Mr. Mercer taught chemistry at Lincoln High for thirty-one years. He kept a battered copy of Sagan's Cosmos on his desk and used to say the periodic table was the best poem ever written.
He coached the science olympiad team to state finals twice. After school he rode his old red Cannondale through the river trails. He brewed his own beer in the garage — never quite got the IPA right, but his porters were excellent.
He loved Karen, their daughter Amelia, and the slow change of seasons.