Bill Text: TX HR503 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Loel Dene Cox of Comanche.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-03-17 - Reported enrolled [HR503 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR503-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 503 | ||
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| WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life came to an end with the | ||
| passing of Loel Dene Cox of Comanche on January 25, 2015, at the age | ||
| of 88; and | ||
| WHEREAS, L. D. Cox was born in Sidney on April 12, 1926, to | ||
| Ottie and Olene Cox; he played football for Sidney High School, and | ||
| immediately after graduating in 1944, he answered his nation's call | ||
| to duty and enlisted in the U.S. Navy; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. Cox served as a Seaman 1st | ||
| Class on the famed USS Indianapolis, and in March 1945, he survived | ||
| a kamikaze attack on the ship during the battle for Okinawa; later | ||
| that year, after the ship had delivered components for the first | ||
| atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, it was sunk by a Japanese | ||
| submarine, and in one of the worst tragedies in U.S. naval history, | ||
| 880 men out of 1,197 died from drowning, starvation, or shark | ||
| attack; as one of the 317 survivors, Mr. Cox received the Purple | ||
| Heart; and | ||
| WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Cox resumed his education, and he | ||
| earned an associate's degree from John Tarleton Agricultural | ||
| College in 1947 and a bachelor's degree in agricultural education | ||
| from Texas A&M University in 1948; he worked as a teacher for a year | ||
| in San Angelo before settling near Comanche; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Cox was joined in matrimony to Sara Lou | ||
| McCarroll in 1949, and they shared a rewarding marriage of 65 years | ||
| until her death; together they were the parents of a son, Lowell, | ||
| and later in life were blessed with a grandson, Jeff; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Starting in 1952, Mr. Cox worked for Moorman | ||
| Manufacturing Company, and he soon became the sales manager for | ||
| Texas and New Mexico, holding that position until he retired in | ||
| 1984; he was also a member of the board of directors of Comanche | ||
| National Bank for nearly five decades; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Cox was a member of the Church of Christ in | ||
| Sidney, as well as the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers | ||
| Association, the National Rifle Association, the American Legion, | ||
| the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans; | ||
| he lived an active lifestyle, regularly traveling to stock shows, | ||
| and he took pleasure in preparing his famous "two-song biscuits" | ||
| for guests at his ranch, kneading the dough for as long as it took to | ||
| sing two cowboy songs; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Through the years, Mr. Cox remained proud of his | ||
| service on the Indianapolis, and he reunited each year with his | ||
| fellow survivors in the city of Indianapolis to honor their lost | ||
| shipmates; he was a popular public speaker, sharing his story with | ||
| audiences around the nation and promoting the ideal of duty to one's | ||
| community and country; in 2000, he and three other survivors | ||
| appeared in a Discovery Channel documentary about a search for the | ||
| lost ship; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A loving family man, an engaged citizen, and a | ||
| patriotic veteran, L. D. Cox lived a long and remarkable life in | ||
| which he experienced both tragedy and triumph, and he leaves behind | ||
| a legacy that will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved | ||
| him; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Loel Dene Cox and | ||
| extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his son, | ||
| Lowell Dean Cox II, and his wife, Terry; to his grandson, Jeff Lin; | ||
| to his niece, Suzanne Heptner, and her husband, Jerry; to his | ||
| nephew, Scott Brehm, and his wife, Minerba; and to his 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 Loel Dene | ||
| Cox. | ||
| Sheffield | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 503 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on March 12, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
