Comer Joseph Cottrell Jr. (December 7, 1931 – October 3, 2014) was an American entrepreneur most notable for founding Pro-Line Corp., a business that created the Curly Kit, which brought the

Jheri curl The Jheri curl (often spelled Jerry curl or Jeri Curl) is a permanent wave hairstyle that was popular among African Americans during the 1980s and early 1990s. Invented by the hairdresser Jheri Redding, the Jheri curl gives the wearer a glossy, ...

hairstyle to the masses and made it easy to achieve at home.

Biography

He was born in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

and raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He briefly attended the University of Detroit and served in the Air Force during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Ventures

He founded Pro-Line Corp. in 1970. It was originally based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. In 1979, he created the Curly Kit and in 1980, he moved the company to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. Forbes Magazine called the Curly Kit "the biggest single product ever to hit the black cosmetics market." In 2000, he sold the company to Alberto-Culver for $75 million to $80 million. With his brother, James, he turned Pro-Line into one of the most successful black-owned companies in the United States. In 1990, he purchased the campus of Bishop College and moved Paul Quinn College from

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

to its campus. Along with

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and others, Cottrell was part of the team that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball club. He was the first black person to be an owner or part-owner of a major league team. He wrote an autobiography: ''Comer Cottrell: A Story That Will Inspire Future Entrepreneurs''. He was the first African American member of Dallas’ Citizens Council, and was on the board of many influential banks and companies in Dallas. He helped

Ron Kirk Ronald Kirk (born June 27, 1954) is an American lawyer, politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the United States Trade Representative from 2009 to 2013 and the 57th Mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2002. Born in Austin, Texas, K ...

get elected as the first African American mayor of Dallas.

Death

He died in Plano, Texas at age 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cottrell, Comer 1931 births 2014 deaths Texas Rangers owners African-American Catholics