Phillips Canales Hegar Pickett Capelo Hilderbran Pitts Casteel Hill Puente Castro Hochberg Quintanilla Chavez Hodge Rangel Chisum Homer Raymond Christian Hope Reyna Coleman Hopson Riddle Cook of Navarro Howard Ritter Cook of Colorado Hughes Rodriguez Corte Hunter Rose Crabb Hupp Seaman Crownover Isett Smith of Tarrant Davis of Harris Jones of Lubbock Smith of Harris Davis of Dallas Jones of Bexar Smithee Dawson Jones of Dallas Solis Delisi Keel Solomons Denny Keffer of Dallas Stick Deshotel Keffer of Eastland Swinford Driver King Talton Dukes Kolkhorst Taylor Dunnam Krusee Telford Dutton Kuempel Thompson Edwards Laney Truitt Eiland Laubenberg Turner Eissler Lewis Uresti Elkins Luna Van Arsdale Ellis Mabry Villarreal Farabee Madden West Farrar Marchant Wilson Flores Martinez Fischer Wise Flynn McCall Wohlgemuth Gallego McClendon Wolens Garza McReynolds Wong Gattis Menendez Woolley Geren Mercer Zedler ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 178 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on February 24, 2003. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House