David Chappell, twice elected to the Fort Worth City Council and a civic leader spanning more than 50 years, died Thursday evening in Dallas from complications after cancer surgery, his family confirmed.
Mr. Chappell was 78.
Mr. Chappell served on the council from 1989 – 93 with mayors Bob Bolen and Kay Granger. He took on a leadership role on the Council’s Economic Development Committee and chaired the city’s Planning Committee for Defense Conversion in the aftermath of the closing of Carswell Air Force Base, and he served as vice chair of the implementation of its recommendations.
David was a fierce advocate for the Fort Worth community and devoted so much time and energy to many charitable organizations.
Before and during his time on the City Council, he was a staunch advocate for those less fortunate, particularly as it concerned fair housing.
Mr. Chappell also served on the University of Texas Chancellor’s Executive Advisory Committee, the Dean’s Advisory Committee of its College of Natural Sciences, and Moody College of Communication. He also chaired the Board of Visitors at UT’s McDonald Observatory. He also served on the President’s Advisory Board of Texas Wesleyan University.
Of particular interest to this lifelong lover of science was his work with the observatory in Fort Davis, say his friends and family, who also remembered him as a serial prankster.
“I used to invite David and a couple of other people to watch election results,” says Bobby McGee, a longtime friend to the lifelong Democrat, “which was a weird thing to do because he and I come from two opposite sides of the spectrum, but I think his love of astronomy fits in well with that personality.
“In a place and world so polarized, where people without the same views can barely cotton being in the same room with each other, David built great friendships because they held different views. He asked the best questions of anyone I have ever known, and he really wanted to hear your answers. And that included everything from the law to the school district to the city to the order of the universe.
“That kind of learning mind that really probed everything was one of the lovely things about the man.”
David Franklin Chappell was born on April 18, 1943, in St. Louis, the son of Ernestine and George A. Chappell Jr. He had an older brother, George.
Family says that Mr. Chappell in his earliest years went to school in a one-room schoolhouse until about the third grade. His father, an engineer, moved the family to Fort Worth for an employment opportunity.
Mr. Chappell graduated from Arlington Heights in Fort Worth before moving to Austin for undergraduate and law studies at the University of Texas.
While at Texas, he met Ann Sutherland. They married in June 1966 and had two children.
Mr. Chappell enjoyed a long and successful law career in Fort Worth, including his own practice, Chappell Hill, and his last few years with Cantey Hanger. Most recently, he was a partner in a consulting firm with former Mayor Kenneth Barr, another friend of almost 50 years.
In addition to his other obligations, Mr. Chappell served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Medical City Fort Worth Hospital. His work on the Code Red Study of Access to Care and Insurability in Texas as an appointee of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, led to recommendations for reform in Texas health care delivery.
“David Chappell gave decades of his life to Fort Worth as a former City Councilmember, civic leader, and voracious advocate for economic growth,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker says from her social media platforms. “He and his wife Ann have left a lasting impact on this city which will be felt for generations to come.”
Upon moving back to Fort Worth to start his law career, he almost immediately became active in civic affairs.
As president of the Greater Fort Worth Housing Opportunity Inc. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he worked to ensure minorities had unfettered access to housing.
He said at the time: “Look there was this officer at Carswell. He had his master’s in biochemistry. He had spent two or three terms in Vietnam. He made it through school on his own efforts. Nobody gave it to him. He earned it. But he can’t rent an apartment where he wants to. He’s Black.
“Our system must say to him, ‘You’ve made it through the capitalistic system. Now you must be given the fruits of your labor.’ If we can’t do this, we’re living one of the greatest lies in this country’s history.”
In 1989, Chappell announced he intended to run for the City Council seat representing District 9, vying to replace Estil Vance Jr., who decided not to seek a third therm. Chappell defeated two other candidates.
After his election to the council, Chappell continued to push for fair housing.
“He worked on that and was very involved with that while he served on the City Council,” says Barr, who replaced Chappell on the council in 1993. “David was frequently an advocate for the concern of less fortunate people, and housing was years ago and continues today to be a big issue for many in our city.”
On that council that first term Chappell, who represented District 9, was part of what was called the “Freshman Coalition,” which included fellow first-termers Granger and Eugene McCray of Districts 4 and 5.
Courtesy of the Chappell Family
The "Freshman Coalition" of the Fort Worth City Council in 1989 included, from left, David Chappell, Kay Granger, and Eugene McCray.
“David and Kay partnered together on a lot of issues that came before the city during that timeframe,” says Barr, who first met Mr. Chappell in 1973 as classmates of the first class of Leadership Fort Worth. “I think he enjoyed serving on the council. It’s a great experience, and I think he made a lot friends during that period of time.”
The coalition, Mr. Chappell said at the time, “grew out of feelings of insecurity about how things worked at City Council.” Rather, he said, they agreed to rely on each other’s expertise in certain areas. His, he said, was the law and municipal courts. Granger, who owned an insurance agency, was insurance. And McCray “for his absolute uncanny ability at judging people as well as his auditing background.”
Plus, Chappell said, three voices were better than one, particularly when “two of those three are coming from a woman and a Black man.”
"I am saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend David Chappell," Granger says in a statement provided to Fort Worth Inc. "Our friendship goes back to our days on the Fort Worth City Council, and he was instrumental in my fight as Mayor of Fort Worth to secure the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth after the Defense Department announced the closing of Carswell Air Force Base in 1991.
"My heart goes out to his family. He will be greatly missed."
Away from work and public service, Chappell was a “constant jokester.” Barr, a TCU alum, fondly recalled an almost 50-year running battle between him and Chappell, an ever-faithful UT fan, over the Longhorns and TCU football games.
“David is a very, very loyal friend,” Barr says. “When people had challenges of whatever kind, David is always there. It’s tough to see your contemporaries pass on, I can assure you.”
Mr. Chappell was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, and his wife, who passed away in 2020. He is survived by two children, their spouses, and four grandchildren.
“It’s going to take time” to realize he is no longer here, says McGee.
“Since I’ve lived in Fort Worth David has been a part of the city and a part of my life.”