H.R. No. 186
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The life of a respected innovator in the petroleum
industry drew to a close with the passing of J. G. Savins on January
11, 2019, at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, The son of an army serviceman, George Savins was
born on August 15, 1925, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to Sergeant George
Francis Savins and Herlinda Savins; as a teenager, he was forced to
evacuate from Oahu, Hawaii, as World War II reached the island and
the Battle of Midway loomed, and he went on to join the fight
himself following his graduation from Martin High School in Laredo
in 1943; he served as a member of the 658th Field Artillery
Battalion in Germany and England, and after returning home, he
earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Texas A&M
University; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Savins went to work as a junior chemist at
Magnolia Petroleum Company's Field Research Laboratory in
Duncanville in 1949, and a year later, he married his college
sweetheart, Jeannette Hastings; the couple shared nearly 55 years
of marriage until her passing, and they were blessed with 7 sons,
George, Michael, James, Matthew, Richard, Tim, and Eric, along with
19 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, During the Korean War, Mr. Savins joined the local
U.S. Army Reserve unit of the Chemical Corps along with other Field
Research Laboratory chemists and engineers, and he was commissioned
a second lieutenant; over the course of his career at home, he made
numerous contributions to the development and improvement of
drilling technologies, particularly with regard to the enhancement
of drilling fluids used in oil exploration; his diverse research
interests led to his receiving 12 international and 31 U.S. patents
and producing 36 publications, and he also organized and co-chaired
symposia, conferences, and sessions on a variety of petroleum
engineering topics; and
WHEREAS, After retiring from Mobil Research and Development
in 1985, Mr. Savins worked as a research associate for The
University of Texas Balcones Research Center, and he later served
as a technical consultant to the R&E Group at NL Baroid in Houston;
in 2010, he was inducted by the American Association of Drilling
Engineers into its Drilling Fluids Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, George Savins was a man of uncommon intellect and
ingenuity, and he leaves behind a record of achievement that his
loved ones can remember with pride; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of J. G. Savins and
extend sincere sympathy 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 J. G.
Savins.
Wray
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 186 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 6, 2019.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House