LILA COCKRELL’s life in public service spans more than six decades. She was elected to San Antonio’s city council in 1963 and served three terms, followed by four terms as mayor. She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and holds honorary degrees from her alma mater and from the Alamo Community Colleges, Our Lady of the Lake University, and St. Mary’s University. She served as an ensign in the WAVES during World War II and later as president of the League of Women Voters in Dallas and San Antonio, executive director of United San Antonio, chair of the San Antonio River Oversight Committee, director of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, and in many other civic leadership positions. In addition to her achievements in public life, she has cherished her role as wife, mother, and grandmother.

CATHERINE NIXON COOKE is the author of Juan O’Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations and Powering a City: How Energy and Big Dreams Transformed San Antonio, both published by Trinity University Press; The Thistle and the Rose: Romance, Railroads, and Big Oil in Revolutionary Mexico; and Tom Slick, Mystery Hunter, which is in development as a major motion picture. She is a contributor to two anthologies, They Lived to Tell the Tale: True Stories of Modern Adventure from the Legendary Explorers Club and Adventurous Dreams, Adventurous Lives. She and her husband divide their time between San Antonio, the Texas hill country, and more remote parts of the world where untold stories beckon.