Kim Dawson

She was born on July 13, 1924 and raised in Center, Texas by her mother, Mabel Johnson along with brother, Jay Hughes and sister, Bobbye Hughes Mc Dermott.

She is survived by her husband of 57 years, George Dawson; daughter Dr. Kim Vernon and son-in-law John Vernon; daughter Lisa Dawson and son-in-law Tom Maurstad; son Tiger Dawson and daughter-in-law Leslie Dawson; grandchildren Taylor Vernon, Lauren Vernon, Anna Dawson, Kimberly Dawson and Aidan Maurstad.

Kim left rural East Texas when she graduated from high school because her mother told her she should move to Dallas and “make something of herself.” She worked as a runway model in New York and Paris during the 40s. When she became homesick for Texas she return to Dallas where --as she put it -- she attended the “University of Neiman Marcus”. She opened her namesake business, the Kim Dawson Agency, in 1963, the same year Trammell Crow asked her to be the Fashion Director of his soon-to-be-opened Dallas Apparel Mart a position she held until 1990.

Widely recognized as one of the founders of the fashion industry in Dallas, Kim served as mentor to countless young people who aspired to careers in fashion, acting and broadcast media. In her role as a business pioneer and civic leader, she served on the board of many Dallas-area organizations including the Salvation Army, DIFFA Dallas, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Theater Center and the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and received numerous awards such as her induction into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1987.

Visitation will be held Friday, April 2, 5-7 p.m., at Sparkman/Hillcrest. Memorial service on Saturday April 3, 2 p.m., at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, 9800 Preston Road, Dallas, 75230.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Online condolences may be submitted to www.sparkman-hillcrest.com