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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Admired educator William Hayes Cotton of Dallas |
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County passed away on May 9, 2019, at the age of 85; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Hammond on January 1, 1934, William Cotton |
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attended the Hammond Colored School until his family moved to |
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Dallas; he graduated from Lincoln High School and went on to |
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complete his bachelor's degree in political science, history, and |
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elementary education at Prairie View A&M University; later he |
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earned a master's degree from North Texas State University and |
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entered its doctoral program; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Cotton taught science in Bryan for two years and |
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joined the Dallas Independent School District in 1957; after |
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teaching at Colonial Elementary School, he served as principal of |
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L. B. Lamar School and then Benjamin Banneker High; in 1967 he |
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became the first African American administrator assigned to a |
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predominantly Anglo school in the district as assistant principal |
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of South Oak Cliff High, and two years later he was named principal; |
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he became the district's first African American operations director |
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in 1971, and he eventually served for 25 years as associate |
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superintendent for management services before his retirement in |
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2000; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply committed to education, Mr. Cotton served as |
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the first African American president of the Dallas School |
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Administrators Association; he was a founding treasurer of the |
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Dallas Regional-National Alliance of Black School Educators and |
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secretary of the Credit Union of Texas; among the numerous |
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accolades he received were an honorary doctor of letters degree |
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from Texas College, the Dallas Urban League Yvonne A. Ewell |
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Excellence in Education Award, and the Texas Legislative Black |
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Caucus Education Award; he further contributed to his community as |
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a member of the Dallas Urban League, the NAACP, and Cedar Crest CME |
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Church; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Cotton enjoyed the love |
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and support of his wife, Imogene, and their children, Fleta, |
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Moncita, Kamalia, and William, and he took great pride in his |
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grandchildren, Regina, Courtney, Moriah, Caitlyn, and Cathryn and |
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great-grandchildren, Kristopher, Ari, and Royal; and |
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WHEREAS, While the death of William Cotton brings great |
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sadness to his family and friends, he leaves behind a legacy that |
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will long be treasured by all those who held him dear; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of William Hayes |
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Cotton and extend sincere condolences to his loved ones; and, be it |
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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 William |
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Cotton. |