H.R. No. 517
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A full and productive life drew to a close with the
passing of John Elihue Codwell Jr. on August 14, 2017; and
WHEREAS, The only child of educators Vera Codwell and John
Elihue Codwell Sr., John Codwell was born in the Fourth Ward in
Houston in 1933 and moved to the Fifth Ward when he was in
elementary school; he attended Phillis Wheatley High School and
graduated third in the Class of 1950, with both academic and
athletic honors; seeking opportunities not available in
segregation-era Texas, he chose to enroll in his father's alma
mater, the University of Michigan, where he earned three varsity
letters; he became the school's first African American basketball
player when he made the freshman team, and he went on to play at the
varsity level and made the All-Big Ten team as an honorable mention;
a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps, he was commissioned
as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force after
graduation; he served at Ellington Air Force Base as a navigator and
instructor and attained the rank of first lieutenant; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Codwell earned his master's degree from Wayne
State University, and he was employed by the Detroit school
district for 27 years; he rose to become superintendent of support
services with responsibility for managing the district's security
forces, student busing services, and lunch and food services
program; following his retirement from the district, he joined the
municipal government, and he was appointed executive director of
the Detroit Public Housing Authority; he was inducted into Sigma Pi
Phi, which honors accomplished African American college graduates
and professionals, and he belonged to Iota Boulé in Detroit and
later Nu Boulé in Houston; in 2013, he was inducted as a Phillis
Wheatley High School Alumni Wall of Fame honoree; and
WHEREAS, Devoted to his family, Mr. Codwell shared a
fulfilling marriage with Evelyn Bernette Reid Codwell that spanned
nearly three decades before her passing in 1985; he took great pride
in his two children, Carolyn Elaine Codwell and John Elihue Codwell
III, and his three grandchildren, Austin, Reid, and John; and
WHEREAS, While the death of John Codwell Jr. brings great
sadness to his family and friends, he leaves behind a legacy that
will long be treasured by all those who held him dear; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of
John E. Codwell Jr. and extend sincere sympathy to his loved ones;
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 John E.
Codwell Jr.
Dutton
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 517 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on August 15, 2017.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House