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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life came to an end with the |
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| 6 | 7 | | passing of Loel Dene Cox of Comanche on January 25, 2015, at the age |
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| 7 | 8 | | of 88; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, L. D. Cox was born in Sidney on April 12, 1926, to |
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| 9 | 10 | | Ottie and Olene Cox; he played football for Sidney High School, and |
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| 10 | 11 | | immediately after graduating in 1944, he answered his nation's call |
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| 11 | 12 | | to duty and enlisted in the U.S. Navy; and |
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| 12 | 13 | | WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. Cox served as a Seaman 1st |
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| 13 | 14 | | Class on the famed USS Indianapolis, and in March 1945, he survived |
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| 14 | 15 | | a kamikaze attack on the ship during the battle for Okinawa; later |
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| 15 | 16 | | that year, after the ship had delivered components for the first |
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| 16 | 17 | | atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, it was sunk by a Japanese |
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| 17 | 18 | | submarine, and in one of the worst tragedies in U.S. naval history, |
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| 18 | 19 | | 880 men out of 1,197 died from drowning, starvation, or shark |
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| 19 | 20 | | attack; as one of the 317 survivors, Mr. Cox received the Purple |
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| 20 | 21 | | Heart; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Cox resumed his education, and he |
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| 22 | 23 | | earned an associate's degree from John Tarleton Agricultural |
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| 23 | 24 | | College in 1947 and a bachelor's degree in agricultural education |
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| 24 | 25 | | from Texas A&M University in 1948; he worked as a teacher for a year |
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| 25 | 26 | | in San Angelo before settling near Comanche; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Cox was joined in matrimony to Sara Lou |
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| 27 | 28 | | McCarroll in 1949, and they shared a rewarding marriage of 65 years |
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| 28 | 29 | | until her death; together they were the parents of a son, Lowell, |
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| 29 | 30 | | and later in life were blessed with a grandson, Jeff; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Starting in 1952, Mr. Cox worked for Moorman |
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| 31 | 32 | | Manufacturing Company, and he soon became the sales manager for |
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| 32 | 33 | | Texas and New Mexico, holding that position until he retired in |
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| 33 | 34 | | 1984; he was also a member of the board of directors of Comanche |
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| 34 | 35 | | National Bank for nearly five decades; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Cox was a member of the Church of Christ in |
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| 36 | 37 | | Sidney, as well as the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers |
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| 37 | 38 | | Association, the National Rifle Association, the American Legion, |
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| 38 | 39 | | the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans; |
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| 39 | 40 | | he lived an active lifestyle, regularly traveling to stock shows, |
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| 40 | 41 | | and he took pleasure in preparing his famous "two-song biscuits" |
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| 41 | 42 | | for guests at his ranch, kneading the dough for as long as it took to |
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| 42 | 43 | | sing two cowboy songs; and |
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| 43 | 44 | | WHEREAS, Through the years, Mr. Cox remained proud of his |
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| 44 | 45 | | service on the Indianapolis, and he reunited each year with his |
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| 45 | 46 | | fellow survivors in the city of Indianapolis to honor their lost |
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| 46 | 47 | | shipmates; he was a popular public speaker, sharing his story with |
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| 47 | 48 | | audiences around the nation and promoting the ideal of duty to one's |
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| 48 | 49 | | community and country; in 2000, he and three other survivors |
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| 49 | 50 | | appeared in a Discovery Channel documentary about a search for the |
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| 50 | 51 | | lost ship; and |
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| 51 | 52 | | WHEREAS, A loving family man, an engaged citizen, and a |
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| 52 | 53 | | patriotic veteran, L. D. Cox lived a long and remarkable life in |
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| 53 | 54 | | which he experienced both tragedy and triumph, and he leaves behind |
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| 54 | 55 | | a legacy that will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved |
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| 55 | 56 | | him; now, therefore, be it |
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| 56 | 57 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 57 | 58 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Loel Dene Cox and |
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| 58 | 59 | | extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his son, |
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| 59 | 60 | | Lowell Dean Cox II, and his wife, Terry; to his grandson, Jeff Lin; |
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| 60 | 61 | | to his niece, Suzanne Heptner, and her husband, Jerry; to his |
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| 61 | 62 | | nephew, Scott Brehm, and his wife, Minerba; and to his other |
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| 62 | 63 | | relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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| 63 | 64 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 64 | 65 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 65 | 66 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Loel Dene |
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| 66 | 67 | | Cox. |
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