[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 187 (Monday, November 2, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





               IN HONOR OF MAYOR CURTISTENE SMITH McCOWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, November 2, 2020

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
honor the life of Mrs. Curtistene Smith McCowan, Mayor of DeSoto, 
Texas, who passed away on October 28, 2020.
  Mayor McCowan's experience in public service was commendable, and the 
extension of her influence cannot be measured by the positions she 
held--of which there were many. Among her laudable achievements 
included Mayor of DeSoto, DeSoto City Councilmember, President of the 
DeSoto Economic Development Cooperation Board of Directors, Founder and 
President of the Concerned DeSoto Citizens nonprofit, and Chair of the 
Trustee Board at the Kirkwood Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal 
Church, just to name a few. Even in the 21st Century, Mrs. McCowan was 
the first African American elected to public office in DeSoto and the 
first woman to hold the office of mayor.
  In our countless meetings together, Mayor McCowan and I always left 
with a greater understanding and appreciation for one another's 
perspectives. We shared the same vision for the future of DeSoto where 
its citizens and institutions flourished under her fervent leadership. 
During her tenure, Mayor McCowan made significant strides towards 
access for quality education, fiscal accountability, and the economic 
development of the city, among several other initiatives.
  Mayor McCowan saw adversity as simply a bump in the road--a necessary 
hurdle on the way to success. She met her challenges, both personal and 
public, with a fierce, yet gentle tenacity. When announcing her cancer 
diagnosis during a city council meeting in early October 2020, she made 
it clear that her priority would remain the wellbeing of DeSoto and its 
residents during these trying times. ``I've always said that when we 
work together, there's nothing that we can't accomplish,'' she remarked 
during that meeting. It is in that spirit that we carry on her legacy, 
so that generations to come may feel the significant impact of her 
life.
  Mayor McCowan is survived by her husband of 54 years, Leon R. 
McCowan, two sons, and three grandchildren. Also among her progeny 
include the students of Curtistene S. McCowan Middle School and the 
many of us she inspired along the way.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Texas Congressional Delegation and 
this legislative body, I compassionately extend my sincere condolences 
to the McCowan family, friends and loved ones. We know that DeSoto is a 
better place because of the well-lived life of Mayor Curtistene Smith 
McCowan.

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