H.R. No. 1023

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost a heroic Texan with the passing of Houston McCoy on December 27, 2012, at the age of 72; and

WHEREAS, Houston Roy Chadwick was born in January 1940 in a farmhouse near Menard to Edith Louise Davis and Bill Chadwick; he spent his earliest years on a ranch near Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, where his fascination with the planes overhead was the beginning of a lifelong love of flying; and

WHEREAS, After his mother's remarriage in 1947, he became the adopted son of Les McCoy; he was active in the Boy Scouts and served as an altar boy and lay reader in the Episcopal Church; at Menard High School, he was an honor student and all-district football and basketball player, and his classmates voted him Best All Around Boy and Class Favorite before his graduation in 1958; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McCoy attended Lamar State College of Technology for six months before he answered his nation's call to duty and joined the U.S. Army; stationed near Stuttgart, Germany, he became a member of a local civilian glider club, soloing for the first time after only five hours of training; and

WHEREAS, Returning to Texas in 1962, Mr. McCoy hitchhiked from Menard to Austin with only two dollars in his pocket and joined the Austin Police Department; he married the former Ruth Rosemarie Gebhart the day after he was commissioned as a police officer in July 1963, and during their marriage they were blessed with four children, Kristofer, Stefan, Philip, and Monika; and

WHEREAS, Officer McCoy was one of the two men responsible for stopping Charles Whitman, who killed 14 people and wounded 32 on August 1, 1966, from atop The University of Texas Tower; on that fateful day, Officer McCoy and another Austin policeman were the first officers to reach the sniper at the top of the tower, and together they ended his violent rampage; for his heroism, Officer McCoy received the Austin Police Medal of Valor in 1967; and

WHEREAS, He left the Austin police force after earning his pilot's license and took a job as a civilian flight instructor with the U.S. Air Force in Del Rio, teaching military students to fly the T-41 primary trainer; the flight school was later relocated to Hondo, and Mr. McCoy moved with his family back to Menard; his piloting skills were well known in the community, and at one point, he was enlisted to rescue a neighbor who was trapped in a flooded ravine; he landed his plane on a country road near the scene of the emergency and then flew the man to a hospital; and

WHEREAS, In 1975, Mr. McCoy became the camp ranger at Boy Scout Camp Sol Mayer near Ft. McKavett, allowing him the opportunity to raise his children in the country; the family delighted in fishing, swimming, canoeing, hunting, camping, and horseback riding, among other outdoor pursuits; he also continued to fly, appearing in air shows, working as a crop duster, and giving flight lessons; he retired in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Houston McCoy inspired his fellow Texans and all who knew him with his quiet courage, humility, and dedication to duty, and he leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered for years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Houston McCoy and extend sincere condolences to his many loved ones 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 Houston McCoy.

Hilderbran

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1023 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on March 27, 2013.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House