Jimmie P. Cokinos was born in a house on College Street, near the intersection of Railroad and College, on June 27, 1917.  Later on we learned that Mom was born across the street at her Grandmother’s house 17 years later.  He started out at 707 Magnolia and when the family grew, moved to the house we all knew about, 947 Hazel. Jimmie was 1 of four brothers, and he had a little sister, Helen.  Growing up their father  worked various jobs to pay the bills; he drove a bread truck, worked at a café in downtown Beaumont on Crockett, near the present day location of Moore, Landrey  Law Firm.  He also worked at a grocery store on Magnolia near 947 Hazel. That’s where Jimmie learned to stand up for himself as their Papa would clear out space in the back storeroom and taught his four sons how to box. This lead to Jimmie being the Golden Gloves Champion of Texas later in High School.  Flyweight Division.  Also their Papa taught them a lesson about sticking together as brothers. He took 4 sticks and handed Andrew, Mike, Jimmie, and Genel each one and told them to break it. They all probably laughed and kidded when they easily snapped their sticks. Then their Papa took for more sticks and put them together in a bundle and asked them to try to break the bundle. Of course they couldn’t do that.  Their Papa said something like...” Alone, you can break the stick, but if you stick together, you will be stronger and cannot be broken”  That simple lesson was so impactful for Jimmie, and throughout life, that story was repeated often and it formed the bond of love for the 4 brothers.  Jimmie would tell us that their Mama was always worried about her baby, Andrew and how they have to always watch out for him. Genel was the oldest and the peacemaker, Mike and Andrew would tease back and forth and Jimmie always took up for Andrew.   Mike must have learned something about battle, since out of the four brothers, he was the most decorated and earned the Silver Star in WW2 and later rose to the rank of General.  Jimmie was very proud of his brother’s accomplishment. 

Jimmie attended Dick Dowling Elementary school and then went to the original Beaumont High, which is located near St Anthony’s Cathedral.  Later as “Commish” he took great pride in that story, when the county remodeled the building for offices. He did attend the new Beaumont High, in “far west Beaumont”, that being the current Central High School.  He graduated in 1934, and had dreams of attending West Point, but realized that it probably was just a dream, so he heard about a little school on the Brazos, named Texas A&M. His brother Genel started in 1934 and was already in school when Jimmie graduated from high school, so instead of joining him, Jimmie worked in Beaumont and sent money up to A&M to help his older brother.  This continued throughout the college years for the four, since each one worked and sent money to the older for school.  Their Papa was adamant that they get an education.  Genel was class of 1938, Jimmie was class of 40, Mike was class of 43 and Andrew was class of 44.  They all used to hitchhike back and forth to school by catching rides on College, between 11th and 16th street, which is now Interstate 10. 

In 1940, Jimmie graduated and was starting his career. He sold insurance and was talking about a possible move to work for a theatre chain when somebody suggested he join the Army since he already was a 2nd Lieutenant.  He decided to join and was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso. Being before the war, the US army was still not modernized and Jimmie was in the First Cavalry Division and actually was issued a horse. Jimmie always was proud that he was in the Cav.  When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Jimmie was sent to the Pacific Theatre, starting in New Guinea. Jimmie was very proud of his service but as most of the guys there, he was just doing a job, and was scared to death, as everybody was. He told me that he was so sick going over on the troop ship, he threw up the entire time over the railing of the deck. He traded his shoe laces for crackers, as that’s all he could keep down.   Dad  really never told us much about his war days, except that he missed being home and wanted it to be over.

In 1945, as the war was winding down, there was talk about the invasion of mainland Japan. Jimmie knew that this would be terrible, as they would fight with all their might to keep the Americans out, and he probably would have been killed, but Jimmie knew this was his job and by know, he had been tempered by battle and wasn’t scared anymore.  One day he got the news that his father had died sitting on the same front porch that the famous picture was taken.  Jimmie was granted leave to travel home for the funeral.  It was on the journey back when Jimmie was waiting to get back on the troop ship (and be sick again) to go back for the preparation of the invasion, that he got the word that we had dropped the bomb on Japan.  Jimmie was shocked at the news, but knew the war was now going to be over and he could come home to his Mama and family.  Jimmie was discharged from regular service but joined the Army Reserves. 

Also during this time, their Papa owned a nightclub in Vidor, called the Southern Club.  Growing up, anytime the family would get together for a party, Uncle Genel would always comment, “Just like the Southern Club” Must have been a great place to go. 

In 1946, he was selling insurance in Beaumont and decided to get into politics.  He was elected City Councilman in 1948 and was reelected 3 times. Also in this time, Jimmie and Mike created their business, Cokinos Insurance Agency.  Mike was also in the reserves and busy with his growing family and Jimmie took great pride in his young nieces and nephews.  They were working on Bowie Street across from what is now Suga’s. 

