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THE HISTORY OF

LOWER

TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

THE HISTORY OF

LOWER

TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

FAMILY AND PERSONAL HISTORY

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VOLUME III

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

JOHN SAMUEL ALFRIEND— Over forty
years ago, John Samuel Alfriend began his career
with the National Bank of Commerce, at Norfolk,
and advanced steadily to the presidency of that
organization, which he has held since 1942. He
has held a number of other corporate connec-
tions; has served as president of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Clearing House Association; and has held
a place of leadership in bankers' groups and com-
munity organizations.

Born at Norfolk on July 6, 1897, he is a son of

e Reverend Richard Jeffery and Mary Emily
(Hulme) Alfriend. After attending the public
schools of his native city, John S. Alfriend was
a student at Norfolk Academy from 191 1 to 1914.
He is a graduate of the American Institute of
Banking.

Mr. Alfriend joined the staff of the National
Bank of Commerce in 1914 as a messenger. Soon
advanced to clerical positions, he engaged in such
[ork until 1931, when he was promoted to cashier.
fter serving as assistant to the president in 1936-
!<)3~. he was then promoted to executive vice
president and director. He became president in
1942. In addition, Mr. Alfriend is director and
president of the Commerce Corporation of Nor-
folk. He is a director of Mutual Federal Savings
and Loan Association, Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company of Virginia, Norfolk and
Western Railway Company, and Southern Ma-
terials Company, Inc. He also serves as a trustee
of the Tidewater Virginia Development Council.

As a banker, he is active in the Virginia Bank-
ers Association, which he served as a member of
its executive council in 1938- 1939 and as president
in 1949-1950. From 1944 to 1947, he served on the
executive council of the American Bankers Asso-
ciation as member from Virginia, and he again
held a seat on the council in 1952. He was a mem-
ber of the executive committee, trust division,
from 1949 to 1952, and was vice president of the
Virginia branch of the national association from
1950 to 1952. He is now serving on the Economic
Policy Commission of the American Bankers As-
sociation, his term being 1956-1959.

Mr. Alfriend serves on the board of visitors of
Virginia Military Institute, and on the board of
advisors of the College of William and Mary in
Norfolk. From 1942 to 1946, he was chairman of
Virginia Region r, War Finance Corporation; and
he was president of the Norfolk Community Chest

in 1947-1948. In 1946 he received the King's Medal
for Service in the Cause of Freedom and is an
honorary member of the Guild of Macebearers,
England. An Episcopalian, Mr. Alfriend is Senior
Warden of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He
was chairman of the restoration fund for Emanuel
Protestant Episcopal Church and he has served
for many years as president of the trustees of the
funds of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese
of Southern Virginia. Mr. Alfriend serves on the
Board of the Norfolk General Hospital. A member
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, he has
served as its president; and he is a member of
the Norfolk Chapter of the Sons of the American
Revolution, Order of First Families of Virginia
1607-1620, the Virginia Club, German Club, Nor-
folk Yacht and Country Club. Princess Anne
Country Club. In Richmond, he belongs to the
Commonwealth Club and he is a member of the
Farmington Club at Charlottesville.

A veteran of World War I, Mr. Alfriend served
with the 81st Company, Sixth Machine Gun Bat-
talion, United States Marine Corps in France.
Wounded in action on November 2, 1918, he re-
ceive the Purple Heart.

On June 17, 1922, John Samuel Alfriend mar-
ried Harriet Lucille Sanderlin, and they are the
parents of the following children: 1. Anne Boiling
(Mrs. John M. Abhitt, Jr.). 2. Susan Bland. The
Alfriend residence is at 142(1 Runny mede Road,
Norfolk.

ROBERT FREDERICK BALDWIN, JR.—

The full three and a half decades of Robert F.
Baldwin's business career has been identified with
the Norfolk real estate and insurance firm of
Baldwin Brothers — now Baldwin Brothers and
Taylor, Inc. — of which he is the president. He
is widely known as a legislator, who for the past
ten years has been state senator in the General
Assembly of Virginia.

Born at Norfolk on January 22, 1900, he is a
son of Robert Frederick and Elizabeth (Boykin)
Baldwin. His father, who devoted his career to
the real estate and insurance business, was one
of the founders of the original firm of Baldwin
Brothers, of which an uncle of Senator Baldwin
was a co-founder. The younger Robert F. Baldwin
received his early education in St. George's Ele-
mentary School in Norfolk, later attended Norfolk
Academy, and graduated from Maury High School

I.OWl'R 111)1 \\ All R VIRGINIA

in the same city in June 1916. lit then entered
the University of Virginia. There his studies were
interrupted by hi> induction into the army in
Octobei 1918. He attended the Coast Artillery
Officers Training School at Fort Monroe, Vir-
ginia, as a candidate with the rank of private, and
was honorabl) discharged from the service in
December 1918. He then resumed his studies at
the University of Virginia, where he received his
of Bachelor of Arts in June 1919. During
the scholastic year 1919-1920, he studied law there.

On leaving the university, lie immediately be
came associated with the real estate and insurance
In in ni Baldwin Brothers, which had been founded
l>\ his lather and uncle in 1896. He has been with
ihi- organization ever since, through its change
ol style to Baldwin Brothers and Taylor, Inc.,
which took place in 1935. He has been president
since 1940. The agency has its headquarters at
116 Brooke Avenue, Norfolk.

In November 1937, Mr. Baldwin was elected a
member of the House of Delegates of the Virginia
General Assembly, took his seat in 1938, and serv-
ed five terms through 1947. He was elected a
member of the Senate in the General Assembly
of Virginia in November 1947, and has served
continuously in the Senate since that time. His
present term expires December 31, 1959.

Mr. Baldwin is a member of Delta Psi national
fraternity, The Raven Society of the University
of Virginia, and Phi Beta Kappa national scho-
lastic honor society. He also belongs to the lodge
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
In his home city of Norfolk he is a member ot the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and the Virginia
Club, and out-of-town memberships include Prin-
cess Anne Country Club of Virginia Beach, the
Commonwealth Club of Richmond, and Farniing-
ton Country Club of Charlottesville. Mr. Baldwin
and his family attend Christ and St. Luke's Pro-
testant Episcopal Church in Norfolk.

On June 4, 1938, in Norfolk, Robert Frederick
Baldwin, Jr., married Myra Skinner Carr, daugh-
ter of Charles Stuart and Pattie (Skinner) Carr.
Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin make their home at [328
Graydon Avenue, Norfolk, and they are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Robert Frederick, 3rd,
who was born in Norfolk on July 19, 1940. 2.
Myra Stuart, born in that city on December 14,
[942.

MARSHALL WINGFIELD BUTT has had a

lifelong interest in the history of the region in
which he and his paternal ancestors, for nine gen-
erations, were born. Much of his life has been
devoted to research and the preservation of that
history.

A native of Portsmouth, he was born on June

_■<>, i8i>ti, son of James William Sumner and Maude
Murray (Marshall I Butt. His lather was a drug-
gist, the proprietor of two pharmacies in Ports-
mouth, one located at 518 Middle Street, the
other at 234 High Street. He was a son of Holt
Fairfield Butt, M. I)., who had served as a surgeon
in the Confederate States Army; and a grandson
oi Robed Bruce Butt, M. D., who had served
as surgeon in the Virginia Militia during the War
of icSu. Both the Doctors Butt were well-known
I 'ortsmouth physicians.

Receiving his early education in the public and
private schools of Portsmouth, Marshall W. Butt
completed his studies at Norfolk Academy. He
began his business career as an assistant to the
city engineer of Portsmouth, and this was inter-
rupted a short time afterwards when he was first
called to active military duty in 1916. As a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, Virginia
.National Guard, he was ordered for duty in fed-
eral service on the Mexican border. Only a few
weeks after lie had returned home, the United
States entered World War I, and he re-entered
service as first sergeant of Grimes' Battery of
Portsmouth. Arriving in France, he attended and
graduated from Artillery School at the old French
Cavalry School, Saumur, where he was commis-
sioned a second lieutenant. He was assigned to
duty with the 102nd Field Artillery, a component
of the 26th Division, and participated in the Meuse-
Argonne offensive.

After the war, Mr. Butt was employed by the
United States Shipping Board in Norfolk, Wash-
ington, and New Orleans. Resigning in 1925, he
established his own real estate business at Nor-
folk and Virginia Beach, and this he operated
successfully until the economic depression, when
circumstances forced him to dissolve the firm. He
re-entered the shipping business in 1941, with the
Old Dominion Steamship Company; and in 1947
entered federal civil service as an engineer in the
design division at the Naval Shipyard in Ports-
mouth.

As a result of his lifetime avocational interest
in the fields of historical research and library
science, he was named to organize and establish
the shipyard's technical library and the Shipyard
Museum, both of which he now heads in the
capacity of librarian and curator.

Mr. Butt served as chairman of the Portsmouth
Selective Service Board from 1940 to 1955. From
1943 to 1950, he was chairman of the Portsmouth
War History Committee. He served as vice chair-
man of the Portsmouth Bicentennial Committee
in 1952; and during 1956-1957, held the post of
vice chairman of the Portsmouth-Jamestown Fes-
tival Committee.

Mr. Butt is the author of various papers on

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Virginia and local history, on naval history, or
on library economics, which have been published
as monographs or have appeared in periodicals.
He is currently serving as president of the Ports-
mouth Historical Association, and is a member
of the Virginia Historical Society, the Associa-
tion for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities,
the Sons of the American Revolution, Church
Historical Society, Naval Historical Foundation,
American Association for State and Local History,
Company of Military Collectors and Historians,
Southeastern Museums Association and Special
Libraries Association.

In connection with his home city, he is active
in the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, and
is vice president of the Portsmouth Assembly. A
life-loiiLv member of Trinity Protestant Episcopal
Church, he has served as a vestryman and senior
warden there. He is now historiographer of the
Diocese of Southern Virginia.

At Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church, on
November 26, 1919, Marshall Wingfield Butt mar-
ried Elsie Brooke Bagby, daughter of Richard
Hugh and Ella Brooke (Cauthornc) Bagby. Mr.
and Mrs. Butt have two children: I. Brooke Mar-
shall, who was born on April 2, 1921. She is the
wife of Edward S. Maupin, and the mother of
one son: Edward Samuel Maupin, Jr. 2. Marshall
Wingfield, Jr., who is a captain in the United
States Army. He was born on May 29, 1925. Mar-
ried to the former Miss Glenna Joyce Quinn, he
has three children: i. Marshall Wingfield, 3rd.
ii. Thomas Frederick, iii. Elizabeth Cameron.

Mr. Butt's address is 214 Glasgow Street, Ports-
mouth.

WILLIAM RUFFIN COLEMAN COCKE—

As a member of the Norfolk firm of Williams,
Cocke, Worrell and Kelly, William R. C. Cocke
devotes his attention particularly to those aspects
of the law dealing with corporate and railroad
practice. He served in a recent year as president
of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association,
and he is prominent in civic as well as profes-
sional affairs.

Born at Montgomery, Alabama, on December
31, 1884, he is a son of William Ruffin Coleman.
Sr., and Clara Vernon (Pollard) Cocke. Complet-
ing his preparatory studies at Episcopal High
School, where he was a student from T898 to
1901, he entered Virginia Military Institute, and
later transferred to the University of Virginia,
where he completed both his advanced academic
and his legal courses, finishing in 1909. He was
admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia in
that year, to the state of Washington bar the
following year, and to the Alabama bar in 1913.
Mr. Cocke began his practice in the Pacific

Northwest, following his profession at Seattle from
1909 to 1913. In the latter year he returned to his
native Alabama, and practiced at Birmingham
until 1929. There he was a member of the firm of
Johnston and Cocke, which later became Cabaniss,
Johnston, Cocke, and Cabaniss, representing rail-
roads and other utilities and industrial firms. He
was general counsel for the Seaboard Air Line
Railway Company at Norfolk during 1929-1930,
and in the latter year became counsel for its re-
ceivers. He became general counsel of the re-
organized Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1946
and remained in that position until August 1947,
when he resigned to re-enter general practice as
a member of the firm of Williams, Cocke, and
Tunstall. Offices are in the Citizens Bank Build-
ing. While conducting a general practice, the
partners concentrate primarily on corporate rail-
road and insurance law. After resigning Mr. Cocke
acted as special counsel for Seaboard Air Line Rail-
road Company, until January 1, 1954. The firm is
counsel for the Virginia Electric and Power Com-
pany, Virginian Railway Company, and Virginia
Transit Company, and are local attorneys for a
large number of insurance corporations, for Nor-
folk and Western Railroad Company, Southern
Railway Company, Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road Company, for Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone Company, S. S. Kresge Company, South-
ern Dairies, Ford Motor Company, and various
other industrials. Mr. Cocke's partners are Leigh
D. Williams, Lawson Worrell, Jr., Joseph L. Kelly,
Jr., Jack E. Greer, and Thomas R. McNamara.

A member of the Norfolk and the Portsmouth
bar associations, Mr. Cocke was president of the
latter group in 1954. He is also a member of the
Virginia State Bar Association and the American
Bar Association, the American Law Institute,
and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. His social
fraternity is Kappa Alpha, and he is a member of
the Princess Anne Country Club and the Virginia
Club. In his politics he is a Democrat.

On October 7, 1909, William R. C. Cocke mar-
ried Alice Watts DuBose, and they became the
parents of the following children: 1. William Ruf-
fin Coleman. 2. Breckinridge DuBose, who is de-
ceased. 3. Dudley DuBose, and 4. Alice Barraud,
twins. Alice is married to Edward Howard Good-
win. Mr. and Mrs. Cocke live at 914 Graydon
Avenue, Norfolk.

JOHN DAVIS HATCH, JR.— Currently serv-
ing as the director of the Norfolk Museum of
Arts and Sciences, John Davis Hatch, Jr., brings
to his task sound scientific training, and experi-
ence as curator at several other locations, both
in the East and the West. He is also the author
of several studies on art and historical subjects.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Born at Oakland, California, on June 14, 1907,
he is a son of the late John Davis, Sr., and Gethel
(Gregg) Hatch. He completed his public school
education in the state of his birth, and from 1926
to 1928 was a student at the University of Cali-
fornia. He later took graduate courses in Oriental
studies at Harvard. Near East studies at Prince-
ton, and in 1939-1940, American studies at Yale
University.

Mr. Hatch began his career as a landscape
architect at Santa Barbara, California, in 1925, and
continued in the same profession at Seattle in 1928.
Later the same year he became executive secretary
of the Seattle Art Museum, and he served as its
director from 1929 to 1931. During 1930-1931, he
was vice president of the Western Association of
Art Museums. During the decade from 1930, he
1940, Mr. Hatch prepared himself for his career
by studying at a number of art museums both in
this country and abroad. Meantime, he continued
to acquire practical experience, serving from 1933
to 1935 as assistant director of the Isabella Ste-
wart Gardner Museum in Boston. From 1935 to
1937, he surveyed traveling exhibits for the Car-
negie Corporation. He was a founder of the South-
ern Negro Colleges' co-operative exhibit group in
193(1. and served as an adviser until 1941. Mr.
Hatch was a founder of the American Artists
Depository in 1938. He was appointed to the
Commission on American Art Studies in 1941.
From that year until 1948 he was active in various
fund campaigns.

In 1950 Mr. Hatch came to Norfolk and assumed
his duties as director of the Norfolk Museum of
Arts and Sciences. He established the American
Drawing Annual in 1940, and has worked on the
compilation of several works including "Historic
Church Silver in the Southern Diocese of Vir-
ginia" (1952); and "Historic Survey of Painting
in Canada." He was the editor of "Parnassus"
(1937-1939); "Early American Industries Chroni-
cle" (1942-1949); and "Albany County (N.Y.) His-
torical Association Record" (1941-1948). He is a
member of the American Association of Museums.

Mr. Hatch serves as trustee of Phelps-Stokes
Corporation, and of the Nevada Company. He is
a member of the Virginia Club of Norfolk and the
Grolier Club of New York, and is a former vestry-
man of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

On October 14, 1939, John Davis Hatch, Jr.,
married Olivia Phelps Stokes, and they are the
parents of the following children: 1. John Davis,
3rd. 2. Daniel Lindley. 3. James Stokes. 4. Sarah
Stokes. The family lives at 700 Raleigh Avenue,
Norfolk.

JOHN LONSDALE ROPER, 2nd— As presi-
dent and general manager of the Norfolk Ship-

building and Dry Dock Corporation, John Lons-
dale Roper, 2nd, heads an important industrial firm
which bis father founded in 1916. He has had
ample experience in its various supervisory and
managerial positions, and has also found time for
a constructive role in community affairs.

Born at Norfolk on September 18, 1902, he is
a son of George Wisham and Isabelle Place (Hay-
ward) Roper. His father, who died at Norfolk on
January 6, 1946, was vice president and general
manager of the John L. Roper Lumber Company
prior to 1916, when he organized the Norfolk Ship-
building and Dry Dock Corporation. He served as
its president until 1944. Beginning his education in
his native city, John L. Roper, 2nd, attended Norfolk
Academy and completed his secondary studies at
Hill School in Pennsylvania. He then entered
Princeton University, where he was a student until
1921, majoring in engineering. He began his busi-
ness career with the Southern Supply Company,
on Water Street in Norfolk, and continued with
that organization for three years.

Since January 1, 1925, he has been identified with
the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corpora-
tion. Initially he served as an apprentice in the
various phases of operations, and thus gained a
solid groundwork useful to him in the more re-
sponsible positions to which he rapidly advanced.
He was elected vice president of the corporation
in 1944, and became assistant general manager two
years later, continuing in the vice presidency. In
1955 he was promoted to executive vice president
and treasurer, retaining the duties of assistant gen-
eral manager. On July 1, 1956, he was elected
president and general manager, thus filling the of-
fice held by his father from 1916 to 1944. His im-
mediate predecessor in office, the second man to
head the corporation, was Crawford S. Rogers,
who died on June 4, 1956, after holding the dual
office since 1944. As president and general manager
of one of Tidewater Virginia's largest industrial
organizations, John L. Roper, 2nd, directs opera-
tions of the company's three completely equipped
ship repair and construction plants located on the
southern and eastern branches of the Elizabeth
River in Norfolk Harbor.

Aside from his responsibilities in his own firm.
Mr. Roper has through the years engaged in many
civic and organizational affairs. He has long been
active on behalf of the Norfolk Community Chest,
serving as its president and campaign chairman in
recent years. He serves on the boards of a number
of civic and social organizations. He is a member
and past president of the Virginia Club. He is one
of five commissioners administering the multi-mil-
lion-dollar program of the Norfolk Redevelopment
and Housing Authority. He and his family attend

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church. When
time allows, he enjoys his favorite outdoor sports,
golf, tennis, hunting and fishing.

On April 7, 1916, John L. Roper, and, married
Sarah Dryfoos of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, daugh-
ter of Henry and Grace (Fogel) Dryfoos. They are
the parents of three children: I. John Lonsdale.
3rd, who was born on January 19, 1027. A graduate
of the University of Virginia, with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering,
and a postgraduate degree in naval architecture and
marine engineering from the Massachusetts In-
stitute of Technology. He is now assistant to the
general superintendent at Norfolk Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Corporation and holds office as assistant
secretary. He married Jane Preston of Tazewell,
and they have two children: John L., 4th, and
Susan St. Clair. 2. George W., 2nd, born January 25,
1928. He attended the University of Virginia for
two years, majoring in electrical engineering, and
like his older brother, is a graduate of the recog-
nized apprentice school of the Norfolk Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Corporation. He is now assistant
to the superintendent of its Norfolk plant. He mar-
ried Jeanne Freeman of Norfolk 3. Isabel Fogel,
born February 11, 1929. She attended Garrison-
Williams School, Miss Turbull's School, and Old-
field's School at Glencoe, Maryland. She is mar-
ried to O. Ramon Yates of Norfolk, who is the
manager of the Ashcraft-Wilkinson Company of
Atlanta. The couple are the parents of three chil-
dren: i. Maida Yates, ii. Anne Lonsdale Yates, iii.
Isabel Roper Yates. Mr. and Mrs. John L. Roper,
2nd, make their home at 1336 West Princess Anne
Road, Norfolk.

DONALD WOODS SHRIVER— Beginning his
career in the practice of law in Norfolk, Donald
Woods Shriver has since acquitted himself well
in several positions of public trust, and he is now
executive manager of the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce. He is active in Masonic and fraternal
groups.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 19, 1901,
he is a son of Alfred, Jr., and Ida (Causey)
Shriver. His father was district superintendent of
The Pullman Company at Norfolk until his re-
tirement in 1935. Both parents are now deceased.
Donald W. Shriver spent most of his boyhood
years in Norfolk and completed his secondary
studies at Maury High School, where he gradu-
ated in June 1918. Between 1919 and 1924 he at-
tended the University of Virginia, spending two
years in the liberal arts college and three years in
law school. He graduated in 1924 with the degree
of Bachelor of Laws. Admitted to the bar of his
state, Mr. Shriver began his practice of law in

Norfolk, and this professional pursuit remained
his chief concern for a decade.

Although he has never sought nor accepted can-
didacy for public office, he held a succession of
responsible appointive posts between the mid-i930s
and the early 1950s. In 1934 he became collector
of delinquent taxes for the city of Norfolk and
held this position through 1941. With 1942 he began
duties as first assistant city attorney and served
until 1947, when he became real estate tax as-
sessor for the city of Norfolk.

Mr. Shriver left the tax assessor's post in 1951
to assume his present duties as executive manager
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. His office
is at 269 Boush Street.

His fraternities are Phi Alpha Delta (law),
Delta Sigma Rho (debating), and the Raven So-
ciety, which he joined while at the LTniversity of
Virginia. He is a member of Ruth Lodge No. 89,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; United Chap-
ter of the Royal Arch Masons at Norfolk; and
Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar. He
is also a member of the Virginia Club at Norfolk.
He attends the Methodist Church.

On October 28, 1924, in Norfolk, Donald Woods
Shriver married Gladys Whitehead Roberts, daugh-
ter of James and Lillie (Whitehead) Roberts.
Mr. and Mrs. Shriver live at 517 Oak Grove Road
and are the parents of two children: 1. Donald
Woods, Jr., born December 20, 1927. 2. Jane Rob-
erts, born on February 2, 1933.

CLAUDE VERNON SPRATLEY— A lawyer
who has devoted most of his career to public of-
fice, Claude Vernon Spratley has served on the
bench since 1936 as associate justice of the
Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. He is a resi-
dent of Hampton.

Born at Surry on July 16, 1882, he is a son of
Peter Thomas and Fannie Howard (Sclater) Sprat-
ley. After completing his public school education.
Judge Spratley went on to advanced studies at
the College of William and Mary, where he gradu-
ated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts at the
exceptional age of nineteen years, in 1901. In 1938
the same college conferred on him the honorary
degree of Doctor of Laws. Judge Spratley took
his professional studies at the Lmiversity of Vir-
ginia, where he received his degree of Bachelor
of Laws in 1906. Admitted to the bar of the state
of Virginia in that year, he began practice at
Hampton, and was chosen city attorney there in
1912, serving until 1923.

His first experience on the bench came with
his selection for the post of circuit judge, which
he held from 1923 to 1936. In the latter year he
became associate justice of the Virginia Supreme

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Court of Appeals, and has served on the bench
of that highest of state courts since.

He is chairman of the board of Citizen's Na-
tional Bank in his home city; and besides local
and national bar associations, holds membership
in Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha.
and Phi Beta Kappa and the Raven Society of
the University of Virginia. He is a member of the
lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the
higher bodies of the order, including the Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
is also a member of the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks. Judge Spratley is a member
of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond. He at-
tends the Episcopal Church, and is a Democrat in
his politics.

On October 27, 1909, Claude Vernon Spratley
married Eleshea Annie Woodward, and they be-
came the parents of the following children: 1. Ka-
therine Woodward, who is now Mrs. William
Franklin Metts. 2. Anne Fletcher, who married
Col. John F. B. Dice, of the U. S. A. F. 3. Claude
Vernon, Jr., who married Frances Parker.

LEWIS WARRINGTON WEBB, JR.— Since

the beginning of his career as educator, Lewis
Warrington Webb, Jr., has been identified with
the Norfolk Division of the College of William
and Mary. He is now professor of physics and
Provost of the college, and he has a full and active
schedule of organizational activities.

Born at Norfolk on March 1, 1910, Mr. Webb is
a son of Lewis Warrington, Sr., and Eleanor
(Kelley) Webb. His father was a master electri-
cian, who devoted much of his career to industrial
work at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. After com-
pleting his studies in local public schools, the
younger Lewis W. Webb enrolled at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute. He graduated there in 1931
witli the degree of Bachelor of Science in Elec-
trical Engineering, and went on to advanced
studies there, leading to the degree of Master of
Science in Electrical Engineering the following
year.

It was at that time, in 1932, that Mr. Webb
joined the faculty of the Norfolk Division, College
of William and Mary, as instructor in physics and
mathematics. Teaching these subjects remained
his major interest for a decade, and in 1942 he
became assistant director of the college. From
1940 to 1946, he was in charge of directing the
war training program there. In 1945 he assumed
his present duties as professor of physics; and
he was named director of the college in July 1946.
In July 1957 he was named Provost of the college.
Mr. Webb is active in professional organizations
and learned societies, and has held positions of

leadership in several of them. A member of the
Virginia Academy of Science, he is past chair-
man of its Physics Section, and he is also a mem-
ber of the Society of American Military Engi-
neers, the Virginia Society of Professional Engi-
neers and Tau Beta Pi, a nationwide engineering
and research organization. He serves on the board
of directors of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, and is a member and past president of the
Engineers Club of Hampton Roads. As a Rota-
rian, he has served as sergeant-at-arms, secretary,
and first vice president of his local club, and is now
president. He is a member of the Hampton Roads
Sales Executives Club, which chose him its Sales-
man of the Year in 1956. He is also a member of
the Virginia Club and the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club. The Catholic Club at Norfolk se-
lected him for their Brotherhood Award in 1958.

Mr. Webb and his family attend the First Pres-
byterian Church of Norfolk. He serves the con-
gregation as superintendent of the Sunday school,
and as a member of the board of deacons.

At Portsmouth, on January 26, 1935, Lewis
WTarrington Webb, Jr., married Virginia Faunt-
leroy Rice, daughter of George Baynham and
Esther (Carney) Rice. Mr. and Mrs. Webb are
the parents of two children: I. George Randolph,
born February 25, 1938. 2. Mary Lewis, born
November 27, 1944.

LOUISA CARRINGTON (VENABLE) KYLE
(Mrs. William Emmett Kyle) — One of the Lower
Tidewater's distinguished writers, Louisa Carring-
ton (Yenable) Kyle (Mrs. William Emmett Kyle)
is well known as a contributor to newspapers and
magazines, both those of her native region and
those of nationwide circulation. She is also active
in civic, patriotic and cultural groups.

Born Louisa Carrington Yenable in Norfolk, on
August 11, 1903, she is the daughter of William
Henry and Elizabeth Berkley (Wight) Venable.
She began her education at St. George's Private
School in Norfolk, and later attended Boush
Street Public Elementary School and Maury High
School in the same city. For her advanced studies,
she went on to Mary Baldwin Seminary, now
Mary Baldwin College, at Staunton, and later
transferred to Lasell Seminary, now a junior
college, at Auburndale, Massachusetts, of which
she is a graduate.

At St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Norfolk, on
June 28, 1924, Miss Venable became the wife of
William Emmett Kyle. He is a native of Norfolk,
and the son of Edwin Dewess and Anne Wingate
(Haigh) Kyle. A lawyer by profession, he has
filled with distinction the offices of referee in bank-
ruptcy for the federal district court. Mrs. Kyle

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

has been close to the practice of law since her
earliest years, for her father, William Henry
Venable, was for more than fifty years a distin-
guished member of the Norfolk Bar. He had a
considerable reputation as a trial attorney, and
handled many important pieces of litigation. He
was also prominent in civic affairs. The writer's
husband has a record of professional and public
service no less distinguished. Mr. and Mrs. Kyle
are the parents of three daughters: I. Louisa
Venable, who was born on April 24, 1925. She is
the wife of Samuel Devereaux Hathaway of Sum-
mit, New Jersey, and they have three children,
surnamed Hathaway: i. Samuel D., Jr. ii. William
Kmmett Kyle. iii. Katheryn Taylor. 2. Elizabeth
Kyle, born January 30, 1928. She is now the wife
of Dr. William Cooke Andrews of Norfolk. They
^re the parents of three children: i. Elizabeth
Randolph, ii. William Cooke, Jr. iii. Susan Car-
rington. 3. Anne Wingate, born on June 12, 1932.
She married Charles Ferrell Moore, Jr., of Nor-
folk, and they have one child: i. Charles Ferrell,
3rd.

Mrs. Kyle emphasizes that in her career scheme,
she has been a wife, mother and homemaker first,
and writer second. But in the past several years
she has achieved considerable prominence in this
second calling, working as a freelance since the
early 1950s. Since February 1953 she has con-
ducted a column, "A Country Woman's Scrap-
book," appearing weekly in the Norfolk "Vir-
ginian Pilot," and is also a feature writer for that
paper. She has contributed to "Commonwealth
Magazine," "Nature Magazine," "Norfolk," the
official publication of the city's Chamber of Com-
merce, and "Norfolk and Western Magazine." She
has also contributed to the Travel and Garden
Sections of "The New York Times," and to
"Garden Gossip," a magazine published by the
Garden Club of Virginia.

Her memberships include the Poetry Society
of Virginia, Norfolk Society of Arts, Association
for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and
the Virginia Historical Society. She is also a
member of the National Society of Colonial Dames
of America, is a charter member of the Norfolk
Junior League, and is active in Girl Scouts, Inc.
She belongs to the Garden Club of Virginia, Vir-
ginia Beach Garden Club, and the Monday Club
of Norfolk. She and Mr. Kyle attend Eastern
Shore Chapel, an Episcopal Church at London
Bridge, and they make their home in that com-
munity, at Alanton on Linkhorn Bay.

C. LYDON HARRELL, JR.— An attorney at
law who has practiced at Norfolk since his return
from naval service in World War II, C. Lydon

Harrell, Jr., has his offices in the Kresge Building
at 236 Granby Street. He is serving as special jus-
tice of Princess Anne County, and is active in
many organizations including bar groups.

Born at Norfolk on October 22, 1916, the lawyer
is a son of Charles Lydon Harrell, Sr., and Ethel
Theresa (Toone) Harrell. His father, a native of
Sunbury, North Carolina, holds the degree of Doc-
tor of Medicine, and has practiced in Norfolk since
the beginning of his career. Now seventy-three
years of age, he is serving the Red Cross blood
bank in professional capacity. He took his degree
at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
Dr. Harrell's first wife, the former Ethel Theresa
Toone, a native of Richmond, died in February
1926, at the age of thirty-five. Dr. Harrell married
second, on June 8, 1927, Miss Lela Wilson, and
they became the parents of one son, Samuel Wil-
son Harrell, born October 2, 1928. He is a sales-
man with Berkley Feed Corporation. Besides C.
Lydon Harrell, Jr., two children were born of
Dr. Harrell's first marriage. They are Edward
Everett, born August 16, 1914, and Gordon Flet-
cher, born March 16, 1919. The latter follows his
father's profession. Graduating from Medical Col-
lege of Virginia, he has practiced in Norfolk since
1949.

Reared and educated in that city, C. Lydon Har-
rell, Jr., graduated from Maury High School in
June 1934, then entered Randolph-Macon College
at Ashland, where he received his degree of Bache-
lor of Arts in 1938. Mr. Harrell next began his
professional courses at T. C. Williams Law School,
and there graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Laws in June 1941. He had passed his bar ex-
amination, entitling him to practice law in the state
of Virginia, in December 1940. War-time service in
the United States Navy, however, deferred his
commencing practice, since he went on active duty
on July 28, 1941, about a month after he had gradu-
ated from law school. Commissioned an ensign,
he served in the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Medi-
terranean. He won steady promotions in grade, and
at the time he was separated from active service
on May 1, 1947, he held the rank of lieutenant com-
mander. He was promoted to the rank of com-
mander on January I, 1953. He remains active in
the Naval Reserve program, and is commanding
officer of his Naval Reserve Division.

At the time he began practice in his own name
in the city of Norfolk, Mr. Harrell had had three
months' experience working in a law office. He
established his own firm in March 1947, and has
since continued independently. In 1950, he was ap-
pointed as Commissioner in Chancery for the Cir-
cuit Court of Princess Anne County, and in 1955
for the Court of Law and Chancery of the City of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Norfolk, both of which offices he now occupies.

In [952, Mr. Harrell became special justice of
Princess Anne County, and serves in that office at
the present time. He is a member of the Norfolk-
Portsmouth Bar Association, the Virginia State
Bar and Virginia State Bar Association, and the
American Bar Association. As a veteran of World
War II, he was one of the founders of the James
Spalding Whitehurst Post of the Veterans of For-
eign Wars, and is a past commander of that post.
He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and
was for a lime the legal adviser for the Junior
Chamber of Commerce. Active in the program of
the Boy Scouts of America, lie is chairman of the
Sea Scout Troop Committee at his church.

Mr. Harrell is a Kiwanian, and a member of
Owens Lodge No. 164, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, of which he is a past master. He is also
a member of Norfolk United Chapter Xo. 1 of
the Royal Arch Masons of which he is an officer;
Grice Commandery of the Knights Templar; and,
as a member of the higher bodies of the York Rite,
also belongs to Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is active
in fraternities, being a member of Phi Kappa Sig-
ma, Omicron Delta Kappa and Tau Kappa Alpha,
as well as Phi Beta Kappa national scholastic honor
society. He is also a member of the McNeil Law
Society of Richmond.

Attending the Methodist Church, Mr. Harrell
serves on its official board. He is interested in wel-
fare work, and serves on the board of the local
organization to combat tuberculosis. His sons are
eligible for membership in the Sons of the Ameri-
can Revolution, as one of their forebears was a
general in the Revolutionary War. The lawyer's
favorite outdoor sports are spear fishing and base-
ball.

On February 5, 1943, C. Lydon Harrell, Jr.,
married Martha deWeese Guild, daughter of Harry
Hickman Guild and Florence Ruth (deWeese)
Guild. Her father spent much of his life in Oregon,
and died during World War II. Her mother died
when Mrs. Harrell was eighteen months old. Mrs.
Harrell serves on the board of the local Parent-
Teacher Association and is eligible for member-
ship in the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The couple make their home at 912 Westover Ave-
nue. They are the parents of four children: I.
C. Lydon, 3rd, who was born on January 20, 1945.
2. John Morgan, born August 4, 1946. 3. Marshall
Guild, born March 10, 1949. 4. deWeese Toone,
born August 22, 1950.

CAPTAIN GEORGE ALVIN MASSENBURG

is now serving his fourteenth year as president of

the Virginia Pilot Association, which has existed
for just a decade short of a century, and which has
been responsible for the safe passage of billions of
dollars' worth of cargo through the territorial wa-
ters of the commonwealth. He is a veteran of
long service with this organization, and has al- 1
been active in public affairs, distinguishing himself
in a number of elective offices.

Born at Hampton on September 19, 1894, he is
a son of Virginius M. and Virginia (Satchell Mas-
senburg. He received his education in the pubhc
schools of Hampton, and began his career with
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company, by which he was employed from 1909
to 1912. On October 1, 1912, he was appointed as
apprentice in the Virginia Pilot Association; and
completing his apprenticeship October 1, 1917. re-
ceived his Master's license and First Class Pilot
license. He has been with the organization eve"
since, was elected its president in 1943, and still
holds that office.

Captain Massenburg's role in public affairs be-
gan over thirty years ago. He was first elected to
the General Assembly of Virginia in 1925, represent-
ing Elizabeth City County and the City of Hamp-
ton, and served continuously until 1950. While a
member of the House of Delegates, he served on
many important committees, including Appropria-
tions, Chesapeake and its Tributaries, Moral and
Social Welfare, the Privilege and Elections, and the
Rules Committee, of which he was chairman. He
was also a member of the Virginia Advisory Legis-
lative Council, and the Governor's Advisory Com-
mittee on the Budget. He was floor leader of the
House of Delegates from 1936 to 1947, and was
elected speaker for the 1947 and 1948 terms.

