- Details
- Hits: 281
David Cain
Pampa High School Class of 1966
A native of Pampa, Texas, David Harvey Cain was born on November 13, 1947. He is the son of retired 223rd District Court Judge Don Cain, Sr. and Betty Anne Culberson Cain. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Frank Culberson of Pampa and Mr. and Mrs. E.M. Cain of Dallas. He has two brothers, Don and Randy, and a sister, Dale Husen. David credits his father with impressing upon him the value of public service and teaching him to examine all sides of an issue. And from his mother, a former school teacher, David learned the importance of education and family.
Cain attended grade school at Sam Houston and later Stephen F. Austin Elementary and his junior high years were spent at the former Robert E. Lee Middle School, known today as Pampa Middle School. David played both football and basketball in junior high and in the ninth grade was elected mayor by the student body. David was an active member of the First United Methodist Church and played in the bell choir. He received the God and Country Award in Scouting and earned the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 13.
David Cain was active in many areas at Pampa High School in addition to maintaining high academic standards and earning a membership in the National Honor Society. It was said that David was so valuable on the basketball court that they needed a bus to shuttle him back and forth between junior varsity and varsity games. He was named co-captain of the Harvesters his senior year. Along with basketball and Key Club, David also found time to enter interscholastic speech and poetry competitions and the A Cappella Choir. He played parts in three musicals, South Pacific, The Music Man and held the lead role in The Pajama Game. During his senior year he was elected president of the choir and played the lead in the drama Teahouse of the August Moon. In April, 1966 David was named Young Texan Leader of the Year by the state optimists.
After graduating from Pampa High School in May, 1966, David entered McMurry College in Abilene on a four-year basketball scholarship. In 1970, when he received his degree in History, he was honored as McMurry’s nominee for Rhodes Scholar. David received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas in 1973. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1976 representing East Dallas, serving 18 consecutive years. He was elected to represent Senate District 2 in 1994 and elected to a second term in November, 1996. Senate District 2 covers 10-counties which stretch from inner-city Dallas to Tyler, and from the Oklahoma border south to Ellis County.
During the 76th Legislature, he served as Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Infrastructure, Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on Electric Restructuring, and served on the State Affairs Committee and the Committee on Education. Cain is a prominent member of the National Conference of State Legislatures and is a member of the Executive Committees of the Southern Legislative Conference and the Council of State Governments. Cain has previously served as Chair of the House Transportation Committee, the Texas Sunset Commission, and Co-Chair of the Dallas Legislative Delegation.
Legislatively, Cain has made children, teachers, and educational opportunity his priorities. He has been recognized for his efforts to fight for tax cuts, tax reform and reducing the size of government. He has also been noted for his leadership on transportation and infrastructure issues. Among his numerous awards he has been named to Texas Monthly magazine’s list of "Ten Best Legislators" and received the "Leadership for Kids Award" from the Coalition for North Texas Children.
Senator Cain lives in Dallas with his wife Sally. He is a practicing attorney with the firm of Burleson, Pate and Gibson. He has two children, David, 18, and Jennifer, 17, and is an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Dallas.
Before I Vote On Any Issue, I Ask Myself: "How Will It Affect Our Families?" - David Cain