ISD mourns passing of Dr. Peggy Wilson

Cedar Hill—The Cedar Hill Independent School District, its staff, scholars and community mourn the passing of Dr. Peggy Irene Mayfield Dunlap Wilson, who profoundly impacted the district and the greater Cedar Hill community. 

Wilson passed away in Belton on Dec. 29. She was 97 years old. 

CHISD named its Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Center, 1515 West Belt Line, to honor Wilson in the summer of 2021. 

“Cedar Hill ISD is so grateful that Dr. Wilson’s legacy will continue for many years to come,” CHISD Superintendent Dr. Gerald Hudson said. “Her contributions as a scientist, professional and champion of education, economic development and philanthropy helped create the Cedar Hill we know and love today.” 

Mayfield was born in Austin on March 24, 1927. Wilson, an accomplished scientist, education advocate, and North Texas civic leader, died in Belton, Texas. She studied at The University of Texas at Austin and became the first female student to earn a Ph.D in Chemistry in 1952. 

She overcame significant barriers to become the first female Ph.D employee at Magnolia Petroleum Company (which is now ExxonMobil) in Dallas. She authored numerous technical patents in the United States, Canada and Europe. She retired in 1989 after 36 years with the company. 

At that time, Wilson was just getting started in terms of community involvement. She became a leader of Cedar Hill’s economic development program in 1991 and was the first female elected to the Cedar Hill City Council in 1994. 

Wilson was the first recipient of the Cedar Hill Chamber of Commerce’s 2001 Golden Cedar Award for Lifetime Achievement. Eleven years later, the city of Cedar Hill honored Wilson with the Distinctive Character Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Dr. Wilson was preceded in death by her first husband, Ray Dunlap; and her second husband, W.W. “Bill” Wilson. She is survived by a stepson, Wallace “Wally” Wilson and his wife, Mary Straw, of Lutz, Florida; their daughter, Erin Wilson, of Austin; and cousins including Dick Mayfield of Temple, Marjorie Sims of Terrell, Cathryn Harris of Austin, John Mayfield of Belton, and Jimmie Hill of Katy. 

Memorials may be directed to the Dr. Peggy M. Wilson Memorial Fund of the Cedar Hill ISD Education Foundation (CHEF) through this link: https://givebutter.com/DrPeggyMWilson.  

SOURCE Cedar Hill Independent School District