Appointed to the State Port Authority in 1942.
Captain Massenburg served until 1948, when the
Division of Ports w'as created under the Conserva-
tion Commission. He was then appointed a mem-
ber of the Conservation and Development Com-
mission on which he is still serving. In August
1945, he was appointed to the Board of Visitors
of Virginia Military Institute. In 1945, Governor
Darden appointed him a member of his staff, and
he has been reappointed by Governors Tuck, Battle
and Stanley. He was chairman of the Democratic
Party of Virginia from 1948 to 1952, when he
resigned in order to devote more time to his busi-
ness interests.

During his many years of public service, Captain
Massenburg has always stood for economy in gov-
ernment, and played an active part in the reorgan-
ization of his state's government, under the Hon.
Harry F. Byrd. He supported other amendments
proposed in 1948 under the Hon. William M. Tuck.
He has been most active in the development of

LOWKR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the Port of Hampton Roads and otlier Virginia
posts, and, during his legislative term, assisted in
the passage of many important hills for the im-
provement of transportation facilities in Virginia.
He also played an important role in securing the
passage of the Bridge and Ferry Act of 1940, and
later assisted in promoting the York River Bridge,
the Rappahannock River Bridge and the Elizabeth
River Tunnel, as well as the tunnel now under
construction hetween Hampton and Norfolk. He
was chief patron of the Craney Island Disposal
Area legislation, as well as of the bill setting up
the Hampton Roads Sanitation District Commis-
sion. He has assisted many of the communities of
Virginia in securing improvements for their rivers
anil harbors. He has always actively supported the
Virginia State Ports Authority.

Captain Massenburg was enrolled in the United
States Coast Guard Reserve (T) in 194-'. and, in
June 1943, was elected president of the Virginia
Riot Association. In September of the same year
he received the rank of commander. In April 1945,
lit- was promoted to captain in the United States
Coast Guard Reserve (T), and in November of
that year was honorably disenrolled. He served as
a member of the National Assembly Board, United
States Coast Guard League, and was the Fifth
Naval District Representative of the League in
1945-46.

He is a member of the Virginia State, the Penin-
sula, the Norfolk and the Portsmouth Chambers
of Commerce, and is a director and member of
the executive committee of the Hampton Roads
Maritime Association. He is on the executive com
mittee of the American Pilot Association, which
he served as vice president for eight years; in 1956
he was re-elected vice president. He is a director of
the Tidewater Automobile Association, member of
the Propeller Club of Norfolk and Newport News,
past president of the Hampton Rotary Club, and
a member of the National Rivers and Harbors
Congress and the Virginia Ports Development
Committee.

Captain Massenburg is a member of the Com-
monwealth Club of Richmond, Princess Anne Golf
and Country Club, Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club, and the Virginia Club, and is an honorary
member of the Virginia Military Institute Alumni
Association and the Hampton Yacht Club. He is
a member of St. Tammany Lodge No. 5, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, and of the higher bodies
of Masonry, including Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
also belongs to the lodges of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order
of Eagles.

On October 19, 1918, Captain George Alvin Mas-

senburg married Miss Carrie Wood of Hampton.
They became the parents of three children: 1.
Carrie Wood, born January 1, 1020. She married,
first. Jack T. Love, who was killed in action while
serving with the Fifth Army in northern Italy, in
October 1944. She married, second, Robert H. Lear,
and they make their home in Hampton. 2. George
Alvin, Jr., who was born on April 15, [921. An
ensign in the United States Naval Air Corps, lie
was missing in action in the Battle of Saipan on
June 19, 1944. 3. Edgar A., who was born on
August 15, 19J5. He practices law in Hampton.
Married to the former Miss Dolores Chenoweth of
East Orange, New Jersey, he is the father of two
children: Sharon and Gayle Massenburg. Captain
Massenburg maintains his offices at the head-
quarters of the Virginia Pilot Association, 325
West Freemason Street, and his residence is at
4605 Victoria Boulevard, Hampton.

JAMES L. McLEMORE, SR.— One of the
Lower Tidewater area's most respected and useful
citizens over many years, the late James L. McLe-
more, Sr., distinguished himself as lawyer, banker,
and jurist. Before the turn of the century he lo-
cated at Suffolk, organized the Bank of Suffolk, and
later served as judge of the Second Judicial Cir-
cuit and as a member of the Virginia Special Court
ot Appeals. F'or more than half a century, he was
an influential figure in finance and commerce, the
bar and bench. A local journalist called him a
"venerable link between the South of the recon-
struction era and the mid-twentieth century."

Born near Drewryville, in Southampton Coun-
ty, on November 18, 1866, he was a son of Ben-
jamin Franklin and Rosa Ann (Westbrook) Mcl.e-
more. His father served for twenty years as clerk
of the court in that county. Judge McLemore
received his early education in country schools and
in 1887 moved to the town of Jerusalem, now
known as Courtland, where he became deputy
clerk of the court. Meantime, in 1886, he had
begun studies at Randolph Macon College, and
in his two years there, he became a member of
the Franklin Literary Society. He returned to
Courtland, resumed his work in the office of clerk
of the court, but in 1889 left again to enter the
Law School of the University of Virginia. In
one year he completed the professional courses
offered at that institution and received his law de-
gree. As an undergraduate at the university, he
was a member of the Jefferson Literary Society,
Sigma Chi fraternity, and the Raven Society, as
well as Phi Beta Kappa, national scholastic honor
society.

During the six years following his admittance
to the bar, Judge McLemore practiced at Courtland

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and Franklin. From 1893 to 1895 he was deputy
court clerk under Judge Joseph B. Prince at the
county seat of Courtland. He moved his practice
to Suffolk in 1896.

It was there that he began his second major
career interest, banking. In 1899 he joined several
other prominent local citizens, Thomas H. Bird-
song (q.v.), A. Woolford, R. Howard, R. A. Pret-
low, J. A. Pretlow. C. A. Shoop, and W. R.
Withers, in organizing the Bank of Suffolk. They
began with a capital of thirty thousand dollars
and offices in a building on Washington Square.
Judge McLemore assumed duties as the bank's
first president and held office until 1951. It is now
known as the National Bank of Suffolk. The
change of name took place in 1910, and a new
bank building was erected in 1917.

In 1907 James L. McLemore added duties on the
bench to his already full schedule of service. In
that year. Governor Claude L. Swanson appointed
him judge of the circuit court of the Second Judi-
cial Circuit, which at that time included Norfolk.
He served on the bench for thirty-three years and
from 1924 to 1928 was a member of the Virginia
Special Court of Appeals. Advancing years did not
diminish his faculties, and in 1942 he assumed new
managerial duties as executive vice president of
the National Screen Company in Suffolk, continu-
ing to serve actively until 1946.

He served for some years as a member of the
city council of Suffolk and was a charter member of
the Rotary Club and an honorary member of the
Tidewater Wholesale Grocers Association. He was
a member and past president of the Suffolk Cham-
ber of Commerce. As lawyer, he was a member
of the Virginia Bar Association, and he also be-
longed to the Portsmouth Executives Club. He
was deeply devoted to the work of his church, the
Main Street Methodist, and taught a men's Bible
class there for over thirty-five years. In his honor,
this group has been named the James L. McLe-
more Bible Class. Fond of the out-of-doors, he
had a reputation for skill with the rifle and fishing
rod. In attesting to his qualities as a jurist, a writer
reviewing his career in the columns of the Suffolk
"News-Herald" said of him: "McLemore was not
one to permit informality or lack of respect in a
court room. He was known for maintaining dignity
and order from the bench."

On April 21, 1898, James L. McLemore married
Mary Willis Pretlow, daughter of Dr. and Mrs.
Thomas J. Pretlow of Southampton County. The
couple became the parents of four children, two
of whom died in infancy. The two living children
are a daughter, now Mrs. Robert Matthews of
Norfolk, and a son, James L., Jr., whose biogra-
phical record accompanies.

Judge McLemore's distinguished career ended

on April 7, 1954, when he died at his home on
Pinner Street in Suffolk.

JAMES LATINUS McLEMORE, JR.— Fol-
lowing in the footsteps of his father in both the
legal and banking professions, James L. McLe-
more, Jr., has spent some years in practice at
Suffolk, served as a naval officer in World War
II, and is now vice president of the National Bank
of Suffolk. He has other business connections as
well and takes a constructive part in his com-
munity's organizational and church affairs.

He was born at Suffolk on December 23, 1912,
son of Judge James L. McLemore, Sr., whose
biography is to be found in these pages, and Mary
Willis (Pretlow) McLemore. His mother was a
native of Southampton County, and died on April
6, 1951. After attending local schools and gradu-
ating from Suffolk High School in 1932, the young-
er James L. McLemore entered Randolph Macon
College, where he was a student for three years.
He then transferred to the University of Virginia,
studying there from 1935 to 1937, and was ad-
mitted to the bar of the State of Virginia in De-
cember 1938. He studied at the University of Rich-
mond Law School and in 1940 received his degree
of Bachelor of Laws there.

From 1939 to 1941, Air. McLemore practiced at
Suffolk, and he left in April 194 1 to serve in the
United States Army. In May 1942 he was com-
missioned an ensign in the United States Navy. As-
signed to naval intelligence, he was stationed in
India for twenty-three months. He was separated
from the service in September 1945 as a lieutenant
in the United States Naval Reserve, and resumed
his practice of law at Suffolk. This was his major
career interest for nearly a decade, but, in October
1954, he assumed his present position as vice presi-
dent of the National Bank of Suffolk. This bank,
first known as the Bank of Suffolk, had been
founded by his father and associates just before the
turn of the century, and the elder McLemore was
its president until 19,51. Besides this major business
connection. James L. McLemore, Jr., is a director
of the Benthall Machine Company.

He is a member of the Suffolk Bar Association,
the Nansemond County Bar Association, the Vir-
ginia State Bar Association, Phi Kappa Sigma
at Randolph Macon College, the Rotary Club,
the American Legion post, and the lodges of the
Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, all of Suffolk. Fond of the
out-of-doors, he finds his favorite recreation in
golf, hunting, and fishing, He is active in the
Methodist Church and serves on its board of
stewards.

At Waverly, Virginia, on January 1, I94-. James
L. McLemore. Jr., married Jane Warren Coul-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1 1

bourn of that city, daughter of Uriah Oscar and
Elizabeth Barkley (Sykes) Coulbourn. Her father
is deceased, but her mother is still living. Mr.
and Mrs. McLemore are the parents of three
children: i. James L., Ill, born on February 4,
1945. 2. Elizabeth Warren, born February 7, 1948.
3. John Coulbourn, born December 14, 1954.

JAMES CAMPBELL CAUSEY, JR.— A civil
engineer by profession, James Campbell Causey,
Jr., U at present city manager of the city of Suf-
folk. He is an official in many commercial cor-
porations as well, and has worked effectively in
community organizations.

He is a native of Suffolk, Virginia, and was
born on April 23, 1902, son of James C. and Mar-
guerite (Crump) Causey. Beginning his public
schobl education in local schools, he graduated
from Suffolk High School, and went on to ad-
vanced studies at Virginia Military Institute,
where he received his degree of Bachelor of Science
in Civil Engineering in 1924. Mr. Causey went
to Florida to begin his professional career. His
firs: position was as transitman on the board of
commissioners, Everglades Drainage District, a
department of the Florida state government. After
continuing in that connection for one year, he
becpme assistant engineer with the Moore Haven
Engineering Company, at Moore Haven, Florida.
The following year, 1926, he took a position as
engineer with the Wallis Engineering Company,
in the capital city of Tallahassee. Later in 1926,
and in the early months of 1927, he was back in
Virginia, engaged in timber surveys on behalf of
the Surry Lumber Company at Sedley. For a
short time in 1927, he was identified with R. G.
Lassiter and Company, and later the same year,
accepted appointment as bridge inspector with The
Virginian Railway Company, a position he filled
capably until 1932.

He resigned to become city engineer of the city
of Suffolk, continued in that responsible post for
a decade, and from 1942 to 1946 was city manager
in the same community. In 1946 he re-entered priv-
ate industry, joining Myron Sturgeon Engineers
at Norfolk as senior engineer until 1953. For two
j-ears from 1953 to 1955, he was the senior partner
of Causey and Weeks. His present address is Suf-
folk, where he holds the position of city manager.

In addition to his major occupational connec-
tions, Mr. Causey is a member of the board of
directors of A. B. Miner Company. He serves on
the board of the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital
in his home city, and he is a member of the Na-
tional and the Virginia Fox Hunters' associations.
Retaining active status in his profession, he is
a registered civil engineer in the state of Virginia,
and holds membership in the American Society

of Civil Engineers, the Society of American Mili-
tary Engineers and the City Managers Association.
In his religious faith, Mr. Causey is an Episco-
palian.

On June 9, 1928, he married Margaret Urquhart
Jordan. They are the parents of two children:
James C. and Margaret Warren Causey, and
they make their home on Riverview Drive in Suf-
folk.

HARVEY MILTON HOLLAND— In the

course of his more than half a century with The
Farmers Bank of Nansemond, Harvey Milton
Holland has advanced to the presidency of this
organization, which is the oldest bank in Suffolk.
Mr. Holland is a native of Nansemond County,
and was born on February 29, 1884, son of Charles
E. and Susie (Jones) Holland. His father, born
in the same county, engaged in the wholesale and
retail feed and coal business in Suffolk, and for
many years headed his own firm, C. E. Holland
and Company. He lost his life in an accident in
1894. His wife, the former Susie Jones, is also
deceased. She too was a native of Nansemond
County.

Receiving his early education in the public ele-
mentary schools of Suffolk and Suffolk High
School, Mr. Holland took his advanced studies at
Elon College in North Carolina. He first joined
The Farmers Bank of Nansemond in 1904. The
bank had been organized in 1869. It made its ap-
pearance on the scene at the nadir of the
Reconstruction period, and was founded by Col-
onel John R. Copeland. It was on November 30,
1869, that he and a few of his friends applied to
Judge E. P. Pitts of the Circuit Court of Nanse-
mond County for a charter. In the middle of
the next month office space was rented, and
January 1, 1870, saw the new Farmers Bank of
Nansemond opening its doors. The first deposit
was made on opening day by Colonel William
Eley, in the amount of three hundred dollars.
Toward the close of 1870, the bank purchased its
own first home — the bank building on Main Street
formerly occupied by the old Suffolk Savings Bank.
This it occupied until 1899, when a building on the
site of the present home, at 123 North Main Street,
was occupied. Construction of the present bank
building was begun in 1922, and the building was
occupied in the fall of 1923. From January 15,
1872, when the bank declared its first dividend, it
has an unbroken record of dividend payments up
to the present time.

One of Colonel Copeland's associates, Willis S.
Riddick served as the first president. He died
in 1875 and was succeeded by Joseph Boothe. In
1880, when Mr. Boothe died, Colonel Thomas W.
Smith took office and served until 1883. At that

i :

LOWER TIDI WATLR VIRGINIA

time Colonel Copeland resigned as cashier ami
succeeded Colonel Smith as president. He resigned
in i8t>_>, and was succeeded by Colonel E. E. Hol-
land, who served until his death late in 1941. His
tenure of nearly fifty years, far exceeding that of
;m\ of the bank's other presidents, was followed
by that of E. \Y. Staples, who took office in Jan-
uary 1942.

Mr. Holland, who began his connection with
the hank in the capacity of clerk, was promoted
to cashier in iyib, to succeed the late William H.
Jones, Jr., whose biography appears elsewhere in
this history. While Mr. Staples was president, he
held the offices of vice president and cashier; and
succeeded to the presidency at Mr. Staples' death
in December 1947. He has served on the board
of directors since 1917.

Active in the organizational councils of his pro-
fession, he is a member of the Virginia Bankeis
Association, and has served as chairman of its
Group 1. He is also a member of the American
Bankers Association. A Democrat in his politics,
he has never sought nor accepted candidacy for
public office. He attends the Suffolk Christian
Church.

In Suffolk, on June 3, 1916, Harvey Milton Hol-
land married Eloise Walton Jordan of that city,
daughter of L. W. and Emma E. (Hall) Jordan.
Both parents were natives of Virginia, and both are
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Holland have no children.

JOSEPH W. LUTER, JR.— Smithfield hams
have made the name of this Virginia community
known throughout the United States. One of the
men primarily responsible for their reputation is
packing executive Joseph W. Luter, Jr., who foun-
ded the Smithfield Packing Co., Inc., twenty years
ago. He is a leader in other community enterprises,
including real estate, banking and radio broad
casting organizations, and has taken a lively and
constructive interest in civic causes.

A native of Smithfield, he was born on May ,31,
1908, son of Joseph W. Sr., and Mattie (Brim
Luter. His father, who was born at Ivor in South-
ampton Count)-, on August 24. 1879, was a meat
packer by trade. Mattie Britt, whom he married,
was born in Smithfield on December 6, 1884,
and died on March 2, 1947. Reared in Smithfield.
the younger Joseph W. Luter attended public
schools there and graduated from high school
in 1925. His experience in the meat-packing
industry predated the completion of his educa-
tion, for at the age of twelve years he first
went to work, on a part-time basis, in a meat-
packing plant in Smithfield. wdiere he learned the
business. After completing his studies, he joined
the Gwaltney meat-packing firm, for which he

worked in positions of increasing responsibility
until 1936.

In that year he began his own business in a
small way; and his thorough knowledge of the
industry, his valuable background, his business
abilities and determination enabled him to build
up an organization which holds a high-ranking
place among the packers of the region. Smithfield
Packing Company was incorporated in 1936, and
he is its president. The present modern plant,
located on Highway 10, was completed in 1946.
There six hundred and fifty people are employed
and the company operates one hundred and l\ve
motor vehicles. The present production schedule
calls for the slaughtering of nine thousand hogs per
week, and the company packs and processes pork
and pork products on a large scale, as well as the
famed Smithfield hams. Besides this major business
interest, Mr. Luter is also active in the manage-
ment of the Luter Packing Company of Laurin-
burg. North Carolina, which he serves as secretary-
treasurer.

He is president of the Smithfield Realty De-
velopment Corporation, president of the Merchants
and Farmers Bank of Smithfield, and a member of
the board of directors of the Portsmouth Radio
Corporation. Mr. Luter organized the group which
gave Smithfield its Community Building, in which
various organizations hold their meetings. He has
taken an active part in the restoration of old St.
Luke's Church, probably the first church structure
in the nation still standing, which was built in
1632. Mr. Luter is a Methodist and serves on the
board of trustees of his church. He is fond of the
out-of-doors, particularly boating and fishing.

At Elkton, Maryland, on May 21, 1938, Joseph
W. Luter, Jr., married Pearl Stockman Sykes of
Smithfield, daughter of Daniel Webster Sykes, well
known as proprietor of the Sykes Inn in that city.
Mr. and Mrs. Luter have three children: I. Joseph
W., 3rd, who was born on July 17, 1939. 2. Suzanne
Stockman, born January 16, 1941. 3. Dorothy May.
born February 1, 1946.

WILLIS EVERETT COHOON— The Hon.
Willis Everett Cohoou, who in private life is a
lawyer at Suffolk, has served as a member of
the Virginia General Assembly for a number of
years, has held a number of committee posts, and
has served with distinction as judge of civil, police,
juvenile and domestic relations courts in his home
city. Although his forebears for many generations
had lived in his home region of Virginia, Mr.
Cohoon himself was born at Montgomery, Ala-
bama, on April 8, 1902, son of Thomas Willis and
Goode (Jones) Cohoon. His father, a native of
Nansemond Countv, Virginia, and born on the

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

family's ancestral plantation, was a commission
broker. He is deceased, but his wife is still living.

Records indicate that the Cohoon family has
lived in Nasemond County at least since 1740. In
that year, General John C. Cohoon of Nansemond
County was born. He represented Nansemond
County in the Virginia Legislature from 1820 to
1823, and died in October of the latter year. His
son, Captain John C. Cohoon, was born in Nanse-
mond County on December 26, 1789. He became a
prominent citizen of his county, served as sheriff
for a long term, and represented the county in the
Virginia Legislature from 1828 to 193 1 . He was
master of ceremonies when the Marquis de La-
fayette visited Suffolk in February 1825. Another
member of the family, Samuel Cohoon, was vestry-
man in the Upper Parish Colonial Church of
Nansemond County in 1770. In the next century,
a| Willis E. Cohoon was clerk of court from 1871
to 1875.

1 Reared in Virginia, Willis E. Cohoon, who was
given the name of this last-mentioned ancestor,
attended the public schools of his region and took
his advanced studies at Alabama Polytechnic In-
stitute and Virginia Military Institute. He com-
pleted his studies for the bar, and was admitted
to practice in 1931. He then began his private
practice in Suffolk under his own name, and has
continued there since. A member of the Suffolk-
Nansemond County Bar Association, he was its
president in 1937. He served as vice president of
the Virginia State Bar Association in 1947.

First elected a member of the House of the
Virginia Legislature, to represent the citizens of
Nansemond and Suffolk counties, in 1940, the
Hon. Willis E. Cohoon served continuously until
1947. He was returned to office in 1952, and has
held his seat ever since. From 1944 to 1948, he
served on the Virginia Advisory Legislative Coun-
cil, and during the same four-year period he was
chairman of the Virginia Recodification Commis-
sion. Mr. Cohoon is active in the councils of the
Democratic party. A member of the Democratic
Executive Committee of the City of Suffolk, he has
served as its chairman; and he holds membership
in the Democratic State Central Committee.

Serving in the United States Army at the time
of World War II, he is a member of the American
Legion, and he also belongs to the lodges of the
Benevolent and Protective Order ol Elks and the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In the Elks,
he has served as district deputy, and grand exalted
ruler of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and is also
past exalted ruler of the lodge at Suffolk. His
Masonic affiliation is with Lodge No. 30 at Suf-
folk, and he is a member of the higher bodies,
including the commandery of the Knights Tem-
plar, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order

of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a communi-
cant of the Episcopal Church.

In the Episcopal Church at Norfolk, on October
30, 1926, Willis Everett Cohoon married Thelma
Lee Bryant of Nansemond County, daughter of
James Henry and Martha (Wellons) Bryant. Both
of her parents are deceased. Mr. Cohoon's offices
are in the Suffolk Bank Building.

STEPHEN DAWSON CARNES, JR., is a

young man who, after wartime service with the
Navy and responsible posts with the federal gov-
ernment, established his own business at Suffolk
as an investment counselor. The offices of the firm
which bear his name are at 115 North Saratoga
Street.

Born at Norfolk on October 6, 1922, he is a son
of Stephen Dawson, Sr., and Gladys (Oliver)
Carnes. Both parents are living, and his father is
now retired from active business pursuits. The
younger Stephen D. Carnes received his early
education in the public elementary schools of Suf-
folk, completed his courses at its high school in
1941, and for one year was a student at Georgia
Military Academy. He left there to enter wartime
service with the Fleet Marine Forces and was in
uniform for three and one-half years. After the
war, he resumed his education, attending the Na-
tional University of Mexico, in Mexico City, and
transferred from there to a point closer to his
native locality — the University of Virginia, where
he completed his studies in 1949.

Mr. Carnes began his civilian career in the
employ of the federal government, working for
two years on the staff of the House Expenditures
Committee in Washington, D. C. In January 1951,
he located at Suffolk, where he founded the firm
of Carnes and Company, Investment Counselors.
The management of this firm has been his major
business interest since. Mr. Carnes is a vice presi-
dent and member of the board of directors of the
First Federal Savings and Loan Association, and
he is a trustee of Blackstone College for Girls
at Blackstone, Virginia. He is chairman of the
Greater Suffolk Industrial Committee, an or-
ganization working for the growth and better-
ment of industry in the community. He was appoint-
ed as a consultant, to the Department of Defense,
in Washington, D. C, on July 1, 1954.

Mr. Carnes is a Rotarian and a member of
Delta Sigma Rho forensic fraternity and Sigma
Phi Epsilon social fraternity. He attends Oxford
Methodist Church and is a devoted lay w-orker
in his denomination, a conference associate, and
lay leader.

Mr. Carnes is unmarried. He makes his home
in Suffolk.

I.OWFR TIDi WATKR VIRGINIA

SHIRLEY THOMAS HOLLAND— A banker
by profession, Shirley Thomas Holland has served
the people of his district in the Virginia House of
Representatives for the past decade. He was a
founder of the Farmers Bank of Windsor, and is
now its executive vice president.

He was born in Holland, Virginia, on October
8, 1896, son of Elisha Thomas and Annie L. Hol-
land. After attending the public schools, he was
a student at Elon College, and completed his
formal studies at Massey Business College. At
the outset of his career he turned his attention
to banking, and was only twenty-three years old
when he joined others, in 1919, in founding the
Farmers Bank of Windsor. He has made his home
in that city since, and in more recent years has
entered the general insurance field, while continu-
ing his banking connections. He operates an insur-
ance agency under his own name in Windsor. Be-
sides these two major business connections, he is
a director of the Home Telephone Company of
Smithfield, Virginia.

Mr. Holland's first experience in public office
began in 1922, when he was elected to the
town council at Windsor. He served until 1945.
From 1927 to 1945, he was a member of the
County Democratic Executive Committee. Elected
to the Virginia Legislature to represent the people
of Isle of Wight, Nansemond and Suffolk coun-
ties, he took his seat in 1946, and has continued
in office since that time.

Mr. Holland is a veteran of W'orld War I. As
an active member of the Virginia Bankers Asso-
ciation, he serves on its board of directors, and
served as vice president in 1956 and president in
1957. He is also a past president of the associa-
tion's Group I. He serves on the board of trustees
of Elon College. He is a member of the Ruritan
Club, the Commonwealth Club of Richmond, and
the lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
In Masonry, he is a member of the chapter of
the Royal Arch Masons, the commandery of the
Knights Templar, and Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. A
communicant of the Congregational Christian
Church, Mr. Holland has served as its treasurer
for thirty years, and is also a member of its
board of deacons.

On September I, 1920, Shirley Thomas Holland
married Gladys Anne Elizabeth Joyner of Wind-
sor, daughter of Crawley F. and Eva (Smith)
Joyner. Her father was a merchant, and at one
time served as mayor of Windsor. Mr. and Mrs.
Holland became the parents of four sons: 1.
Shirley Thomas, Jr., born July 13, 1921. In 1942 he
graduated from Virginia Military Institute, and
entered wartime service in the LInited States Army
Air Corps. He was killed in action on September

18, 1944, while serving as a pilot, with the rank of
lieutenant. 2. Richard J., born August 12, 1925. He
is now cashier of the Farmers Bank of \\ indsor.
Married to the former Miss Jean Culpepper, he
is the father of three children: i. Shirley Jean,
ii. Richard )., Jr. iii. Gregory F. 3. Clarence A.,
born June 21, 1929. He is now a lieutenant in the
United States Navy. He married Mary Elizabeth
Burton, and they have one child: Mary Adrian
Holland. 4. William E., who was born on March
30, 1936. He is attending Virginia Military Institute.

JAMES CRESAP SPRIGG, JR.— The name of
Sprigg is identified with the packing and distribu-
tion of nationally known meats and meat pro-
ducts, and has been since James Cresap Sprigg,
Jr., took over management of the Smithfield Com-
pany, Inc., over three decades ago. This firm is
now known as Smithfield Ham and Products
Company, and he remains its president.

Born at Garrett Park, Maryland, on November
17, 1898, he is a son of James Cresap, Sr., and
Grace Elizabeth ( Duryea) Sprigg. His father was
a Lower Tidewater native born at Petersburg. He
entered the real estate business in Washington,
D. C, and in New York, and chose his bride
from the Greater New York area, she being a na-
tive of Glen Cove, Long Island. The deaths of the
couple occurred only a month apart, hers on Feb-
ruary 24, 1951, and his on March 25.

The younger James C. Sprigg attended Phil-
lips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, one of
the most exclusive of the old New England pre-
paratory schools, and completed his preparatory
studies at Shenandoah Valley Academy in Win-
chester, Virginia, where he graduated in 1917. He
entered military service for World War I. being
assigned to the infantry, in which he was commis-
sioned a second lieutenant. After the war he
resumed his education, attending the University
of Virginia for four years.

At the outset of his career, Mr. Sprigg took a
professional interest in geology, and was active
in mine examination work and mine operation in
Mexico for a period of five years. In October
1925, he came to Smithfield and purchased the
Smithfield Company, Inc., then as now engaged
in the packing of Smithfield hams and other meat
products. He has built up the company from a
small operation to its present position of leader-
ship among the producers of pork products, and
Smithfield hams have become known throughout
the nation. Besides this major product, the firm
processes a full line under the Amber Brand and
James River Brand labels, and distributes bacon,
deviled and cooked ham, meat spreads, pork and
beef barbecue preparations, turkey barbecue, chick-
en Brunswick stew, beef stew, chili con carne.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

beef and pork with gravy, and barbecue and meat
sauces. The products are distributed among whole-
salers by a staff of thirty-five salesmen.

Mr. Sprigg is deeply interested in community
affairs and in the historic background of the long-
settled region in which he lives. He served on
the board of directors of the restoration of St.
Luke's Church, which is the oldest in the United
States, having been built in 1632. He is a member
of tile Society of the Cincinnati, and of Pi Kappa
Alpha fraternity, and in his home city, belongs to
the Rotary Club of which he is a charter mem-
ber. He is a member of Princess Anne Country
Club at Virginia Beach, Elizabeth Manor Coun-
try Club in Portsmouth, and James River Coun-
try Club in Newport News, these memberships
being indicative of his favorite sport, golf. An
Episcopalian, he is a communicant of Christ
Church, and serves on its vestry.

At Bel Air, Maryland, on June 26, 1941, James
Crcsap Sprigg, Jr., married Maria R. Holt of New-

t News, Virginia. She is the daughter of Saxon
and Maria W. I Reynolds) Holt.

EMMETT FRANCIS REESE, JR., M.D.—
One of the veteran medical practitioners of the
Lower Tidewater area, and one of its most es-
teemed professional men, Dr. Emmett Francis
Reese, Jr., began his practice at Courtland in the
early years of the century. A remarkably versa-
tile man, he has many interests outside of the
medical profession, including an automobile dealer-
ship, banking, and public office.

Born in Southampton County on September 18,
1877, Dr. Reese is a son of Emmett F. and Vir-
ginia Mary (Bishop) Reese. His father was a
native of Sussex County and a farmer. Receiv-
ing his early education in the public schools and
through private tutoring, the physician and bus-
iness leader completed his preparatory studies at
Randolph-Macon Academy at Bedford City. Ik-
took his professional courses at the University
College of Medicine at Richmond, where he re-
ceived his degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1899.
He spent one year's internship at the Retreat
for the Sick in Richmond.

On July 1, 1900, Dr. Reese commenced his
general practice of medicine at Sebrell, Virginia,
and in 1904 moved to Courtland, where he has
conducted a general practice to the present time.
With over a half-century of distinguished profes-
sional service to his credit, he is universally held
in high regard by his fellow citizens, to whose
welfare he has selflessly devoted his efforts. He
is a member of the American Medical Associa-
tion, the Medical Society of Virginia and the Tri-
County Medical Society. He serves on the staff
of Raiford Memorial Hospital in Franklin.

In 1903, the year before he settled permanently
in Courtland, Dr. Reese acquired a pharmacy in
the city, which he has since operated as Reese
Drug Company. In April 1912, he became head
of another important local business organization
when he acquired the Ford sales agency for South-
ampton County. This is known as Reese Motor
Company, and it continues its successful existence
under Dr. Reese in partnership with his nephew,
R. G. Cobb. It is today the oldest Ford dealer-
ship in Virginia operating continuously under
the management of one proprietor. Dr. Reese is
also a director of Southampton County Bank in
Courtland.

At one time, the physician and business leader
served on the town council of Courtland, and
he has also held the position of secretary of the
county board of health. He served on the selec-
tive service board in World War I. In his poli-
tics he is a Democrat, and he attends St. Luke's
Episcopal Church, being a senior warden at the
present time. For this church, he just erected
a parish house adjoining the church, and it is
named in memory of Mrs. Reese, who died on
November 14, 1955.

She was the former Miss Lynie R. Ridley,
daughter of John William and Betty (Goodwin)
Ridley. The couple were the parents of cue son,
Emmett F., 3rd, M.D. He took his degrees of
Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine at the
University of Virginia, and now practices in
Courtland. He is married to the former Miss Vir-
ginia Griffin.

Besides his professional connections, Dr. Em-
mett F. Reese, Jr., is a member of the Ruritan
Club : -d Courtland Lodge No. 85, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons.

DOUGLAS HOLDEN PULLEY— For many
years, members of the Pulley family have been
profitably engaged in cultivating the productive
soil of Southampton County. Douglas H. Pulley
1l.s continued in the tradition, making farming
his major career interest. He now successfully
operates over a thousand acres near Ivor.

Born near that place on October 19, 1897, he
is a son of Franklin Pierce and Cora Fannie
(Stephenson) Pulley. His father was born in Isle
of Wight Counts' and became a farmer in South-
ampton County. He was also vice president of
the Bank of Sussex and served for several years
as Surry's justice of the peace. He is now de-
ceased, as is his wife, the former Cora Fannie
Stephenson. She was a native of Southampton
County.

Douglas H. Pulley attended the public schools
of Ivor and also studied with a private tutor.
He completed his secondary studies with one

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

year at William and Mary Academy at Williams-
burg. He began his career in commercial pur-
suits, working as clerk in a general store at Ivor.
Shortly afterwards, however, he joined his fa-
ther in the operation of the home farm. Follow-
ing Franklin P. Pulley's death, he acquired this
farm of about five hundred acres in his own
name and has since purchased three additional
farms with a total of five hundred twenty acres,
His composite acreage of over a thousand acres
is devoted primarily to the production of pea-
nuts and corn, and he raises hogs and cattle as
well. He now operates his holdings with the
assistance of tenant farmers.

Mr. Pulley is a former member of the Ruritan
Club. He is a Democrat and attends the Baptist
Church, where he served at one time as a mem-
ber of the board of trustees.

On June 24, 1920, at Ivor, Douglas H. Pulley
married Gladys Herrin of that city, daughter of
Robert M. and Otelia M. (Joyner) Herrin. Her
father, a native of Southampton County, was the
owner and operator of a general store at Ivor.
Her mother was born in Isle of Wight County.
Mr. and Mrs. Pulley have five children: 1. Robert
H., who married Nancy Vaughn. They have two
children: Jane and Butch. 2. Dan Pierce, who
married Goldie Hodovan. They have two children:
Douglas III and Jean. 3. James Marvin, who
married Kathleen Barnes. They have two chil-
dren: Bruce and Patty Page. 4. Douglas Herrin,
wdio married Pat Black. They have two children:
Douglas, Jr., and Terry. 5. Charles Merritt.

MELVILLE ANDERSON MAXEY— For
nearly all of his four decades as a member of
the Virginia bar, Melville Anderson Maxey has
practiced at Suffolk, and he has a distinguished
record in public office as commonwealth's attor-
ney. He is a veteran of World War I and is
active in community and organizational affairs.

Born at Benu's Church in Isle of Wight Coun-
ty, he is a son of Robert Melville and Edna
(.Bradley) Maxey. His father was a clergyman
of the Methodist Faith and served for some years
as pastor of the Main Street Methodist Church
in Suffolk. Both he and his wife are deceased.
Their son attended the publice schools of Vir-
ginia, took some of his secondary studies at Suf-
folk High School, and then enrolled at Trinity
Fark School in Durham, North Carolina. For
his advanced studies he entered Southern Uni-
versity at Greensboro, Alabama, but he returned
to his native state to study law at the University
of Virginia, where he graduated in 1917 with the
degree of Bachelor of Laws.

