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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life came to an end with the |
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passing of Loel Dene Cox of Comanche on January 25, 2015, at the age |
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of 88; and |
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WHEREAS, L. D. Cox was born in Sidney on April 12, 1926, to |
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Ottie and Olene Cox; he played football for Sidney High School, and |
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immediately after graduating in 1944, he answered his nation's call |
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to duty and enlisted in the U.S. Navy; and |
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WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. Cox served as a Seaman 1st |
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Class on the famed USS Indianapolis, and in March 1945, he survived |
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a kamikaze attack on the ship during the battle for Okinawa; later |
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that year, after the ship had delivered components for the first |
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atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, it was sunk by a Japanese |
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submarine, and in one of the worst tragedies in U.S. naval history, |
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880 men out of 1,197 died from drowning, starvation, or shark |
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attack; as one of the 317 survivors, Mr. Cox received the Purple |
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Heart; and |
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WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Cox resumed his education, and he |
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earned an associate's degree from John Tarleton Agricultural |
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College in 1947 and a bachelor's degree in agricultural education |
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from Texas A&M University in 1948; he worked as a teacher for a year |
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in San Angelo before settling near Comanche; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Cox was joined in matrimony to Sara Lou |
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McCarroll in 1949, and they shared a rewarding marriage of 65 years |
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until her death; together they were the parents of a son, Lowell, |
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and later in life were blessed with a grandson, Jeff; and |
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WHEREAS, Starting in 1952, Mr. Cox worked for Moorman |
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Manufacturing Company, and he soon became the sales manager for |
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Texas and New Mexico, holding that position until he retired in |
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1984; he was also a member of the board of directors of Comanche |
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National Bank for nearly five decades; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Cox was a member of the Church of Christ in |
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Sidney, as well as the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers |
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Association, the National Rifle Association, the American Legion, |
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the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans; |
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he lived an active lifestyle, regularly traveling to stock shows, |
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and he took pleasure in preparing his famous "two-song biscuits" |
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for guests at his ranch, kneading the dough for as long as it took to |
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sing two cowboy songs; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, Mr. Cox remained proud of his |
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service on the Indianapolis, and he reunited each year with his |
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fellow survivors in the city of Indianapolis to honor their lost |
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shipmates; he was a popular public speaker, sharing his story with |
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audiences around the nation and promoting the ideal of duty to one's |
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community and country; in 2000, he and three other survivors |
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appeared in a Discovery Channel documentary about a search for the |
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lost ship; and |
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WHEREAS, A loving family man, an engaged citizen, and a |
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patriotic veteran, L. D. Cox lived a long and remarkable life in |
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which he experienced both tragedy and triumph, and he leaves behind |
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a legacy that will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved |
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him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Loel Dene Cox and |
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extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his son, |
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Lowell Dean Cox II, and his wife, Terry; to his grandson, Jeff Lin; |
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to his niece, Suzanne Heptner, and her husband, Jerry; to his |
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nephew, Scott Brehm, and his wife, Minerba; and to his other |
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relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Loel Dene |
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Cox. |