Frank C Cooksey

Kentucky Birthplace / Texas Roots

Frank was born on June 3, 1933 in Ashland, Kentucky, to Herman Hanna Cooksey and Virginia Rowe Cooksey. He was named for his maternal Grandfather, Bedford Frank Rowe and the Cloud family, the maiden name of his maternal Grandmother, Mabel Cloud Rowe. His great-great Grandfather, John Wurts Could, was an early settler in Texas, having come to the Austin colony in 1827 as the first Episcopal priest to settle in Texas. Frank’s Great-great Grandfather, John Wurts Cloud, was the first Episcopal priest in Texas, as noted in the historical journals of the Episcopal Church. Rev. Cloud came from Natchez, Mississippi, in 1827, where he and his Father, Adam Cloud, had founded the Episcopal church. Adam Cloud followed Rev. Cloud to Texas in 1831 pursuant to instructions written in Spanish by Stephen F. Austin to the guard at the mouth of the Brazos River. His great-great Grandmother, Rebekkah Landis Washignton, was one of one of the charter members of the First Baptist Church of Austin in 1847. Frank was member, deacon, teacher, choir member, and active participant in that church during all of the years that he lived in Austin.

Childhood and Early Years

Frank Cooksey spent the first seven years of his life in Grayson, Carter County, Kentucky, where his father owned a department store. He moved to Austin, Texas in 1940 with his parents and sister, Sylvia Jean, who was always a close friend and devoted sister. Frank attended the public schools in Grayson and Austin and obtained a fine public education from dedicated teachers for whom he always expressed gratitude during his life. Frank attended Pease Elementary, University Junior High, and Austin High School in Austin, He was inducted into the Austin High School Hall of Honor, and was an active member of the Austin High class of 1951.

University

Frank continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, and spent his undergraduate and graduate years there, with the exception of short periods of study at Baylor University in Waco and Union Theological Seminary in New York, New York. He obtained his BA from the University of Texas in 1955 and was privileged to lead the 50 year reunion of that class, along with his friend and Co-Chair Peggy Person. Frank received his law degree from the University of Texas in 1962, after receiving instruction in government and law. While at the University of Texas, Frank was a student body president, outstanding student, and member of the Friar Society, Silver Spurs, and University Y, each of which he led. He loved both the academic life of the UT and being a huge fan of the Longhorn sports teams, especially the basketball and football programs. Frank was a member of the Tejas Club at UT, where he enjoyed fellowship and a rich social life with his fellow Braves, including roommates Harley Clark and Dave Welborn. He received the recognition of Distinguished Alumni from the Tejas Club at their 90th Anniversary.

Frank worked his way through the University of Texas and deeply appreciated all of the professors and teachers in the public school and higher education system who instructed him and assisted in the development of his mind. He was always sensitive to the needs of working students and favored low tuition and strong financial support for UT by the Texas Legislature.

Marriage and Family Life

While at the University of Texas, Frank met Lynn Cornelius of Pampa, Texas. They dated for several years, and married on September 6, 1958, They celebrated fifty years of marriage on September 6, 2008. Frank and Lynn were blessed with two fine children, Kathryn Christine, in 1959 and Franklin Carlyle, in 1962. Frank dearly loved his family, and he spent much time with them in recreation, learning, worship, and support. Frank and his family loved events with their extended family and friends on special occasions and enjoyed entertaining them and having meaningful fellowship ."Our hope is in the recovery of the personal in relation. Nothing else matters—much.” as his beloved Pastor, Carlyle Marney, once wrote.

Career

During his career as a lawyer, Frank served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. where he worked on voting rights cases in Alabama and enforced the public accommodations section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was totally dedicated to equal justice under law. Frank was appointed Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Texas, where he handled criminal cases as a prosecutor and participated in the acquisition of land for public purposes, including the land near Port Isabel used for the Padre Island National Seashore.  He also served as a Special Assistant to John Hill, the Attorney General of Texas, representing various state agencies in the Federal Court system and authoring the affirmative action program of the Attorney General's office.