Shortly afterwards, he entered military service,
and held the rank of sergeant in Company D of

the 535th Engineers. In service for more than
a year, he spent some time in France.

Having been admitted to the bar in July 1917,
Mr. Maxey began practice as soon as he returned
from military service, choosing Suffolk as his
location, tie has conducted a general practice
there under his own name ever since. He is cur-
rently serving his fourth term as commonwealth's
attorney for the city of Suffolk. First elected to
that office, he is now serving under an appoint-
ment by Judge John K. Hutton. He is a mem-
ber of the Virginia State Bar Association and
the Suffolk and Nansemond County bar associa-
tions.

He is a Democrat in his politics and a mem-
ber of the American Legion post, the Lions Club,
the Executives Club of Portsmouth, and the lod-
ges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks and the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
both at Suffolk. He is identified with the higher
bodies of Masonry, including the chapter of the
Royal Arch Masons and the commandery of the
Knights Templar. As a Shriner, he belongs to
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of No-
bles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a communicant
of Main Street Methodist Church, of which his
father was once the pastor.

At Suffolk on September 15, 1923, M. Ander-
son Maxey married Hazel Walker of Suffolk,
daughter of Raymond and Mary (Stockham) Wal-
ker, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Maxey have two children: I. Mary Frances, who
is a graduate of Brennan College and who now
teaches at the University of Maryland in College
Park, where she received her Masters degree. 2.
Melville Anderson, Jr., who is a graduate of
Randolph-Macon College, Ashland.

CAPTAIN WILLOUGHBY WARREN CO-
LONNA — For many years one of the leading
figures in the ship repair industry of Norfolk and
Tidewater Virginia, Captain Willoughby Warren
Colonna has won wide recognition for his integrity
of character and personal qualities. His business
career has been characterized by vision, perse-
verance and enterprise. His major interest has been
the management of Colonna's Shipyard. Inc., of
Norfolk, one of the oldest firms of its kind, which
was founded by his father in 1879. W. W. Colonna
was its president at the time of his resignation from
this executive post in 1954.

Details of the career of Charles Jones Colonna
and of the firm he founded are contained in the
accompanying sketch of Benjamin O. Colonna,
who succeeds W. W. Colonna in the presidency of
the company. Their mother was Margaret Okeson
Dunston, a native of Norfolk, who died in 1892.

—IK

tS767st?

LOWER TIDEWATl R VIRGINIA

Captain W. W. Colonna was born on November
6, 1882, in tbe old family homestead which stood
on the site of the present shipyard. He received
his education in the private school operated by
Robert Gatewood in Norfolk, and at Norfolk Aca-
demy, and went on to advanced studies at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, where he majored in mech-
anical engineering.

Mr. Colonna then entered his father's shipyard
on a full-time basis, having received previous ex-
perience there during his summer vacations and
after-school hours. He served an apprenticeship as
ship's carpenter under the supervision of his father.
He also gained experience in other aspects of the
firm's operations, including management, and when
the business was incorporated in 1913, as the Colon-
na Marine Railway Corporation, he became its
president, with his brother Benjamin O. Colonna
as ,vice president and Carl D. Colonna as secretary
and treasurer. When the firm emerged under its
present name of Colonna's Shipyard, Inc., in 1923,
he remained its president, and continued as direct-
ing head until he changed positions with his brother
Benjamin, who has been president since 1954. while
Willoughbv W. Colonna holds the office of vice
president. Working as a team, they continue to
expand the firm's facilities and to keep it in the
front rank of East Coast ship repairing organiza-
tions. It is one of the largest in its field still operat-
ing under private ownership. It has served the cause
of the nation's defense in two world wars, but adapts
its productive potential equally well to peacetime
needs. While it continues to fill government con-
tracts, it attracts the larger part of its business
from commercial interests.

Willoughbv W. Colonna lias also been a do-
minant influence in the development of Atlantic
Fishing Company, Inc., in which other members
of the family are also interested. With a fleet of
three modern ships, this firm conducts extensive
menhaden fishing operations all along the Atlantic
Coast from North Carolina to Long Island. Mr.
Colonna is vice president of this firm as well.

He was formerly active as a member of Doric
Lodge No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
Ionic Chapter No. 46. Royal Arch Masons, Grice
Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar, and Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. Fond of the out-of-doors, his
favorite sports are fresh-water fishing and oper-
ating his speed-boat. Also an aviation enthusiast,
he owns an amphibious airplane which his son,
Willoughbv W., Jr., pilots. His family home. "Oak-
lette," situated on the eastern branch of the Eliza-
beth River in Norfolk County, is one of the most
attractive in the area. Captain Colonna is a com-
municant of St. Bride's Episcopal Church.

On July 4, 1908, at Elizabeth City, Willoughby
Warren Colonna married, as his first wife, Miss
Roberta Mansfield of Norfolk. They became the
parents of four daughters: 1. Fannie Mae, who
married Robert L. Beale, Jr., of Norfolk. 2. Dorothy
Evelyn, who married Daniel H. Smith of Nor-
folk. They now live in Tampa, Florida, and are
the parents of three children: Patricia, Robin and
Daniel H. Smith, Jr. 3. Eloise Roberta, who is the
wife of Dr. Fred White, formerly of Norfolk and
now practicing as a physician at Bluefield. This
couple have two children: Rebecca and Bonnie
Eloise White. 4. Virginia Mansfield, who married
William F. Folkes, Jr., of Norfolk. They are the
parents of three children: Berry. William H., Ill,
and Ann Folkes. At Norfolk, on February 19, 1927,
Captain Colonna married, second, Esther Pearl
Daughtry of that city, daughter of George W. and
Esther Pearl ( Eley) Daughtry. By this marriage
he is the father of two more children: 5. Willoughby
Warren, Jr., now superintendent of Colonna's Ship-
yard, Inc. His career record accompanies. 6. Caro-
line, who married Daniel H. Thrasher of Norfolk.
They are the parents of two sons: Daniel H. and
Warren Thrasher.

WILLOUGHBY WARREN COLONNA, JR.

— Representing the younger generation of the Co-
lonna family which has long been prominent in
shipbuilding and repair operations at Norfolk,
Willoughby Warren Colonna, Jr., is now super-
intendent of the shipyard, and a member of the
corporation's board of directors. He is also an
official of the Atlantic Fishing Company, Inc., and
his leadership in industry and community affairs
won him the "Mr. Norfolk" award in 1955 and the
"Mr. Virginia" award in 1957. He is a veteran of
service in the United States Army.

Born February 1, 1929, in Norfolk, he is a son
of Willoughby Warren, Sr., and Esther Pearl
(Daughtry) Colonna, both natives of Norfolk
County, and grandson of the late Charles Jones
Colonna, who founded Colonna's Shipyard in 1879.
The elder Willoughby W. Colonna has been asso-
ciated with the management of this shipyard since
his graduation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute
in 1906, and his career is the subject of a separate
biographical sketch.

Attending local schools, Willoughby W. Colonna,
Jr., graduated from Maury High School in 1947,
after which he served two years in the United
States Army. On his return, he entered the College
of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, which he
attended for one year. He then served his ap-
prenticeship in the family firm, Colonna's Ship-
yard, Inc., as has been a tradition among the
younger echelon of the company's prospective man-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

agement For many years. In this way he familiariz-
ed himself with all phases of operations, before
assuming increasing responsibility in supervisory
capacities. He was promoted to assistant super-
intendent and in 1950, became superintendent of
the shipyard, his present position. He has been a
member of the corporation's board of directors
since 1952, and is also a director of the Atlantic
Fishing Company, Inc., another Colonna familj
interest.

A very versatile young man, Mr. Colonna is
widely known for his achievements in boating,
water-skiing, aviation, and athletics. It was pro-
bably his excellent record in these lines which won
him the "Mr. Norfolk" and "Mr. Virginia" awards,
in 1955 and 1957, respectively. He is past state
champion in water-skiing. An aviation enthusiast,
he holds a private pilot's license for a single engine
land and sea plane. He has also won recognition
for his dramatic abilities, and his impersonations of
Al Jolson in local minstrel shows has earned him
popular acclaim.

On April 7, 1953, at Portsmouth, Willoughby
Warren Colonna, Jr., married Earlene Mary New-
comb of Norfolk. They are the parents of one
son: Willoughby Warren, III, who was born on
August 20, 1955. Mr. and Mrs. Colonna are com-
municants of Saint Bride's Episcopal Church at
Berkley.

BENJAMIN OKESON COLONNA, SR.—

Three generations of the Colonna family have been
identified with the management of Colonna's Ship-
yard, Inc., of Norfolk. Benjamin Okeson Colonna,
Sr., is now its president and general manager, and
he is also active in other commercial interests, in-
cluding the Atlantic Fishing Company, Inc., of
which he is also the president. The firm which bears
his family's name was founded in 1879, and pioneer-
ed in the ship repair industry in Tidewater Vir-
ginia. It is also one of the oldest industrial firms
in the commonwealth, and one of the largest ship
repair yards on the entire Atlantic Coast to be
conducted under private ownership.

Charles Jones Colonna, its founder, was born
in the Eastern Shore district of Virginia in 1849, a
descendant of early colonial settlers. He received
a limited education and early in youth embarked
upon a seafaring life and learned the trade of ship's
carpenter. He came to Norfolk in the early 1870s
and for a time was employed in that capacity by
William A. Graves, who operated a ship repair
yard on Water Street in Norfolk. In 1879 he began
his own enterprise in a modest way. On one of his
early bill heads appeared, "Chas. J. Colonna, Ship-
wright, Spar Maker and Caulker." At that time
all production work was done by hand, and the

excellence of his work brought prosperity to his
firm. Today Colonna's Shipyard is located on its
original site of thirty-five acres on the eastern
branch of the Elizabeth River in the Berkley Dis-
trict of Norfolk. The site was originally that of
the old Travis farm, an early land grant, and on
this property for many years stood the old Colonna
family home, erected in colonial days. It was there
that Charles Jones Colonna reared his family and
lived for many years. Later the residence was used
as an office for the shipyard, and in 1935 was razed
in the course of modernizing the yards.

About 1907, Charles J. Colonna retired from
most of his business duties and turned the man-
agement of the business over to his sons, Carl
Dunston, Willoughby Warren, and Benjamin
Okeson. By 1912 the founder had resigned com-
pletely from the organization; but Colonna's Ship-
yard, Inc., stands today as a monument to his
ability and character. In a true sense his personal
creation, it is now directed by his sons and grand-
sons. In the early days of the new management,
the greatly expanded firm took the name of Colonna
Marine Railway Corporation, in 1913. In 1923, three
years after the death of the founder, the present
title, Colonna's Shipyard, Inc., was adopted. His
death occurred on March 3, 1920. His wife was
the former Margaret Okeson Dunston, a native
of Norfolk, who died in 1892. They became :he
parents of five sons and one daughter: 1. John
Wilkins, who is deceased. 2. Margaret Evelyn, who
married, first, Henry F. McCoy, deceased, and
married, second, Oscar F. Smith of the Norfolk
Dredging Company. 3. Carl Dunston, secretary
and treasurer of Colonna's Shipyard. 4. Willoughby
Warren, former president and now vice president
of the shipyard. 5. Edward Holt, deceased. 6. Ben-
jamin Okeson, of whom further.

Benjamin Okeson Colonna — or Captin Ben
Colonna, as he is more widely known — was born
on January 14, 1887, in the old Colonna homestead
that stood on the site of Colonna's Shipyard. He
was educated in the Robert Gatewood Private
School in Norfolk and at Norfolk Academy. From
his boyhood years he spent his after-school hours
and summer vacations in the Colonna shipyard,
and at the age of eighteen, entered the business
on a full-time basis. He served his apprenticeship
as ship's carpenter, became familiar with all phases
of operations in the ship repair industry, and soon
assumed responsibilities in general management.
When in 1913 the firm became Colonna Marine
Railway Corporation, he was made vice president;
and when in 1923 the name Colonna's Shipyard,
Inc., was adopted, he continued in that office. In
1954 he succeeded bis brother, Willoughby Warren
Colonna (q.v.) as president and general manager.

LOWF.R TIDF.WA TER VIRGINIA

In both world wars, the corporation rendered
outstanding service in repairing and refitting ships.
In peace as well as wartime, it devotes its facilities
to repair and refitting work on both steel and
wooden vessels, and works on government con-
tract as well as for commercial interests. It has
complete equipment for this purpose, and a dry-
dock capacity of five thousand tons. It normally
carries three hundred and fifty names on its pay-
roll. The principal officers of the corporation are
Captain Ben Colonna, president and general man-
ager; Captain W. W. Colonna, vice president; Carl
D. Colonna, secretary and treasurer; Carl D. Co-
lonna, Jr.. general superintendent; Benjamin O.
Colonna, Jr., superintendent; and Willoughby W.
Colonna, Jr., superindendent. The firm is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the Vir-
ginia State Chamber of Commerce and the Hamp-
ton Roads Maritime Association.

Another Colonna family interest which plays an
important part in the commercial life of Norfolk
is the Atlantic Fishing Company, Inc. Of this firm
too Benjamin O. Colonna is president, while Cap-
tain Willoughby W. Colonna is vice president and
Ben O. Colonna, Jr., is secretary. This firm was
founded in 1925 and incorporated in 1947. It is
extensively engaged in menhaden fishing, in the
waters from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to Long
Island. The company owns and operates three of
the most modern vessels in Atlantic and Chesa-
peake Bay operations. They are named the "Charles
J. Colonna," the "W. W. Colonna," and the "B. O.
Colonna." Atlantic Fishing Company's hauls in
1954 had a value of over a million dollars, and
!955 operations grossed one million two hundred
thousand dollars. It is one of the most modern
and efficiently operating fishing enterprises in Vir-
ginia.

Beloved by his employees and associates, Cap-
tain Colonna has a legion of friends in all walks
of life. Among his hobbies is his collection of
portraits of prominent citizens of Norfolk and
Tidewater Virginia. He is known throughout his
region and his industry as a gentleman, and a
capable executive. He is a member of the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club and the Virginia Club of
Norfolk, and is an active communicant of St. Paul's
Episcopal Church of Norfolk. His favorite sports
are fishing and boating.

On January 5, 1909. at Tarboro, North Carolina,
Benjamin Okeson Colonna, Sr., married Mary
Glenn Perry of Elizabeth City, daughter of the
late J. Walter and Alice (Wilson) Perry. The
couple are the parents of two children: 1. Glenn
Perry, who married William L. Boggs of Norfolk.
They are the parents of a daughter, Glenn Perry
Colonna Boggs. 2. Benjamin Okeson, Jr., super-

intendent of Colonna's Shipyard, Inc., and secre-
tary and treasurer of the Atlantic Fishing Company,
Inc. He married Mildred Elizabeth McClellan of
Norfolk, and they have a daughter, Carol Mc-
Clellan Colonna. Captain and Mrs. Colonna reside
at 632 Baldwin Place, Norfolk.

BENJAMIN OKESON COLONNA. JR.—

Representing the third generation of a family dis-
tinguished in commercial leadership in the Lower
Tidewater area, Benjamin Okeson Colonna, Jr., is
a young Norfolk executive who has advanced to
the positions of superintendent and member of the
board of Colonna's Shipyard, Inc., and secretary
and treasurer of the Atlantic Fishing Company.

Born in Norfolk on April 18, 1922, he is a son
of Benjamin Okeson and Mary Glenn (Perry)
Colonna and grandson of Charles Jones Colonna,
founder of the shipyard, whose wife was the former
Margaret Okeson Dunston. His father is the sub-
ject of an accompanying sketch, which also relates
something of the history of the firms with which
the younger Benjamin O. Colonna is identified.
Receiving his education in the public schools of
Norfolk, he graduated from Maury High School
in 1 94 1. In the course of his school years, he had
gained experience working in the family shipyard
on a part-time basis, familiarizing himself with
the operations of its various departments, and on
his graduation, he joined the firm on a full-time
basis. He served an apprenticeship in the machine
shop and later became a leader in one of its working
units — a connection affording valuable experience
for subsequent managerial duties. He became super-
intendent in 1945 and has been a member of the
board of directors since 1952. As a member of the
third generation of the family which has always
conducted the operations of the long-established
ship repair and refitting organization, he is carry-
ing on the traditions of service and achievement
laid down by its founder. In addition, in the family's
menhaden-fishing organization, known as Atlantic
Fishing Company, he holds the offices of secretary
and treasurer.

Mr. Colonna formerly served on the board of
governors of the Propeller Club of the Port of
Norfolk, in which he retains membership. He is
also a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club and like other members of his family, is a
communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
His favorite sports are sailboat racing and fresh-
water fishing.

On April 15, 1944. in old St. Paul's Episcopal
Church in Norfolk, Benjamin Okeson Colonna.
Jr., married Mildred Elizabeth McClellan of that
city, daughter of the late Henry and Ruby (Rock)

TWVa. 3

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

McClellan. The couple are the parents of a daugh-
ter, Carol McClellan Colonna, born July 23, IQ45-

on June 21, 1905, and is now general superinten-
dent of Colonna's Shipyard. His biographical record
accompanies.

CARL DUNSTON COLONNA— Treasurer of
Colonna's Shipyard, Inc., Carl Dunston Colonna
has been active in its management with his brothers
since the retirement of their father, its founder.

He was born on May 31, 1881, in the old Charles
Jones Colonna family home, which was located on
the present site of the shipyards. He is the eldest
of the surviving sons of Charles J. and Margaret
Okeson (Dunston) Colonna. Receiving his early
education in the private schools of Misses Annie
and Berry Carnes on Mulberry Street in Berkley,
he later attended the Robert Gatewood School and
Norfolk Academy. In early boyhood he became
acquainted with the operations of the various
departments of the ship repair firm, which had been
founded by his father several years before his
birth. In 1907 he joined the organization on a full-
time basis as secretary and treasurer and has held
that position through the days of the firm's ex-
istence as Colonna Marine Railway Corporation
and, since 1923, as Colonna's Shipyard, Inc.

In his more active years, he was a great lover of
the out-of-doors, particularly fishing and boating,
and he has always taken an interest in travel. He
was a member of the Virginia Club of Norfolk,
the Hampton Roads Maritime Exchange, and is
the oldest member of Doric Lodge No. 44,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He was form-
erly active in other York Rite bodies of Masonry
and in Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a former
member of the Lions Club.

He is a lifelong Episcopalian, and was a com-
municant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Berk-
ley before the founding of St. Bride's Episcopal
Church, in which he has since been active. He is a
former treasurer and superintendent of the Sunday
school and was a delegate to the diocesan councils
for twelve years. He is now an honorary life mem-
ber of the vestry of St. Bride's Church, with voting
powers.

Mr. Colonna is known among his host of friends
as a man of cheerful and convivial nature and a
stimulating conversationalist.

On November 18, 1903, in St. Paul's Episcopal
Church, Carl Dunston Colonna married Lois Pearl
Sykes of Mount Pleasant, Norfolk County. Mrs.
Colonna was the daughter of George W. and
Marina (Barnes) Sykes. Her death occurred on
June 11, 1953. She exerted a positive influence in
the cultural and religious life of the community and
was for many years a member of the choir at St.
Bride's Episcopal Church. The couple became the
parents of a son, Carl Dunston, Jr., who was born

CARL DUNSTON COLONNA, JR.— Since his
early youth, the career of Carl Dunston Colonna,
Jr., has been identified with Colonna's Shipyard,
Inc., and he is now general superintendent of that
firm, which his grandfather founded and in which
his father has held executive positions for many
years. Representing the third generation of his
family in the industry, he has a creditable record
of achievement, to which he has brought the skills
of modern business management and the know-
how and respect for tradition which are the heritage
of a firm nearly eighty years of age. The story
of the founding and development of this firm is
found elsewhere in these pages, in the annals of
the Colonna family.

Born in Xorfolk on June 21, 1905, Carl D. Co-
lonna is a son of Carl Dunston, Sr., and Lois Pearl
(Sykes) Colonna, and a grandson of Charles Jones
and Margaret Okeson (Dunston) Colonna. His
father is the subject of a separate sketch. Attending
the public schools of Norfolk, the younger Carl
D. Colonna graduated from Maury High School in
1922, after which he attended Fishburne Military
School. There he graduated in the Class of 1925.
He continued his studies at the Washington School
of Drafting, in Washington, D. C.

When he entered Colonna's Shipyards (then
Colonna Marine Railway Corporation) on a full-
time basis, he served an apprenticeship in ship
construction and repair, a prerequisite to be found
in the records of the other executive leaders of the
firm in both the younger and older generations. He
became general superintendent of the shipyard in
September 1940. He thus played a major part in
preparing the firm for its role in serving the govern-
ment during World War II and in adapting its
facilities to peacetime production in the years which
followed. Colonna's Shipyard still contracts with
the government for work on vessels of various des-
criptions, but draws the major portion of its work
from commercial firms. Mr. Colonna serves on the
board of directors of the corporation, as well as in
the capacity of general superintendent.

He is a member of the Society of Naval Archi-
tects and Marine Engineers and the Engineers
Club of Hampton Roads and, through Colonna's
Shipyard, Inc., is affiliated with the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce, the Virginia State Chamber of
Commerce, and the Virginia Manufacturers Asso-
ciation.

Apart from his trade connections, Mr. Colonna
is a member and past worshipful master of Doric
Lodge No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

He is a communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
On October 14, 1939, Carl Dunston Colonna, Jr.,
married Sarah Ruth Morgan of Newport News,
daughter of the late Joseph T. and Sarah Ann
(Morse) M organ. Mr. and Mrs. Colonna are the
parents of a son, Carl Morgan, who was born on
April 4, 1941. He is now a student at Oscar From-
mel Smith High School, South Norfolk. The family
residence is at 345 Kemp Lane, in Norfolk County.

HAROLD WALTER CHANDLER— With
banking experience dating back to World War I
years, Harold Walter Chandler has spent most of
his career with the First National Bank of New-
port News and is now its president. He has taken
a constructive interest in civic and political life.

A native New Englander, he was born at Nor-
way, Maine, on December 21, 1895, son of Walter
S. and Abbie (Adams) Chandler. His mother too
was born in that city, and his father at Bethel,
Maine. Walter S. Chandler is now retired from
business, and Mrs. Chandler is deceased. Harold
W. Chandler attended the public schools of Bethel
and graduated from Gould Academy in that city
ii. 1914. He began his banking career there, enter-
ing the employ of the Bethel National Bank and
remaining on its staff for six months. He was
next identified, for a period of one year, with
the Rumford National Bank at Rumford Falls,
Maine. His third connection was with the Augusta
Trust Company of Winthrop, Maine, with which
he remained for somewhat less than two years,
leaving to enter the United States Army for serv-
ice in World War I.

Returning to civilian life after two years in
uniform, Mr. Chandler located at Newport News,
and there he first worked in the auditing depart-
ment of Newport News Shipyard. After a year
and one-half he left to return to banking, and
it was at that time that he joined the staff of
the First National Bank of Newport News. He
began in the bookkeeping department, was soon
promoted to auditor, and advanced through the
positions of assistant cashier, cashier, and vice
president, to become president of the First Na-
tional Bank in January 1948. In addition to serv-
ing as its chief executive and as a member of
its board of directors, Mr. Chandler is a director
of the Mutual Home and Savings Association.

One of Mr. Chandler's major contributions to
civic progress has been his work with the Penin-
sula Boys' Club, of which he is currently trea-
surer and a director. His interest in youth and
in education is further indicated by his valuable
service on the Newport News school board, of
which he has been a member since 1952. Politi-
cally , he supports the Democratic platform and
candidates at the local and statewide levels, but

has voted the Republican ticket in national elec-
tions. He attends the Orcutt Avenue Baptist
Church, where he serves as a trustee. He is a
member of the James River Country Club and
Peninsula Lodge No. 175, Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons.

On February 7, 1920, at Newport News, Harold
Walter Chandler married Susie Marks of that
city, daughter of Walter E. and Mae (Marable)
Marks. Mr. and Mrs. Chandler are the parents
of two children: 1. Virginia, who married Eu-
gene Williams. They have three children: James,
Kathryn, and John. 2. Harold Kimball, who mar-
ried Eleanor Smith.

HARRY LEIBE NACHMAN— Admitted to the
bar of his state about four decades ago, Harry
Leibe Nachman practices at Newport News as
senior partner in the firm of Nachman and Nach-
man. He has served for some years as city attor-
ney, and exerts a vital influence in public af-
fairs and political life, as well as taking a full
role in organizational activities.

The son of a Newport News merchant, Ray
Nachman, and his wife, the former Mary Rich-
mond, Harry Leibe Nachman was born in that
city on August 29, 1895. His father is now de-
ceased, although his mother is still living. The
lawyer and public official attended the public
schools of his native city, and graduated from
high school there in 1913. He took his advanced
academic work at the University of Virginia, and
remained there to complete his professional cour-
ses, taking the degree of Bachelor of Laws in
1917. He had by that time been admitted to the
bar of his commonwealth, in 1916; and when he
graduated from law school, returned to Newport
News to establish his practice. In his present
firm 1 f Nachman and Nachman, his son Bert
is his partner. Harry L. Nachman is a member
of the Newport News-Warwick Bar Association
and formerly served as its president. He is also
a member of the Virginia State Bar Association
and the American Bar Association.

On January 1, 1945, he took office as city
attorney of Newport News, on appointment, and
he has served continuously since that time, dis-
tinguishing himself by his abilities and his con-
scientious discharge of his responsibilities. He is
a Democrat, and formerly served as chairman of
the election board in his city. He was at one
time a member of the Newport News Democratic
Executive Committee.

Mr. Nachman is a veteran of World War I,
having served in the United States Navy for
twenty-five months. He is a member of Brax-
ton Perkins Post No. 25 of the American Le-
gion, has served as commander of that post, and

LOWER TIDI.WA TFR VIRGINIA

is also past Judge Advocate for the State of
Virginia. He is a member of the local gare of
the Forty and Eight. His fraternity is Phi Ep-
silon Pi, and he is a member of the Lodge of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
Peninsula Lodge No. 278, Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons. A member of the higher bodies
of Masonry, be belongs to the 'consistory of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and Khedive
Temp'e, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, at Norfolk. He is of Jewish faith.
On January 16, 1923, in Newport News, Harry
L. N; -.hman married Sadye Cohen of that city,
daughter of I. and Ida (Fisch) Cohen. Mrs.
Nachman died on November 11, 1944. The cou-
ple w re the parents of two children: 1. Bert
A., who was born on September 29, 1925. He
graduated from the University of Virginia, where
he took both the Bachelor of Arts and the Bache-
lor of Laws degrees, and he has practiced at
Newport News since 1952, being a partner of
his father. During World War II, Bert Nach-
man served in the Naval Air Corps. 2. Betty,
who was born on August 23, 1929; a graduate
of Randolph-Macon Womens College with a
Bachelor of Arts degree, she is married to Eu-
gene Levin of Newport News, who is a gradu-
ate of Duke University at Durham, North Caro-
lina.

JESSE J. PARKERSON— Since 1929, Jesse J.
Parkerson has been president of the Merchants
and Planters Bank of Norfolk, and his experience
in his profession dates from the early years of the
century. He joined the staff of the bank in 1902
and has played a conspicuous part in its growth.
Not only as a banker but as a progressive citizen
and promoter of civic causes, he has proved his
value to the area.

Born July 23, 1884, in Berkley, Virginia, now a
part of the city of Norfolk, he is a son of the late
W. T. J. and Cherry (Martin) Parkerson. After
attending public and private schools and a busi-
ness college, he began his career in Berkley as a
runner for the Merchants and Planters Bank on
January 2, 1902. Advancing through the positions
of bookkeeper and teller, he was made cashier on
December 31, 1909, and was elected president on
January 16, 1929.

The Merchants and Planters Bank was the first
financial institution to be established in that part
of the city which lies across the eastern branch of
the Elizabeth River. It opened its doors April I,
1900. Founded through the efforts of Alvah H.
Martin, Sr., and other progressive citizens, it be-
gan its existence with a capital of thirty thousand
dollars. Foster Black was its first president, and
he was succeeded by Alvah H. Martin, who saw

the bank's capital increased to fifty thousand dol-
lars. Following the death of Mr. Martin on July
5, 1918, Colonel S. L. Slover became its executive
head. During his tenure of office, two branches
were opened: the Campostella Branch, at Campos-
tella Road and Springfield Avenue in 1924, and the
South Norfolk Branch, Twenty-second and Liberty-
Avenue, in 1927. In 1929, Colonel Slover was elec-
ted chairman of the board of directors, and was
succeeded in the presidency by Jesse J. Parkerson.
By 1936, the bank's capital had risen to two hun-
dred and fifty thousand dollars, with resources ex-
ceeding four million dollars. Its amazing growth
is reflected in its statement of April 10, 1956. Its
subscribed capital of seventy-five thousand dollars,
having been increased through the years by stock
dividends of four hundred and twenty-five thou-
sand dollars, now totals half a million dollars; and
a surplus of one million two hundred thousand
dollars, and undivided profits of ¥278,881.19, were
reported. Deposits have grown to $19,973,044.48.
In 1946, the Merchants and Planters Bank estab-
lished another branch at 2501 Lafayette Boulevard.
Another branch, known as the Little Creek Road
Branch, on Little Creek Road, was opened for
business in September 1956. In addition to its
principal office, its four branches provide a wide
range of services, and serve an ever-increasing
number of customers, including business firms and
industries. The bank has consistently cooperated
with community and national projects. In the
World War I period, it took an active part in the
Liberty Loan campaigns and other Treasury De-
partment projects. In World War II, it established
a record of government bond sales exceeding six
million dollars, and rendered valuable service in
ration banking and payroll work for members of
the armed forces as well as for civilian war work-
ers. In addition to the name of Mr. Parkerson, its
roster of officials include Alvah H. Martin, Jr.,
vice president and trust officer; J. Paul Smith,
vice president and cashier; W. Mac Goodman,
vice president; Harry A. Fruit, vice president;
William E. Warren, vice president: Frank N.
Wood, vice president; J. M. Jones, Jr., vice presi-
dent; G. M. Old, assistant cashier; Luther L.
Bondurant, assistant cashier: William H. White,
assistant cashier; Nathan Sykes, Jr., assistant
cashier; Franklin B. Austin, assistant cashier;
Frances P. Britt, assistant cashier; Marjorie
Quayle, assistant trust officer; Willis W. Stephen-
son, auditor. Directors are H. G. Ashburn, W. P.
Butt, William H. Darden, W. F. Duckworth, Ber-
nard Glasser, Herman A. Hall, J. J. Joyce, Alvah
H. Martin, Jr., W. J. Newton, G. C. Nicholas,
Jesse J. Parkerson, W. D. Preston. Howard G.
Privott, Stephen Richard, R. B. Rowland, Jr., J.
R. Sears, S. L. Slover, J. Paul Smith, Samuel H.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Thrasher, W. M. Townsend, J. F. Walker. Wil-
liam E. Warren and Maxwell Zedd.

Active in other business connections as well,
Mr. Parkerson is treasurer and a director of the
Chesapeake Building Association, and a director
of the Security Insurance Agency, Inc. He is
president and director of the South Norfolk Bridge
Commission, a director of the Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce, and a member of the Virginia State
Chamber of Commerce, and as a bank executive,
belongs to the Virginia Bankers Association and
the American Bankers Association. In his own
city he is a member of the Norfolk Executives
Club, the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, and
Doric Lodge No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons. In Masonry he is a member of the higher
bodies including the Ionic Chapter of Royal Arch
Masons. In civic and philanthropic fields, he serves
on the board of directors of the Central Young
Men's Christian Association, as treasurer of the
Norfolk area of the Virginia Society for Crippled
Children, as a member of the lay board of the
DePaul Hospital, and of the Pension Bureau of
the city of Norfolk. He has been active in the
Norfolk Community Chest fund campaigns; and
during the World War II period, did outstanding
work for the Norfolk War Finance Committee on
behalf of the United States Treasury Department.
A communicant of the Memorial Methodist Church,
of Berkley, he formerly served on its board of
stewards and as treasurer.

On October 31, 1906, Jesse J. Parkerson mar-
ried Emma Clark Markham of Elizabeth City,
North Carolina, daughter of the late James C. and
Emiline (Purdy) Markham, both of whom were
born in North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Parkerson
are the parents of one daughter, Lois, a graduate
of Randolph-Macon College at Lynchburg, Vir-
ginia. She married William E. Warren of Norfolk.
Mr. Warren is vice president and director of the
Merchants and Planters Bank of Norfolk, and is
in charge of its Lafayette Boulevard Branch. Mr.
and Mrs. Warren are the parents of one daughter,
Ann Parkerson Warren. Mr. and Mrs. Parkerson
make their home at 944 Larchmont Crescent,
Norfolk.

ROBERT McKINLEY GINDHART, SR.— As

vice president and treasurer, and now as a mem-
ber of the board of directors, of Noland Com-
pany, Inc., of Newport News, Robert McKinley
Gindhart, Sr., has been active in the manage-
ment of what is probably the largest wholesale
plumbing, heating, electrical and industrial sup-
plies house in the world, operating thirty-two
branch offices throughout the United States for
distribution of its wide range of products. This
fact makes it, of course, a major commercial or-

ganization of the Tidewater area; and Mr. Gind-
hart, as a respected business leader, has become
influential in corporate affairs generally, and in
the organizational and civic life of his city.

He was born at Claremont, Virginia, on Au-
gust ->3, 1896, son of Harry and Sarah Eliza-
beth (McKinley) Gindhart. Both parents were
natives of Philadelphia, and both are deceased.
The executive received his early education in the
public schools of Claremont, and graduated from
its high school in 191 1. He then attended Mas-
sey Business College in Richmond, and has also
taken correspondence courses from LaSalle In-
stitute. When this country entered World War
I, he joined the United States Army, was in
military service for about one year and spent
eight months of that time in the combat areas
of France.

For one year after his return to civilian life,
h; was employed by an automobile sales agency
in Newport News, after wdiich he spent four
years with Southern Shipyards in that city as
assistant to the secretary-treasurer.

In 1924, Mr. Gindhart joined the Noland Com-
pany, Inc. Holding various positions with this
supplies firm in the years which followed, he
was promoted to treasurer in 1941, and the fol-
lowing year was named vice president, while con-
tinuing his duties as treasurer. He is now re-
tired from these positions, but is still a member
of the corporation's board of directors, of which
he has been a member since 1938. At its head-
quarters in New-port News, and more than thirty
branch offices, Noland Company, Inc., employs
a total of twelve hundred and fifty people.

Mr. Gindhart is vice president and a director
of Biggs Antique Company of Richmond, and a
director of Citizens Marine Jefferson Bank of
Newport News. He is a member of the Rotary
Club, Hampton Yacht Club, Boumi Yacht Club
of Baltmore, and the United States Power Squa-
dron, Hampton Roads Chapter. These latter mem-
berships emphasize his hobby, boating. He is
the owner of a fifty-four-foot wheeler cruiser.
Active in fraternal affairs as well, he is a mem-
ber of the lodges of the Loyal Order of Moose
and the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
Lodge No. 278. In Masonry he is also a mem-
ber of the consistory of the Ancient and Accep-
ted Scottish Rite at Newport News, and Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the
Peninsula Shrine Club. He is fond of golf and
is a member of the James River Country Club.
Mr. Gindhart is a Methodist in his religious
faith, and in politics counts himself an indepen-
dent.

At Farmville, Virginia, on October 1. 1017,

-4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Robert M. Gindhart, Sr., married Grace L. Dug-
ger of that city, daughter of Benjamin and Lucy
(Cliborne) Dugger. Mr. and Mrs. Gindhart have
two children: I. Robert M., Jr., born on April
17, 1919. 2. Harry K., who was born on Febru-
ary 15, 10-'-'. Both sons served their country in
World War II.

ROBERT IRVING FLETCHER— In the

course of his career, R. I. Fletcher has been iden-
tified with various industries in various parts of
the country. His connection with the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company pre-
dates World War II, when that firm made such a
significant contribution to the nation's defense. Mr.
Fletcher now holds office as its financial vice presi-
dent.

