Description
SMU mourns the death of Lila Cockrell, a remarkable and pioneering woman always proudly recognized by the University as a most noted alumna. Mrs. Cockrell graduated from SMU in 1942 with a bachelor of arts degree, and was honored in 1967 with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor the University bestows upon alumnae. She received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from SMU in 1981, and the University celebrated her again in 2014 as a DAA Centennial History Maker during SMU’s Centennial Celebration. Members of the SMU alumni community and friends of Mrs. Cockrell are inviting people to honor her legacy of leadership and service with a gift to a memorial tribute fund at SMU. If donors meet a $100,000 goal by Dec. 31, 2019, the contributions will be moved to a scholarship endowment fund named for her. Otherwise, contributions will be put to work immediately to support current students through SMU scholarships.
Lila Cockrell Scholarship Fund
SMU mourns the death of Lila Cockrell, a remarkable and pioneering woman always proudly recognized by the University as a most noted alumna.
Mrs. Cockrell graduated from SMU in 1942 with a bachelor of arts degree, and was honored in 1967 with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor the University bestows upon alumnae. She received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from SMU in 1981, and the University celebrated her again in 2014 as a DAA Centennial History Maker during SMU’s Centennial Celebration.
Mrs. Cockrell was the first woman mayor of San Antonio, serving four terms during 1975-91, and remained an important voice in the city for more than 60 years of service on countless municipal commissions, civic boards, foundations and conservancies until retiring in 2013. Her life is a story of accomplishment. Her recently published memoir, Love Deeper than a River (Trinity University Press), recalls her life as a public servant in her beloved city and how being a member of the Greatest Generation, coming of age during Prohibition, and witnessing the Great Depression, World War II, as well as the burgeoning civil rights movement kindled her passion for service.
Her many accolades include the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame and the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. She received the Tom Bradley Award for Public Service from the National Association of Regional Councils, the Spence Vanderlinden Award for Public Service from the American Public Power Association, and The Woman Who Made a Difference award from the International Women's Forum.
Members of the SMU alumni community and friends of Mrs. Cockrell invite all to honor her extraordinary legacy of leadership and service with a gift to a memorial tribute fund at SMU. If donors meet a $100,000 goal by Dec. 31, 2019, the contributions will be moved to a scholarship endowment fund named for her. Otherwise, contributions will be put to work immediately to support current students through SMU scholarships.