Frank spent about half of his legal career in private practice, working in law firms in Houston and. Austin. The last sixteen years of active practice were spent with the Hilgers and Watkins law firm from which he retired. He was active for many years in the representation of Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital as General Counsel and represented nursing homes and individual health care providers as well. He enjoyed representing persons deprived of their civil rights, and advised many persons on matters involving their right to equal justice under law. Time Warner Cable in Austin hired him to advise them and represent them in dealings with the City of Austin as they renewed their license agreements to provide cable service to Austinites.

Love of Music

Frank loved music, and he sang in church choirs for almost fifty years, being a tenor soloist in choirs at the First Baptist Church of Austin, First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., and the Covenant Baptist Church of Houston. He also sang in the Houston Symphony Chorale, the Cantata Singers of Houston, the Christ Church Catheral (Episcopal) Choir of Houston, and the Austin Choral Union. Frank represented musicians in his law practice, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Alvin Crow, and others, and he especially loved the music of Jerry Jeff Walker, Marcia Ball, Angela Strehli, Judy Collins, and the Beatles. During his latter years, he came to love jazz, especially the work of Pamela Hart and Tina Marsh and the Creative Opportunity Orchestra.                    

Civic Leadership

Frank Cooksey was first and foremost a public servant. He lead, at various times, the Southgate Civic Club in Houston, Houston Metropolitan Ministries (inter-faith), the Texas Institute for Families, the Save Barton Creek Association, Austin Metropolitan Ministries (inter-faith),the United Nations Association of Austin, and Capitol Area Homeless Alliance. He served on the boards of Brent School PTA (Washington, D.C.), Board of Deacons of Covenant Baptist Church (Houston), Citizens for Good Schools (Houston),Texas Bill of Rights Foundation (Houston), West Austin Neighborhood Group, City of Austin Electric Utility Commission, Professionals for Nuclear Arms Control, Governor's Energy Advisory Council, the International Hospitality Council of Austin, Board of the Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy, and Board of Deacons and Church Council of First Baptist Church of Austin.

Mayoral Contributions

Cooksey was elected to and served one three year term as Mayor of Austin, Texas (1985-88). During his term, the Comprehensive Watershed Ordinance was passed to protect the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs, which he dearly loved. During the Frank's time as Mayor bonds ($726 million) were passed to build a new airport, with the stipulation that the old site not be used in the future as an airport, which has resulted in the city sponsored and planned Mueller development we have today. The South Austin sewage treatment plant was financed and built. Two abandoned railroad rights of way were obtained by the City of Austin and given to Capitol Metro for use in developing a rail transit system into downtown Austin. Frank proposed the roadway that is now S.H. 130 as a by-pass for I-35. The planning of the City Convention Center was begun during Frank's term, and many land use decisions were made then, including the rules governing development on Town Lake, the zoning of lands along North Lamar and in the Oak Hill area. The Parkland Dedication Ordinance was adopted, which required developers to contribute to the development of new parks, and the Art in Public Places Ordinance was adopted, requiring a part of the budget for all public buildings to be devoted to art on the premises. In his role with the United States Conference of Mayors, he arranged for a National Housing Forum in Austin, jointly sponsored by the City of Austin, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the United States Conference of Mayors. Sematech, a consortium of computer chip research and manufacturing companies selected Austin as its location, after a cooperative effort the City of Austin, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Austin Chamber of Commerce, with the City, State, and Federal Governments (through Congressman Jake Pickle) making substantial contributions to that effort.

International Contributions

Cooksey spent a year in the Republic of Moldova with the American Bar Association Central and East European Law Initiative as a Rule of Law Liaison and served as the interim Executive Director of the CEELI Institute, in Prague, Czech Republic, in an ABA sponsored legal education program for judges and lawyers throughout Central and Eastern Europe.