He is a native of Malone, New York, and was
born on February 27, 1890, son of Ernest Tilden
and Mary Helene (Conley) Fletcher. Mr. Fletcher
completed his advanced studies at the University
of Pennsylvania where he received his degree of
Bachelor of Science in 1921. In 1924 he was in
New York City as staff accountant with the firm
of Price, Waterhouse and Company, a connection
in which he continued until 1928. He then accepted
a position as comptroller with the Central Hudson
Gas and Electric Corporation of Poughkeepsie, New-
York : and from 1934 to 1936 was comptroller of
the Long Island Lighting Company. He was man-
aging accountant with R. G. Rankin and Company
of New York City in 1937-1938.

In 1939 he came to Newport News and joined
the shipbuilding firm there. He began his connec-
tion as comptroller, was named vice president in
1947, and became financial vice president in
1953. He is a member of the directorate and comp-
troller of the Newport News Shipbuilding Com-
pany Foundation, and comptroller of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Pen-
sion Fund.

Mr. Fletcher has served as chairman of the In-
dustrial Advisory Committee of the Virginia Sav-
ings Bond Division, United States Treasury De-
partment. He is a member of the American In-
stitute of Accountants, the Controllers Institute of
America, the National Associaion Accountants, and
is a fellow of the Virginia Society of Certified
Public Accountants. He became a Certified Public
Accountant in the State of New York in 1928. He
is a member of the Society of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers and is an associate member
of the American Institute of Management. He is
a member of the Engineers Club and the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania Club, both of New York City,
and the James River Country Club of Newport
News.

Mr. Fletcher served in the Student Armv Train-

ing Corps at the University of Pennsylvania, dur-
ing World War I.

On November 24, 1928, Robert Irving Fletcher
married Gladys Caroline Ruhberg, and they are
the parents of one daughter, Marjorie Ann, who
is the wife of S. L. Burdick, Jr. Mr. and Mrs.
Fletcher make their home on Douglas Drive in
Hilton Village.

JOHN BELL McGAUGHY— A partner in the
internationally active firm of Lublin, McGaughy
and Associates, Architects and Consulting En-
gineers, John Bell McGaughy is one of the three
men who drafted the Building Code of the City
of Norfolk. His projects have included bridges,
schools, shopping centers, commercial and indus-
trial buildings, water and sewer systems, air fields,
hospitals and other important construction work,
both in North America and the eastern hemis-
phere. His firm's head office is in Norfolk — at 220
West Freeman Street.

Born in Norfolk on November 5, 1914, Mr. Mc-
Gaughy is the son of John Bell McGaughy, engi-
neer and inventor, and Vivian (Coleman) Mc-
Gaughy. After attending Norfolk's public schools,
he spent two years, I933-I93S, at the LTniversity
of Virginia. He then spent another year at the
University of Mississippi and still another at the
University of Alabama. He completed his educa-
tion at Duke University, wdiere he was awarded
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engi-
neering in 1938.

Between the time he attended the University
of Alabama and Duke University — the year 1936-
1937 — Mr. McGaughy served as assistant to the
Project Engineer of the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture. After taking his degree at
Duke, he was appointed technical assistant in the
Civil Engineering Division of the United States
Coast Guard at Norfolk. In 1939, he was made
project supervisor of the National Youth Ad-
ministration in Washington. D. C, and later the
same year principal draftsman in the Corps of
Engineers, United States Army, at Huntington,
West Virginia.

Before the end of 1939, Air. McGaughy went
to still another Army post, that of associate en-
gineer with the Quartermaster Corps in the Pana-
ma Canal Zone. There he remained until 1941,
when he was recalled to the Corps of Engineers,
this time at Norfolk. LTntil 1943 he served first
as assistant engineer, then as associate engi-
neer, then engineer and finally as chief of the
Design Section.

In 1943, Mr. McGaughy was appointed chair-
man of the engineering faculty of the University
of Virginia's Extension Department (night classes)

.(A SJo^tf-^U

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and he served through 1945. In 1943, too, Mr.
McGaughy and Alfred M. Lublin organized the
firm of Lublin, McGaughy and Associates. In
addition to their Norfolk headquarters, they main-
tain offices in Washington, D. C; Paris, France,
and Milano, Italy. Mr. Lublin, who works out of
the Paris office, is in charge of European opera-
tion^. Mr. McGaughy, however, is consulting en-
gineer in charge of all engineering design for the
firm, nationally and internationally. After serv-
ing on the three-member committee which drafted
the Norfolk Building Code, he was appointed to
the Building Code Board of Adjustments and Ap-
peals and is now serving his second five-year
term on that Board.

Mr. McGaughy's position in his profession is
further attested by his present service as a vice
president and director of the National Society of
Professional Engineers and his former service as
president of the Virginia Society of Professional
Engineers. Member of American Society of Civil
Engineers, and Society of American Military En-
gineers. He is also a former president of the En-
gineers Club of Hampton Roads. His other or-
ganizations include the American Concrete Insti-
tute; Theta Tan, the engineering fraternity; Phi
Delta Theta, the national social fraternity: the
Virginia Club and the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club. He is a Registered Professional Engineer
in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and the Dis-
trict of Columbia, and holds the certificate of the
National Board of Engineering Registration.

John B. McGaughy married Charlotte Edna
Schwartz, daughter of Frank Herbert and Estelle
(Barton) Schwartz, at Cristobal, Republic of
Panama, on July 20, 1940. They have one son,
John Bell, Jr., born on April 13, 1943.

JOHN WESLEY KEEFE has held a number
of official posts in industry in the Norfolk area.
For more than a decade and a half he has been
president of the Norfolk Brass and Copper Corpo-
ration and director of a number of firms.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on April 12,
1897, son of the Rev. William Randolph and Mary
Virginia (Gregory) Keefe. His father was a Bap-
tist minister. Attending local public schools, John
W. Keefe graduated from the local high school.
He began his business career with the Norfolk
Southern Railroad in 1913, but remained with that
organization only a short time, joining the Virginian
Railway Company later the same year. From 1916
to 1919 he was with The Henry Walke Company,
with which he remained until 1919, with the ex-
ception of his period of service in World War I.
During that time he held the rank of sergeant in

the army, serving in headquarters company at Camp
A. A. Humphreys.

Mr. Keefe first joined E. Hogshire Son and Com-
pany in 1919, and continued with the firm on a full-
time basis through 1923. In 1924, he accepted a
responsible position with the Taylor Parker Com-
pany, with which he remained until 1928. He left
to join the executive staff of R. A. Burroughs and
Company as its vice president, a position he held
until 1940. In that year, Mr. Keefe became presi-
dent of the Norfolk Brass and Copper Corporation,
which has been his major business connection since
that time. He has been secretary of the Hogshire
Corporation since 1932, and he has been secretary
of the Norfolk, Baltimore and Carolina Line since
1923. Other present positions include membership
of the boards of directors of the Hogshire Corpora-
tion, National Compound Company, Hogshire Tent
and Awning Manufacturing Company and the Nor-
folk, Baltimore and Carolina Line, as well as the
Norfolk Brass and Copper Corporation.

Mr. Keefe takes a lively interest in community
life, being a constructive worker in civic causes. He
is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Norfolk and
attends the Central Baptist Church.

On October 8, 1919, in Norfolk, John Wesley
Keefe married Esther Catherine Hogshire, daugh-
ter of Edward and Mattie M. (Blake) Hogshire.
The couple are the parents of the following chil-
dren: 1. William Edward, who was born on Febru-
ary 23, 1923. 2. John Randolph, born May 31, 1928.
3. Robert Duvall, born January 20, 1932.

NATHANIEL JAMES BABB— The city of
South Norfolk possesses a citizen of public spirit,
enterprise and initiative in Nathaniel James Babb,
long identified with the Norfolk Southern Rail-
way Company, and now mayor of his city.

A native of Norfolk County, he was born in the
Deep Creek section on October 29, 1904, son of
the late Fletcher Bald) and Alice Elizabeth (Whit-
field) Babb of South Norfolk. His forebears in
both lines arrived from England in colonial times,
and were prominent in Nansemond and Isle of
Wight counties. Fletcher Babb, who died in South
Norfolk in 1940, at the age of sixty-four, was active
in the lumber industry. He was a son of Nathaniel
Babb, farmer and Confederate veteran, of Nanse-
mond County. He was wounded in conflict with
Northern forces in 1864. Alice Elizabeth (Whit-
field) Babb, who now resides with her son, was
born in Isle of Wight County, daughter of James
P. and Elizabeth (Darden) Whitfield. Her father
was a substantial planter and slave holder, who
owned the Whitfield Plantation on Black Water
River, and served in the Confederate States Army.

Mayor Babb is the elder of two children born

LOWER TIDEWATF.R VIRGINIA

to his parents. He was three years old when the
family moved to Ivor in Isle of Wight County,
where they made their home until 1916. They then
moved to South Norfolk. Following his elementary
education, Nathaniel J. Babb attended South Nor-
folk High School for three years, then went to
work. While holding a position, he continued to
attend evening classes at Maury High School,
where he graduated.

\t the age of nineteen he began his career in
railroading, joining the Seaboard Air Line Rail-
road Company at Portsmouth with which he re-
mained for two years. On June 1, 1926, a position
offered itself which presented fuller opportunities,
and a chance for residence at South Norfolk, to
which he was partial. This connection was with the
Norfolk Southern Railway Company at its Caro-
lina Junction Shops. During the thirty years since
that time, Mr. Babb has been in the employ of the
railroad. Identified with the mechanical department,
he won promotions from helper to foreman of the
car department, a position he has held since Janu-
ary 1947. In the course of his three decades' tenure,
he has missed few days because of bad health. His
long connection with the Brotherhood of Railway
Carmen of America shows a record of more than
ten years of service as secretary of the local
chapter.

His interest in the principles of good municipal
government led to his election, in June 1953, as
a member of the South Norfolk city council. He
began his four-year term in September of that
year; and also in September 1953, his fellow coun-
cilmen chose him from among their number as the
man best qualified to carry the responsibilities of
mayor. He was elected to a second term as mayor
in September 1955. Under the city manager form
of government, a five-year improvement plan has
been formulated by the city manager and approved
by the mayor and four other members of the
council. The mayor votes last, and if the ballots of
the other members are tied, his is the deciding vote.
In recent years, through the annexation of Portlock
and Riverdale, South Norfolk has more than
doubled its population, which has made much long-
range planning necessary. Maintaining a keen in-
terest in the welfare and future prospects of his
city, Mayor Babb has contributed much to the
solution of its problems. He is a member of the
Virginia League of Municipalities.

He is very active in the South Norfolk Baptist
Church, where he formerly served as superinten-
dent of the Sunday school and a member of the
board of deacons, and is still a teacher of the
Welcome Bible Class. His hobby is gardening, and
he produces both flowers and vegetables.

On November 20, 1926, at Smithfield, Nathaniel

James Babb married Martha Susan Stallings,
daughter of the late Robert W. and Martha Susan
(Jones) Stallings of Isle of Wight County. Mrs.
Babb is active in cultural and religious affairs,
being a member of the South Norfolk Baptist
Church, president of its Women's Missionary
Union, and superintendent of the primary depart-
ment of the Sunday school. She is also active in
the Women's Club of South Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs.
Babb are the parents of a son, Robert Fletcher,
born July 16, 1927. He graduated from South Nor-
folk High School and received hi- degree of Bach-
elor of Laws from Wake Forest College in 1949.
Admitted to the Virginia bar at the age of twenty-
two, he is now successfully engaged in an in-
dividual practice at Portsmouth. He married Mary
Evelyn Barham of that city.

ARTHUR J. MORRIS was born in Tarboro,
North Carolina, August 5, 1882. He first atten-
ded private schools and later attended the Tar-
boro Graded School from which he graduated
with credit to himself. His parents then moved
to Norfolk. Virginia, when he was about twelve
years old. In the Fall of 1894 he entered the
Norfolk High School from which he graduated
in June 1897. He and two other scholars led
the scholarship record at the Norfolk High
School. In September 1897, he entered the aca-
demic department of the University of Virginia
from which he graduated, creditably, in June
1899. He returned to the University of Virginia
in 1899 and entered the law department from
which he graduated with a degree of Bachelor
of Laws in June 1901, with distinction. During
that year he won several prizes in the law de-
partment for his outstanding effort and finally-
won the gold and diamond medal, that was struck
in his honor by the Board of Visitors of the
University of Virginia when he represented the
Washington Literary Society in intercollegiate de-
bate without a loss. It was awarded to him
as the best debater of the Washington Literary-
Society. He was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa,
his senior year. He has since been elected to
Phi Beta Kappa Associates, the national honor
society of that fraternity.

Arthur J. Morris began the practice of the
law after passing the bar examination in Staun-
ton, Virginia, the day McKinley was shot, Sep-
tember 7, 1901. He was fortunate the first two
years of his practice, having originated novel
theories of the law affecting personal injuries re-
sulting first from the dropping of the Monticello
Hotel elevator and, second, from the fall of an
awning of Jos. Brown & Sons store, which
awning overhung the sidewalk on Main Street
in Norfolk. From these two cases he made nearly

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

twenty thousand dollars and the success of these
two cases brought him a number of clients. He
began his practice of law on the sixth floor of
the Citizens Bank Building and, after the first
year, he associated with him a lawyer by the
name of Richard J. Davis from Portsmouth. He
soon became a financial lawyer specializing in
service to banks and engaging in corporation
organization and re-organization.

His corporation and financial practice grew
more rapidly than usual so that after his third
year he organized the firm of Morris, Garnett
and Cotten. That firm included, besides Mr. Mor-
ris, Theodore S. Garnett, a son of Judge Garnett,
and a practicing lawyer in Norfolk, and Preston
S. Cotten, formerly of Cottendale near Greenville,
North Carolina, a graduate of the University of
North Carolina. Richard J. Davis and Walston
McNair, graduate lawyers, continued in the firm
as associated assistants to Mr. Morris.

A year or two after this development, because
of the continued success of the new firm, Robert
Randolph Hicks, a leading trial member of the
Norfolk bar and several years older than his
associates, at Mr. Morris' invitation, became a
member of the firm at which time the firm name
was changed to Hicks, Morris, Garnett and Cot-
ten. Within a year after this development. Mr.
Richard Mel. Tunstall, one of Norfolk's leading
real estate and title lawyers, was likewise invited
by Mr. Morris to join the firm. The firm name
was again changed, on the following January 1,
when it became known as Hicks, Morris, Garnett,
Cotten and Tunstall. It was again recognized
as one of the outstanding law firms in the City
of Norfolk.

In 1007, Mr. Morris was impressed with the
fact that several people came to his office asking
for small loans, that is loans from three hundred
dollars to one thousand dollars. Thereupon, Mr.
Morris asked these applicants why they came
to a law office. They replied they had tried
every bank in town and because they were not
engaged in business the bank, in each and every
instance, declined to make loans to individuals.

As an illustration, the first man who came re-
quested a loan of three hundred and fifty dollars
incident to an operation that his wife had to
undergo at St. Vincent's Hospital. He was em-
ployed at the Norfolk and Western Railroad and
had been there for eighteen years, making two
hundred dollars a month. Every bank in town
declined to make him a loan. After Mr. Morris
investigated the fact and was convinced the man
was honest and that his job was permanent, he
persuaded the National Bank of Commerce, for
which bank his firm was one of the counsel, to
make the loan. Mr. Morris endorsed the note

evidencing the loan. Others followed. Before two
years were over he was personally guaranteeing,
by endorsement or otherwise, forty-two loans
aggregating twenty-six thousand dollars. These
loans were held by several banks in Norfolk,
with which Mr. Morris' firm was professionally
associated or otherwise connected.

One day, Mr. Garnett informed him, as a re-
sult of a conversation with Mr. Nathaniel Bea-
man, president of the National Bank of Com-
merce, it would be more dignified if an out-
standing member of a large and successful law
firm would stop making this kind of loan. In
fact, "The" Garnett, as he was usually called by
his close friends, told Mr. Morris he would be
glad when all these loans were paid off and Mr.
Morris forgot this obsession of his.

Shortly after this conversation, Mr. Morris
paid off the loans even though for that substan-
tial sum he had to borrow on his life insurance.
However, all the loans were paid without loss
to Mr. Morris. Then and there he decided that
he was going to make a thorough research effort
throughout these United States to find out why
an honest man who needed a limited amount of
credit was denied credit from any existing bank.
To get the whole undertaking away from the
law office, Mr. Morris rented space in the upper
story of a building whose lower floors were oc-
cupied by a wholesale shoe business. At one time,
Mr. Morris had as many as twenty-one men and
women employed who traveled all over the
country, at his expense, to get the facts and
answers to a questionnaire he had prepared for
that purpose. As a result of this effort, in late
1909 and 1910, Mr. Morris discovered that eighty
per cent of the American people had no access
to bank credit and that for their individual needs
they were forced either to resort to friends, chari-
table organizations, chattel loan companies (at
high rates of interest), or undesirable loan sharks,
at even higher rates of interest.

In January 1910, Mr. Morris made up his mind
he was going to start what he then called a
"middleman's bank'' which would be a cross be-
tween a regular commercial bank and these loan
sharks and chattel loan companies. In his deter-
mination to organize this "middleman's bank," he
proposed to lend money primarily on an indivi-
dual's character and earning power, said money
to be repayable in weekly or monthly install-
ments on terms consistent with his earning power.
Mr. Morris was determined to limit such loans
to human needs and necessities, until he reached
a period of demonstration that justified extension
of the loans to individuals for small business
purposes.

He discussed the matter among his friends and

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

clients and almost to a man, including his father,
they were skeptical. Many thought the idea was
superb, but otherwise unsafe and impracticable.
Mr. Morris has often said that if it had not
been for the vision and encouragement that he
received from his mother he probably would
have given up what by that time had become
an obsession and determination to succeed.

With all these obstacles he found it difficult to
organize the first bank. He finally agreed to start
with twenty thousand dollars capital, half of
which he put up and guaranteed against loss
the remaining half which was put up by his
friends. These friends became the first board of
directors and Mr. Charles H. Ferrell became the
first president of the first bank, which was then
known as "The Fidelity Savings and Trust Com-
pany of Norfolk, Virginia."

When Mr. Morris applied to the State Corpora-
tion Commission for a charter, he received the
following letter from Judge Robert R. Prentiss,
the chairman:

Dear Arthur:

I have carefully considered your application for a charter
for your hybrid and mongrel institution. Frankly. I don't
know what it is. It isn't a savings bank ; it isn't a state or
national bank; it isn't anything I ever heard of before. Its
principles seem sound, however, and its purposes admirable.
But the reason that I am going to grant a charter is because
I believe in you.

The bank opened for business April I, 1910.

It was during the first year of this company's
existence that Mr. Morris began in the United
States the first undertaking to finance, by install-
ment payments, the purchase of automobiles.
During the first eighteen months of the existence
of the Fidelity Savings and Trust Company that
institution loaned fifty-nine thousand dollars on
installment purchase of motor cars, but at that
time the board of directors limited such loans
to cars bought by doctors, or other business in-
dividuals, solely for business purposes, as disting-
uished from pleasure cars.

The organization of the Fidelity Savings and
Trust Company was the beginning of the Morris
Plan development throughout these United States,
which has become one of the outstanding develop-
ments in modern finance and which is now being
copied by twelve thousand commercial banks. It
is generally referred to now as "consumer bank-
ing." It was not called "The Morris Plan" until
after fourteen banks had been successfully or-
ganized and were in operation, and until Mr.
Morris went to New York in 1914, sponsored by
Mr. Fergus Reid, to raise the money for a large
corporation, capitalized from five million dollars
to twenty-five million dollars, for the purpose
of developing Mr. Morris' system of consumer
credit.

After the second bank was organized in 191 1,
in Atlanta, Georgia, the "Atlanta Constitution,"
in several editorials and cartoons, referred to the
organization of that bank as "Morris' Plan of
Banking."

When Mr. Morris went to New York in 1914
with Mr. Reid and met some of Wall Street's
outstanding financiers at a meeting held in J. P.
Morgan's private office, one of those present was
Mr. Willard Straight, a member of the firm of
J. P. Morgan and Company. Over Mr. Morris'
objections, he insisted that the system be known
as "The Morris Plan System of Consumer Bank-
ing" and that a trade mark be registered of a
black diamond with white letters imprinted there-
on as "The Morris Plan."

As a result of this successful meeting in New
York, Mr. Morris organized "The Morris Plan
Corporation of America," with a paid-in capital
to begin with at five million dollars and with
authorized capital of fifty million dollars. Mr
Morris describes the purpose of this large corpora-
tion not alone for the larger development of The
Morris Plan System throughout the United States
by the organization of independent banks to be
known as "Morris Plan Banks," but also to in-
sure the "democratization of credit" among the
people.

This corporation organized over a period of
time several hundred "Morris Plan Banks." When
the commercial banks went into this business
and became competitors to Morris Plan Banks
it became necessary to change the corporate names
of Morris Plan Banks to commercial names
so that the Morris Plan Banks, in addition to
developing consumer credit among the masses,
could also obtain commercial credits and go into
commercial banking, because on commercial de-
posits no bank pays any interest. When they
were all Morris Plan Banks they used the sav-
ings deposits on which they paid interest at
the beginning as high as three per cent and four
per cent.

The former Morris Plan Banks are known by
commercial names and while sixty-five per cent
of the business is still in consumer credit, with
average loans less than one thousand dollars, these
banks are also engaged in commercial loans to
the extent of thirty-five per cent of their volume.

Time and space do not permit a more complete
story of the Morris Plan development. To date
the Morris Plan System has loaned throughout
these United States approximately ninety billion
dollars to the honest American wage earners.

The original bank, established with twenty
thousand dollars capital, is now known as "The
Bank of Virginia," with total resources of over
one hundred and fifteen million dollars. The lar-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

gest Morris Plan Bank, next to the original bank,
is the "Industrial Bank of Commerce" in New
York City, formerly known as "The Morris Plan
Bank of New York."

Mr. Morris is still active and is the active
chairman of the board of The Morris Plan Cor-
poration of America and is also active chairman
of the hoard of the Industrial Bank of Commerce.

RALPH HUNTER DAUGHTON— A lawyer
and former legislator, Ralph Hunter Daughton has
a reputation as one of the leaders of the movements
which resulted in the legalization of boxing in Vir-
ginia and of Sunday baseball and movies in Norfolk.
He is a former president of the Piedmont League,
a successful group in the professional baseball
world, and at one time — as a Government agent- —
ferreted out spies, saboteurs and anti-trust law vio-
lators. Today he conducts an active law practice,
with offices in the Essex Building, Norfolk, and
continues to promote wholesome recreation for
citizens of all ages and other progressive and cul-
tural activities.

Mr. Daughton was born in Washington, D. C.,
on September 23, 1885, the son of John B. and
Martha (Hunter) Daughton. The fact that many
men of the Daughton family went into the law
undoubtedly influenced his decision to make that
field his career. After attending public schools in
(he national capital, he went to Pine Grove Aca-
demy in Maryland. He prepared for the Bar at
National University, Washington, and in 1907 was
awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Laws and
Master of Laws.

He practiced in Washington for two years. Then
he accepted appointment as a Special Agent with
the United States Department of Justice. The unit
to which he was attached later became famous
as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, headed by
J. Edgar Hoover. He worked as an "undercover
agent" on anti-trust cases until ordered to Norfolk.
Here he opened the first regional office of what
is now the FBI for the area embracing Virginia,
North Carolina and the Eastern Shore of Mary-
land. At the same time he obtained admission to
the Bar of Virginia and laid the groundwork for
his present legal practice.

When ordered to the Mexican border in 1020,
Mr. Daughton resigned from the Department of
Justice and began giving full time to his practice.
Military law was his specialty. It was not long
before Mr. Daughton was a leader in political and
civic life. In 1933. he was elected to the State
House of Delegates and served through 1938, when
he was elected to the State Senate. This post he
held until he was elected to the 78th United
States Congress as a Democratic Representative
from the Second Virginia District to fill the

vacancy caused by the resignation of Winder
R. Harris. At the same time he was elected to
serve in the 79th Congress and continued in
this post from November 7, 1944 to January 3,
1947, being succeeded by Porter Hardy, Jr., also
a Democrat.

Mr. Daughton continued his public service in
other fields. Always interested in boxing and base-
ball and other sports, he was appointed Virginia's
first State Boxing and Wrestling Commission
chairman. For nine years he served as president
of the Piedmont Baseball League. His appoint-
ment as commission chairman was the result of
his long and finally successful labors to legalize
the ring sports in Virginia. When he also helped
bring about removal of the bans in Norfolk against
the playing of baseball and the showing of motion
pictures on the Sabbath he achieved another life-
long ambition. His own religious convictions are
strong, however, and he is a charter member of
the Larchmont Methodist Church of Norfolk. Also,
he adheres to the religious tenets and other be-
liefs of such organizations of which he is a mem-
ber as the Lions Club of Norfolk (charter mem-
ber); the Knights of Pythias; the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and various Masonic
bodies, including Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. With his
wife, he makes his home at 5406 Hampton Boule-
vard, Norfolk, and there indulges in two favorite
hobbies — "working around the house" and garden-
ing.

Mrs. Daughton is the former Sue M. Taggart
of Washington, D. C. She and Mr. Daughton were
married in that city on February 20, 1912.

ROBERT FRIEND BOYD— A member of an
old American family whose sons have fought in
many wars, including the Revolution, Robert
Friend Boyd has himself been active in national
defense and military programs. As a lawyer he
has served the United States Marine Corps, as
he is now serving the civilian community in the
Lower Tidewater, with offices in Norfolk. He i?
also active in Methodist Church programs.

Born in Richmond on May II, 1927, Mr. Boyd
is the son of Oscar Lindwood and Ruby (Friend)
Boyd and, on his father's side, is the great-grand-
son of Colonel Andrew Boyd of the Confederate
forces and, on his mother's, the grandson of Dr.
Ruben Butler Friend of Petersburg. His father is
district manager in Norfolk for the General Foods
Corporation.

Robert F. Boyd was graduated from Granby
High School, Norfolk, in 1946. Four years later
he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at the
College of William and Mary and in 1952 that
of Bachelor of Commercial Law at Marshall- Wythe

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

School of Law of the College of William and
Mary. Commissioned in the United States Marine
Corps in 1952, he became chief counsel to the
General Court-Martial Board at the Marine Corps
Base. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and emerged
from the service in 1954 with the rank of captain.
He retains this rank in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Since 1954 Mr. Boyd has been in active practice
in Norfolk and since January 1, 1957 has been a
partner in the Norfolk law firm of Davis & Boyd.
He is a member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar
Association, the Virginia Bar Association, the
American Bar Association; the Wythe Law Club,
of which he is past chancellor; Kappa Sigma fra-
ternity, of which he was president in the year 1955-
1956, and Tau Kappa Alpha, tihe national honorary
forensic fraternity. His other organizations include
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club
of Norfolk, Junior Chamber of Commerce of Nor-
folk, Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association,
Sons of the American Revolution, in which he is
vice president and serves on the board of mana-
gers. Heroes of '76, National Sojourners, and
various Masonic bodies, including Williamsburg
Lodge No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons;
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine, and the Suffolk Shrine Club.
Mr. Boyd is serving on the board of directors of
the Virginia Heart Association, is vice president
of the Tidewater Heart Association, and is chair-
man of fund raising for the Tidewater area. He is
a member of the board of directors of William
and Mary Law School Association as well as Wil-
liam and Mary Alumni Association Norfolk Chap-
ter. At the Park Place Methodist Church, he is a
member of the Official Board and is general super-
intendent of the Church School.

Mr. Boyd married Sara Grace Miller on Sep-
tember 20, 1952. The ceremony was performed in
Wren Chapel, Williamsburg. Mrs. Boyd, a native
of Holly Hill, South Carolina, is the daughter of
Lawrence Elzie and Elizabeth (Copeland) Miller.
Educated at Ashley Hall, Charleston, South Caro-
lina; Northampton School for Girls, Northampton,
Massachusetts, and the College of William and
Mary, she holds the Bachelor of Arts degree. She
was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Delta Delta
Delta. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are the parents of two
boys: Robert Friend, Jr., born on March 23, 1954.
2. David Miller, born on October 5, I95S-

CAMILLUS ALBERT NASH— To a distin-
guished military career in the War Between the
States, followed by an equally distinguished career
with the "ancestor" of the present Virginia Na-
tional Guard organization, the late Camillus Albert
Nash, member of a family seated in Virginia for
three hundred years, added a career of great use-

fulness and significance in the commercial world
and community affairs. At the time of his death,
he was one of the outstanding citizens not only
of the Lower Tidewater but the entire state. One
firm he founded and headed, now known as C. A.
Nash and Son. a building supply business, is opera-
ted today by his son, William Herbert Nash, who
is also well known in the region and its leading
•city, Norfolk. Camillus A. Nash was active in
chemicals, banking and finance, and other fields
of interest.

Born in Norfolk County on October 22, 1842,
Camillus Albert Nash was the youngest son of
Richard and Camilla (Joliffe) Nash. Educated in
the public schools of the county, he proceeded, in
war and peace, to add luster to the Nash family
name. The name was brought to America by Thom-
as Nash, who settled in Lower Norfolk County be-
fore 1665 and who died in 1673. The successive
generations were Thomas Nash, II (died 1735);
Thomas Nash, III (died 1783); Thomas Nash,
IV (died 1794), who was lieutenant of His Ma-
jesty's Colonial Militia of Virginia, having so quali-
fied in 1760, and lieutenant colonel of Virginia
Militia in the Revolutionary War, and Caleb Nash
(died 1827). Caleb Nash was the father of Richard
Nash (died 1855), father of Camillus A. Nash.

Colonel Nash, as he was to be known most of
his life, enlisted, in July 1861, when in his nine-
teenth year, in Company A, 61st Virginia Infantry
Regiment, better known in the Lower Tidewater
as the "Jackson Grays." He soon became first
sergeant of this company and in June 1862, was
elected second lieutenant. He was captain of the
shore battery at Seawell's Point which sank the
U. S. S. Minnesota prior to the engagement be-
tween the C. S. S. Virginia (Merrimac) and the
U. S. S. Monitor in March 1862. His organiza-
tion was later attached to Mahone's Brigade, and
he was twice wounded in its campaigns, first at
the Crater in July 1864, and again at Davis Farm
the following month. The latter, a leg wound,
proved more serious, and he was detached tempor-
arily for assignment to Mosby's Men.

He was back with his old company at the time
of Lee's surrender and was paroled at Richmond
in May 1865. After the war, he continued his
interest in military affairs and eventually became
colonel of the old Fourth Regiment, Virginia Vol-
unteers, forerunner of the present National Guard
organization. Colonel Nash had three brothers, all
of whom also served in the Confederate Army.
They were Sergeant Cincinnatus A. Nash and Pri-
vate Henry E. Nash, both of the "Jackson Grays,"
and Private John L. Nash of Company I, 15th
Regiment. Virginia Cavalry. There was also a third
cousin, Dr. Herbert M. Nash, a prominent Nor-
folk physician, who served successively as surgeon

TWVa. 4

(^^^^^^C^^tJE^^C

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of the 9th Virginia Regiment, surgeon of the 6ist
Virginia Regiment, and chief surgeon of Artillery
in the 3rd Corps.

Upon his return to Norfolk after the war,
Colonel Nash was employed by Thomas B. Row-
land in the wholesale grocery business. In 1885
he entered the building supply business under the
firm name of C. A. Nash and Company, later C.
A. Nash and Son, the name under which William
Herbert Nash is operating the organization today,
at 732 Granby Street.

As time went on, Colonel Nash's business inter-
ests multiplied. He served as vice president of the
City National Bank, president of the American
Fertilizer Company, president of the Hunter Chemi-
cal Company, president of the Virginia-Carolina
Supply Company, vice president of the Tidewater
Building and Loan Association, and member of
the boards of directors of both the Citizens Bank
and the Virginia- Carolina Trust Company.

In civic affairs he rose to the presidency of
both the Norfolk Board of Trade and the Norfolk
Business Men's Association and in other ways
demonstrated his deep interest in community de-
velopment. He served as deacon, trustee, and Sun-
day school superintendent at the Freemason Street
Baptist Church of Norfolk and was a member of
the old Virginia Club, the Hampton Roads Yacht
Club, and the Masonic order. He died on Febru-
ary 19, 1905, at the age of sixty-three.

Colonel Nash married twice. His first wife was
Mary Fannie Nash, his third cousin, by whom he
had two children: Albert Rowland and Annie Lee.
Mary Fannie Nash died, and in 1876 Colonel
Nash married Emma Peters Dey, daughter of Wil-
liam Dey, by whom he had four children:!. Camil-
las Albert, Jr., 2. Emma Dey, 3. Daisy Camilla,
4. William Herbert.

CHARLES MALONE FLINTOFF of Suf-
folk is an insurance executive by occupation, vice
president of the Suffolk Insurance Corporation. He
is known to Masons throughout his state through
his service as grand high priest, Grand Chapter of
Royal Arch Masons in Virginia, and through his
present post, grand junior warden of the state's
Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

A native of Caswell County, North Carolina, he
was born on January 24, 1903, son of Charles B.
and Emma (Malone) Flintoff. Both parents were
born in North Carolina, and both are deceased. His
father was a farmer. Reared in his native North
Carolina county, Charles M. Flintoff began his
education in its public schools and later attended
school in Danville, Virginia. He concluded his
preparatory studies at Riverside Military Academy
in Gainesville, Georgia.

Mr. Flintoff followed the profession of civil en-

gineering in North Carolina and Virginia until
1929, working in the Departments of Highways of
both states. In 1929 he came to Suffolk and joined
the Suffolk Insurance Corporation. He became an
officer in 1933, and today holds the positions of vice
president and director. The firm, engaged in the
general insurance business, was founded in 1923
by a group of the city's business leaders. A. Taylor
Darden is now its president. He served in 1957-
58 as president of the Virginia Association of
Insurance Agents.

Besides his executive duties with his firm, Mr.
Flintoff is a director of the Farmers Bank of
Nansemond. A Rotarian, he is past president of
his club, and he has served his church, the Epis-
copal, as senior warden and vestryman. His favorite
sport is golf, and he is a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club at Virginia Beach.

As a Mason, Mr. Flintoff is an honorary mem-
ber of Hiram Lodge No. 340, Ancient Free and
Accepted Mason, a member of the consistory of
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, honorary
member of Mount Nebo Chapter No. 20 of Royal
Arch Masons, a member of the Commandery of
the Knights Templar, and a member of Saint
Polycarp Conclave No. 69, Red Cross of Constan-
tine. He belongs to Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
served as grand high priest of the state's Grand
Chapter of Royal Arch Masons from 1948 to 1940;
and assumed his present office as grand junior
warden of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Com-
monwealth of Virginia in 1957 after a term as
grand senior deacon.

Charles Malone Flintoff was married in Suffolk,
on December 27, 1932, to Eliza Prentis Causey of
that city, daughter of James C. Causey, deceased,
and his wife, the former Margaret Whitfield
Crump. Mr. Flintoff's business address is 165
North Main Street, Suffolk.

WINSTON H. IRWIN— A former assistant
commonwealth attorney for Norfolk County and
World War II legal officer at the Naval Air
Station in Norfolk, Winston H. Irwin is now prac-
ticing law in that city, with offices in the National
Bank of Commerce Building. Outside the legal
profession, Mr. Irwin has a reputation in civic,
sports, and social circles, as well as in the religious
world.

