Elizabeth Cowles

Elizabeth (Liz) Hall Cowles, of Dallas, TX passed away peacefully on October 18, 2011 after a courageous battle with pulmonary hypertension and scleroderma. She was one of three daughters born to Eugene Dewitt and Lorena Perry Hall in Wichita Falls and graduated from Wichita Falls High School. Liz completed a Bachelor's of Science in Education at the University of North Texas and, in her 50's, returned to school to complete a Master's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. She will be forever remembered by her two sisters Connie Mae Alexander and Billie Jean Hall as well as her three children Gary Randall Cowles, Jan Cowles Sendker, and Richard Scott Cowles.

In her lifetime, Liz Cowles demonstrated her devotion to human services and especially causes for women through both a broad portfolio of volunteer leadership and professional involvement to encourage new vision, diversity, acceptance, and consensus.

Over more than 30 years, Ms. Cowles provided community service and leadership to a vast number of human service and non-profit organizations. Among them are the Lone Star Council of Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Promise House Youth Shelter, Girl's Adventure Trails, Dallas Public Schools, SMU's Campus YWCA, League of Women's Voters of Dallas, Women's Council of Dallas County, Inc., Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Mental Health Association of Greater Dallas, Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Dallas County Task Force on AIDS, United Way, Rainbow Days, Inc., Dallas Commission on Children and Youth, All Faith Coalition, Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, and the Texas Coalition of Juvenile Justice.

As volunteer president of the Texas Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Ms. Cowles addressed the need for more comprehensive programming for adolescents at risk of becoming involved in the justice system. Ms. Cowles was also responsible for expanding LifeSpan, a program for pregnant and parenting adolescents. Under her leadership as Executive Director, LifeSpan became an effective and comprehensive component of Parkland Hospital's Community Oriented Primary Care that providing preventative and prenatal education along with home visiting case management to adolescent parents and their infants.

As the founding Director of Dallas Healthy Start, Ms. Cowles developed a strong community collaboration of individuals, agencies, and organizations to work together towards reducing infant mortality in a targeted area of Dallas. The Dallas program went on to be a national model for Healthy Start programs.

In 1998, she began work as a national consultant doing advocacy, strategic restructuring, collaborative planning, board development, and resource development. As a consultant, she also traveled to help set up Healthy Start programs at other sites across the country. She worked with numerous organizations including the Undermain Theatre of Dallas, Deep Ellum Film Festival, and the Chiapas Project. She also served as a member and Board Chair of the Association of Philanthropic Council.

Her energetic approach to empower others to improve their life situation, and to encourage needed change through example, made Ms. Cowles a natural role model as well as a servant leader in our community. Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service at Lover's Lane United Methodist Church in the Tom Ship Chapel, 9200 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75220 on November 3rd at 11am. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in her memory to the Undermain Theatre, 3100 Main Street, #16, Dallas, TX 75226 or Chiapas International, PO Box 9053, Dallas, TX 75209.