One of the announcements made at the recent DeSoto City Council’s Special Meeting was that the City of DeSoto and numerous leaders from within the community and DFW region will join forces in-person and on tape for a November 21st virtual celebration honoring the life of Mayor Curtistene S. McCowan, who passed away unexpectedly on October 28th at age 72.
“The Curtistene McCowan that we all remember was bigger than life, confident, and caring. And while her sudden passing leaves a tangible void that will be very hard to fill, we can start by looking out for the well-being of those around us and by working together to move our City forward,” said DeSoto Mayor Pro Tem Kenzie Moore who has been handling Mayor McCowan’s duties on behalf of the City since she first became incapacitated. “Not only would she want us to celebrate her life but she would want all of us to continue to make a difference on her behalf in the daily life of DeSoto.”
The task of determining the best ways for the City to honor the late Mayor was handled by a City of DeSoto Ad Hoc Committee composed of a combination of City Council Colleagues and the senior City managers who worked with her every day.
“Mayor McCowan was such an important pillar in our DeSoto community and in the entire Best Southwest area, we wanted to capture that spirit and find ways to honor her that were fitting of such a figure.” observed DeSoto City Councilmember Candice Quarles who is Chair of the Memorial Service Ad Hoc Committee. “One thing that was certain when we were brainstorming on how to honor her legacy; it would need to celebrate her service to our community and not dwell on her passing. We also wanted the community to be able to participate and this virtual celebration is the safest way to do that during the Pandemic. We believe that she would have been extremely pleased with the events we have planned.”
The November 21st virtual celebration will feature a combination of pre-taped content and live participation from a limited number of invited guests due to COVID-19 precautions. They include people who have played important roles in the Mayor’s life and illustrious career who can provide testimonials, interviews and anecdotes. Those who have been asked to participate at various times include City Council colleagues, State and County officials, local Mayors, Senior City Management, numerous elected officials, pastors, civic leaders, educators, and even a representative from the Mayor’s Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
The virtual celebration set for November 21st at 11 am will be broadcast live on City of DeSoto’s website http://www.desototexas.gov/desototownhall Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/desototx and on cable TV in DeSoto via City TV programming, depending upon the provider, on either Spectrum (Channel 16), or AT&T Uverse (Channel 99).And to view Friday evening’s Special Meeting of the DeSoto City Council on demand now you can visit our Facebook Live page at https://www.facebook.com/desototx and beginning Saturday morning you can view it on the City website at: http://www.desototexas.gov/desototownhall.