He was born in Lynchburg on May 27, 1003, the
son of E. Fillmore and Ellen (Clark) Irwin. His
father, also a native of Lynchburg, was a grocer
there until bis death in 1905. at the age of fifty-
five. The mother, born in Amherst County, died
in 1952 at the age of seventy-four.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Winston H. Irwin, brought to Norfolk in child-
hood by his widowed mother, attended that city's
public schools. In 1922 he was graduated from
Maury High School. He then attended the Col-
lege of William and Mary, taking the degree
of Bachelor of Science in 1926. He also studied
law at the college, but completed his training
for the profession as an employee in the of-
fice of the Clerk of the Corporation Court of
the city of Norfolk. On July 15, 1929, he took
and passed the Virginia State Bar Examinations
and was admitted to practice.

Until January 1940, he was in private practice
in Norfolk. At that time he was appointed assis-
tant commonwealth attorney for the city and he
served in that capacity until October 22, 1942,
when he was commissioned a lieutenant, senior
grade, in the United States Navy. As legal officer
of the Naval Air Station at Norfolk, he handled
all courtmartial cases. He was released to inac-
tive status as a lieutenant commander in the fall
of 1945.

He then opened his law office in the National
Bank of Commerce Building. Mr. Irwin's activi-
ties in community life led to his election to the
presidency of the Kiwanis Club of Norfolk, the
Pyramid Club of Norfolk, and the Norfolk Sports
Club. He served on the board of deacotu. of the
Knox Presbyterian Church of Norfolk and for
several years taught in the Sunday school. Besides
the organizations already mentioned, he is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk- Portsmouth, Virginia, and
American bar associations; the Norfolk Commis-
sioned Officers Club; Ruth Lodge, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, holding the Thirty-second
Degree in this order; Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club; and Sigma Nu fraternity.

Mr. Irwin married Mrs. Elise (Loewmer) Au-
fenger, widow of Richard Aufenger and daughter
of Charles and Roslyn Loewmer. Like her fa-
ther, Mrs. Irwin was born in Harrisonburg. Her
mother was a native of Baltimore, Maryland.
Charles Loewmer operated a marble business
which, having been founded in 1856, was one of
the oldest in the Old Dominion. He headed this
firm until his death on April 15, 1938. His widow
died on September 10, 1941. Mrs. Irwin, who is
prominent in welfare and cultural activities, ser-
ves on the board of trustees of the Norfolk Sym-
phony and Choral Association and the board of di-
rectors of the Florence Crittenden Home. She is
also active in the Daughters of the Confederacy,
the Hermitage Foundation, and the Norfolk So-
ciety of Arts. She is a graduate of Madison Col-
lege, Harrisonburg. By her first marriage, she is
the mother of two children: I. Richard Aufenger,
who married Barbara Woodhouse. Thev have one

son: Richard, III. 2. Patricia, wife of Richard W.
Wilson of Richmond, mother of Mark and Scott.
Air. and Mrs. Irwin make their home at 7301
Apple Tree Lane, Algonquin Park.

DONALD R. LOCKE— A civil engineer with
long experience in the municipal field, Donald R.
Locke is now city planning engineer for the
City Planning Commission of Norfolk. He for-
merly held a similar office for the County of Ar-
lington. Today, in addition to discharging his du-
ties in Norfolk, he serves as planning consultant
to various other municipalities in the Old Do-
minion. He is well known among the nation's city
planners.

Mr. Locke, a native of Rochester, New York,
is the son of Charles William and Marie (Carey)
Locke, both also born in that city. His father,
who died in 1951, was an engineer with the Gen-
eral Railway Signal Company of Rochester for
about forty years. The mother died in 1907. Rear-
ed in Arlington by an aunt, Emily J. Carey, the
city planner attended the public schools of that
city and Washington, D. C. For a time he attend-
ed high school in the national capital, but comple-
ted his secondary education at Devitt Preparatory
School, from which he was graduated in 1926. In
1930, he took the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Civil Engineering at George Washington Uni-
versity.

One of his long-time interests is the banjo and
after he took his civil engineering degree, which
was in the time of the depression, he turned a
hobby into a temporary professional career. With
a dance band he toured the country, in between-
times working on The Washington Star. In 1932,
the opportunity to enter the career for which he
had prepared himself, engineering, presented it-
self. He became a rodman for the Engineering
Department of Arlington County. In 1944, he was
made planning engineer for the City of Arlington
and in May 1946, the City Planning Commission
of Norfolk appointed him to his present office as
city planning engineer. Through his consulting
work Mr. Locke serves other parts of the Lower
Tidewater and of Virginia as a whole.

He is a Registered Professional Engineer of
the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of
the National Society of Professional Engineers,
American Institute of Planners and the American
Society of Civil Engineers. Outside the profession
he belongs to the Lafayette Club, of which he is a
director; the Virginia Club and Lions Club of Nor-
folk and the Cavalier Club of Virginia Beach. With
his family he worships in the Episcopal Church
(Christ and Saint Luke's Church of Norfolk). In
politics he is a Democrat. Gardening is his hobby

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and his favorite sport is hunting in Maine and
Canada.

Mr. Locke married Shiela Bryan, daughter of
Edgar S. and Yirgie (Taylor) Bryan, of Norfolk
in November 1935. Mrs. Locke's father, a native
of Baltimore, Maryland, was a seedsman and was
the United States representative for a Netherlands
seed concern. He died in 1933. Virgie Bryan, who
was born in Hickory, Virginia, died in 1955- Mr.
and Mrs. Locke live at 1465 Waylon Avenue,
Norfolk. Mrs. Locke is active in the Lakewood
Garden Club.

J. PAUL MURPHY— The career he began as
office boy with the Empire Machinery and Supply
Corporation, following World War I, has led J.
Paul Murphy to the presidency of that Norfolk firm,
which is a major distributor of mill supplies and
machinery, heavy hardware, iron and steel. He lias
held important municipal and civic posts, and of-
fices in organizations.

Born in Davidson County, North Carolina, on
September 9, 1899, Mr. Murphy is a son of Robert
D. and Willie (Clodfelter) Murphy. Both parents
were also natives of Davidson County. Mrs. Mur-
phy now resides in Portsmouth. She survives her
husband, who died in 1947 at the age of seventy-
one. For a time, in the early years of his career,
he was in the furniture manufacturing business at
High Point, North Carolina. He later became a
railway mechanic, and was with the railroad for
twenty-five years, retiring a short time before his
death.

It was at High Point that J. Paul Murphy passed
his boyhood years and began his public school ed-
ucation. He completed his studies in the Norfolk
County public schools, attended the Norfolk Coun-
ty High School, and in 1919 joined the Empire
Machinery and Supply Corporation in the capacity
of office boy. He has been with the organization ever
since, and advanced through the positions of book-
keeper, billing manager and vice president to the
presidency. He was elected to the chief executive
office in 1954.

Empire Machinery and Supply Corporation,
which has its headquarters at 409 East Water Street,
is a wholesale firm, which distributes heavy hard-
ware, iron and steel products, and supplies and
machinery essential for the operation of industry, to
customers over a wide area, comprising the Caro-
linas and Virginia. Forty people are employed at
the home office in Norfolk, and there are ten
traveling salesmen on the staff. Besides Mr. Mur-
phy, the president, the management roster con-
tains the names of J. Ross McNeal, treasurer, and
B. P. Deans, secretary.

Mr. Murphy is chairman of the Civil Service

Committee of Portsmouth. He served on the board
of directors and served two terms as president of
the Young Men's Christian Association in Ports-
mouth. He is a member of the James River Coun-
try Club of Warwick and is a Kiwanian. Particular-
ly active in his church, the Baptist, he serves cur-
rently on its board of deacons and as treasurer of
its building fund. He has been chairman of the
finance committee at various times, and assistant
superintendent of the Sunday school, in which he
is now a teacher. Mr. Murphy serves the broader
interests of his denomination. He is a member of
the State Board of Missions and Education of the
Baptist Church, and is treasurer of the Baptist
Council of his home area. He finds a little time in
his busy schedule for out-of-door sports, and his
favorite pastimes are golf and hunting.

Miss Annie Mary Harrell became the wife of
J. Paul Murphy in a ceremony taking place on
June 7, iyji. She is the daughter of Jobe and Cora
(Mitchell) Harrell. Her father, born in North
Carolina, operated a grocery store in Portsmouth.
He died in August ni-'i. Mrs. Harrell was born in
Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Minnie Kathryn, who was
born on April 25, 1923. She is the wife of Robert
B. Sawyer, who is store manager at Norfolk with
the Empire Machinery and Supply Corporation.
Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer reside in that city, and are
the parents of a daughter. Linda Sue, who was
born on February 15, 1948. 2. Mary Patricia, born
on October 13, 1929. She married Lloyd Aguero
of Rockville Center, Long Island, New York, who
is now with the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia.

Mrs. Murphy is active in the Women's Club of
Portsmouth, and in the work of her church. She
teaches in its primary department, and was for
several years superintendent of the Baptist Wo-
men's Missionary Union of Portsmouth. The couple
live at 201 Broad Street in that city.

VERNON ARTHELIA MOORE— Outstand-
ing among the architects of Norfolk and the
Lower Tidewater Virginia, Vernon A. Moore has
to his credit a long list of important structures
designed and built from his plans and specifica-
tions. His talents and achievements have won
him wide recognition.

A native of Norfolk, he was born January 16,
1907, son of Joseph A. and Mollie (Sharpe) Moore
and one of six children born to their marriage.
His father was a native of Wilson, North Caro-
lina, and the son of Joseph Moore, who lived his
entire life in the vicinity of Wilson, where he was
a substantial tobacco farmer. Joseph Moore served
in the Confederate States Army. His son Joseph

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

A. Moore, the father of the architect, was engaged
in the general building contracting business in
Norfolk for many years until his retirement. He
headed his own firm, and erected a number of
apartment houses in the city. His wife, the former
Mollie Sharpe, now deceased, was born at Wilson,
North Carolina.

Vernon A. Moore passed his boyhood in his
native Norfolk, and received his early education
in the elementary schools there, and at Maury
High School. To prepare himself for his profes-
sion, he then took a course of study at the Beaux
Arts Institute of Design in New York City. He
began his career with various architectural firms,
working in Boston. New York, Philadelphia, and
Miami, Florida.

Returning to his native Norfolk after this early
experience, he was the organizer of the architec-
tural firm of Ferguson, Meakin and Moore. After
about a year this partnership was dissolved, and
in 1937, Mr. Moore established his own firm,
which he has since operated under his own name.
Offices are at 716 West 20th Street.

Mr. Moore has played a considerable individual
part in giving the city of Norfolk and the Lower
Tidewater area attractive and intelligently designed
new buildings. XTotable examples of his work in-
clude the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch Building, de-
signed for Norfolk Newspapers, Inc.; the Ocean
View Elementary School; Titustown Elementary
School; Tucker Elementary School; Newport
Avenue Elementary School; Alary Calcott Elemen-
tary School; Lakehurst Elementary School; the
Roberts Park Elementary School; the Robert Lee
School addition; the Granby Elementary School;
several defense housing projects including the Oak
Leaf Park Project and the Merrimac Park Project;
Norfolk Municipal Airport Building; the U. S. O.
Government Recreation Center at Ocean View;
Norfolk County Health Center; the Paul H. Rose
Corporation stores; and Center Shops on 21st
Street. He also designed the Intensive Treatment
Center; the Park Place Methodist Church; the
Epworth Methodist Church; and the Greek Ortho-
dox Church. He has been selected as architect
for the new Norfolk General Hospital Building,
to be erected at an estimated cost of five and
one-quarter million dollars. He has designed many
of the fine private homes of the Norfolk area;
and his work has been sufficiently varied in charac-
ter to include plans for heating systems and
store fronts, and designs for remodeling contracts,
including that for the Thomas Nelson Hotel in
Norfolk.

Surrounding Mr. Moore in his well-appointed
offices at 716 West 20th Street in Norfolk is a
staff of capable and co-operative workers, each
well trained and proficient in his specialty. The

organization operates smoothly and efficiently, as
the products of the firm indicate.

Mr. Moore was one of the directors of the
original Virginia Society of Architects. He is a
member of the American Society of Heating and
Ventilating Engineers. Apart from these profes-
sional connections, he is a former member of the
Norfolk Kiwanis Club, and belongs to Norfolk
Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
He holds the Thirty-second degree as a Scottish
Rite Mason, and belongs to Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He is a member of the Epworth Methodist Church.
For recreation he enjoys golf.

On February 19, 1926, at Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, Vernon A. Moore married Velma A. Mor-
rison of Hastings, Florida. They are the parents
of four children: I. Joseph Arthelia. 2. Luvinia
Dolores. 3. Vernon Edward. 4. Carl Nelson. The
family's home is at 1420 Lafayette Boulevard,
Norfolk.

CLARENCE BAIRD ROBERTSON— Through

his participation in important business enterpri-
ses and in virtually every major economic, cultural
and social field, including public service, education
and health and welfare, Clarence Baird Robertson
of Norfolk has become an outstanding citizen not
only of the Lower Tidewater but the entire South.
He is president of the Robertson Chemical Corp-
oration, producers and sellers of sulphuric acid,
superphosphate, fertilizer materials and commer-
cial fertilizers, as well as pure Nova Scotia land
plaster and prepared and burned shell lime. He
serves and has served in various offices or as
a director in numerous organizations, including
the Commission of Higher Education for Norfolk,
the Norfolk Chapter of the American National
Red Cross and the Norfolk Community Chest.
Norfolk General Hospital, American Plant Food
Council, National Fertilizer Association and Vir-
ginia Manufacturers, to mention only a few. His
reputation is urban, rural and maritime.

Mr. Robertson was born at Salem, Virginia, on
September 1, 1891, the son of Beverly Holcomb
and Anna McDonald (Baird) Robertson, and neph-
ew of Walter H. Robertson, founder and late
president of the Robertson Chemical Corporation.
After attending public schools, C. B. Robertson
entered Hampden-Sydney College, where he re-
ceived the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1915. He
is also the holder of the Algernon-Sydney Sul-
lavan Medallion awarded by the college. He studied
law for a year at Washington and Lee University.

In 1916 Mr. Robertson joined his uncle in the
Robertson Chemical Corporation. He began as a

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

clerk and rose step by step to his present office.
His first big promotion came in 1920, when he
was elected secretary of the corporation and a
member of its board of directors. He had mean-
time been working as a foreman and then superin-
tendent. In 1931, lie was promoted to vice presi-
dent and the same year was elected president.
For many years, too, he has been on the board
of the Atlantic and Danville Railroad.

Mr. Robertson's earliest public service was in
the nation's armed forces in World War I. He
was with the Coast Artillery, emerging as a sec-
ond lieutenant in the Reserve. His record since
then has included service as a deacon and presi-
dent of the Men's Club of the First Presbyterian
Church of Norfolk; trustee of Hampden-Sydney
College; director of Lees-McRae College, Banner
Elk, North Carolina; director of the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce; director of the Hampton
Roads Maritime Exchange; director and member
of the executive committee of the American Plant
Food Council, Washington, D. C: president, di-
rector and member of the executive committee of
the Norfolk Community Chest; director and mem-
ber of the executive committee, Norfolk Chapter,
American National Red Cross; vice president and
director and member of the executive committee
of Virginia Manufacturers; director of the Bonney
Home for Girls; director and treasurer of the
Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences; president,
director and member of the executive committee
of the Norfolk General Hospital; member of the
Commission of Higher Education for Norfolk;
chairman of Civil Defense for the local manu-
facturing industries in World War II; director of
the Norfolk Young Men's Christian Association;
second vice president and director of the Rotary
Club of Norfolk; director of the National Fertili-
zer Association; and a member of the executive
committee of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the organizations already men-
tioned, Mr. Robertson is a member of Pi Kappa Al-
pha and Omega Delta Kappa fraternities, Princess
Anne Country Club at Virginia Beach, Norfolk Ger-
man Club, Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, Com-
missioned Officers Club, Virginia Club, Cavalier
Beach and Cabana Club, the Masonic fraternity,
American Legion, Sons of the American Revolu-
tion, and Norfolk Executives Club. His office is
in the Wainwright Building, Bute and Duke
streets, Norfolk. His factories are located in Nor-
folk and South Hill, Virginia, and at Raleigh, Wil-
mington and Statesville, North Carolina.

Mr. Robertson married Claudia Baldwin Pol-
lard in Norfolk in October 1953. They have one
daughter, Claudia Pollard (known to all as "Pol-
ly"), who was born in Norfolk in July 1954. The

Robertsons live at 1424 West Princess Anno Road,
Norfolk.

STEWART R. WHITEHURST is president
of the Whaley Engineering Corporation, a Nor-
folk firm established in 19 19. The firm specializes
in the design and construction of specialized pre-
cision machines, and as its head, Mr. Whitehurst
must bring together rare technical skills and out-
standing managerial abilities. He has held his
present position for nearly twenty-five years.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on January
8, 1895, son of Stewart Judson and Ella (Davis)
Whitehurst. Both parents were also born in that
city. It was there that Stewart R. Whitehurst
received his public elementary and high school
education, attending Maury High School for three
years. He then entered Virginia Polytechnic In-
stitute at Blacksburg, where he was a student
for another three years, majoring in mechanical
engineering. He served in the United States Navy
during World War I, holding the rank of lieuten-
ant, junior grade, and following the end of the
war, he returned to Norfolk in 1919. He immedi-
ately joined associates in forming the Whaley
Engineering Corporation — although it was not
known as a corporation until some years later.
The other co-founders were Edward A. Whaley
and Joseph A. Wright. Edward A. Whaley and
Company, as it was first referred to, took its
name from a brilliant mechanical engineer and
scholar, a graduate of Princeton University, who
brought the vision and creative leadership on
which its early progress depended. He continued
to head the firm until his death in 1931. The
following year the business was incorporated as
the Whaley Engineering Corporation with Stewart
R. Whitehurst as president and treasurer. He has
filled both positions since that time. The other
officials are C. W. Pollard, vice president, who
became assocated witli the firm in 1925; and Mrs.
Barton J. Downs, secretary, whose tenure with
the company dates from 1928. Since its founding
the company has had its headquarters at 3200
East Princess Anne Road. One of the leading
engineering firms of the Lower Tidewater region
of the state, the Whaley Engineering Corporation
has rendered outstanding service to industry in
war and peacetime. In its shops are designed and
built intricate machines of various types, and pre-
cision tools for application throughout the me-
chanical field. Most of its work is done on con-
tract, and a large number of these contracts have
been with the United States Government. During
World War II, it carried out a large amount of
special precision engineering for the United States
Navy, the Air Corps and the Maritime Commis-
sion, as well as for private industry. On its pay-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

roll at the present time are about forty highly
skilled employees; and they as well as the manage-
ment take just pride in the organization for which
they work, and a personal interest in maintaining
standards of integrity and quality production.

Mr. Whitehurst is a member of the American
Society for Metals, the American Welding Society,
and the Engineers Club of Hampton Roads. Aside
from these technicians' groups, he is also a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Princess
Anne Country Club, and is a communicant of
Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Norfolk.

On April 28, 1928, at Norfolk, Stewart R.
Whitehurst married Elizabeth Irwin Baldwin,
daughter of Robert F. and Lizzie (Deans) Bald-
win of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Whitehurst are
the parents of two children: I. Stewart R., Jr.,
a graduate of the University of Virginia in the
Class of 1955. He took his degree of Bachelor
of Arts in Economics, and is now a student of
architecture at the University of Virginia. 2. Eliza-
beth Baldwin, a graduate of Maury High School
in 1955, and now a student at Holden Arms
Junior College in Washington, D. C.

FRANK S. SAGER — The president of the
Norfolk Coal and Oil Company, Inc., Frank S.
Sager is also a civic leader in the city where he
has resided since 1909. He takes a particular in-
terest in young people and their welfare, as reflec-
ted in the institutions to which he gives his
assistance. The business firm he heads is one of
the city's oldest in continuous operation, having
been founded in 1892.

A native of Washington County, Maryland,
Mr. Sager was born in the community of Beaver
Creek on January 23, 1879, son of Aaron D. and
Mary E. (Rohrer) Sager. He is descended from
forebears who resided in that county over a great
many years. His father rendered long service on
the bench as judge of the orphans' court of Wash-
ington County, and died at Funkstown, Maryland,
in 191 5, at the age of seventy-four. His wife, the
former Mary E. Rohrer, died there in 1922.

Of the eight children born to this couple, Frank
S. Sager is the third in order of birth. He passed
his boyhood in his native community, and in his
youth often fished in Antietam Creek, near the
famed battlefield. Following his graduation from
high school in 1899, he began his career with the
United States Railway Mail Service out of Balti-
more, and remained in this work from 1900 until

1909.

In July 1909, he came to Norfolk, and entered
the retail coal and oil business in the employ of

the Norfolk Coal and Ice Company, which had
been established in 1892. In 1925 the firm sold
its ice business, and tightened the organization,
dealing only in fuels. It was at that time that
the present name, Norfolk Coal and Oil Company,
Inc., was adopted. Mr. Sager had become a mem-
ber of the firm in 1921; and soon after it was
incorporated, he was named its president. The
first location of the business was at 545 Front
Street, and in the early days of its existence the
company supplied coal from there to ships in the
Norfolk Harbor, in addition to its large retail
trade. In 1949, the present headquarters at 1090
West 35th Street were occupied. As retail dis-
tributors of coal, fuel oil and kerosene, the com-
pany confines its operations to the Norfolk area.
From the days of delivery by horse and wagon
down to the present, when a fleet of modern
trucks serve the customers, the business has thriv-
ed, and attributes much of its success to long-
standing friendships and good customer relations
on which confidence is founded. In many instan-
ces, it is serving the third successive generation
of customers within a single family. In addition
to Mr. Sager, the president, the firm's officials
are Sam H. Ferebee, vice president, and Leigh
C. Ferebee, secretary and treasurer. All have long
records of service with the company. George Fere-
bee, who died in 1943, was also active in manage-
ment for many years.

In the career of Frank S. Sager, public spirit
and a deep humanitarian interest have been con-
tinuous motifs, as evidenced by his cooperation
with community projects and organizations. For
the past quarter of a century, he has served as
treasurer of the Female Orphan Society of Nor-
folk. He is a member of the board of management
of the Bonney Home for Girls, at 403 Mantes
Street. He is a past president of the Norfolk
Council of Social Agencies, and past chairman of
the board of management of the Navy Young
Men's Christian Association. He is still serving,
after many year' tenure, on the board of directors
of the Norfolk General Hospital. In former years
he helped organize the Norfolk Community Chest,
and was active as campaign manager, or co-
manager of its fund campaigns. He was one of
the group which organized the Boys' Club of
Norfolk. A member of the Chamber of Commerce,
he formerly served as a director. He became a
member of the Norfolk Rotary Club in 1919, and
served as its president in the term extending from
1921 to 1923. He belongs to the Virginia Club and
the Princess Anne Country Club. He is also ac-
tive in trade circles, and is a member and past
president of the Norfolk Coal Exchange.

Mr. Sager is fond of the out-of-doors, particu-
larly hunting and fishing. He is a communicant

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of the Ghent Methodist Church, serves on its
board of stewards, and was a member of its
building committee when the present church was
erected.

On June 19, 1909, Frank S. Sager married Mar-
garet Harrell Ferebee, the ceremony taking place
at Norfolk. Mrs. Sager was the widow of Samuel
Ferebee, one of the founders of the Norfolk Coal
and Oil Company, Inc., and was the daughter of
the daughter of Sam B. Harrell, prominent cotton
broker of Norfolk, and his wife, the former Susan
Leigh of that city. Mrs. Sager died in 1932.

A student of philosophy, Mr. Sager has always
taken a deep interest in the problems of his fellow
men, and his fine human spirit and understanding
have manifested themselves in countless ways. His
vitality and warmth of personality have won him
a legion of friends.

JOHN STRODE RIXEY— As a former presi-
dent of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association,
John Strode Rixey maintains a position of leader-
ship in the legal profession in the Lower Tidewater.
A partner of his brother, James Barbour Rixey,
he is a member of the law firm of Rixey and
Rixey, with offices in the Citizens Bank Building,
Norfolk. Air. Rixey, a veteran of World War I, is
actively interested in national defense and civic
projects and is an outstanding member of the con-
gregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Nor-
folk.

He was born in Culpeper, seat of Culpeper
County, on July 24, 1890, and is the son of John
F. and Ellen (Barbour) Rixey. Both his parents
were also natives of Culpeper County. His father,
who was both farmer and lawyer, served in the
National House of Representatives for twelve
years. He practiced law in Culpeper, but spent the
last twelve years of his life in Congress and in
Washington, D. C. For some years he was Common-
wealth Attorney for the County of Culpeper. He
died in 1907 at the age of fifty-two. Ellen Barbour
Rixey died in 1944.

John Strode Rixey spent the formative years of
his life in the national capital, receiving much of
his early education in its public schools. He then
attended Hampden-Sydney College. Transferring
to the University of Virginia, he took the degree
of Bachelor of Arts in 191 1 and that of Bachelor
of Laws in 191 2.

Mr. Rixey began the practice of law in Clarks-
burg, West Virginia, in 1912. Subsequently, he
spent a year and one-half in practice in New York
City. When the United States entered World War
I, he applied for and was granted a commission as
a second lieutenant. In his two-year career with

the Army's Seventy-seventh Division, he rose from
that rank to lieutenant colonel. Honorably dis-
charged in 1919, he returned to Virginia and at
Berryville, in Clarke County, practiced for one
year. In 1920, he moved to Norfolk, where, with his
brother, he established the law firm of Rixey and
Rixey. John Rixey operates a farm in Culpeper
County. Besides the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar As-
sociation, of which he is a past president, he is a
member of the Virginia Bar Association. In poli-
tics, he is a Democrat. An elder emeritus of the
First Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, Mr. Rixey
taught in its Sunday school for twenty years.

Mr. Rixey married Barbara Franz James in Dan-
ville on November 10, 1928. They have two chil-
dren: 1. Ellen, born in 1932. She is the wife of
John W. Barber, Jr., a native of Charlotte, North
Carolina, who is in the building supply business
in Charlotte. 2. Joan, born in 1935. In 1956, she
was in school in Delaware. The Rixey home is at
820 Graydon Avenue, Norfolk. Mrs. Rixey is active
in the Norfolk Garden Club.

W. ROY BRITTON, of South Norfolk has long
been constructively identified with the industry
centered in the distribution of agricultural pro-
ducts. As co-founder, owner and directing head of
the Growers Exchange of South Norfolk, he has
brought to his firm extensive practical experience
and a wealth of ideas, and has been eminently
successful in his endeavors. He has given impetus
to truck farming in the Norfolk area, and has
served his community exceptionally well as chair-
man of the South Norfolk school board.

He is a native of the city where his business
is centered, born there on November 3, 1900. the
oldest of four children of George Thomas and
Hattie (Wallace-Jones) Britton. The family de-
rives its name from the province of France from
which its forebears came, and is to be found
in ancient British and early American records, in
the various forms of Bretan, Bretun, Bretton,
Brettun, Bretagne, Brytayan, Britagne, Briton,
Briten, Britin, Britane, Britan, Britten, and Brit-
tan as well as Britton. The last spelling is most
commonly found in America today. It is believed
that forebears came to England from France with
the followers of William the Conqueror in 1066;
and bearers of the name in its various forms are
to be found in the records of English counties at
early dates, for the most part among the landed
gentry. Among the earliest American settlers were
those in Virginia. George Thomas Britton was
born in Hertford County, North Carolina, and
in his early manhood located at South Norfolk.
He later removed to Hickory, where he engaged

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

in farming. In iqij lie took his family to Greens-
boro, North Carolina, where for a number of
years he was engaged in the retail grocery busi-
ness. He retired several years before his death in
1954. He was a son of James Peyton Britton,
planter and merchant of Hertford County, North
Carolina, and a veteran of Confederate service,
whose wife was Annie Sessions, a native of Hert-
ford County, North Carolina. Hattie Wallace
Jones Britton, the mother of the South Norfolk
executive, was born in Shippensburg, Pennsylva-
nia, and died at Greensboro in 1948. Her father
served in the Union Army and was of Scottish
descent. Her mother was of Welsh descent.

\Y. Roy Britton was less than a year old when
his family moved from his native South Norfolk
to Hickory. Virginia. There he passed his early
boyhood, and attended the one-teacher country
school nearby. When he was in his thirteenth
year, they moved to Greensboro, and there he
completed his formal education. In his youth he
worked in his father's retail grocery store, and
secured a basic knowledge of food retailing. At
the age of twenty-six he returned to his native
South Norfolk and found employment with the
Smith-Douglas Company, Inc., a well-known fer-
tilizer and farm supply house. After he had spent
five years with this organization, its president saw
the need for a department through which he
could aid the growers who were his customers,
and many of whom were in financial straits due
to the depression. W. Roy Britton was selected
to manage such a department, which a year later
became the Growers Exchange.

Founded October 25, 1932, the Growers Ex-
change of South Norfolk was incorporated with
Ambrose W. Burfoot as its first president. With
the resignation of Mr. Burfoot a year later, Mr.
. Britton succeeded him as its president. The firm
continued as a corporation until 1943, when the
old company was liquidated. Retaining the firm
name of Growers Exchange, Mr. Britton continued
the business as a partnership until August 1, 1954,
when he bought the other interests. He has since
been sole owner.

Growers Exchange has become one of the out-
standing organizations of its kind in the Tidewater
region, and its "G-E" brand is a familiar label
in vegetable markets throughout the Southeast.
Besides raising vegetables on a considerable acre-
age of its own, the firm acts as distributor for
other growers, and buys hundreds of carloads of
potatoes and other vegetables each year. Spinach
is one of its best-known commodities, and has
been distributed through the New York and other
big markets.

A careful student of industrial trends, Mr. Brit-
ton is a business man of progressive vision, going

along with worth-while new ideas in operation,
and originating many of these ideas himself.
Growers Exchange has a modern and well-equip-
ped packing house, with eighteen thousand square
feet of floor space, ample siding for railway cars,
and a platform for trucks. In the packing plant
are to be seen many of Mr. Britton's innovations
in practice. He was one of the first to install
scales at every station along the packing belt, to
enable packers to assure full weight. The latest
grading and washing machines are part of the
firm's equipment, including a device built especial-
ly for stripping kale and clipping spinach to be
sold to repackers. Early recognition of the re-
packing trend prompted the development of these
machines. Growers Exchange is now featuring
vegetables for repackers, paying particular atten-
tion to quality and grade.

Mr. Britton is a member of the United Fresh
Fruit and Vegetable Association of America, and
no one in the industry takes a greater interest in
the solution of problems involved in the distribu-
tion of this produce. He has also taken a vital
interest in community projects. For the past nine
years he has served as a member of the South
Norfolk school board, and for seven of these years
has been chairman of the board. During these
years, the population of South Norfolk has doub-
led, with the annexation of Portlock and River-
dale, and he has played a leading part in securing
a modern school system to keep pace with the
growth. In the course of his tenure, the Oscar
Frommell Smith High School and the George
Washington Carver High School have been built,
as well as several elementary schools. Mr. Britton
is a devoted church worker, a member of the ves-
try of St. Bride's Episcopal Church. He is a mem-
ber of the lodge of Benevolent and Protective Or-
der of Elks No. 38. His hobby is taking motion-
pictures.

On October 31, 1921, at South Norfolk, W.
Roy Britton married Helen Chillson, daughter of
the late Harry B. and Clytie (Miller) Chillson.
Her father was a native of Connecticut and her
mother of North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Britton
are the parents of three children: 1. William Roy,
Jr., a graduate of the College of Wrilliam and
Mary and of Virginia Theological Seminary. Or-
dained an Episcopal minister, he formerly served
as rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Smith-
field, Virginia. He is now a partner in the interior
decorating firm of Neal Thomas of Norfolk.
William Roy Britton, Jr., married Elise Lemley
of Kingsport, Tennessee, and they are the parents
of a daughter, Lisa Rebecca. 2. Jean Carolyn, who
married Maurice Price of Kentucky, a career of-
ficer in the United States Navy. 3- Janet Con-
stance, attended the College of William and Mary

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

at Williamsburg and is married to George Wilson
of Los Angeles, California.

THOMAS PESCUD CHISMAN— The voice
of the Xational Broadcasting Company on the
Virginia Peninsula to which residents of the
Lower Tidewater are listening more and more
is Radio Station WVEC and its companion,
WVEC-TV. The founder and president of the
corporation which operates these two stations is
Thomas Pescud Chisman, a veteran of World
W'ar II and the Korean War.

Mr. Chisman, who was born in Hampton on
December 8, 1921, is the son of Samuel Reade
and Mary Lee (Cannon) Chisman. His father,
also a native of Hampton, died in 1933. The
mother, born in Norfolk, survives him. Thomas
P. Chisman, reared in Hampton, attended its pub-
lic schools. He was graduated in 1939. Four years
later he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at
the University of Virginia and in the same year,
1943, studied at Columbia University, New York
City.

In the next four years Mr. Chisman was an
officer in the United States Navy, with which
he served in the Atlantic Theater of Operations,
emerging in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant,
junior grade. With the outbreak of war in Korea,
he returned to the armed forces, this time as
a captain in the United States Army assigned
to the Air Defense of Washington, D. C. He
was on active duty for two years.

In 1947, Mr. Chisman organized the Peninsula
Broadcasting Corporation at Hampton and he
has since been its president. His two stations,
WVEC-AM and WVEC-TV, maintain offices and
studios at 1940 Pembroke Avenue, Hampton, and
812 Twenty-first Street, Norfolk, and employ six-
ty persons. Mr. Chisman, active in community
life, is a former member of the vestry of St.
John's Episcopal Church of Hampton and is a
member of the Rotary Club of Hampton. His
fraternity is Sigma Phi Epsilon.

He married Martha Pamela Merritt of Char-
lottesville in Miami, Florida, on October 2. 1943.
She is the daughter of Colonel and Mrs. W. B.
Merritt. The Chismans have four children: 1.
Thomas Pescud, Jr., born on March 28, 1945.
2. Martha Pamela Merritt, born on February 8,
1947. 3. Lila Elizabeth. 4. Anne Meriwether Mi-
chie, born on August 21, 1955. Their home is at
113 Powhatan Parkway, in Hampton.

JAMES WASHINGTON REED, M.D.— Doc-
tor James Washington Reed of Norfolk rose to
prominence as a public servant as well as a phy-
sician. He was a vigorous leader in the cause of
civic progress and gave much time and service for

humanity. As councilman and as mayor, he initiat-
ed changes which have proved of distinct benefit to
the city.

Dr. Reed was born on April 9, 1888 in King
William County, son of James Thomas and Alice
Lenora (Trimmer) Reed. He was a descendant
of the Pollard and Ragland families of Hanover
County, Virginia. He received his early education
in the schools of King William County and com-
pleted his preparatory studies at West Point Aca-
demy, West Point, Virginia. He took his pre-
medical course at the College of William and Mary,
Williamsburg. In 1910, he took a course at the
Rush Medical School, sponsored by the University
of Illinois in Chicago. He entered the Medical Col-
lege of Virginia, Richmond, where he received his
degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1912. Dr. Reed
interned at old St. Vincent's Hospital in Norfolk
and began private practice at Appalachia, but in
1914 he moved to Ocean View, then a suburb of
Norfolk, where he centered his practice through-
out his career. He quickly won a place in the life
of the community and his professional qualifications
earned him recognition among his colleagues and
private citizens as well. He built up an extensive
general practice in medicine and surgery. Through-
out his career he kept pace with advancements in
medical science, frequently attending medical cli-
nics and professional meetings. In 1926, he took
special postgraduate courses with a group attend-
ing the Interstate Post Graduate Assemblies in
Vienna and other medical centers in Europe. He
served devotedly and unstintingly, and never spar-
ed himself when called, particularly in cases of
emergency. The thought of personal comfort and
convenience never caused him to ignore a call
from the sick. For more than thirty years. Dr. Reed
was active as a member of the staff of St. Vincent's
;.nd De Paul Hospitals and served as surgeon for the
Virginia Electric and Power Company for many
years. He was consulting physician at the Norfolk
Community Hospital. In June 1913, he was ap-
pointed surgeon of the Louisville and Nashville
Railway, the Interstate Railway and the South
Western Railway with headquarters in Appalachia.
He served as Health Officer of Norfolk County
from 1914 to 1917. He was a member of the Nor-
folk County Medical Society, the Virginia State
Medical Society, the Seaboard Medical Association
and the American Medical Association. Dr. Reed
took genuine pleasure in his life's work of healing
and regarded his high calling with love, pride and
zeal.

