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Note: The following article appeared in the Longview News Journal on January 3, 1999.
PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITIES WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Mike Childress began his career as a chemical engineer with Texas Eastman nearly thirty years ago, working behind the scenes in research and development. But over the years his career has taken a different turn: he is now Manager of Communications and Public Affairs at Texas Eastman, where he directs internal as well as external communications and helps manage interaction between the company and legislative and public entities.
Mr. Childress is also an accomplished wildlife artist, a talent he did not discover until adulthood. Never having had art lessons, he delved into art about 25 years ago with an old set of ink pens that he had used in a college engineering graphics class. "After several attempts and hours of experimenting, I discovered God had given me the talent to draw," he said.
Childress' profession, a commitment to community and his artistic endeavors intersected about two years ago, when an alliance was forged between Texas Eastman and the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA). For the second consecutive year, Childress' meticulous pen-and-ink wildlife drawings will be featured in the association's Texas Big Game Awards Program, on prints and note cards funded by Texas Eastman and benefiting TWA. They will be available to the public next summer, said Childress.
An avid outdoorsman and fervent golfer, Childress says, "I hope the individuals who choose to purchase these items from TWA understand they are funding programs that help preserve the heritage we all enjoy - the great outdoors of Texas." For many years Childress has donated his work to conservation organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, and he has produced numerous limited additions for several corporate clients.
After growing up in New London and graduating from Texas A&M, Childress settled in Longview, where he has served in a number of volunteer capacities. He is host of "Partners in Prevention," a weekly cable television program sponsored by the Longview Drug Task Force, where he spotlights agencies and individuals involved in the prevention of drug abuse.
For the past several years Childress has been an industrial division co-chair for the greater Longview United Way, and he recently retired from the board of Longview Partnership. He is a member of Longview Downtown Rotary Club and the Northeast Texas Field Ornithologists.
Childress and his wife, Annette, have a son, Casey, also a graduate of Texas A&M and a resident of Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Childress are members of the Mobberly Baptist Church, where they teach a New Christian's Class for children with literature written by Ms. Childress, who recently retired as a librarian with the Longview Independent School district.
View a photograph of this individual by visiting the online family photo album at:
<a href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jpcfamily/">Childress/Mathi s Photo Album</a>
Photographs of many other related individuals also are in the above album.
Childress leaves mark with art, work, faith
By Jo Lee Ferguson jferguson@news-journal.com6
God is in the details — in the tiny sticks woven into a nest for four baby birds, in the wings of a hummingbird poised to drink from a flower and in the acorns clutched in the beak of a bird standing on a tree branch.
The pen-and-ink drawing, titled “The Lord Will Provide,” is completed with a Bible verse in which the artist — Mike Childress — found meaning, Matthew 6:26-27:
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavily father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
Childress, 72, died Aug. 31 after a yearlong battle with the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme. His 38-year career at Texas Eastman saw him fill many roles at the plant — from operations, to research and development and finally, starting in 1996, to the role where he became the company’s public face as manager of communications and public affairs.
He served in that role for 11 years before his retirement in 2007.
Childress gained prominence outside of work through his self-taught artistic ability of making pen-and-ink drawings of nature and religious themes. In the spring of 2017, he had started what would be his last picture — “The Lord Will Provide.” In a description he wrote about the work, Childress said the drawing took a year to complete.
“This was certainly not because of its complexity, as I have drawn wildlife for the past 40 years,” he wrote. He described the health problems he experienced in the months before he was diagnosed with brain cancer. “I ultimately lost my fine motor skills and had to stop working on this art piece when it was less than half complete.”
That summer he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He had surgery in September 2017 and then defied predictions of what his abilities might be after the tumor was removed. Not only was he able to walk and talk, he was able to complete “The Lord Will Provide.”
“Our Lord also blessed me with complete dexterity so I could continue my artwork. ...,” Childress wrote. Childress and his wife of 40 years, Annette, have one son, Casey, and a 16-year-old granddaughter, Jayde.
Don Scoggins, former president of Texas Eastman, said it was always interesting to him that Childress, who was known for his outgoing, talkative and “bubbly” personality, also would sit in his study engrossed in “that solitary artist work.”
