Today we remember Lila Cockrell

Photo: Helotes Echo

Even though her parents, Bruce and Velma Banks lived in San Antonio at the time, Lila May Banks was born at All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth on this day 100 years ago. It was because her maternal grandmother, Julia May McCampbell, had insisted that Lila’s mother stay with her in Fort Worth in the weeks leading up to her birth. Her parents ultimately brought her home to San Antonio and she grew up in the Laurel Heights area.

During her junior year of college, Lila became involved with the YMCA/YWCA organization. In the summer of 1941 she was given the opportunity of filling a summer job as a waitress at Estes Park, Colorado. One morning, during a break, she wandered over to the Post Office to see if she had received any mail. It was there that she exchanged a long glance with a young man who had walked in. Even though they did not speak, she was smitten, and later told a friend, “I think I have just met the man I am going to marry” That young man was Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr. who worked for the YMCA in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As history shows, she was right. They were soon formally introduced by friends, and enjoyed a short courtship. Then, during a visit to see her in Dallas, Sid proposed to Lila during a movie at the Drive-In. They were married in June 1942.

Following Sid’s military service in Iceland, and with Lila already completing her service in the WAVES, and now a proud mother, January 1956 saw the Cockrell family arrive to begin their new life in San Antonio via stays in Kansas City, Tulsa, Louisville, New York City and Dallas.

They settled in the Jefferson neighborhood, near Woodlawn Lake, and Lila became active within the community, volunteering to assist numerous groups..religious, educational and political, and soon found herself serving as the president of the League of Women’s Voters.

Her standing in the San Antonio community became widely noticed, and in January 1963, Lila was invited to become the only female on the Good Government League ticket for the San Antonio city council, led by Walter McAllister. She, along with all the other candidates on the ticket, was duly elected to represent the city.

While serving on the council, Lila Cockrell became involved with the forthcoming World’s Fair, celebrating San Antonio’s 250th anniversary in 1968, and today, she is honored on the river frontage of the theater for the performing arts which bears her named, and constructed for “Hemisfair”

Photo: San Antonio Report

Lila Cockrell went on to serve two terms as San Antonio’s Mayor, the first was from May 1975 through to May 1981, and this was the first election where the city’s Mayor was chosen by all voters. Up until then, the position of Mayor was decided on a majority vote of the city council. 

Photo: San Antonio Express News

During this first term, she recalled that there were a number of notable visitors to San Antonio. President Echeverria of Mexico visited the city for a second time. Lila had a long friendship with him, and during the visit he accompanied her to the trade fair he came to visit, bestowing upon her many gifts that she showed an interest in. By the end of the tour, there was a golf cart piled with Mexican product, and today they are displayed at various locations around the city as gifts from the President.

There was Prince Charles, who was in Texas in 1977 to visit with some friends at their ranch. Lila Cockrell invited him to San Antonio while he was here, and he readily accepted the invitation, and even squeezed in a boat ride along the Riverwalk while he was in town.

Photo: mysanantonio.com

Then in December 1979, the Shah of Iran secretly arrived in San Antonio following six weeks of treatment in New York. He was accompanied by his wife the Empress. By her own admission, Lila Cockrell was surprised by the visit….she had not received any advance notice of the arrival of the controversial leader. He was admitted to Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base.

The Mayor and her husband were invited to a small dinner gathering with the Shah on the base, and in her own words, Lila Cockrell said, “it was one of the most fascinating evenings of my life”

Lila left the role of Mayor in 1981, deciding to spend some long-overdue time with her husband Sid. They traveled extensively and enjoyed a less hectic lifestyle. However, Sid’s health declined, and he passed away in 1986. It was a devastating time for her, but Lila Cockrell threw herself into her role at a travel agency, and also continued her passion for travel herself, embarking on getaways with her daughters, her mother and friends.

Her Mayoral successor, Henry Cisneros, informed her he would not be seeking re-election, and after a little prompting, Lila Cockrell stepped up to the plate again, winning the role of Mayor for a second time in June 1989.

Following a recommendation from her son, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth visited San Antonio, along with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh in 1990. It was a whirlwind visit, lasting a total of 105 minutes, which included a parade down the Riverwalk. For more about this visit, see “Memories of San Antonio” May 21st 2021. 

Photo: southernliving.com

In 1991, there were eleven candidates for the position of Mayor, and seeking re-election, Lila Cockrell finished 3rd in the race. During her time on the San Antonio city council, she had served a total of nine years as a council member, and also eight years as the city’s Mayor.

Lila Cockrell….. a true Ambassador for the Alamo City, and we remember her today.

Photo: Author

Some extra Lila Cockrell memories :

• Lila Cockrell (Banks) was among the first female cheerleaders at her college, Southern Methodist University in Dallas 

• As a schoolgirl, she wrote a poem about Prohibition and sent it to Governor Franklin D Roosevelt, who sent a hand-written letter back to her. She always maintained that this was one of her prized possessions

Sources :

“Love Deeper Than A River…My Life In San Antonio”……Lila Banks Cockrell

Wikipedia

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