85R8586 JGH-D
By: Hunter H.R. No. 231
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life drew to a close with the
death of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander (Ret.) W. L. Crouch of
Rockport on November 17, 2016, at the age of 91; and
WHEREAS, "Babe" Crouch was born in Wilson, Oklahoma, on
September 25, 1925, to Leo and Audrey Crouch, and grew up in
Kilgore; in 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended boot
camp at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his 30 years in the navy,
Mr. Crouch steadily worked his way up through the ranks and served
all over the world, including the South Pacific, Japan, Korea, the
Philippines, the Azores, and Cuba; in the early 1960s, as a
production and quality control officer, he worked on the Lunar
Excursion Module later used in the Apollo moon missions, and he
participated in research on the Polaris nuclear missile; he
subsequently served off the coast of Vietnam aboard the aircraft
carrier USS Yorktown; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Crouch's many commendations included the World
War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the
American Campaign Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United
Nations Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam
Service Medal, among many others; he retired from the navy at the
rank of lieutenant commander in 1973; and
WHEREAS, That same year, Lieutenant Commander Crouch settled
in Texas and joined the Navy League Sea Cadet Program, and he spent
the rest of his life training young cadets in basic seamanship,
self-reliance, leadership, and discipline; he served as Sea Cadet
National Vice President, Southwest Field Representative, and
commanding officer of the training ship Alamo, among other
positions; in 1998, he received the Superior Public Service Award
from the secretary of the navy, and in 2004, he was named an admiral
in the Texas Navy; and
WHEREAS, This distinguished officer married Lieutenant
Commander Suzy Williams of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps in 2002; he
took pride in a fine family that included his daughter, Cindy
Crouch, and his stepdaughter, Roxanna Hott, as well as his wife's
children and grandchildren; since his baptism in 2002, he had been
an active member of First Baptist Church in Rockport; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Commander Crouch possessed the courage
and initiative that defined the finest members of his generation,
and his exemplary service to his country will forever inspire all
who had the privilege to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Lieutenant Commander
W. L. Crouch and extend sincere condolences to his family 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 W. L.
Crouch.