Max Dudley Ligon

Max D; Ligon, lost his battle with lung cancer on November 29th. He was born in Greenville, TX on August 31, 1926. He is predeceased by his high school sweetheart, best friend, and wife of 63 years – Betty Green Ligon, and is survived by two daughters, Diane L. Combs and Cynthia L. Gomez; son-in-law, Alfonso Gomez; brother Fred Ligon and his wife, Judy; and nephews & nieces, Bill & Jenny Ligon, Rick & Anne Ligon, and Katie & John Lambert, and his great nephews & nieces.

His family moved to Dallas when he was seven years old. He and Betty graduated from Highland Park High School when they were 16, and he was editor of the school newspaper, Commander of the ROTC Company which won the year long inter-company competition, was President of the Officer’s Club, was two year President of the Quill and Scroll, for three years served on the Student Council, was President of the Sr. High Dept and MYF at Highland Park Methodist Church, played the lead in the Senior Play, and from Thanksgiving until the end of the school year sold shoes in the A. Harris basement shoe dept. on Saturdays & holidays. He attended Texas A&M until enlisting in the Naval Air Corps at age 17. Before entering pre-flight, he was sent by the Navy in the V5 program to NTAC (now UT Arlington) to complete the two additional semesters of college required by the Navy to enter flight training. His class was later transferred into the NROTC at the University of Texas in Austin where he became a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. That year he was active in intramural athletics. He competed in seven different sports and was actually presented the trophy by the University for amassing the greatest number of intramural points during the year. The next day, however, it was rescinded as he had participated in some sports for his fraternity and in different sports for his Naval Unit teams, and the two were not eligible to be combined. At age 19, he received both his Bachelor of Science Degree and his commission in the Navy, and he & Betty married the next night.

After serving in the Pacific as a deck officer aboard a General Class Transport for a year, he returned to Dallas in 1947 and joined Sidney Green and Company – a fire & casualty insurance agency. He became a partner in 1950, a full partner in 1955, and purchased the balance of the agency in 1963. He and his brother, Fred, operated Green and Ligon as a partnership until 1973 when they merged with Harry A. Gump and formed Ligon, Gump and Ligon, Inc. They subsequently acquired The Robert S. Harvey Agency. He served as President of LGL and its successor, Crump Insurance Services, following LGL’s sale to the Crump Companies of Memphis, TN, in 1983. At the time LGL was acquired by Crump, it was ranked by Business Insurance as one of 100 largest independently owned property and casualty agencies in the United States. He retired in 1989 as Vice Chairman of the Board of Sedgwick James of Texas following their national acquisition of The Crump Companies in 1987.He sat on the Boards and as an officer of both The Family Guidance Center (A United Fund Agency) and the American Lung Association – North Texas Area. He served as President of the Park Cities Lions Club, of the Dallas Insurance Club, and twice with Betty of The Coterie Dance Club. He was President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas and for six years represented the Independent Agents of Texas on the Governing Committee of the Texas Workers Compensation Assigned Risk Pool in Austin. He served on the National Council of Agents for both the Crum & Forster Insurance Group and the Reliance Insurance Companies as well as on the Southwest Regional Agents Council for the Continental Insurance Group. He was named the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas in 1979 and, following his retirement, was made a lifetime honorary member of the Association, the only agent ever so honored.

He was a lifelong member of Highland Park United Methodist Church serving at various times as a teacher and coach in the youth department with Betty as counselors of the Junior High MYF and as presidents of the 2X2 Sunday School Class. He served as a delegate to the Annual Conference and six 3 year terms on the Official Board. While Chairman of the Commission on Missions and Benevolences in 1972, he created the church’s summer camping program for underprivileged youth at Lake Sharon, and an off-shoot is still an ongoing ministry of the church. Assisting Rev. William H. Dickinson, he was active in the acquisition and conversion of Dickinson Place under public housing law 2335. As a volunteer, he tutored math at both Harllee Elementary School in Oak Cliff and at DeGolyer Elementary and for many years has delivered Meals on Wheels. For over ten years, he served as Chairman of the ushers for the 9:30 worship service at Highland Park United Methodist Church.An avid, lifelong golfer, he won the Club Championship of Las Colinas Country Club in both 1972 and 1973, the Match Play Championship in 1982, and was the Seniors Champion in 1977. He also won the Member-Member twice and, with Betty, the Couples Championship. At Northwood Club, he won the Member-Member twice and, with Betty, the Couples Championship. At Northwood Club, he won the Member-Member, the Seniors three times, and the Super Seniors three times. There he also served on the Board of Governors and as first Vice President. He was proud of having shot his age for the first time when he was 70 and over 40 times since, of maintaining a single digit handicap into his middle 70s’, and mostly with Betty, of traveling and playing more than four hundred different courses all over the world. He and Betty traveled extensively (touring and cruising), skied for 30 years, danced regularly, and for 25 of the Landry years attended every Cowboy home game and three Super Bowls – always together holding hands.There will be a visitation at Sparkman-Hillcrest from 6:00 to 8:00pm on Thursday, Dec. 2nd. Following a private burial for the family only, a memorial service will be held in the Main Sanctuary at Highland Park United Methodist Church on Mockingbird & Hillcrest on Friday, Dec. 3rd at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of gifts to The Alzheimer’s Association,; 4144 N. Central Expressway, Suite 750; Dallas, TX 75204, to the American Cancer Society, or to the charity of your choice.