Obituaries
Arthur C. “Cappy” Eads
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Arthur Coleman "Cappy" Eads, 70, of Salado, died Nov. 1 after a long illness. Private funeral services were held.
He was born in Belton to Jessie Mae Ballard Eads and George Coleman Eads, Jr. He attended elementary school in Belton and moved with his family to Dallas were he graduated from Highland Park High School in 1960. He joined the United States Marines, attended the University of Texas and then SMU where he received a degree in business administration in 1965. In 1968 he returned to Belton and attended Baylor Law School where he was recognized as the Most Outstanding Student in the field of Criminal Law. He served as associate editor of the Baylor Law Review and graduated from Baylor Law School in 1970. He served as an investigator in the district attorney's office and was in private practice for one year. He was assistant district attorney for the 27th Judicial District one year, then was Bell County attorney for 1975-76. He was elected district attorney for the 27th Judicial District, serving from 1976 until his retirement in 2000. During his terms as district attorney he prosecuted several capital murder cases and became a national advocate for victims' rights. Due to the high profile of some of his cases he appeared as a guest on many national media programs including Good Morning America, Nightline and The Today Show and was featured in many national media publications.
His public service work included serving the citizens of Bell County, as well as all Texas by volunteering time and expertise to advisory committees for Gov. Mark White and Gov. Ann Richards. He was proud of his appointment by Pres. Ronald Reagan to the President's Child Safety Partnership in Washington, D.C. in 1986.
His work earned him numerous awards, including the Governor's Distinguished Service Award and the Advocate for Justice Award for the State of Texas. He was named Prosecutor of the Year by the State Bar of Texas in 1987 and held leadership roles in prosecutor associations at state and national levels. He was elected president of the National District Attorney Association 1986 and served as chairman of the board from 1987-89. After retirement as DA in 2000 he joined the firm of Tekell & Adkins, LLP where he remained "of Counsel" and continued to serve his community as municipal judge of the Village of Salado until his death. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Mary Byrd Eads. He is survived by a sister, Betty Manning of Ft. Collins, Colo., and his children and grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Texas District and County Attorneys Foundation, on which Eads was a member of the Advisory Committee, or to the TSCAF at 505 W. 12th St., Suite 100, Austin TX 78701 or on-line at tdcaf,org.
Dossman Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
