[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN REMEMBRANCE OF COMER COTTRELL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Comer 
Cottrell, one of Texas' leading African American entrepreneurs and an 
education philanthropist in the Dallas community. His passing on 
October 3, 2014, leaves a void in the city of Dallas, and I join with 
the Texas community in giving our condolences to the Cottrell family.
  Comer Cottrell was born on December 7, 1931, in Mobile, Alabama. He 
was 15 when he graduated from a private high school in 1946 and 
attended the University of Detroit, a Jesuit college. At age seventeen, 
Mr. Cottrell joined the United States Air Force and excelled to the the 
rank of First Sergeant at a very young age. After completing his 
military service, Cottrell returned to Alabama, where he worked part 
time for his father's insurance company.
  In 1968, Mr. Cottrell recalled his time serving in the U.S. Air Force 
and the lack of ethnic hair-care products, which sparked his interest 
in the black hair care business. In 1970, Mr. Cottrell and his brother 
James Cottrell founded Pro-Line Corporation, an African-American hair 
care products company in Los Angeles, California. The company's success 
grew and prompted his move to Dallas, Texas in 1979.
  In 1990, Mr. Cottrell purchased and restored the former Bishop 
College land in southern Dallas to persuade Paul Quinn College to move 
its campus from Waco to Dallas, Texas. Today, the historically black 
college continues to provide educational opportunities for the 
entrepreneurs of tomorrow. In addition to his interest in education 
philanthropy, Mr. Cottrell became the first African-American to hold a 
major stake in a professional baseball team. In 1989, he became a part 
owner, with George W. Bush, of the Texas Rangers.
  Mr. Cottrell is survived by his wife, Felisha Starks Cottrell of 
Dallas; a daughter, Renee Cottrell-Brown of Arlington; four sons, Comer 
Cottrell III of Dallas, Aaron Cottrell of New York, Bryce Cottrell, a 
University of Texas at Austin student, and Lance Cottrell, a University 
of Colorado student; a brother, James Cottrell of Dallas; nine 
grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
  In honor of Mr. Comer Cottrell, a pillar of the Dallas business 
community, this statement will be entered into the Congressional Record 
on Wednesday, November 12, 2014.

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