Jimmie decided to run for Mayor in 1958 and won the election.  By now, the post war boom had treated Beaumont well and there was plenty going on.  It was known worldwide as the best port to go to by all of the merchant marines.  Jimmie said it was almost like a little Vegas.  When Jimmie was Mayor, the James Commission came in and uncovered all of the vice and illegal activity. 

Jimmie’s proudest accomplishment was the de-segregation of Lamar in 1959.  That story has been told by Jimmie many times and growing up, we would always laugh when he started telling again, since we had heard it so many times.  To this day, Jimmie Cokinos is a hero in the black community for what he did at Lamar and is not forgotten.  The Lamar incident was a deal breaker for Jimmie’s political career as he was soundly defeated him in 1960 by Cliff LeBlanc.  Jimmie didn’t really care since he knew he did the right thing by taking care of the situation.

Jimmie met a pretty dancer named Bonnie Sohlinger in 1959. He had actually met her earlier when she was in high school, but he figured he needed to wait to ask her out. Go figure…  When Jimmie called Bonnie up for a first date, it was a Saturday afternoon and the event was that night.

She said yes. This was highly unusual for a girl not to have a date on Saturday night, and after he hung up the phone, he said “what kind of wallflower did I just ask out?”

Jimmie soon found out that nothing could have been further from the truth... Their romance blossomed and were married in August 1960, at St Anthony’s.  Their first home was the Mildred Apartments on Calder and Mariposa, (now MLK). Jimmie used to tell us how he would walk to Felix Mexican Restaurant and pick up food, Mom would get the “Summer Special” as she thought she had to watch her diet. Jimmie would get a small plate and wait until Mom ate half and was full and he ate the rest of her dinner. This Sunday night tradition continued on with us as kids, going to Felix, and in later years Little Acapulco, owned by the Montoya family. Jimmie would name going out for Mexican food, “getting a tamale”, as in “hey lets go get a tamale tonight”  To this day I call Mom and say that same phrase to refer to going out to eat.

Jimmie and Bonnie had their first child, Andre Jimmie Cokinos, born on March 16th, 1962, and they were blessed by having a second child, Stacie Jimmie Cokinos, born on July 23rd, 1964.  The young family now lived at 1330 Rikisha and Jimmie was active in the Army Reserves and Cokinos Insurance Agency.  The call of politics came and he was asked to be City Manager in 1968. These were turbulent times in Beaumont and I can remember lots of phone calls at home about Council issues.  Leroy Daniels, Al Lester, Gene Fears, Dale Hagar, James McNicholas were some of the names I would hear Jimmie mention.  He was City Manager until the election of 1970, when Ken Ritter was elected and promptly fired Jimmie.  Again, it didn’t bother him too much as he would say, “getting beat up in politics is easy, try being shot at in a war” 

Jimmie continued working at the Insurance Agency and then helped Miss Bonnie open her dance studio on Calder in 1974.  In 1976, he bought the old Mobil Gas Station next door and this was used for storage until around 1983, he decided to build an office there, to be closer to Miss Bonnie and help her with her growing business. Times were changing and Mike and Jimmie decided to end their partnership in their business. Jimmie moved his office and Cokinos Insurance continued to be open, eventually merging with Insurance Concepts.

In 1988, politics came calling and Jimmie was approached by the growing republican party of Jefferson County to run for Commissioner. He ran against Norman Troy, the same person he had been campaign manager for in 1964 and got elected.  Jimmie decided to run Commissioner Troy but couldn’t quite garner the votes to win.  They remained friends and when Norman decided to retire, Jimmie ran again in 1992 and won.  He was Commish for 12 years and started strong friendships. Reba Riggs was the secretary and typically the outgoing Commissioner would replace the staff with new people. Jimmie knew that was not the best move and kept Miss Reba on in transition, and also to allow her to earn her retirement.  He then hired Tricia Ford, who became Nantz as his secretary.  That bond between Jimmie and Tricia was so strong, she would joke that sometimes she would forget and call him Jimmie instead of commissioner.  Jimmie thought of all of the county employees as his family and was close to Willie Strauther at the China Barn. I’ve seen Dad cry three times in his life, and one time was at Willie’s Funeral near Kinder, La. The other two were when he found out Mom’s mother was ok after surgery and the other was when our house burned in 1987 and a hand painted portrait of Dad was lost.  Other friendships were made at the county include Pat Schroeder, Robbie Griffin, Paul Truax, Jim Sachatano (PawPaw) and David Knight.

Jimmie and Carl Griffith became very close political allies and then even better friends.  Carl trusted Jimmie and enjoyed talking about the issues and getting political advice from him.  Being an elected Republican, Jimmie was expected to tow the party line and not associate with Democrats.  Jimmie laughed at that thought as he was always present at every fundraiser, as he knew everybody and enjoyed “pressing the flesh”  He didn’t care for “peas and carrots” but that came with the territory.  The Republican Party would snipe at Jimmie for attending but it didn’t matter, he liked everybody.