Devoted to his community, he became widely
known for his leadership in Norfolk's civic and
governmental affairs. He became the first represen-
tative in the city's government from any of the

4°

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

area annexed to the city in 1923. He was first
chosen a member of the Norfolk City Council in
March 1934, by unanimous vote of the Council to
fill the unexpired term of Colonel Samuel S. Slover,
who had resigned. Dr. Reed was re-elected four
times by popular vote; and he was named vice
president of the council on September 1, 1940.
Four years later, when Captain Joseph D. Wood
resigned in mid-term, Dr. Reed was chosen mayor
of Norfolk and served in that capacity until 1946.
The physician left a magnificient record of public
service. Few other men have devoted so much
time and energy to the interests of the community.

Dr. Reed also took an active part in the work of
the Episcopal Church of the Advent where he
served as vestryman. He was a member of Ruth
Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons;
Au!d Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scot-
tish Rite; and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was a
member of the advisory council of the Norfolk
Chapter, Grand Council, Order of DeMolay. In
addition he was an honorary member of the Ocean
View Lions Club, and a member of Lodge No.
38, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Fond
of the out-of-doors, he enjoyed hunting and fishing
expeditions whenever time allowed.

On October 29, 1913, Dr. James Washington
Reed married Hazel Jane Weaver of Newport
News, daughter of Christian Kreider and Elton
Ann (Smith) Weaver. Mrs. Reed is a descendant
of the Dobson, Freeman and Rowe families, early
settlers in Gloucester, Virginia. Over the years,
Mrs. Reed has been active in civic and religious
affairs of the city, having served as a board mem-
ber for the Girl Scouts, The American Red Cross,
and the Anti-Tuberculosis League of Norfolk. She
has done volunteer work as a Gray Lady. Mrs.
Reed is a communicant of the Episcopal Church
of the Advent and is a member of the Woman's
Reading Club of Norfolk. Dr. and Mrs. Reed be-
came the parents of three sons and one daughter:
1. James Weaver, born November 5, 1914; he grad-
uated from the College of William and Mary, taking
his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1935. He then en-
tered the Medical College of Virginia and in 1939
received his degree of Doctor of Dental Surgerv
there. He entered the United States Army Air
Corps in 1940. Assigned to the Dental Corps, he
helped establish dental clinics at various air bases.
At the time of his separation from the service in
1945, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel, which
rank he still holds in the LT.S. Air Force Reserve.
Dr. James Weaver Reed now practices in Nor-
folk and is a member of the staff of De Paul Hospi-
tal. He is a Thirty-second degree Mason, member
of Khedive Temple. He is a member of the Ameri-

can Dental Association, Virginia Dental Associa-
tion, and Tidewater Dental Association. He is a
member of the Princess Anne Country Club. He
married, first, Sara Elizabeth Iobst, who died on
February 27, 1941. They were the parents of one
son. Frederick Forrest, who was born April 16,
1935- Dr. Reed married, second, Frances Evelyn
Smith, a native of Lynchburg, and they have three
children: i. John Arthur, born October 17, 1950-
adopted. ii. Benjamin Thomas, born February 29,
1952-adopted. iii. James Weaver, Jr., born Novem-
ber 17, 1952. They attend St. Andrew's Protestant
Episcopal Church. 2. Thomas Christian, born Au-
gust 5, 1916. He was in his senior year at Hampden-
Sydney College when he was killed in an automo-
bile accident on April 1, 1939. 3. Constance Eliza-
beth, and 4. Richard Courtney, twins, born Jan-
uary 20, 1920. Constance is a graduate of the Col-
lege of William and Mary where she took her
degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1942. She is active in
parish secretarial work and participates in the cul-
tural affairs of Norfolk. She is a member of the
Great Bridge Chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, American Association of Uni-
versity Women-Norfolk Branch, Delta Delta Delta
national sorority-Norfolk Alliance, Norfolk- Ports-
mouth Panhellenic Association and is a communi-
cant of the Episcopal Church. Richard Courtney
Reed, youngest son of Dr. and Mrs. Reed, is a
graduate of Virginia Military Institute, where he
completed his pre-medical course in 1942 and re-
ceived his degree of Bachelor of Science. He then
entered the Medical College of Virginia and in
1945 took his degree of Doctor of Medicine there.
He interned at De Paul Hospital, after which he
entered private practice in Norfolk. For two years
he served in the United States Air Force with
the rank of captain. He is on the staff of De Paul
Hospital, Leigh Memorial and Norfolk General
hospitals and is a member of The American Medi-
cal Association, Virginia State Medical Society, the
Norfolk County Medical Society, The American
Academy of General Practice, the Virginia Acade-
my of General Practice, and the Tidewater Chapter
of General Practice. He is a Thirty-second degree
Mason, member of Ruth Lodge No. 89, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, Khedive Temple, the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Virginia Military Institute
Alumni Club, Chi Phi medical fraternity, and the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. He attends
Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church and serves
on the board of deacons there. Dr. Richard C.
Reed married Elizabeth LeGrande File of Beckley,
West Virginia, and they are the parents of two sons:
i. Richard Courtney, Jr., born July 6, 1948. ii. Wil-
liam Washington, born March 30, 1952.

Dr. James Washington Reed continued his in-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

terest in civic and professional programs until his
death September 23, 1952.

AUBREY RAY PENTECOST, JR.— As an

architect, Aubrey Ray Pentecost, Jr., has made
tangible contributions to Norfolk and Tidewater
Virginia whose value is measured in millions of
dollars. His contributions to the beauty and moder-
nity of these communities, not so readily evaluated,
identify him as one of the region's most useful
professional men. He has to his credit a list of
designs for important structures too long to give
in full in this brief biographical sketch. His work
has been characterized by great variety, and pro-
fessionally he is not influenced by any one school
of architecture. He has always placed utility, or
fitness of purpose, above ornamentation or strik-
ing effects, although beauty of design is ever pres-
ent.

The firm of A. Ray Pentecost. Jr., wholly owned
and operated by him, was established in Norfolk
in 1948, solely as an architectural organization, and
in this capacity it has served private, commercial,
and municipal, state and federal government in-
terests both in and outside of the state of Virginia.
Associated with Mr. Pentecost, in his well-ap-
pointed offices on the second door of the Nick
Wright Building, 21st Street and Colonial Avenue,
is a group of well-trained and experienced specia-
lists. Broad technical education and ample experi-
ence are to be found in the background of his
own career, and he has earned wide recognition in
his profession.

Born April 12, 191", at Nelson, Virginia, Mr.
Pentecost is a son of Aubrey Ray, Sr., and Ida-
bell (Nelson) Pentecost. His father was born in
Person County, North Carolina, and in the early
years of his career, was a general building con-
tractor. For the past two decades he has served
as chief of police of Lawrenceville, Virginia. Ida-
bell Nelson, whom he married, was born in tin-
community of Nelson, which was named for her
family. They had large plantation interests in that
vicinity.

A. Ray Pentecost, Jr., graduated from Law-
renceville High School in 1935. He attended Perry
Business College before entering Virginia Poly-
technic Institute, where he graduated in 1942 with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Architectural
Engineering. The following year he took his degree
of Master of Science in Architectural Engineer-
ing at the same school. He began his professional
experience in 1943 as a naval architect, P-3, in the
employ of the Norfolk Navy Yard at Portsmouth,
and in that capacity, designed heating, ventilating
and air conditioning systems for naval vessels. He

left in 1945 to join S. Russ Minter, a Cumberland,
Maryland, architect, as chief draftsman. The fol-
lowing year he spent several weeks in Washington
and Richmond, studying architectural and engineer-
ing requirements and rules in the Federal Housing
Administration offices. In 1946-1947, he was as-
sociated with the firm of Rudolph, Cooke and Van
Leeuwen, Architects, in Norfolk.

He left to form his own firm. A. Ray Pentecost,
Jr., in 1948, and within a relatively short time, had
built up one of the largest general architectural
firms in Norfolk. Outstanding examples of his work
include the following housing projects: Lafayette
Shore, Norfolk (19481 sin hundred forty-four units;
Ocean Lake, an eighty-four-apartment project at
Virginia Beach; Camp Allen Apartments, four hun-
dred units for the United States Navy, on which
he worked with E. Tucker Carlton in 1951 ; Little
Creek Apartments, four hundred units also for the
Navy — also with Mr. Carlton in 1951; and Ocean
View Apartments. His designs for educational in-
stitutions have included an addition to Liberty Park
School (1950); Bayview- Elementary School (1953)
and Granby High School addition (1950), both
for the city of Norfolk; Granby High School ad-
dition, physical education plant, and new kitchen
and cafeteria facilities (now in the process of con-
struction); Maury High School addition (1953);
Oscar Frommel Smith High School (1954):
George Washington Carver High School (1953);
( Iscar Frommel Smith High School Stadium
(1955); South Hill Elementary School (1955); VVa-
terford Elementary School addition (1955); Provi-
dence Elementary School (1956); Little Creek Ele-
mentary School addition, at Princess Anne (1955);
Aragona Elementary School (1956); Seatack Ele-
mentary School addition at Princess Anne (1955);
New Lakewood Junior High School, Norfolk
(1956); in association with Joseph B. Courtney,
architect. Also, in association with the architectur-
al linn of Walford and Wright, Mr. Pentecost
made the designs for Virginia State College, a
project completed for the State of Virginia in 1954
at a cost of nearly two million dollars. For the
various religious denominations in his area, Mr.
Pentecost has designed the Bayview Baptist Church
at Norfolk (1952); Lawrenceville Baptist Church
(K»54); Talbot Park Baptist Church (1954); Ca-
mellia Acres Presbyterian Church, Norfolk (1055);
First Methodist Church. Norfolk (1955); Chesa-
peake Avenue Methodist Church, South Norfolk
(1955); Norview Baptist Church, Norfolk (10551:
Central Baptist Church, Norfolk (1953); and First
Congregational Christian Church, Portsmouth
(1955). Commercial projects for which he performed
the architectural work have included showrooms
and warehouse for Norfolk Paints Stores (between

TWVa. 5

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1950 and 1954); Pontiac Corporation; Nick Wright
Motor Company showrooms and office in Norfolk
(1950); parts department for the same company
0955); H. D. Motor Company showrooms, Surry
(1949); Edward L. Nelson warehouse, Norfolk
(x955); Louis Legum Furniture Company building,
Norfolk (1955); Economy Foods warehouse, Nor-
folk (1950); Mutual Federal Savings and Loan As-
sociation office building (1955); Merchants and
Planters Bank Building, Little Creek Road Branch
(1955). Recreational facilities he has designed in-
clude the Beazley Recreation Center, Portsmouth
(1950); Armed Services Y.M.C.A., Portsmouth
(1949); Y.W.C.A. Activities Building, Norfolk
(t953); swimming pool for Norfolk's Boys' Club
(1954). Other projects include structure for Subur-
ban Enterprises, Norfolk (1954); J. B. Denny Of-
fice Building, Norfolk (1953) ; and the W. L. Hughes
Office Building in that city (1954). He was engaged
in the planning stages of Norfolk's Coca-Cola
bottling plant, and the twelve-story Rennert Garage
Corporation Building at Monticello in which pro-
ject he was associated with Mr. Courtney. He has
also designed a number of fine residences, and other
structures for private interests.

Mr. Pentecost is a member of the American In-
stitute of Architects, which has conferred on him
its Medal for General Excellence in Architec-
ture. He is also a member of the Society of
American Military Engineers, and his fraternities
are Tau Sigma Delta (honorary architectural), Tau
Beta Pi (national honorary engineering) and Phi
Kappa Phi (national scholastic). At Norfolk, he
holds membership in the Executives Club, Norfolk
Rotary Club, Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
and attends Talbot Park Baptist Church. Among
the outdoor sports, he prefers fishing.

At Danville, Virginia, on March 5, 1943, A. Ray
Pentecost, Jr., married Elizabeth Smith, daughter
of Arthur Webster and Anna (Smith) Smith of
that city. Mrs. Pentecost is a graduate of Strafford
College of Music in Danville. The couple are the
parents of two children: I. Ellen Elizabeth, born
March 30, 1946. 2. Aubrey Ray, III, born July 14,
1953- The family resides at 1530 Blanford Circle,
Lockhaven, Norfolk.

LEON CURTIS HALL— The place of Leon
Curtis Hall, president of the Norfolk Savings and
Loan Corporation, is firmly established in the
financial, business and civic circles of Norfolk and
Tidewater Virginia, of which he is a native. With
a wide reputaton as a banker, he has served as
president of the American Industrial Bankers As-
sociation; and his devoted and effective efforts in
civic and welfare causes have won him the respect

of his fellow citizens. A man of high principles and
humane motivations, he is popular for his personal
qualities as well.

A native of Great Bridge in Norfolk County,
Mr. Hall was born on April 1, 1907, son of George
Magruder and Minnie (Wood) Hall. His father
died November 1, 195 1, but Mrs. Hall survives and
maintains her home in the Great Bridge communi-
ty. George M. Hall conducted a general merchan-
dise store there, and also engaged in farming. Leon
C. Hall graduated from Great Bridge High School
in 1925 and continued his education at the College
of William and Mary. There he was a student for
two years, and majored in business administration.
In 1925 he began his career in banking.

He first joined the staff of the Merchants and,
Planters Bank in the Berkley section of Norfolk,
beginning in the humble capacity of runner and
earning advancement on his own merits. In 1930
he left to join the Norfolk Savings and Loan Cor-
poration. He began there as a bookkeeper, and ad-
vanced steadily to the executive ranks, becoming
president of the institution in 1953. In the early
years of his connection, he attended Norfolk Col-
lege Night School for a period of four years, and
there studied business administration and law to
better equip himself for banking and general com-
mercial responsibilities. In the meantime, he had
been promoted from bookkeeper to investigation
officer, and subsequently became assistant manager.
From 1939 until 1942, he served as acting manager
of the bank, and in the latter year was promoted to
secretary, continuing his duties as manager. He
became executive vice president in 1948, and held
that office until his promotion to the presidency
in 1953-

A member of the board of directors of the Ameri-
can Industrial Bankers Association, Mr. Hall served
as president of this national body in 1952. During
1943-1944 he was president of the Virginia Indus-
trial Bankers Association, and he continues to serve
on its board of directors. In 1950-1951, he served
on a subcommittee of the Virginia Advisory Legis-
lative Council.

Mr. Hall is a member of the Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce, member and past president of the
Lions Club, and member and past treasurer of the
Norfolk Executives Club. He has long been active
on behalf of the Salvation Army, and now serves
as a member of its Virginia State Advisory Board.
He is a member and past chairman of the board
of stewards of Park Place Methodist Church of
Norfolk.

In Masonry, he is a member and past master of
Owens Lodge No. 164, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, and of the higher bodies of the Scottish
Rite. Holding the Thirty-second degree, he belongs

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

to Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Norfolk.

On February 21, 1931, at Norfolk, Leon Curtis
Hall married Margaret Birsch, daughter of the
late John M. and Margaret (Thomas) Birsch. Her
father was a general building contractor at Black-
stone, Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Hall make their home
at 6145 Eastwood Terrace, Norfolk, and they are
the parents of two children: 1. Leon Curtis, Jr.,
horn January 15, 1934. Taking premedical courses
at Hampden-Sydney College, he graduated there
in 1956, and is now pursuing his medical studies
at the University of Richmond. 2. Margaret Agnes,
who was born on July 15, 1940; now a junior at
Maury High School.

CHARLES T. ABELES— Through his contri-
bution in various fields of human endeavor, Charles
T. Abeles of Norfolk has become a well known
citizen of the Lower Tidewater. He is active in
transportation, the legal profession, cultural pro-
grams, civic work, and education. Associated with
the Seaboard Airline Railway for nearly four de-
cades Mr. Abeles is now the road's senior general
attorney, and among the community offices he
holds is that of chairman of the Norfolk Commis-
sion of Higher Education.

Mr. Abeles was born in Saint Louis, Missouri,
on July 22, 1891, one of the seven hoys (he was
a twin) of the family of J. David and Emily
(Taussig) Abeles, both of whom were also natives
of Saint Louis. J. David Abeles, who died in 1920
at the age of seventy-two, was in the real estate
business in that city. The mother died in 1898.

Charles T. Abeles received his early education
in his native city. Graduated from Smith Academy,
a private school, in 1907, he matriculated at Har-
vard University. In 1913 lie took the degree of
Bachelor of Arts and in 1916 that of Bachelor of
Laws in the Harvard Law School. As coxswain
and captain of the varsity crew in 1913, he made
a reputation in intercollegiate circles.

Upon taking his law degree in 1916, Mr. Abeles
returned to Saint Louis and, gaining admission to
the Missouri Bar, began practice as an associate of
the law firm of Boyle and Priest. He was with this
firm from September 1916, until April 191". The
United States having declared war against the
Central Powers that month, he enlisted in the Navy.
Until February 1918 he was assigned to patrol
work off the Atlantic Coast. In this period he rose
in rank to chief boatswain's mate. His next as-
signment was to the Office of Naval Intelligence,
with which he served until his honorable discharge
in May. 1919.

Mr. Abeles' Naval career led, indirectly, to his
career with the Seaboard Airline Railwav. He was

appointed an attorney for the railway when he left
the Navy in 1919. In 1926 he was promoted to
solicitor and in 1934 to assistant general solicitor.
From 1938 to 1943 he was general attorney and in
1943 he became senior general attorney. In 1956
he was appointed general solicitor in charge of
law. His office is in the Seaboard Airline Railway
Building in Norfolk.

In the years Mr. Abeles has been serving with
the railroad he has been one of Norfolk's most
active citizens. From 1946 to 1950 he was president
of the Norfolk Forum, and he is now chairman of
the Commission on Higher Education, president
of the Norfolk Service Men's Club and a director
of the Norfolk Museum of Vrts and Sciences, Com-
munity Concert Association, Feldman Chamber
Music Society, and DePaul Hospital. He worships
in the Episcopal Church and is a Democrat.

Mr. Abeles married Sally Pope Taylor, daughter
of Richard Calvert and Cecilia Ashton (Delihant)
Taylor, in Norfolk on May 8, 1926. Mrs. Abeles,
a native of Norfolk, is well known in civic welfare
programs there. She is on the boards of directors
of the Norfolk Community Chest and the Norfolk
Council of Social Agencies. Her father, who was
born in Norfolk, was active in the general mer-
chandise business in his native city for many years.
He died in 1910. Her mother, a native of Chicago,
Illinois, died in 1943. Mr. and Mrs. Abeles have
two children: 1. Charles Calvert, born on Novem-
ber 3, 1929. He is a lawyer who took his profes-
sional degree at the University of Virginia. 2. Sally
Taylor, born on August _»8, 1932. She is a graduate
of Manhattanvillc College. New York City, and
of The Sorbonne, Paris, France. The Abeles' home
is at 1307 Daniel Avenue, Lochhaven.

ALEXANDER HERBERT BELL— A former
United States Collector of Customs for Virginia,
Alexander Herbert Bell has thrice been elected
city treasurer of Norfolk. Well known and influ-
ential among the municipal officials of the state,
he is also prominent in the civic and social life of
the Lower Tidewater. His Naval service in World
War I, followed by a profound interest in national
defense, has made him active in veterans' affairs
and in the work of the armed forces committee
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

Alex H. Bell, as he prefers to be called, was
born in Norfolk on November 14, 1890, into a
family which established itself in the South in
colonial days. His father, also a native of Norfolk,
was Norman Bell, who joined the Confederate
Army when he was sixteen years old, in 1861.
Assigned to duty as a clerk to General Robert E.
Lee, he was with the commander-in-chief at the
surrender at Appomattox. Upon his return to Nor-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

folk after the war. lie entered the cotton business
ami for many years until his death served as
superintendent of the Norfolk and Portsmouth
Cotton Exchange in Norfolk. He died on October
jo, 1916, at the age of seventy-four. The city
treasurer's mother, Ellen (Herbert) Bell died in
August io-'.s.

Alex H. Bell grew up in Norfolk and there
received his education. He was seventeen when
he, too. went to work in the Norfolk and Ports-
mouth Cotton Exchange. With the declaration of
war by Congress in April 1917, he left his job
to enlist in the Navy. He rose to the rating of chief
petty officer, serving mostly on ships which carried
supplies to the American Expeditionary Force in
France. At the time of his separation from the
service in February 1919, he was a chief yeoman,
a rating he retained in the Naval Reserve until
June 1921.

From 1919 to 1942 Mr. Bell was engaged in the
general insurance business in Norfolk. In those
years he became prominent in community life and
the Democratic Party. On February 3, 1942, he
was appointed collector of customs for all the
ports of Virginia and this office he held until ap-
pointed, in February 1948, to fill out an unexpired
term as city treasurer of Norfolk. In 1949, he was
elected to that office, and re-elected in 1953 and
1957. Thirty-six persons are employed in his office.

Air. Bell has served as president of the Municipal
Treasurers' Association of Virginia, the United
Memorial Day Association, the Norfolk German
Club and the Old Town Club of Norfolk. He is a
member not only of the armed forces committee
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce but of such
ex-servicemen's organizations as the American
Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Also, he
belongs to the Sons of the American Revolution
and the Norfolk Lodge of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. At his church, St. Paul's
Episcopal, he has served several terms on the vestry
and for ten years was superintendent of the Sunday
school. Fishing and hunting are his favorite sports.

Mr. Bell married Elizabeth Jernigan, daughter
of Hunter and Elizabeth (Bayton) Jernigan, in
Norfolk on January 16, 1918. Mrs. Bell was born
in Bertie County, North Carolina, her mother in
Princess Anne County and her father also in
Bertie County. Mr. Jernigan, a cotton merchant,
was president of J. W. Perry and Company of
Norfolk for many years. He died in 1921, his
widow in 1942. Mr. and Mrs. Bell have two children:
1. Elizabeth Jernigan, born in April 1923. She is
the wife of Commander Charles D. Robison of
the United States Navy and a graduate (June 1942)
of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. They are the
parents of three children: i. Charles D., Jr., born

in 1946. ii. Alexander Bell, born in 1949. iii. Liza,
born in 1951. 2. Alexander, born on April 11, 1927.
He enlisted in the United States Navy when he
was seventeen and served until the end of World
War II. He married Jeanne Yates of Norfolk and
they have one son, Alexander Herbert, II, who was
born in January 1956. The senior Mr. and Mrs.
Alex H. Bell make tlieir home at 1400 Westover
Avenue, Norfolk. Mrs. Bell is a member of the
Junior League of Norfolk and the Norfolk Garden
Club.

CHARLES HUTCHINSON McCOY— A cer-
tified public accountant with offices in the Royster
Building in Norfolk, Charles Hutchinson McCoy
has long maintained a high professional level in
accountancy. His varied interests have made him
a prominent citizen of Norfolk.

He was born in that city on November 12, 1901,
son of the late George W. and Lena (Holland)
McCoy. His forebears settled in Virginia in col-
onial times. George W. McCoy was a marine engi-
neer, a commissioned officer in the Norfolk Light
Artillery Blues, and an organizer and partner of
the Smith and McCoy Shipyard of Norfolk, pre-
decessor of the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Corporation. He was a man of unusual ability and
attainments, although he was only thirty-eight years
old when he died in 1912. He was descended from
a family of planters, surveyors and manufacturers.
His mother was an Ellington, and her family was
connected by marriage to those of Elliott, Waddel,
Rice and Flippin. Members of the family in each
generation served their country. P. Alexander El-
lington was in the Confederate States Army. John
Wesley Ellington served in the War of 181 2. David
Ellington served in the Revolutionary War, and his
father, John, furnished supplies to the Continental
Line during that conflict. Another John Ellington,
on March 8, 1712, surveyed both sides of Elling-
ton's Branch on orders from the court of Prince
George County. This John Ellington obtained a
land grant of two hundred acres, and later for
another three hundred and forty acres. His first
patent was for land in Prince George County,
granted by King George in 1707. Lena (Holland)
McCoy, the mother of Charles H. McCoy, attended
Norfolk College for Young Ladies. She was des-
cended from Daniel Holland of Ireland, and Jane
Salter of Pennsylvania; also Samuel James Frost
of Chester and London, England, and the Hutchin-
son family of Liverpool and Virginia.

Charles Hutchinson McCoy graduated from
Maury High School in Norfolk in 1922. He at-
tended Virginia Military Institute and graduated
from Pace Institute in New York, where he major-
ed in accounting. He was associated with the Vir-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ginia Electric and Power Company of Norfolk for
a matter of three months. He then entered the
Norfolk accounting firm of Frederick B. Hill and
Company, with which he remained for several years.
In 1934 ne became a certified public accountant,
having passed the examination given by the Vir-
ginia State Board of Accountancy. Subsequently
he became a partner with the late E. P. Dallas
in the accounting firm of E. P. Dallas and Com-
pany of Norfolk, and their association continued
until the death of Mr. Dallas in 1939.

At that time, Mr. McCoy formed his own firm
under the name of Charles H. McCoy, Certified
Public Accountant, with offices in the Royster
Building. Besides its practice of public accounting,
the firm acts as tax advisor. It has built up a
large clientele among commercial and industrial
organizations in Tidewater Virginia. Mr. McCoy
is licensed to practice before the United States
Treasury Department and the Board of Tax Ap-
peals (now the United States Tax Court). He is
a member of the American Institute of Accountants,
and the Virginia Society of Public Accountants.

Mr. McCoy is a Kiwanian, and a member of the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Cavalier
Beach Club, the Virginia Military Institute Sports-
man's Club, the Virginia Military Institute Alumni
Association and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.
Affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons he
is a member of Ruth Lodge No. 89, and Grice
Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar, and Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. He is a communicant of the
Church of the Good Shepherd. His favorite outdoor
sport is boating.

On March 23, 1935 at Norfolk, Charles H. Mc-
Coy married Anne Griffin, daughter of the late
William J. and Alberta (Evans) Griffin. Her father
was owner and manager of the Eastern Transporta-
tion Company of Manteo, North Carolina, owners
and operators of passenger and cargo vessels in
North Carolina. Mrs. McCoy was born at Manteo
and graduated from Greensboro College in North
Carolina. She took graduate courses at the Col-
lege of William and Mary, and also religious studies
at Randolph-Macon College. She is active in the
cultural and religious affairs of Norfolk, and is past
president of the Meadowbrook Parent-Teacher
Association. She has also served as president of
the Women's Auxiliary of the Church of the Good
Shepherd, and she is a member of the Lockhaven
Garden Club, the Hermitage Foundation, the Nor-
folk Museum of Arts and Science, the Myers
House, the Auxiliary of the Norfolk General Hos-
pital, the Goodwill Guild, Norfolk Symphony
Orchestra Auxiliary, and has been active in the
Red Cross, Community Chest, March of Dimes and

other charity campaigns. Mr. and Mrs. McCoy are
the parents of two children: I. Charles Hutchin-
son, Jr., born in Norfolk on December 12, 1936.
He attended public schools in Norfolk and Staunton
Military Academy, and graduated from Oxford
Academy, Pleasantville, New Jersey, in 1954. He is
now a student at Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory,
North Carolina, where he majored in business ad-
ministration. 2. Eleanor Evans, born in Norfolk on
June 30, 1938. She attended public schools in Nor-
folk and is now a student at Holton Arms School
in Washington, D. C. For seven years she attended
Preston School of Dance, and received her diploma
there in 1954. In 1953 she won Psi Mu Nu fra-
ternity's designation, "Miss Psi Mu Nu of 1953."
She has studied art with Mrs. Fanny Taylor and
Professor Jozsef Orsolya. The Charles H. McCoy
family residence is at 1536 Blanford Circle, Norfolk.

JOHN E. WOOL, SR.— The John E. Wool
Lumber Company, Inc., of Norfolk, was founded in
T943 by the man whose name it bears. Engaged
in the manufacture, wholesaling and retailing of
pine and hardwood lumber, it has established a
second location at Virginia Beach, and has grown
steadily into one of the outstanding lumber and
building materials firms in the greater Norfolk area.
Specializing in industrial lumber, it also distributes
a complete line of Grade A building materials
throughout Norfolk and Princess Anne counties
as well as in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia
Beach. The main office and plant are at 1000 East
Berkley Avenue Extension, while the Virginia
Beach branch is located at 1317 Birdneck Road.
The Norfolk plant was erected in 1946, and it is
an interesting fact that the five-acre site which it
occupies was bought in 1877 by John E. Wool's
maternal grandfather, Captain Darius Webb Todd,
a seafaring man, following his retirement. In its
operations as an industrial lumber firm, the John
E. Wool Lumber Company manufactures kiln-dried
pines and hardwoods, in addition to acting as re-
tail and wholesale distributor of flooring, plywood,
wallboard and sheet rock. It stocks a complete
line of building materials which include window
units, siding, hardware, roofing, and paints. The
Virginia Beach branch, which was established in
1952, is managed by John E. Wool, Jr. John E.
Wool, Sr., is president and treasurer of the cor-
poration; Joseph C. Wool is vice president and
secretary, and John E. Wool, Jr., is vice president.

The founder and president has been identified
with the lumber industry in its various phases since
1924. He was born October 28, 1905, at Portsmouth,
son of the late Theodore Jackson and Annie Esther
(Todd) Wool. His father was born in New York

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

State, and his forebears had come to this country
from England in early colonial days. Several mem-
bers of the family served the cause of the colonies
in the war of independence. In his early boyhood,
Theodore Jackson Wool came to Virginia with his
parents, who settled at Petersburg. He received
his early education in the McCabe School in that
city, and after completing his studies at Hampden-
Sydney College, he entered the University of Vir-
ginia where he graduated with the degree of Bach-
elor of Laws. For half a century prior to his
death in 1943, he engaged in the individual practice
of law, specializing in corporate and real estate
practice. In the early years of his career he main-
tained his home and office in Portmouth, and later
relocated in Norfolk where he remained until his
death. He was a leader in sponsoring the James-
town Exposition at Norfolk. When this exposition
closed, he was among the far-sighted men who
realized that the site was ideal for naval purposes,
and was active in securing its use to that end. In
1908, after Congress had failed to act on a pending
bill to purchase the property, he joined others in
organizing the Fidelity Land and Investment Cor-
poration, which bought the former exposition
property for two hundred and thirty-five thousand
dollars, and following the outbreak of World War
I, when its value finally came to be realized, he
helped negotiate its sale to the government, pre-
facing the construction of the great naval base
there. Annie Esther Todd, whom he married, was
born in Portsmouth, and died at Virginia Beach
in 1955, at the age of eighty-three. The couple
became the parents of five children: 1. Todd, a
retired tobacco industry executive. He served as
vice president, secretary and director of P. Lorillard
and Company of New York. 2. Esther, unmarried
and a resident of Virginia Beach. 3. Theodore
Jackson, who is deceased. 4. John E., Sr. 5. Joseph
C, vice president and secretary of the John E.
Wool Lumber Company.

John E. Wool, Sr., received his early education
in the Robert E. Lee Elementary School, attended
Maury High School for one year, then continued
his secondary studies at Fishburn Military School.
He completed his education with a course in ac-
counting at Eastman's Business College in Pough-
keepsie, New York.

He began his career in the lumber business in
1924 with the old North Carolina Pine Association.
He continued with this firm for two years, then
entered the employ of the Addington-Beaman
Lumber Company of Norfolk, representing this
firm in various capacities for seventeen years. After
working in the office for a time, he went on the
road as traveling salesman, with the Eastern Shore
of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware as his ter-

ritory. He later covered a Virginia territory from
Gordonsville to the east coast, buying and selling
lumber for Addington-Beaman. The year prior to
his resignation to form his own company, he as-
sisted Mr. Addington and Mr. Beaman in the Nor-
folk office. He became widely and favorably known
in the lumber industry.

He left in 1943 and the same year the John
E. Wool Lumber Company was formed. His ex-
cellent background and varied experience in the
industry were useful in building a vital and grow-
ing organization. He is active in the wider circles
of his colleagues, being a member of the Con-
catenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, a lumbermen's
organization, the Virginia Builders Materials As-
sociation, the Cavalier Beach Club, the Surf Beach
Club, and the Norfolk Chapter of the Virginia
Society, Sons of the American Revolution. He at-
tends the First Presbyterian Church of Virginia
Beach.

On January 16, 1920, John E. Wool, Sr., mar-
ried Margaret Hanley of Princess Anne County,
daughter of Theron and Buttia P. Hanley. The
couple are the parents of two sons: 1. John E., Jr.,
attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He serv-
ed with the United States Army Engineers in
World War II, and is now vice president of the
John E. Wool Lumber Company and manager of
its Virginia Beach branch. 2. Theodore Jackson,
3rd, attended Virginia Military Institute. The Wool
family resides at Virginia Beach.

FINLAY FORBES FERGUSON, JR.— Fol-
lowing in the footsteps of his father, the late Fin-
lay Forbes Ferguson, Sr., noted architect of Nor-
folk, Finlay F. Ferguson, Jr., has added credit and
prestige to an old and distinguished family name,
long honored in Norfolk.

He was born in Norfolk on August 6, 1908,
son of Finlay Forbes, Sr., and Helen (Evans)
Ferguson. The family is of Scottish origin, and
is descended from Finlay Forbes Ferguson, the
immigrant, who was born in Fife, Scotland, in
1752. He came to Norfolk with his two brothers
during the colonial period, and he died in that
city in 1812. From the immigrant ancestor, the
line of descent runs through Finlay Forbes (2)
Ferguson, who served as mayor of Norfolk in
1 856- 1858, having previously held the office of
assessor and commissioner of revenue. His son,
Charles Martin Ferguson, a native of Norfolk and
grandfather of Finlay Forbes Ferguson, Jr., was
a Norfolk business man early in his career. He
later lived retired in comfortable circumstances,
and died in 1904 at the age of fifty-two. He mar-
ried Mary Fitzgerald, a native of Baltimore, Mary-
land, who lived out her life in Norfolk.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Their son, Finlay Forbes Ferguson, Sr., was
born in Norfolk on November 18, 1875. He at-
tended Norfolk Academy, and received his degree
of Bachelor of Arts from Hampden-Sydney Col-
lege. He later attended Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, where he received his degree of Bache-
lor of Science in Architecture in 1898. As one of
the noted architects of Norfolk, he was associated
with the architectural firm of Ferguson, Cabrow
and Taylor, which later became known as Fer-
guson, Cabrow and Wrenn, and, after World War
I, as Peebles and Ferguson. In his later years,
and until his death in 1936, he carried on an
individual practice. He won wide recognition for
his designs of institutional structures, and he drew
the plans for many of Norfolk's outstanding build-
ings, among them the First Presbyterian Church,
Ghent Methodist Church, Ohef Sholom Temple,
Royster Building, Norfolk Museum of Arts, Nor-
folk Newspapers Building, Inc., and the Virginia
Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. He was ac-
tive in civic and community affairs, being past
president of the Virginia Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects, and a member of the Ki-
wanis Club and the lodge of Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he held the Thir-
ty-second degree. He attended the Presbyterian
Church, which he served as a deacon.

Finlay Forbes Ferguson, Sr., married Helen
Evans, who was born in Norfolk where she con-
tinues to reside. She is a daughter of Captain Rich-
ard Evans and Fannie Day (Atkinson) Evans, for-
merly of Smithfield, who lived out their lives in
Norfolk. Finlay F., Sr., and Helen (Evans) Fer-
guson became the parents of two children: t.
Finlay Forbes, Jr. 2. Frances Ferguson, a gradu-
ate of Vassar College. She married James Allen
Carney, prominent general building contractor of
Norfolk, whose career record is also to be found
in this publication.

