PEOPLE
Walter Cotton
Walter Cotton was a born in Mexia in 1895. He attended school at Rocky Crossing and Mexia's Dunbar School. He later attended Prairie View College and Sam Houston College. He served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of the Woodland School. He authored two histories of African Americans in Limestone County. He was a self-taught artist and became known for his paintings with religious and historical themes and portraits.
Lafayette L. Foster
Lafayette Lumpkin Foster became an active member of the community of Groesbeck, published one of the earliest newspapers in the county, served Limestone County and its district as state representative where he was elected Speaker of the House at the age of 34, served as Commissioner of Insurance, Statistics, and History, was appointed to the first Railroad Commission of Texas, and served as president of Texas A&M College.
Cindy Walker
A reisdent of Mexia for over 50 years, Cindy Walker was one of the most prolific female songwriters who produced more than 400 Top Ten country and pop hits from the 1940’s through the 1980’s. Over the years, she had over 500 of her songs recorded by numerous artists including Gene Autry, Bob Wills, Roy Orbison, Eddy Arnold, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Ricky Skaggs, Hank Snow, and Jim Reeves. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
Garland Roark
Born in Groesbeck in 1903, Garland Roark authored numerous best-selling novels from 1946 through the early 1970s. Many of his books were seafairing adventures, but he also wrote several westerns, two biographies, one about the Texas oil industry and one about cockfighting in Louisiana. Two of his books, Wake of the Red Witch and Fair Wind to Java, were made into movies. Filmed in 1948, Wake of the Red Witch starred John Wayne and Gail Russell.
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