83R7174 BGU-D

By: Howard H.R. No. 814

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Everett Brown Neptune, Jr., the longtime athletic director for the Eanes Independent School District and Westlake High School, passed away on June 22, 2012, at the age of 73; and

WHEREAS, "Ebbie" Neptune was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, on May 14, 1939, to Everett and Virginia Neptune; in 1948, he moved with his family to Sweeny, where he became a star player and captain on the Sweeny High School football team; following his 1957 graduation, he attended Texas Lutheran College on a football scholarship, earning all-America honors as a tight end; and

WHEREAS, Coach Neptune worked as an assistant coach in La Feria and Pleasanton and then helped Coach Kenneth Dabbs guide Sweeny High to the 1966 University Interscholastic League 2A state championship; in 1969, he joined Coach Dabbs in a move to Westlake High to establish the school's new football program; and

WHEREAS, After serving as offensive line coach and offensive coordinator there, Coach Neptune held jobs in Bay City and Round Rock before returning to Westlake in 1982 as head coach and athletic director of the school; he went on to lead the Chaps to three playoff appearances and was twice named Central Texas Coach of the Year by the Austin American-Statesman; and

WHEREAS, In 1987, Coach Neptune became the first full-time athletic director of both Westlake High and the Eanes Independent School District; he remained in that post for 22 years, during which time Westlake High won 19 state championships as well as the 2002 UIL Lone Star Cup; Coach Neptune was inducted into the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association Hall of Honor in 2004, and the Eanes ISD School Board immortalized his contributions by naming the football stadium Ebbie Neptune Field; and

WHEREAS, Among the numerous accolades bestowed on Coach Neptune was the Texas Lutheran Fighting Heart Award, which was later renamed in his honor as the Ebbie Neptune Fighting Heart Award, and he was also recognized by the Greater Austin Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, He further distinguished himself as a devoted family man to his wife, the former Mary Sue Pinckney, whom he met while in college, as well as their two daughters, Rebecca and Elizabeth; over the years, he delighted in welcoming six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren into his life, and he took great pleasure in supporting their involvement in sports; and

WHEREAS, A towering figure in the history of Westlake High School athletics, Ebbie Neptune was devoted to his students, his community, and his loved ones, and he will forever be remembered with great admiration and affection by all who were privileged to know him; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Everett Brown Neptune, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife of 52 years, Mary Sue Neptune; to his daughters, Rebecca Gibson and her husband, Scott, and Elizabeth Dodge and her husband, Todd; to his grandchildren, Amanda Gahan and her husband, Brian, Allison Schmid and her husband, William, Everett and Grant Gibson, and Todd and Molly Dodge; to his great-grandchildren, Luke and Audrey Gahan and Benjamin Schmid; to his sisters, Linda Smith and Diane Krafka; and to his many other relatives and friends; 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 Ebbie Neptune.