Finlay Forbes Ferguson, Jr., attended St. Geor-
ge's School, a private school in Norfolk, until
1922, and from 1923 to 1927, Woodberry Forest
Preparatory School at Orange, Virginia. In 1928
he worked for his father's firm, Peebles and Fer-
guson, Norfolk architects; and from 1929 to 1931
he attended the University of Virginia, taking
courses in its Department of Architecture, and
at Beaux- Arts Institute of Design, New York
City. At the university he was a member of Sig-
ma Chi fraternity and the Academy Honor Society.

A student of colonial architecture, Finlay For-
bes Ferguson, Jr., was associated with Colonial
Williamsburg, Inc., Williamsburg, Virginia, as a
designer engaged in the reconstruction and res-
toration of the city. He worked there from 1931
to the autumn of 1933. During 1934 he was in
charge of the Norfolk area for the Historic Ameri-

can Homes Survey, and during the same year
was in charge of the restoration of Fort Macon,
Moorehead City, North Carolina, for the State
Parks Board.

In the years from 1935 to 1938, he was again
associated with his father, and was responsible
for the design of the Virginia Museum of Fine
Arts at Richmond and other public buildings. In
1939 he rejoined Colonial Williamsburg, Inc., and
engaged in the same work as he had previously
done with that organization until 1943. Mr. Fer-
guson then entered the United States Navy for
wartime service, and was commissioned a lieuten-
ant, serving until 1946. He got a chance to fur-
ther his professional experience while in service,
designing special devices, some of an aeronautical
nature.

Since 1948, Mr. Ferguson has practiced his pro-
fession independently at Norfolk. He is registered
to practice in Virginia, Maryland and North Caro-
lina. He has continued to specialize in colonial
architecture and restoration work, and has done
extensive research to enable him to achieve au-
thenticity in his efforts. He has been commissioned
on many projects of restoration, including the
Thoroughgood House in Princess Anne Country;
Eastern Shore Chapel in that county; Upper Bran-
don in King George County; St. Paul's Episcopal
Church at Edenton, North Carolina; Old Trinity
Church, Cambridge, Maryland; and Chippokee, in
Surry County, Virginia. His architectural work
has also included the design of many beautiful
modern structures. He is a member of the Virginia
Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

His professional interests are paralleled by an
interest in historical matters. He is an associate
member of the National Trust for Historical Pres-
ervation at Washington, D. C, and as a member
of the Norfolk Museum of Arts, he has served
on its board of trustees since 1947. Mr. Ferguson
is a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church
of Norfolk. His hobbies are ship modeling and
painting.

In the Church of the Good Shepherd in Norfolk,
on November 23, 1939, Finlay Forbes Ferguson,
Jr., married Anna Redfern, who was born at Alon-
roe, North Carolina, and reared in Norfolk. She
is a graduate of Sweet Briar College, and is ac-
tive in cultural and civic affairs in Norfolk. Mrs.
Ferguson is a member of the Junior League of
Norfolk, the Little Theatre, and Children's Thea-
tre which she served as president in 1956.

Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson are the parents of a
daughter, Anne Stuart Ferguson, born in Wash-
ington, D. C, on March 23, 1944.

GEORGE ATWILL BROUGHTON— The

president of the Old Dominion Marine Railway

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Corporation of Norfolk, George Atwill Broughton
has been with this firm since 1916, and has played
a major part in its growth and development. Lo-
cated in Norfolk Harbor at the junction of the
southern and eastern branches of the Elizabeth
River, with Chestnut Street, Berkley, Norfolk, as
its address, the corporation is one of the Tide-
water's major firms engaged in shipbuilding', mar-
ine and industrial repairs, conversion, and as steam
and diesel engineers. Thoroughly equipped for its
work, with modern facilities, which include two
marine railways, with capacities of one thousand
and three thousand tons, three wharfs or piers,
eighteen feet wide and five hundred feet long, for
mooring vessels, the company is extensively en-
gaged on contracts with both commercial firms
and government. It operates floating equipment
for down-river work, and has on its payroll about
three hundred employees skilled in the various
trades. The Old Dominion Marine Railway Cor-
poration is closely integrated with the industrial
development of Norfolk and Portsmouth and has
a most creditable record of service in time of
peace and war.

George A. Broughton, its executive head, was
born October 23, 1878, at Portsmouth, the son of
the late George Washington and Mary Elizabeth
(Bunting) Broughton. His father was an employee
of the Navy Yard, Portsmouth, having served for
a time aboard United States revenue cutters and
United States Navy vessels. George A. Broughton
attended public and private schools, and gradu-
ated from the Portsmouth Academy.

During school vacations he worked in the Navy
Yard, Portsmouth, one summer in the boiler shop,
one summer in the shipfitters department and one
summer in the yards and docks department under
the docking master. He began his career in the
business world with the Norfolk Iron Works,
Norfolk, in 1896 as assistant bookkeeper and
draftsman. Having a desire to study mechanical
engineering, he subsequently served an apprentice-
ship as a machinist. After serving three years in
the machine shop and on outside jobs, he was
assigned a conversion job away from the city fit-
ting out a side wheel vessel to be delivered to
Mexico. He had under him supervisors, machinists,
carpenters, boilermakers, shipfitters and laborers,
men much older than himself. The vessel was
changed over from jet condensers to surface con-
densers. He made all the drawings, ordered all the
necessary equipment, supervised the installation
and ran the test trial on the vessel before it left
this country. He continued in the employ of the
Norfolk Iron Works, serving as outside foreman,
until he resigned May 16, 1016.

Having gained valuable industrial experience,
and confident of his abilities in managing an enter-

prise of his own, he entered into partnership with
W. A. Larmotir, naval architect, N. G. Holland,
J. H. Woodington, P. C. Hastings, R. A. Hutchins
and Alex Warren, Sr.

The Old Dominion Marine Railway Corporation
was incorporated under the laws of the State of
Virginia in 1909, by Alex Warren, Sr., and others,
and was taken over in 1916 by the above men-
tioned gentlemen. All the above associates have
departed except J. H. Woodington. Mr. Brough-
ton has held the following positions with this
company: vice president and superintendent of
shops, vice president and superintendent of the
engineering department, vice president and treas-
urer, and treasurer, purchasing agent and general
manager.

All outstanding stock was bought December
31, 1954, by George A. Broughton, Elwood S.
Wood, Jr., and F. H. Gaskins. On January 1, 1955,
the following officers were elected: George A.
Broughton, president; Elwood S. Wood, Jr., vice
president and general manager; F. H. Gaskins,
treasurer; and Jennie S. Reed, secretary.

Active in community and fraternal affairs Mr.
Broughton is president of the Pearl Street Cor-
poration and a member of the Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce, The Propeller Club of the United
States, Port of Norfolk, The Hampton Roads
Maritime Association of Norfolk. He is also a
member of Portsmouth Naval Lodge No. 100,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; a charter
member and past master (1923) of America Lodge
No. 330, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; a
member of Mount Horeb Royal Arch Chapter
No. 11, Royal Arch Masons; and a member of
Portsmouth Commandery No. 5, Knights Templar,
Portsmouth, of which he is a past eminent com-
mander. He is also affiliated with Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He was superintendent engineer for the
Costner, Curren, Bullitt Steamship Company while
serving the Old Dominion Marine Railway Cor-
poration. He was past president of the Interna-
tional Association of Machinist Lodge No. II,
Norfolk, of which he holds a withdrawal card
dated 1918, and past president of the Norfolk
Shipyard Association (this association is not ac-
tive at this time). He is a communicant of the
Central Methodist Church of Portsmouth, having
served on the board of stewards and was secretary
of the board for a number of years.

His vigorous personality, abilities and power of
decision have been reflected in each of his endeav-
ors and he has always held, and acted on, the
belief that anything can be accomplished if one
brings sufficient energy and determination to its
fulfillment.

On November 3, 1904, at Portsmouth, George

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

A. Broughton married Miss Blanche L. Bur-
roughs, daughter of Richard B. and Mary (Carey)
Burroughs of that city. Mrs. Broughton died
March 31, 1953. The couple became the parents of
a daughter, Dorothy, who was born July 2, 1908.
In 1928 she graduated with the degree of Bache-
lor of Arts from the College of William and
Mary, Williamsburg, where she had majored in
English. On May 19, 1956, she became the wife
of Kenneth J. Brennan of Portsmouth, who is
with the Merchants and Farmers Bank of that city.
Mr. Broughton's residence is at 915 Leckie
Street, Portsmouth.

WAVERLY RANDOLPH PAYNE, M.D.,
F.A.C.S. — An exceptionally full career in the prac-
tice of medicine is that of Dr. Waverly Randolph
Payne, who resides in Newport News and has his
offices at 91 Twenty-ninth Street. He was born
at Midlothian, Virginia, on July 28, 1899, son of
Lee Winston and Pearle Bernard (Duffer) Payne.
His father, who was a general contractor, died
on September 2, 1946.

Dr. Payne completed his secondary studies at
Midlothian High School, after which he spent two
years as a premedical student at the University of
Richmond. He took his professional courses at the
Medical College of Virginia, and on his gradua-
tion there in 1923, received his degree of Doctor
of Medicine. Dr. Payne completed his internship
at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital and
at Elizabeth Buxton Hospital at Newport News.
He did postgraduate work at the New York Ly-
ing-in Hospital and was resident obstetrician and
gynecologist at the Jersey City Hospital (now
Jersey City Medical Center and Margaret Hague
Maternity Hospital). He practices at Newport
News, and specializes in gynecology. He is chair-
man of the department in the specialty and vice
president of the hospital staff at Riverside Hos-
pital; is attending gynecologist at Mary Immacu-
late Hospital; and is consulting gynecologist at
Whittaker Memorial Hospital in Newport News,
at Dixie Hospital in Hampton, and at the United
States Navy Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia.

A diplomate of the American Board of Obste-
trics and Gynecology and a fellow of the American
College of Surgeons, Dr. Payne holds membership
status in a number of other professional organiza-
tions. He is a member, and has served as president,
of the Newport News Medical Society, the Penin-
sula Academy of Medicine and the Seaboard
Medical Association; he is also a member of Tri
State Medical Society, the Medical Society of
Virginia, and the American Medical Association.
As a member of the Southern Medical Association,
he recently served as councilor for Virginia.

Among the specialty societies, he is a member and
past president of the Virginia Obstetrical and
Gynecological Society; president of the South At-
lantic Association of Obstetricians and Gynecolo-
gists; member and past president of the Southern
Obstetrical and Gynecological Society; member of
the American College of Obstetrics and Gyneco-
logy, which he serves as chairman for Virginia;
and member of the American Association of Ob-
stetricians and Gynecologists. He is a member of
the board, and past chairman of the professional
education committee, of the American Cancer
Society, Virginia Division; a member of the medi-
cal advisory committee of the Virginia Association
for Planned Parenthood; and a member of the
medical advisory committee of the Committee of
Selective Service. Dr. Payne also serves on the
board of visitors of the Medical College of Vir-
ginia; on the board of trustees of the Medical
College of Virginia Foundation; and on the board
of trustees and past president of the Medical Col-
lege of Virginia Alumni Association. A member
of the Virginia State Board of Examiners, he is
currently serving as its president. He is likewise
a member of the Gynecological Faculty of Saluda
Postgraduate Assembly.

Dr. Payne is now president of the Peninsula
Chapter of the Virginia Cancer Society, and also
a member of the board of directors of the Penin-
sula Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of
the James River Country Club of Warwick and
Newport News, the Chamberlin Club of Hampton,
and the Commonwealth Club and Downtown Club,
both of Richmond as well as the Golden Horse
Shoe Club of Williamsburg. In his politics, he is
a Democrat and he attends the First Baptist
Church at Newport News.

In 1918, Dr. Payne served as a private in the
LTnited States Army, being in the Student Army
Training Corps.

At Clinton, South Carolina, on June 28, 1924,
Dr. Waverly Randolph Payne married Lafayette
Johnson, daughter of George Lafayette and Ella
(Bullock) Johnson. Both of her parents are de-
ceased. Dr. and Mrs. Payne make their home on
Chesapeake Avenue in Hampton, and they are the
parents of three children: 1. Mary Lou, who was
born on April 30, 1925. She is now Mrs. John E.
Hatten. 2. Margaret Lee, born May 24, 1928, wife
of Nelson T. Overton. 3. Ann Randolph, born
July 20, 1936.

HUGH WELLFORD JOHNSTON— As the

present commissioner of revenue for Norfolk Coun-
ty, Hugh Wellford Johnston has capably served
since 1952 in an office previously held by his father,
the late Hugh Johnston. He is a civil engineer by

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

training, has had industrial and professional ex-
perience, and has proved himself an exceptionally
efficient public servant in the office he has filled
since 1952.

Born September 8, 1908, in Berkley Ward, Nor-
folk, he is a son of Hugh and Lucy (Mason) John-
ston. His father was a native of Edgecombe Coun-
ty, North Carolina, and, while still quite young,
came to Norfolk County, Virginia. He received his
early education at Churchland Academy and later
graduated from old Richmond College, now the
University of Richmond. In the early years of his
career he became editor of the "Norfolk County
Democrat." Long active in the public affairs of the
county, he was honored with several positions of
public trust. He served as deputy clerk of Norfolk
County from 1919 to 1924 and was previously high
constable of Norfolk City. He was first elected
commissioner of revenue in 1924 and, by successive
re-election, continued in that office until his death
in 195 1. Through his role in public affairs, he be-
came widely known throughout Tidewater Vir-
ginia, where he had a legion of friends in all walks
of life. He is remembered as a man of integrity and
of a delightful personality.

His son, Hugh W. Johnston, received his early
education in Norfolk County, graduating from
Churchland High School in 1926. He then entered
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, from which he grad-
uated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in
civil engineering in the Class of 1930. When he had
completed his courses there, he went to work for
the McClintic-Marshall Corporation, a steel-fab-
ricating firm with which he remained for two years.
At the end of that time, the depression forced
retrenchment in that organization, and Mr. John-
ston left to enter the employ of the United States
Government, as a civil engineer in the Indian Serv-
ice. For two years he worked on government pro-
jects which took him to the Dakotas and to New
Mexico.

Returning to Virginia in the mid-l930s, he con-
tinued in Ills profession as civil engineer there, as
an employee of the Norfolk Southern Railway
Company. He later left that organization to accept
a similar post with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad,
continuing on its payroll until 1952.

Having made the race for the office of com-
missioner of revenue for Norfolk County in 195 T,
the year of his father's death, Hugh W. Johnston
defeated a popular opponent and began his first
term in January 1952. In the election of 1955 he
was returned to office, and began his second term
in January 1956. An exceptionally able and ef-
ficient public official, he has justified the confidence
of his fellow citizens and is carrying on in the fine
tradition established by his father. He is every-

where respected for his personal qualities and for
his devotion to high principles both in public office
and in the other phases of his life.

Mr. Johnston is a member of Blue Lodge, An-
cient Free and Accepted Masons; Hunter's Num-
ber 156, at Blacksburg; and the Ruritan Club,
which he served as president in 1956. He is a
licensed civil engineer in Virginia and North Caro-
lina and a member of the Commissioners of the
Revenue Association of Virginia, of which he was
secretary and treasurer for the 1956-1957 term.

At St. Michael's, Arizona, on January 26, 1935,
Hugh H. Johnston married Frances Wallace,
daughter of John and Mary (Spring) Wallace of
Waterbury, Connecticut. The couple are the parents
of three children: 1. Frances, born October 3, 1941,
attending Churchland High School. 2. Mary, born
March 6, 1943, also a student at Churchland High
School. 3. Susan, born April 13, 1946, attending
Churchland Elementary School. The family resides
at Locust Point in Norfolk County, and Mr. John-
ston's office is in the Norfolk County Courthouse
at Portsmouth.

LAWRENCE WARREN I'ANSON— Judge of

the Court of Hustings for the City of Portsmouth
since June 1941, Lawrence Warren I'Anson has
won a place of esteem as an attorney, public of-
ficial, and civic leader. His achievements, and the
wide recognition of his integrity of character, led
to his selection as Portsmouth's First Citizen in
1946.

Born in that city on April 21, 1907, Judge I'Anson
is a son of James Thornton and Emma (Warren)
I'Anson. His father was yardmaster for the Belt
Line Railroad in Portsmouth for a number of years
and died on May 18, 1954. Emma (Warren) I'Anson
survives and resides in Portsmouth. Receiving his
early education in the schools of that city, Judge
I'Anson graduated from Wilson High School in
1924. He received his degree of Bachelor of Arts
from the College of William and Mary in 1928
and went on to professional studies at the Uni-
versity of Virginia, graduating there with the de-
gree of Bachelor of Laws in 1931.

He began his private practice of law in Ports-
mouth and in 1938 commenced his career in public
life when he assumed duties as commonwealth at-
torney for the city of Portsmouth. He continued
in that office until 1941, and in June of that year,
he ascended the bench as judge of the Court of
Hustings for the city of Portsmouth. His has been
a career of distinction and conspicuous public serv-
ice. He is a member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth
Bar Association, the Portsmouth-Norfolk County
Bar Association, and the Virginia State Bar As-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

sociation, and he is past chairman of the judicial
section of the state organization.

Prominent among the alumni of the College of
William and Mary, Judge I'Anson holds member-
ship in Phi Beta Kappa, national scholastic honor
society; Omicron Delta Kappa, national leader-
ship fraternity; Pi Kappa Alpha; and the F. H. C.
Society. For five years he was president of the
Portsmouth Young Men's Christian Association
and served for seven years as its vice president. He
is past chairman of the Portsmouth Chapter of
the American Red Cross; past director of the King's
Daughters' Hospital (now Portsmouth General
Hospital), and past president of the Portsmouth
Kiwanis Club. He served as the first president of
the Portsmouth Executives Club, was one of the
organizers of the Community Chest of the Ports-
mouth area, and is a member of the board of
trustees of Virginia Baptist Hospital.

Judge I'Anson also serves as president of Beazley
Foundation, Inc., a charitable, religious, and edu-
cational foundation. He is president of the Founda-
tion Boys' Clubs, Inc.; president of Foundation
Boys' Academy, Inc.; and a director of Beazley
Community Center, Bynum Recreation Center, and
the City Dental Clinic. He is a member of the Coun-
cil of Higher Education of Virginia, of the Judicial
Council of Virginia, and of the Advisory Board of
the American National Bank of Portsmouth. He
is a member of the Portsmouth Chamber of Com-
merce and of the board of directors of the Ports-
mouth and Norfolk County Building and Loan As-
sociation. A member of the Port Norfolk Baptist
Church, he has taught the men's Bible class since
•933-

In recognition of his public accomplishments,
business and professional leadership, and valuable
civic work, Judge I'Anson was honored in 1946
by being voted Portsmouth's First Citizen.

On August 5, 1933, the Hon. Lawrence Warren
I'Anson married Miss May Frances Tuttle, daugh-
ter of Dr. and Mrs. C. O. Tuttle. They have two
children: 1. Lawrence W\, Jr., born September 5,
1936, a graduate of Duke University, where he
was a member of the Naval Reserve Officers
Training Corps. 2. May Frances Tuttle, born
November 21, 1942.

RICHARD FRANKLIN WELTON, JR.— In
his more than a quarter-century as head of one of
Tidewater Virginia's great merchandising organ-
izations, Richard Franklin Welton, Jr., brought the
firm of Smith and Welton, Inc., to its present
imposing place in Norfolk's business life. He took
a significant part in the commercial and civic affairs
of both Norfolk and Portsmouth, and made con-
tributions of value to both communities. He was

admired for his integrity of character, and his
career exemplified the qualities of vision, persever-
ance and courageous enterprise which distinguish
the finest type of business leader.

He was not the first member of his family active
in the management of this long-established Norfolk
department store. His father, Richard Franklin,
Sr., was a founder of Smith and Welton. He was
born at Hicks Ford, now Emporia, in Greenville
County, Virginia, on July 18, 1869, son of Mr. and
Mrs. J. L. Welton who brought their family to
Portsmouth in 1881. R. Frank Welton, as the senior
bearer of the name was known, was in his early
teens when he entered the employ of W. T. Simcoe,
and he received his first lessons in merchandising
in Mr. Simcoe's Portsmouth store. In the course
of the next ten years, he was employed in several
other merchandising firms. In December 1890, he
joined Thomas Lawrence in organizing the firm of
Lawrence and Welton, and they engaged in the
men's furnishings business in Portsmouth. In the
spring of 1898, they relocated their store in Nor-
folk, where they opened at 218 Main Street, the
present location of the Selden Arcade. Meantime the
scope of operations had been increasing, and by
1902 additional space had been obtained to accom-
modate a ready-to-wear and an exclusive dress-
making department. During that year, Mr. Law-
rence sold his interest in the business to Cosmos
Smith, and the firm adopted its present name of
Smith and Welton. Mr. Smith became vice presi-
dent of the firm when it was incorporated in 1914,
and served in that capacity until his death in Oc-
tober 1921.

In 1909, the store was moved into the Dickson
Building at Granby and Tazewell streets to keep in
step with changing shopping trends. After absorb-
ing three stores in this building, the firm expanded
to occupy adjoining premises as well. Smith and
Welton, Inc., moved to its present location at 300
Granby Street in 1917, and there undertook its
largest expansion program, which involved the
addition of many departments.

R. Frank Welton continued as president of Smith
and Welton. Inc., until his death in September
1922. For over thirty years he had devoted his
energies and abilities to the development of the
business which bears his name. The growth of the
store during his lifetime reflected to a great extent
the energy and integrity which characterized his
career. He was an earnest worker on behalf of
every movement to promote the development and
prosperity of Norfolk, and of Portsmouth where
he made his home.

R. Frank Welton married Benna Barrett, and
their son, Richard Franklin, Jr., was born on May
5, 1893, at Portsmouth. He received his early edu-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

cation in the public schools of that city, completed
his preparatory studies at Fishburne Military Aca-
demy, and in 1915 graduated from Virginia Mili-
tary Institute with a degree in civil engineering.
During World War I, he served in the United
States Army with the rank of lieutenant. He was
assigned to the 60th Infantry, Fifth Division, which
saw action on the Western Front with the American
Expeditionary Force. He participated in the bitter
fighting of the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel cam-
paigns in France, and when the war was ended,
served for a time in the army of occupation in
Germany.

On his return from military service, Mr. Welton
entered the insurance and real estate business with
his uncle, Charles R. Welton, who is now .deceased.
On the death of his father in 1922, he left to join
Smith and Welton, Inc., representing the second
generation of the family in its management. Named
president of the corporation in 1936, he served
until his death. Concerning his career as executive
head of the department store, a local newspaper
commented:

The record is one of intelligent, alert, and vigorous man-
agement and promotion. Mr. Welton was imaginative and
far-sighted and progressive. He organized well, distributed
responsibility wisely, studied improvements carefully, and kept
in stride with what was being thought and done in the
merchandising world.

Mr. Welton had, in addition, a clear awareness of both
the customers and the employees of the department store. To
his employees he was thoughful and generous, especially to
the older ones. Toward his customers he showed a friendly
and personal attitude even when the department store had
grown to large proportions. He was insistent on clinics and
seminars for the sales staff, maintained unusually good rela-
tions with manufacturers, and played an important part in the
broad mercantile growth of the Norfolk and Portsmouth region.

All these are the attributes of sound merchandising. Mr.
Welton exemplified them, and put them into effect with
personal modesty, emphasizing the department store and not
its chief executive, fn important respects the institution that
stands today is his monument. This was a useful career that
is largely responsible for a signal achievement in Norfolk's
growth.

In his role of worker for a better community, Mr.
Welton backed every worthwhile civic and welfare
cause. As a veteran of World War I, he was a
member of the American Legion, and he also held
membership in numerous other organizations.

On November 27, 1917, Richard Franklin Wel-
ti in, Jr., married Miss Alice Boardman of Balti-
more, Maryland. They became the parents of a
son, Richard F., Ill, who is now head of the de-
partment store and who is the subject of an ac-
companying sketch; and of a daughter, now Mrs.
William S. Anderson of Virginia Beach. At the
time of his death, which occurred in May 1956, he
had six grandchildren.

On his death, the editorial columns of a local

newspaper carried this tribute to the man, expres-
sing recognition of his place in the community:

For more than 35 years . . . Richard Franklin Welton, Jr.,
had played a part in the business life of both Norfolk and
Portsmouth. He had close associations with these cities all
his life, and as business man and citizen he made contributions
to both . . . During the years of Mr. Welton's direction, the
department store which bears his name expanded and developed
and kept abreast of the times. Mr. Welton devoted himself
closely to the operations of this establishment. It required
sound business judgment and alert, aggressive merchandising
policies to make it one of the best known and most respected
department stores in this part of the state. It has made its
own contribution to Norfolk's commercial development during
the years when this development has been greatest. And this
represents in large measure a personal contribution by the
man who was its head for so many years. A community always
is the loser when such a man dies, particularly when death
comes as in this case at an age at which we should have been
able to look forward to many years of useful life.

RICHARD FRANKLIN WELTON, III— Rep-
resenting the third generation of his family in
the management of Norfolk's oldest and largest
department store, Richard Franklin Welton, III,
is now president and general manager of Smith
and Welton, Inc. He was born June 12, 1919, in
Baltimore, Maryland, the only son and older child
of Richard Franklin, Jr., and Alice (Boardman)
Welton. .His father, former head of the department
store and subject of an accompanying sketch, died
recently. Mrs. Welton, a native of Baltimore, sur-
vives him and makes her home at 320 Sycamore
Road, Portsmouth.

In that city, where the family has long main-
tained its residence, Richard F. Welton, III, passed
his boyhood years. He attended the public schools
and in 1936 graduated from Churchland High
School. He then entered Virginia Military Insti-
tute, from which he graduated in 1940 with the
degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
As his father had done before him, Mr. Welton
began learning the merchandising business through
part-time and summer-vacation work in the vari-
ous departments of Smith and Welton, Inc.

In 1941 he joined the staff as a regular employee,
after gaining additional experience in merchandis-
ing and store operation with Rich's, in Atlanta,
Georgia. A short time afterwards, however, his
career was interrupted by service in the United
States Coast Guard, which he entered with an
ensign's commission in May 1941. When this coun-
try entered World War II, he went on anti-sub-
marine duty aboard the cutter Dionne. He later
served as instructor in anti-submarine warfare at
the Lmited States Coast Guard Academy in New
London, Connecticut. Thereafter he was assigned
to active duty in the Pacific aboard the assault
transport Bayfield. After four and one-half years
of service, he was separated from active duty in

TWVa. 6

#~jlv 7 u/^z^

///

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

November 1945, holding at that time the rank of
lieutenant commander.

On resuming civilian life, Mr. Welton imme-
diately rejoined Smith and Welton, Inc., which
at that time confined its operations to the main
retail outlet at Granby and Market streets. He
took up duties as general manager and assistant
to the president. In the course of his connection
with the organization, he has played a major role
in the expansion of the business. He took part in
planning the 1949 addition to the downtown store
which put ten thousand square feet of floor space
under its roof; and also in the establishment of
two branch stores, one at Wards Corner, and one
at Virginia Beach. The resort branch, located in the
Mayflower Shopping Center, was opened in 1951
and enlarged in 1955. The Wards Corner store has
been in operation since the fall of 1952. In keeping
with this progressive policy of expansion, Smith
and Welton's third branch store was recently open-
ed at the Janaf Shopping Center, at Military High-
way and Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk.
The main store at Granby and Market streets,
which was first occupied in 191 7, lias been ex-
panded to eighty thousand square feet of floor
space. In all its operations, Smith and Welton, Inc.,
now has nearly five hundred employees on its
payroll.

On May 31, 1956, shortly after the death of his
father, Richard Franklin Welton, III, was elected
to the presidency of Smith and Welton, Inc. He is
also general manager of the firm, and in his dual
executive role, is capably carrying on the fine tradi-
tions of the firm, which for over threescore years
has been a commercial landmark of the Norfolk
area.

Mr. Welton finds time to be active in various
phases of community life. He is first vice president
of the Norfolk Retail Merchants Association, and
a member of the board of directors of the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce. He is currently serving as
second vice president of the city's Community
Chest. He is a member of the Governor's Tax Com-
mission. He serves on the boards of directors of
the Norfolk Academy and the Norfolk General
Hospital and is a director of the National Bank of
Commerce. Since his student days at Virginia Mili-
tary Institute, he has been a member of Kappa
Alpha fraternity. He is a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club, and he and his family are
communicants of the Galilee Episcopal Church of
Virginia Beach. The department store executive is
fond of outdoor sports, particularly hunting and
fishing.

On June 26, 1943, at Chestertown, Maryland,
Richard Franklin Welton, III, married Elizabeth
Beck, daughter of S. Scott and Mackey (Perry)

Beck of that community. Like her husband, Mrs.
Welton takes a lively interest in community affairs.
She is a member of the Junior League of Norfolk
and the Bay Colony Garden Club. The couple are
the parents of four children: I. Elizabeth Beck,
born August 28, 1944. 2. Nancy Boardman, born
May 10, 1946. 3. Catherine Mackey, born July 7,
1947. 4. Richard Franklin, IV, born December 26,
1950. The family resides in the Bay Colony at
Virginia Beach.

CHARLES SYER, JR.— As president and gen-
eral manager of Charles Syer and Company, of
Norfolk, Charles Syer, Jr., heads one of the city's
oldest business establishments, now observing its
seventy-seventh anniversary, which was a pioneer
in food brokerage. From the time of its founding
in 1881, the firm has continued under the manage-
ment of three successive generations of the Syer
family.

Charles Syer, Jr., who represents the third gen-
eration, was born May 28, 1902, in Portsmouth,
son of Charles, Sr., and Grace Lee (Watts) Syer,
and grandson of Charles Syer, the founder, for
whom the firm is named. He was a native of
England and first came to this country in the
course of an ocean voyage he had taken for his
health. Arriving in Portsmouth, he was impressed
by the possibilities of the Tidewater area and set-
tled permanently in that city, living there until
his death in 1893. Twelve years before that time
he had founded the firm of food brokers. He
also took an interest in civic and public affairs,
both at Portsmouth where he lived and at Nor-
folk where he established his business. He served
as sheriff of Portsmouth.

His son, Charles, Sr., was born in 1875 in
Portsmouth. Early in life he joined his father in
business, and although he was only eighteen at
the time of the elder man's death, he was able
soon afterwards to assume full responsibilities for
its management, which he carried until his own
death on October 13, 193 1. Under his capable di-
rection the business grew into one of the largest
of food brokerage firms, maintaining offices in
Wilmington, North Carolina; in West Virginia;
and other cities, as well as at Norfolk. Charles
Syer, Sr., had other commercial interests as well,
and was active in community affairs at Ports-
mouth, where he maintained his home. He was
a member of the board of directors of the Sea-
board National Bank of Norfolk, was first vice
president of the old Norfolk-Portsmouth Chamber
of Commerce, and served several terms on .the
Portsmouth city council. He was a member of the
Rotary Club in that city, of its Benevolent and

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Protective Order of Elks lodge, the Princess Anne
Country Club, and the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club. He was at one time a lay leader in the
Virginia Conference of the Methodist Church and
served on the board of stewards of the Monumen-
tal Methodist Church of Portsmouth.

Charles Syer, St., married Grace Lee Watts of
Portsmouth, who continues to maintain the family
home at 1035 Naval Avenue in that city. They be-
came the parents of five children, four of whom
are living, the eldest having died in infancy. The
surviving children are: 2. Charles, of whom fur-
ther. 3. Mary Virginia, who married Henry S.
Lewis of Norfolk. 4. George Watts, who is now
engaged in the real estate business at Virginia
Beach. 5. Lee Crawford, of London Bridge, Vir-
ginia, also active in the management of Charles
Syer and Company.

Charles Syer, Jr., directing head of the firm,
passed his boyhood in Portsmouth, where lie re-
ceived his early education, graduating from Ports-
mouth High School in 1918. He then entered Vir-
ginia Military Institute, from which he graduated in
[922 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. When
he completed his courses there he was commis-
sioned a second lieutenant in the United States
Army Reserve Corps, but did not go into active
military service.

Following in his grandfather's and father's foot-
steps, he entered the firm of Charles Syer and
Company, and when his father died in 1931, suc-
ceeded him as head of the firm. In the course of
the intervening years, he has successfully directed
the operations of this long-established firm.

As food distributors, the company is principally
engaged in sugar brokerage, with a trade terri-
tory covering the state of North Carolina and
southern Virginia, with jobbers, chain stores, and
industrial users as its main outlets. Over the years,
Charles Syer and Company has maintained its
headquarters in Norfolk, and its present address
is 1215 East Water Street.

Active in civic and community affairs, Charles
Syer, Jr., is a member of the board of directors
of the Seaboard Citizens National Bank of Nor-
folk and also serves on the board of the Leigh
Memorial Hospital of that city. He is a member
of the National Sugar Brokers Association. A
member of the Virginia State Chamber of Com-
merce, he is also active in the Portsmouth and
the Norfolk chambers and is a past director of
the latter group. He is a member of the Virginia
Club of Norfolk, Princess Anne Country Club,
and the Monumental Methodist Church of Ports-
mouth.

Until eleven years ago, he and his family re-
sided in Norfolk County, and since then they have
made their home at Crystal Lake, Virginia Beach.

There they attend the Galilee Episcopal Church.
Mr. Syer's favorite sport is golf.

On October 27, 1928, at Churchland, Charles
Syer, Jr., married Virginia Hathaway Ballard,
daughter of John W. and Effie (Hathaway) Bal-
lard of that city. She is a graduate of West Hamp-
ton College in Richmond and is active in com-
munity affairs, being a member of the Virginia
Society of the Daughters of the American Revo-
lution, the Virginia Beach Garden Club, the Eliza-
beth Garden Club, and the Baptist Church. The
couple are the parents of two children: 1. Charles,
IV, born October 26, 1931, at Portsmouth. He is
a graduate of Princeton University, where he re-
ceived his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1953, and
is now attending Harvard School of Business Ad-
ministration. He has served in the United States
Army and retains the rank of first lieutenant in
the Army Reserve Corps. 2. John Ballard, who
was born on February 22, 1939, at Portsmouth.
He attended Norfolk Academy and is now a stu-
dent at Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Vir-
ginia.

HENRY CLAY HOFHEIMER— Building ma-
terials executive Henry Clay Hofheimer holds of-
ficial posts in over a score of corporations, in ad-
dition to Southern Materials Company of Norfolk,
which has long been his major business interest.
One of the most influential business leaders of the
Tidewater region, he also holds office in a number
of national and regional builders' groups, and has
taken a constructive role in welfare, educational
and cultural causes.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on December
28, 1906, son of Julius Caesar and Bessie (Hirsch-
ler) Hofheimer. After attending local public
schools, he entered the University of Virginia, where
he graduated in 1928 with the degree of Bachelor
of Science. In September of that year he joined the
Haycox Concrete Corporation in Norfolk as its
secretary-treasurer, and in April 1930, became presi-
dent of Hofheimer Concrete Corporation. He re-
mained at the head of this firm for a decade, and
in June 1940, became a partner in Hofheimer Con-
struction Company, continuing until October 1945.
In addition, from February 1939, to December 1946,
he was president of Highway Contractors, Inc. All
of the above firms were Norfolk organizations, but
in November 1944, Mr. Hofheimer became a part-
ner in an Altoona, Pennsylvania, concern, the Cava-
lier Coal Company. From January 1936, until June
1940, he was secretary-treasurer of Seaboard Motor
Company, Inc., of Norfolk, and from June 1940, to
November 1943, held the same offices in Cavalier
Motor Company, Inc., of that city.

