- Date Of Birth: October 13, 1941
- Date Of Death: November 1, 2011
- State: Texas
Arthur C. “Cappy” Eads October 13, 1941 – November 1, 2011 Arthur Coleman “Cappy” Eads, 70, passed away on November 1, 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer. Arthur Coleman Eads was born in Belton to Jessie Mae and George Coleman Eads, Jr. After spending his elementary school years in Belton, Cappy’s family moved to Dallas.
He graduated from Highland Park High School in 1960. He joined the United States Marine Corp Reserve program upon graduation from high school. He attended the University of Texas and then S.M.U. where he received a degree in Business Administration in 1965. In 1968, Cappy moved back to Belton to attend Baylor Law School in Waco where he was recognized as the Most Outstanding Student in the field of Criminal Law and served as the Associate Editor of the Baylor Law Review.
He graduated from Baylor Law School in 1970. He began his career in prosecution in 1968 as an Investigator in the District Attorney’s office in Bell County. After a year in private practice, he was named the Assistant District Attorney for the 27th Judicial District. Cappy served as the Bell County Attorney from 1975 to1976. He was then elected District Attorney of the 27th Judicial District, which at the time included Bell, Mills and Lampasas Counties, and served honorably in that position from 1976 until his retirement in 2000.
During his service as District Attorney, he prosecuted several capital murder cases and became a national advocate for victim’s rights. Due to the high profile nature 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 the feature of many national media publications. Cappy’s heart was always in public service. In addition to serving the citizens of Bell County, he served all Texans by volunteering his time and expertise to advisory committees for both Governors Mark White and Ann Richards. He was also very proud of his appointment by President Ronald Reagan to the President’s Child Safety Partnership in Washington, D.C. in 1986.
Cappy’s 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 the Prosecutor of the Year by the State Bar of Texas in 1987. Cappy held leadership roles in prosecutor associations at the state and national level. He was elected by his peers as President of the National District Attorney Association 1986 and served as its Chairman of the Board from 1987 to1989.
After retirement from the District Attorney’s office in 2000, Cappy joined the firm of Tekell & Atkins, LLP where he remained “of Counsel,” and he continued to serve his community as the Municipal Judge of the Village of Salado until his death. Preceding him in death were his parents, and his sister, Mary Byrd Eads.
Survivors include his sister, Betty Manning, of Ft. Collins, Colorado, and his children and grand-children. The family would like to thank Visiting Angels for their undying love and support of him and his family during his last illness as well as the entire Vista Care Hospice team who provided outstanding professional and compassionate care.