“First off, not many chemical engineers, which Mike was, are artists, and Mike was probably a consummate extrovert,” Scoggins said. “When I think of a person being an extrovert, I think of Mike, yet doing that pen-and-ink work was the most meticulous thing a person could do.”
His interest in pen-and-ink artwork began in the 1970s, according to information his wife provided. He was reading a Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine when he found a page of various animals drawn by Charles Beckendorf of Fredericksburg.
“The beauty and simplicity of his pen-and-ink drawing impressed Mike,” the information says. “Although he had never taken any art lessons nor had any art supplies, he did have an old set of India ink pens that he used in college engineering graphics class. After hours of practicing with pencil and those ink pens, he discovered that he had been blessed with the ability to duplicate on paper what God had created in life.”
James Ray, retired former vice president and general manager of the local Eastman plant, said that at the end of their careers, he was in charge of inside-the-fence operations at the plant, while his longtime friend was “in charge of outside-the-fence operations.”
“He was essentially the face of Eastman to the community. That is a job that matched him perfectly,” Ray said.
In that capacity, Childress helped disperse donations the plant made to various community organizations. He spoke for the company on whatever issue arose — from additions at the plant, to air quality and workforce issues, for example.
“Mike never met a person the second time without remembering their name, the spouse’s name, the kids’ names, where they were from, what they did, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes — everything,” Ray said in an email. “He had that knack.”
Ray was out of town Friday, at his granddaughters’ volleyball tournament, but he said he spoke to his longtime friend just 12 hours before he died.
“Through the past 12 months of Mike’s battle with glioblastoma, he always encouraged us to NOT interrupt our family plans. Help and support him when we could, but don’t miss out on facetime with our family,” Ray wrote. “That is the kind of person he was. Mike was a selfless person, with one exception. If you ever went quail hunting with him, Mike would NEVER allow you to get the first shot on a covey rise! He would shoot early and often, emptying his shotgun every time.”
Childress, an outdoorsman, received numerous commissions from companies, wildlife organizations and individuals for his artwork. For 20 years, he provided pen-and-ink drawings of the highest scoring animals for the Texas Wildlife Association’s Texas Big Game Awards.
“... We partnered for Mike to draw each year a limited edition and numbered drawing of that hunting season’s unique or top entries,” David Brimager, public relations director for the Texas Wildlife Association, said in an email. “We then sell prints and notecards sets signed and numbered to benefit our youth education and hunting programs.”
Childress, who attended New London High School with his twin brother, Pat, had been active in numerous organizations in Longview, including the Longview Partnership — the precursor to today’s Longview Chamber of Commerce — Boys Scouts of America and United Way, according to previous news articles. He also volunteered at Shade Tree, Newgate and Hiway 80 Rescue missions. He also served eight years on LeTourneau University’s board of trustees and co-chaired the local committee to build the Belcher Center.
“Mike’s faith in Jesus and his love for Longview motivated a lifetime of service,” said LeTourneau University President Dale Lunsford. “Many claimed him as a loyal friend. He will be greatly missed.”
Childress and his wife attended Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, which is where they first met Dale Perkins, the church’s former longtime music minister.
Perkins recalled working with an international missionary, Mike Silva, in several Latin American countries, and realizing the need for printed materials to leave with people. Perkins contacted Annette Childress, a longtime elementary school teacher and librarian, who herself had been praying for God to use her in ministry. Annette and Mike started Reaching Kids 4 Christ, together writing and illustrating booklets and coloring books teaching children about Jesus and how to become Christians. The materials have been translated into six languages and have reached more than 200,000 children around the globe.
Perkins said Mike Childress had “impeccable character” and never sought recognition for himself. He described Annette showing him how Mike had prepared everything for his death. It reminded Perkins of a verse in 1 Corinthians, which he said fit his “true friend.”
“Let all things be done decently and in order, and his house is the same way,” Perkins said.
Childress’ family will receive visitors from 5 to 7 p.m. today in the Rader Funeral Home chapel, 1617 Judson Road, Longview. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Mobberly Baptist Church, 625 E. Loop 281, Longview.
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