Jimmie was defeated in 2004 and one of the issues was Jimmies health and age. This was a non-issue as Jimmie was mentally and physically strong.  Ironically, after the new commissioner took over the job, he developed health problems himself.  That’s what the stress does to you. Thankfully, he is fine now and doing a great job for the people of Pct. 1.

Dad spent the years from 2004 to 2010 helping Mom at the studio, talking politics and enjoying his family.  He was blessed with two grandchildren from his new daughter, the love of my life, Liz Cokinos.  Funny thing is, Elizabeth was Jimmie’s mom’s name and when the grandchildren were named the Greek tradition of naming continued. Grace Elizabeth Cokinos, with Elizabeth being the first name of my wife, and Christopher Andre Cokinos, with that being my first name.

Jimmie finally was forced to slow down by a fall in the spring of 2011, when he slipped and fell going into his office.  The fall bruised his tailbone, but probably bruised his ego more.  He was quick to say “I’m ok”. He hated to think that he couldn’t provide for Mom or his family. As he slowed down I was always quick to remind him that we were so proud of him and how we are doing great. As long as he knew Mom was doing what she loved, meaning dancing and teaching others, he was content.

People would ask me how it was to see my Dad’s health go down and the answer was very simple, I knew I was a blessed man many times over to have him no matter what.  Even in the tough times at the end, as I knew each second I was with him was special.  I have friends who have lost their Mom’s or Dad’s at early ages and I knew that they would give anything to see them one more time, even if the times were just us sitting there and watching TV in silence as Dad’s hearing had already faded away, either from the bullets of war or the yelling of politics and his conversation ability was just a quick smile and a few short sentences of encouragement to anybody that was around.  Even when he was being cared for he still would offer his last piece of candy to us and that’s who he was.

His last day with us was a like a fundraiser, which he enjoyed. There were friends and family coming to his room all day to shake his hand one more time and to be with us. Even though his condition was worsening by the hour, he still gripped our hands just as strong as if he was working the room at a party.  We were with him by his bedside when he took his last breath and we were able to say goodbye and make sure we were so very proud of him and Mom is going to be ok.

Jimmie Cokinos had many titles in his life, including councilman, mayor, commissioner, Mr. Jimmie, “keewo” (ask Aunt Lula about that one) and many others.

I just called him Daddy.   -Andre   

A lifespan of ninety-six years allowed my dad the luxury of living out many different roles, immigrant child, brother, Texas Aggie collegiate, United States Army World War II veteran, Mayor, City Manager, County Commissioner, husband, Papa, Daddy-O, father-in-law, Paupou, uncle, and Mr. Jimmie. Exemplifying what it means to serve and support, he lived out each of these roles with pride and a determination to be the best to ensure the safety and well being of those in his care: whether protecting his country, supporting his brothers and sisters, serving the citizens of Beaumont and Jefferson County, backing the Studio family, and fathering Andre and me. Standing up for others, especially the disenfranchised, was his life's work. He loved life and making opportunities for others to excel.

However, his greatest joy-even more than being an Aggie, was finding and marrying my mom. He spent the first forty years of his life looking for her, and knew his joy immediately upon seeing her for the first time. Family legend says it was at a beauty pageant, in which she was a contestant and he was a judge. He looked at her, and exclaimed, 'I am going to marry her!', and he did.

Once they married, he cherished the next fifty-three years as if every day were their wedding day. For me, this played out tenderly in these recent years watching him light up every time she walked in the room, even if she had just been there minutes ago. His favorite job was providing for her and our family.

I know how incredibly grateful he was to be blessed with such a long life, and never suffer from long illness or confinement. He grew sweeter with each passing year, ever kind and thankful for being home with his beloved Bonnie, family, and friends around. My brother, Andre, is my hero for making this possible by surrounding dad with the care and resources he needed to stay close to mom and his home. Thank you Juanita, Shacole, Morgan, and Miss Beaumont (Roslyn), for your loving care.

Dad held life dearly, and it was clear he didn't want to leave us. Yet he longed for those who have gone before; especially his brothers and sister, Genel, Andrew, and Helen. He spoke of them often, and we knew their spirits were nearby ready to help him when the time came for his journey home. I can only imagine the reunion, when they came to greet him joined by all the others who loved my dad. After ninety-six years of ensuring safety for others, he is finally safe at home himself.

I love you Papa! Stacie

A gathering of Mr. Cokinos’ family and friends will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with a Trisagion at 7:00 p.m., Friday, November 8, 2013, at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 9, 2013, at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, 700 Jefferson Street, Beaumont, with interment to follow at Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lamar University Foundation, Jimmie P. Cokinos Endowed Scholarship for Equality in Education, P.O. Box 11500, Beaumont, Texas 77710. This scholarship is in recognition of Mr. Cokinos leadership and courage in integrating Lamar University in the 1950’s. Please visit http://advancement.lamar.edu/development.