Mr. Hofheimer's connection with Southern Ma-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

terials Company, Inc., of Norfolk, began in 1945.
He served as secretary-treasurer and member of
the board of directors, until 1954, when he was
elected chairman of the board, a position he has
held since. Since 1949 he has been chairman of the
board and director of Atlantic and Danville Rail-
way Company. At the present time he holds the
offices of president and director of the following
corporations, the year in which his connection be-
gan being indicated in parentheses: Southern Block
and Pipe Corporation (1946); Peninsula Block Cor-
poration (1952); Southern Lighterage Corporation
(1947); National Realty Corporation (1934); Con-
cord Realty Corporation (1934); Marshall Manor,
Inc. (1940); Tidewater Shopping Center, Inc.
(1952); and Southern Shopping Ceuiter, Inc.
( 1955 1. All of these are Norfolk organizations with
the exception of Peninsula Block Corporation of
Newport News. Mr. Hofheimer has served as
secretary-treasurer and director of Southern Light-
weight Aggregate Corporation since 1947; of Caro-
lina Solite Corporation since 1953; and of Atlantic
Warehouse Corporation since 1944, all Norfolk
firms. Since 1938 he has been treasurer and director
of Cavalier Realty Corporation; and he is secre-
tary-treasurer and director of Concrete Pipe and
Products Company, Inc., of Richmond (since
:949) ; Superior Masonry Units, Inc., of Richmond
(since 1952); Cavalier Coal Company, Inc., of A1-
toona, Pennsylvania (since 1950); and Spectra-
Glaze Corporation of Richmond (since 1950). From
the years indicated, he has held the office of direc-
tor of Southwestern Financial Corporation of Dal-
las, Texas (1954); director of Texcrete Structural
Products Company, also of Dallas (1955); secre-
tary-treasurer and director of Georgia Solite Cor-
poration of Cedartown, Georgia (1953); secretary-
treasurer and director of Southern Brick and Sup-
ply Company of Richmond (1955); director of
Texas Industries, Inc., of Dallas (1950); National
Bank of Commerce of Norfolk (1951); secretary-
treasurer and director of Portsmouth Radio Cor-
poration of Norfolk (1953). He has been a partner
in the investment firm of Bache and Company of
Xew York City since February 1956; and in the
same month became a director of First Colony
Life Insurance Company of Lynchburg. An im-
portant recent industrial connection is his post as
chairman of the board of Ingrain Concrete Com-
pany of Jacksonville, Florida, to which he was
elected in December 1955. Also in 1955 he became
a director of Rice's, in Norfolk.

Active in the Norfolk Builders and Contractors
Exchange, Mr. Hofheimer was its president in
1939; and from 1942 to 1948 he served on the board
of directors of the Highway Contractors' Division
of the American Road Builders Association. He

was a director of the American Road Builder^ As-
sociation in 1947. He served as secretary-treasurer
and director of the Virginia Road Builder^ As-
sociation from 1942 to 1948, and has since been
regional vice president of the Association. All of
these offices he has filled without compensation.
He is a member of the American Society of Mili-
tary Engineers and the Hampton Roads Post of
that organization.

In his home city, Mr. Hofheimer has served as
vice chairman of the Norfolk City Planning Com-
mission; first vice president of the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce; member of the board of trustees
of Norfolk Academy for Boys; and also as trus-
tee of the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences.
He likewise serves on the boards of trustees of
the College of William and Mary Endowment
Association, the Virginia Foundation for Inde-
pendent Colleges, Norfolk Society for the Preven-
tion of Cruelty to Animals, and on the board of
trustees of both the Student Aid Foundation of
the University of Virginia and the alumni associa-
tion there. He is a member of the regional scholar-
ship committee of the University of Virginia:
member of the board of directors of the Norfolk
Symphony and Choral Association; second vice
president and member of the Executive Committee
of Norfolk General Hospital.

He is a member of the Hague Club and the
Lafayette Yacht and Country Club, both of Nor-
folk, and of the Cavalier Beach Club and Surf
Beach Club, both of Virginia Beach.

On September 26, 1931, Henry Clay Hofheimer
married Elise Nusbaum, They are the parents of
three children: 1. Elise Bessie. 2. Linda. 3. Clay.

R. EDWARD HAWKS' varied role in the busi-
ness life of Portsmouth has included several execu-
tive offices. He is president of Welton, Duke, and
Hawks, Inc., a general insurance, real estate, and
property management firm; is president of the
Portsmouth and Norfolk County Building and
Loan Association; and is treasurer of the Ports-
mouth Hotel Corporation. A progressive business-
man and civic leader, his activities are varied and
extensive and have constituted a vital force in his
city.

Born November 6, 1902, in Portsmouth, Mr.
Hawks is a son of Edward Bascomb and Mary
Victoria (Welton) Hawks of that city. Both par-
ents are living and are descended from families
long established in Virginia. Edward B. Hawks,
now over ninety years old, was born in Peters-
burg and early in his career came to Portsmouth
to work. About the turn of the century, he en-
tered the hardware, paint, and building supplies
business at Portsmouth, in partnership with E. W.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Maupin, Jr. He continued active in the partnership
until his retirement.

Edward B. and Mary Victoria (Welton) Hawks
became the parents of three sons: I. Richard Ed-
ward, of whom further. 2. Otis Jefferson, now
treasurer of the Standard Hardware Company of
Portsmouth. 3. Charles Welton, secretary and
treasurer of Welton, Duke, and Hawks, Inc.

R. Edward Hawks received his early education
in the public schools of Portsmouth and was a
member of the first graduating class of Woodrow
Wilson High School in 1920. Continuing his edu-
cation at Virginia Military Institute, he graduated
there in 1924, receiving the degree of Bachelor
of Arts.

He began his business career as a clerk in the
firm of Charles R. Welton, a general insurance
and real estate agency in Portsmouth. With the
organizing of the firm of Welton, Duke, and Hawks
in 1928, R. Edward Hawks became its secretary
and treasurer, with Charles R. Welton as presi-
dent and C. J. Duke as vice president. In 1935
Mr. Duke left the firm to become bursar of the
College of William and Mary, at Williamsburg.
When Charles R. Welton died in 1937, Mr. Hawks
succeeded to the presidency and has held that of-
fice ever since. Other officers as of 1957 are Stock-
ton P. Fleming, vice president, and Charles Wel-
ton Hawks, secretary and treasurer.

Mr. Hawks has been president of the Ports-
mouth and Norfolk County Building and Loan
A-sociation since 1948. When it was first organ-
ized in 1939 Mr. Hawks became secretary and
treasurer, and later he became director and treas-
urer of the Portsmouth Hotel Corporation, owners
of the Governor Dinwiddie Hotel (formerly Hotel
Portsmouth), the most recently constructed in the
Norfolk-Portsmouth area. He serves on the board
of directors of the American National Bank of
Portsmouth.

Vitally interested in good municipal govern-
ment, he served as a member of the city of Ports-
mouth Planning Commission, and he recently com-
pleted a four year term, 1952-1956, on the Ports-
mouth City Council. He is a member and director of
the Portsmouth Industrial Foundation and is also a
member of the board of the Chamber of Com-
merce. Active in Rotary, he was president of the
club at Portsmouth in 1946-1947. He is a member
of the Elizabeth Manor Country Club and of
Lodge No. 82, Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks. He attends Monumental Methodist
Church. Fond of the out-of-doors, he is particu-
larly partial to swimming and fishing.

On February 9, 1929, in Norfolk, R. Edward
Hawks married Frances Conwell, a native of
Delaware and daughter of the late William W.
and Elizabeth (Megee) Conwell. Mr. and Mrs.

Hawks are the parents of two children: 1. Frances
Conwell, born January 31, 1933. She is married
to Lieutenant Robert William Wentz, Jr., of the
United States Marine Corps, now stationed at
Camp Pendleton, California, and they are the par-
ents of a daughter, Ashley Conwell. 2. Mary Wel-
ton, born September 4, 1935. She attended Ran-
dolph-Macon Womens College in Lynchburg and
married Robert Milton Schlemmer, lieutenant jun-
ior grade, United States Navy. The family home
is at 302 Park Road, Portsmouth, and Mr. Hawks'
office at 407 Court Street in that city.

RICHARD NEWMAN— Senior partner in the
Newport News law firm of Newman, Allaun, and
Bateman, Richard Newman has practiced in that
city for about twenty-five years. He has held
office as city attorney, has been active in Demo-
cratic politics, served as an army officer in World
War II, and is active in a number of business
connections.

Mr. Newman is a native of New-port News,
and was born on April 2, 1906, son of Richard
Wynne and Frances Love (Plummer) Newman.
His father, born in James City County on July
21, 1874, entered the insurance business in New-
port News, and died in that city on April 24,
1936. Frances Love Plummer, whom he married,
was born in Vance County, North Carolina, on
June 4, 1877, and died on December 29, 1944. Re-
ceiving his early education in the public schools
of Newport News, Richard Newman graduated
from high school there in 1924. He then entered
Virginia Military Institute, where in 1928 he com-
pleted his courses and received the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. His Bachelor of Laws degree
was conferred by the University of Virginia in
1931. Meantime, in 1930, he had been admitted
to the bar of Virginia.

Since he completed his professional courses at
the state university, Mr. Newman has practiced
in his native city of Newport News, with the
exception of the years in World War II service.
He is now the senior member of the law firm
of Newman, Allaun, and Bateman. His partners,
William E. Allaun, Jr., and Fred W. Bateman
are the subjects of sketches in this work. The
firm, which has offices in the Melson Building, and
at 244 Warwick Road, Warwick, takes cases be-
fore the state and federal courts and conducts a
general practice.

Mr. Newman began his public career by be-
coming assistant city attorney of Newport News
in 1947, which office he held until 1956. when
he moved to the city of Warwick. For four
years he was chairman of the Newport News
Democratic Executive Committee. His business
connections include the positions of vice presi-

OiQw^f^1^

LOWER TIDEWATER YIRGIMA

dent and director of Mutual Home and Savings
Association, and directorship of the Peninsula
Memorial Park Association. He is a trustee of
the War Museum of Virginia. Himself a veteran
of World War II, Richard Newman entered the
service of the United States Army on July 4,
1942, and was separated from the forces on Au-
gust 11, 1946. He was commissioned a captain
at the time of his enlistment, and advanced to
the rank of lieutenant colonel while serving in
the European Theater of Operations.

A member of the Newport News - Warwick
Bar Association, Mr. Newman served as its presi-
dent in 1950-1951. He is also a member of the
Virginia State Bar Association and the Ameri-
can Bar Association. Music is Mr. Newman's
hobby, and for many years he was president of
the Peninsula Choral Society. He has also been
active in the Peninsula Orchestra Association.
As a veteran he is a member of the American
Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He
attends St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, and is
vice president of its Men's Club. His fraternity
is Theta Chi.

At Lexington, on July 20, 1946, Richard New-
man married Elizabeth Jarman of Crozet, daugh-
ter of William M. and Pearl (Ligon) Jarman.
Both of her parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Newman have two children: 1. Elizabeth Fran-
ces, born November 22, 1947. 2. Richard, Jr.,
born October 12, 1950.

WILLIAM E. ALLAUN, JR.— Newport News
attorney William E. Allaun, Jr., has taken a
constructive role in the life of his city. In addi-
tion to his private practice, he is an official of
several corporations and serves on the Airport
Commission.

Born in Norfolk on October 17, 1914, he is
a son of William E., Sr., and Ann R. (Finch)
Allaun. Both of his parents are still living. His
father, who is now retired, is a native of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania. His mother was born in
Richmond. In the Hawkins (maternal) line, his
forebears have owned property in Newport News
since the seventeenth century. William E. Allaun,
Jr.. received his education in private schools —
the Browning School in New York City and
the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut. He
graduated from the latter in the Class of 1931.
He then entered Yale University, where he re-
ceived his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1935. In
1939 he took his degree of Bachelor of Laws from
Harvard University, and he was admitted to the bar
of the commonwealth of Virginia the same year.
He has also been admitted to practice before the
United States Tax Court. Mr. Allaun began prac-
tice in Newport News and, with the exception

of the years of World War II, has been active
professionally in that city since. He is a mem-
1-." of the firm of Newman, Allaun, and Bate-
man, with offices in the Melson Building. This
organization, which engages in a general practice
before state and federal courts, also has an of-
fice on Warwick Road in Warwick. Mr. Allaun's
partners are Richard Newman, and Fred W. Bate-
man. Henry G. Mullins III and RutherforJ C.
Lake, Jr., are associates. The firm has a variety of
clients, including Century Industries, Inc., Royal
Indemnity Company, Peninsula Airport Com-
mission, United States Fidelity & Guaranty Com-
pany, American Casualty Company, Hilton Shop-
ping Center, Southland Shopping Center, Globe
Indemnity Company, Endebrock-White Construc-
tion Company, Hampton Roads Towing Corpora-
tion, Finch Trust Estate, and Finch Corporation.

Mr. Allaun has been secretary of the Peninsula
Airport Commission since it was founded in 1946.
The following year he became special attorney of
the county of Warwick, and this public office
too he has since held. He was absent from New-
port News at the time of World War II, serv-
ing in the United States Navy, in which he ad-
vanced from ensign to lieutenant. He was in
uniform for over three years.

Active in the American Bar Association, Mr.
Allaun serves on its Committee on Taxation of
Estates and Trusts. He is also a member of the
Virginia Bar Association and the Newport News-
Warwick Bar Association. As a business leader,
he holds membership on the boards of several
corporations. He is a Democrat in his politics
and a member and past president of the Rotary
Club. Other memberships include the American
Legion, Post No. 25, of which he is past com-
mander, the Hampton Roads German Club, of
which he is past president, and the James River
Country Club. An Episcopalian, he attends St.
Stephen's Church.

The former Madeleine Elliott Huffman of New-
port News became the wife of William E. Al-
Lun, Jr., in a ceremony in her native city on
April 11, 1942. She is the daughter of Edward
and Beatrice Glass (Stratford) Huffman. The
couple are the parents of two children: 1. Samuel
Plummer, born Januiry 6, 1947. 2. William E.,
Ill, born August 25, 1953.

T. DAVID FITZ-GIBBON, A. LA.— The posi-
tion which T. David Fitz-Gibbon occupies among
his colleagues in the architectural profession may
be measured somewhat by the fact that he is a
former president of the Virginia Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects. He has won ad-
ditional stature through his work on an official
committee which simplified and organized the

5§

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

plumbing code for the City of Norfolk and his
service on the Plumbing Appeal Board and the
Electrical Examining Board. Many structures of
great beauty and utility, residential, industrial, com-
mercial, religious and educational, stand in various
parts of Norfolk and elsewhere as monuments to
his craftsmanship.

Mr. Fitz-Gibbon, a native of the region he serves,
was born in Norfolk on April 12, 1895, the son
of Thomas Shanahan and Mary (Cregan) Fitz-
Gibbon. His father, who was a grocer and who
served on the Norfolk City Council, came to Ameri-
ca with his parents from Ireland. T. David Fitz-
Gibbon's mother was born in Maryland on May I,
1870, and died in Norfolk on March 12, 1948. His
father was born in Limerick, Ireland, on April 24,
1864, and died in Norfolk on January 2, 1938. He
was the son of David Fitz-Gibbon and an uncle
of Dr. Maurice Fitz-Gibbon, who was a prominent
physician in Norfolk.

The architect began his education at St. Mary's
Academy, Norfolk, where he was graduated in
1908. He spent the next year at Mount St. Joseph's
College, Baltimore, first pursued the study of archi-
tecture at the Maryland Architectural Institute,
also in Baltimore. He followed up with architectur-
al studies at the Carnegie Institute of Technology
in Pittsburgh and in the next seven years served
as draftsman and architect with various firms.

In 1921, Mr. Fitz-Gibbon participated in the
formation of the firm of Carlow, Browne and Fitz-
Gibbon, with which he was associated until 1936.
Since that year he has been in practice independ-
ently, with offices in the Royster Building. When
he was with the firm of Carlow, Browne and Fitz-
Gibbon, Mr. Fitz-Gibbon collaborated in the de-
sign of the Virginia Electric Power Company's of-
fice building, the DePaul Hospital, the First Luth-
eran Church of Norfolk and the Larchmont School.
In association with other architects he designed
the Norfolk Civic Auditorium, the Catholic High
School of Norfolk, the Norfolk Museum of Arts
and Science Building and others and was consulting
architect in the development of the Young Park
Housing Project of the Norfolk Redevelopment
and Housing Authority, with its one thousand
units. He designed the remodelings of banks and
other commercial structures as well as numerous
residences in Norfolk and other cities. Among his
"solo credits" are the Norfolk headquarters of
the Virginia Electric Power Company, the Smith
Douglas Office Building in Norfolk, the Colonial
Avenue Branch of the National Bank of Commerce
of Norfolk, the sixteen-story Mayflower Apartment
Building at Virginia Beach, the Ocean Garden
Apartments at Ocean View, the Grandy Park
Housing project of the Norfolk Redevelopment

and Housing Authority and the James Barry Rob-
inson Home for Boys, to name only a few.

In 1945 he served on the Norfolk City Committee
for Compiling the Plumbing Code and since 1946
has been on the Plumbing Appeal Board and the
Electrical Examining Board. Since 1945 he has
been chairman of the board of trustees of the
James Barry Robinson Home for Boys. Besides
the American Institute of Architects, he is a mem-
ber of the Princess Anne Country Club at Vir-
ginia Beach, the Engineers Club at Hampton Roads
and is a communicant of the Star of the Sea Roman
Catholic Church at Virginia Beach.

Mr. Fitz-Gibbon makes his home at 313 Fifty-
first Street, Virginia Beach.

ELDRIDGE HALL WHITEHURST— As vice

president, director and general manager of the
Curtis Bay Towing Company of Virginia, Inc.,
Eldridge Hall Whitehurst plays a prominent part
in the water transportation industry centered in the
Norfolk area. The company has its headquarters
at Roanoke Dock in that city.

Mr. Whitehurst is a native of Norfolk, born on
April 29, 1896 of Scotch-Irish descent, and son of
William Fountain and Henrietta (Culpepper)
Whitehurst. His father, who was born in Camden
County, North Carolina, was a son of John White-
hurst, a planter of that place, and came to Norfolk
as a young man. There he was active as a marine
engineer until his retirement, several years before
his death. He was a Mason, and both he and his
wife were active members of the old Park Avenue
Baptist Church. Mrs. Whitehurst, the former
Henrietta Culpepper, was descended from an old
Virginia family. Her death occurred at Norfolk
on March 1, 1950, in her ninetieth year.

The youngest of the children born to his parents,
Eldridge Hall Whitehurst passed his boyhood years
in Norfolk and attended local schools. He then
took a business course at Davis Wagoner Business
College. In World War I he served in the United
States Navy, and afterwards began his career with
the Wood Towing Corporation of Norfolk. This
firm was founded in May 1920, by Joseph Downing
Wood. From a modest beginning with one small
tug and a water craft, the company expanded its
operations along the Atlantic coast from Trenton,
New Jersey, to Jacksonville, Florida, ultimately
operating a flotilla of fifteen tugs. Mr. Whitehurst
became secretary and treasurer of the Wood Tow-
ing Corporation, and played an important part in
the firm's growth throughout the years. He con-
tinued in his executive capacity until the Wood
Towing Company's interests were acquired with
the forming of The Curtis Bay Towing Company
of Virginia, Inc., on February 7, 1951. When the

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

new organization came into being, he became as-
sociated with that organization and on January I,
1954, assumed his present responsibilities as vice
president, director and general manager. The Curtis
Bay Towing Company of Virginia, Inc., an in-
dependent corporation, is affiliated with The Curtis
Bay Towing Company of Baltimore, Maryland,
and The Curtis Bay Towing Company of Pennsyl-
vania, with headquarters in Philadelphia and Cap-
tain H. C. Jefferson is its president. One of the
best-equipped organizations in its field, the Vir-
ginia firm operates a flotilla of fifteen superior tugs,
dispatched by radio-telephone, with twenty-four-
hour service. It serves shipping in the Hampton
Roads, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River areas
with efficiency and dispatch, at all hours and under
all weather conditions. The company's diversified
fleet of modern tugs insures adequate power for
every job, whether bringing in an ocean liner or
moving harbor craft. There are about two hundred
and fifty employees on the payroll.

Besides his duties as executive of this firm, El-
dridge Hall YVhitehurst has found time to serve
actively in civic organizations promoting progress
and development in Norfolk and Tidewater Vir-
ginia. He is a director and treasurer of the Hamp-
ton Roads Maritime Association, and director of the
Tidewater Virginia Development Council. He is a
director of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and
during the year 1956, served as president of
the Propeller Club of the Port of Norfolk. He
is a member and past president of the Cosmopolitan
Club of that city; a member of the Virginia Club
of Norfolk, the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club
and the Princess Anne Country Club. He is affiliat-
ed with Ruth Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons; Norfolk Chapter No. 1 of the
Royal Arch Masons; Grice Commandery No. 16,
Knights Templar; and Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
is a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church
of Virginia Beach.

Mr. YVhitehurst is fond of all outdoor sports.
He particularly enjoys watching college football
games, and frequently participates in a round of
golf with his friends.

On October 18, 1921, at Norfolk, Eldridge Hall
Whitehurst married Edith A. Winslow, daughter
of the late Augustus and Mattie P. (Jordan) Wins-
low of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Whitehurst are the
parents of three children: 1. Eldridge Augustus,
born May 26, 1923. He is a graduate of Virginia
Military Institute, from which he received his
degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering,
and he took his degree of Master of Science in
Highway Civil Engineering at Purdue University.
He is now director of Highway Research at the

University of Tennessee. A veteran of three years'
service in the United States Marine Corps, he holds
the rank of captain in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Eldridge A. Whitehurst married Nell Webb of Vir-
ginia Beach, and they have two children: i. Anne
Winslow. ii. Eldridge Augustus, Jr. 2. William
Alvin, born August 6, 1928. He graduated from
Virginia Military Institute with the degree of Bach-
elor of Science in Civil Engineering, then entered
the United States Air Force, serving as radar officer
of a B-36 and holding the rank of first lieutenant.
Now a resident of Norfolk, he is associated with
the Southern Materials Company. He married
Elizabeth Louene Waite of Virginia Beach, and
their two children are: i. Susan Hall. ii. William
Alvin, Jr. 3. Evelyn Jane, born April 14, 1931. She
is a graduate of the College of William and Mary
with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and is married
to Robert Edward Royall Huntley of Winston-
Salem, North Carolina. He is a graduate of Wash-
ington and Lee University, from which he received
his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1957. Mr. and
Mrs. Eldridge H. Whitehurst make their home on
Lee Road, Bay Colony, Virginia Beach.

COLONEL CHARLES BARNEY BORLAND

has brought to the service of the city of Norfolk
the qualities of faith, vision and organizational
ability, and these have been important to the
modern development of the region's largest city.
He is currently serving as general manager of the
Hampton Roads Sanitation District.

He is a native and lifelong resident of Norfolk,
where he was born on January 8, 1886, at the home
of his parents at 44 York Street. They were the
late Thomas Riscius and Carrie (Barney) Borland.
His father was born in 1844 at Murfreesboro, North
Carolina, and at the age of seventeen he left school
to enlist in the Confederate States Army. He served
in Company K, Ninth Virginia Infantry, and was in
General George Edward Pickett's command at the
Battle of Gettysburg, where he was wounded. He
later served with the Army of Northern Virginia,
until the end of the war at Appomattox Court-
house. With the return of peace, he entered the
law department of the University of Virginia. From
the time of his graduation until his death in 1900,
he was a prominent member of the Norfolk bar,
and during the administration of President Ben-
jamin Harrison, served as United States District
Attorney. He was also at one time Common-
wealth's Attorney for Norfolk City. His wife, the
former Carrie Barney, was born in Mobile, Ala-
bama, and died at Norfolk in 1927, at the age of
eighty. Both she and her husband were members
of the old Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

The third of four children born to his parents,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Charles B. Borland attended Norfolk Academy,
and Horner Military School at Oxford, North
Carolina. After graduation, he worked for a time
in the cotton business, later for a life insurance
agency, and then as a railway clerk. Having joined
the Virginia National Guard in 1908, he was on
the rolls of the Fourth Virginia Infantry at the
outbreak of World War I. Holding the rank of
captain, he was later assigned to the 112th Field
Artillery, 25th Division. He went overseas in June
1918, and was promoted to the rank of major, and
served with his command in the American Ex-
peditionary Force in France for fifteen months.
With the reorganization of the 29th Division fol-
lowing the war, he was commissioned a lieutenant
colonel in the infantry, and named assistant chief
of staff of that division, a unit of the Virginia
National Guard, on January 20, 1923. He was
national commander of the 29th Division Associa-
tion in 1936-1937, and his participation in veterans'
affairs has continued through the years. Colonel
Borland is a past commander of Post No. 392,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, and of Police and Fire
Post No. 120 of the American Legion. He was
chairman of the procurement committee of Citizens
Military Training Camps for Norfolk for twelve
years. He is presently a member of Post No. 3160,
Veterans of Foreign Wars; Julius F. Lynch Post
No. 35, American Legion; and the Military Order
of the World Wars.

In October 1919, Colonel Borland began his long
record of public service with the city of Norfolk
when he was appointed inspector of police. In the
fall of 1920 he received his first appointment as
chief of police of Norfolk, and in July 1922, was
made director of public safety. In the early years
of his public career he served twice as chief of
police, and on September 16, 1938, was appointed
city manager, also serving as director of public
safety, chairman of the Port of Norfolk Traffic
Commission, and director of finance for the city.
He continued to direct the administration of these
departments of the municipal government until he
resigned on January 1, 1946. The many accomplish-
ments of his administration have been of lasting
benefit to Norfolk, and he was responsible lor
initiating changes which have gone far toward
modernizing the city. He introduced the Taber Plan
for reorganizing its financial structure, which re-
sulted in a reduction of almost half a million dollars
per year in its debt service. It also enabled the city
to restore depression pay cuts to its employees,
and to continued municipal finances on a pay-as-
you-go basis without increased tax burden. The
pension plan for city employees, one of the most
progressive in the United States, was put into
effect. In a program for giving police protection in

the city's Negro areas, Negroes were admitted to
the police force in 1941, and have proved them-
selves efficient in their law-enforcement duties.
Colonel Borland's administration covered the years
of World War II, wdien special problems arose
from the great increase in the city's population
attendant on the growth of industries with defense
contracts.

After his retirement in 1946, he became executive
vice president of the Jamestown Corporation, pro-
ducer of the Williamsburg historical drama, The
Common Glory, second oldest of the outdoor
dramas still running in the South. He returned to
Norfolk in May 1947, and was at that time ap-
pointed to his present position as general manager
of the Hampton Roads Sanitation District Com-
mission. His offices are in the Board of Trade
Building, Norfolk. The commission has jurisdic-
tion over an area of about eleven hundred and sixty
square miles. Its territory on the north shore in-
cludes Hampton Roads, Newport News, Warwick
and Hampton, and on the south shore the city of
Norfolk, the Washington and Western Branch
districts, the northern half of the Deep Creek Dis-
trict of Norfolk County, the Kempsville and Lynn-
haven districts of Princess Anne County, and areas
of Nansemond and Isle of Wight counties. The
present commission consists of Chairman E. T.
Gresham of Norfolk, who has served in that post
since 1946, and J. C. Morris of Warwick (vice
chairman since 1950), G. A. Treakie of Norfolk
County (1948), Charles R. Nickerson of Hampton
(1954), and Robert F. Ripley (1956). It is the
responsibility of the commission to establish the
policies under which the staff operates. As general
manager of the commission, Colonel Borland heads
a force of thirty-three administration and office
employees, and eighty-four engineering and oper-
ating employees. They operate a far-reaching sys-
tem with a total valuation of thirteen and one-half
million dollars, sixty-eight miles of trunk lines,
thirty-three pumping stations and three large
sewage-treatment plants. Annual revenues from the
system's sixty thousand users totals about one and
a half million dollars annually. Nearly all of this
goes for the operation of the system, and the
commission's finances are consistently "in the
black."

Colonel Borland is a member of Owens Lodge
No. 164, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; John
Walter Chapter No. 68, Royal Arch Masons; Grice
Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar; and Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Charity
Lodge No. 10, Knights of Pythias, and Lodge No.
38, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and
Lodge No. 39, Loyal Order of Moose. For twenty

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

years he was active in the Rotary Cluh in Norfolk.
Active in the League of Virginia Municipalities, he
was its president for the 1928-1929 term, and he
was chairman of the Norfolk Chapter of the Amer-
ican Red Cross from 1932 to 1936. He has also
served as trustee of the Norfolk Community Fund,
and also as trustee of the Norfolk Council, Boy
Scouts of America. He was chairman of the council
from 1927 to 1930. His interest in youth groups
also led to his serving as director of the Boys' Club
of Norfolk. He has held offices in the state, national
and international police chiefs' organizations, and
in public safety groups. An Episcopalian, he is a
communicant of the Church of the Good Shepherd,
and formerly served as a member of its vestry. His
favorite sport is deep-sea fishing.

A man of charming personality and a fine con-
versationalist, Colonel Borland has a wide acquaint-
ance and a legion of friends throughout Virginia,
and he has often appeared as toastmaster or master
of ceremonies, at public gatherings.

On August 4, 1917, in the Little Church Around
the Corner, in New York City, Colonel Charles
Barney Borland married Grace Odend'hal of Nor-
folk, daughter of the late Joseph S. and Herbert
(Cason) Odend'hal. They make their home at 14 12
Trouville Avenue, Norfolk.

MICHAEL MORZYCKI MORA has been a
resident of Norfolk since 1954, when he came to
the city to assume duties as general manager of
the Norfolk Port Authority. He lias since held
this post with the port's promotional agency, which
was created in 1948 to stimulate commerce here.
The authority maintains a traffic department to
protect the existing favorable rate differentials and
to seek other advantages; a research and statistical
department to maintain statistical data and conduct
special studies; a publicity department to advertise
the port's advantages among shippers and man-
ufacturers and a commerce department, which
solicits cargo at home and abroad. In addition, the
Port Authority also operates the Norfolk Municipal
Airport.

Born June 29, 1896, Mr. Mora is a native of
the Kujawy area of Poland which was then a part
of the Russian Empire. He is a son of the late
Sir Witold Morzycki Mora, and of Christine ( Ko-
morowski) Mora who still resides in her native
Poland. Sir Witold Mora was a skilled mechanical
engineer who retired several years before his death
in 1940, at the age of eighty. For many years
he was director for Russia of the electrical equip-
ment manufacturing firm known as the A. E. G.
Company in Berlin, and his work took him to
many parts of Europe and Asia. His only trip to
the United States was as a delegate representing

central Europe's boiler and machinery industry at
the Columbian Exposition, held at Chicago in 1893.

Michael M. Mora received his education in Eur-
ope, attending the Second Normal School and the
Polytechnic Institute, both at St. Petersburg (now
Leningrad), Russia (now U. S. S. R.). He majored
in electrical engineering. During the World War I
period, he was exempt from military service, being
engaged in wartime production work in Russia.
Following the Russian Revolution, which culminat-
ed in 1918 in the establishment of the Soviet, he
came to the United States to make his home, and
soon became a naturalized citizen.

He took his first position here, in 1919. as rep-
resentative of the LJnion of Polish Power Plants,
and continued in that connection until 1921, when
he became the New York partner of the Canadian
underwriting firm of A. H. Martens and Company.
In 1925 he returned to the employ of the Polish
government as chief of the Commercial Division
of the Consulate General of Poland, in New York.
In 1929 he re-entered private industry, accepting
appointment as vice president of the Foreign Trade
Securities Company, Ltd., which had offices in
Paris, Berlin and other major cities as well as in
New York; and he was also active in the foreign
exchange brokerage business until J934- For the
next decade he was vice president and treasurer of
Parish Petroleum Corporation and associated com-
panies in Louisiana and Texas.

With the end of World War II in 1945, Mr.
Mora took a position as executive assistant chief
of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation
Administration mission for Poland. The following
year he was named world trade development di-
rector of International House in New Orleans,
Louisiana. He served in this position for five years,
then once again returned to private industry as
vice president of the Colonial Trust Company of
New York. From 1952 to 1954, he was vice presi-
dent of the Foreign Trade Assistance Corporation
of America, which also has its headquarters in
New York.

Mr. Mora then came to Norfolk, and since June
15, 1954, has served most capably as general man-
ager of the Norfolk Port Authority. He is a mem-
ber of the Export-Import Club of Richmond, the
North Atlantic Ports Association, American As-
sociation of Port Authorities, Committee for Nation-
al Import Policy, Hampton Roads Foreign Com-
merce Club, the Virginia State Chamber of Com-
merce and the Society of American Military Engi-
neers. In his own city he belongs to the Rotary,
Norfolk Executives Club, the Virginia Club, and
the Propeller Club of the Port of Norfolk. His
hobby is collecting cigarette lighters.

On October 2, 1926, in Greenwich, Connecticut,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Michael Morzycki Mora married Anja Pregot, who
was born in New York City of Polish descent. Mr.
Mora's business adress is 500 Board of Trade Build-
ing, Norfolk.

ARUNAH OTTO LYNCH— Norfolk County's
treasurer, A. O. Lynch, has a long and creditable
record in public service. He served as common-
wealth attorney for Norfolk County from 1928
until July 8, 1954, when he resigned to accept
appointment to complete the unexpired term ot
Robert A. Robertson as county treasurer. He was
elected to succeed himself for a full four-year
term beginning January 1, 1956. He is well quali-
fied for his position by education, experience, and
general administrative ability.

He was born April 1, 1888, in Camden County,
North Carolina, son of the late Willoughby and
Mary DeLena (Knight) Lynch. His father was
a lumberman long associated with the John L.
Roper Lumber Company, at one time one of the
largest lumber producers of the Tidewater region.
A. O. Lynch grew up on the home farm in Nor-
folk County and received his primary education
in the Wallaston Grammar School. He graduated
from Leaksville-Spray Institute at Leaksville,
North Carolina, then entered the old Richmond
College, now the University of Richmond, from
which he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts in 191 1. On completing his courses there,
he taught English at Fort Union Military Acad-
emy until 1915.

In September of that year, with a career in law
in mind, he returned to the University of Rich-
mond as an instructor in English and concurrently
studied law. He received his Bachelor of Laws
degree from the university in 1917. After his gradu-
tion, he and a few other classmates were designa-
ted to work with the International Young Men's
Christian Association in setting up Young Men's
Christian Association recreation buildings in mili-
tary training camps throughout the United States.
Mr. Lynch's own assignment took him to Fort
McPherson, Georgia. When the United States en-
tered World War I, in April 1917, he enlisted as
a private in the United States Army at Atlanta.
He was assigned to duty in the Quartermaster
Corps and stationed at the War Prison Barracks
No. 1 at Fort McPherson. It was in this prison
encampment that the German crews of the two
famous German raiders, "Kronprinz Wilhelm" and
"Prinz Eitel Friederich," were detained. The two
vessels, which carried a total of about one thou-
sand men in their crews, were interned at Ports-
mouth in 19 1 5, prior to America's entry into the
war. After his service at the barracks, Mr. Lynch
was promoted to sergeant first class and assigned

to duty in charge of making out payrolls in the
Finance Department. In May 1919, he was com-
missioned a second lieutenant and sent to Camp
Lee, to organize the 320th Service Battalion, Quar-
termaster Corps. With this battalion he left New-
port News in July 1918, for overseas duty and
landed at Brest, France, in August. Following a
year's service with the American Expeditionary
Forces and the army of occupation, he was honor-
ably discharged at Newport News on August 2,
1919, with the rank of second lieutenant.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Lynch took the
Virginia State Bar examination and was admitted
to practice in August 1919. In December of that
year he entered the employ of the Guarantee Title
and Trust Corporation as title examiner. He con-
tinued with this firm, winning promotions to posi-
tions of responsibility, until January 1928. He then
resigned to accept appointment as commonwealth
attorney, leaving a position as assistant manager
of his firm.

He had had twenty-six years' experience in
the public attorney's post to his credit when Rob-
ert A. Robertson, county treasurer of Norfolk
County, died in office. Mr. Lynch was named to
the post and resigned from his previous post on
July 8, 1954, to accept. His present term expires
in i960.

In all his years of public service, Mr. Lynch
has faithfully and skillfully performed his duties,
and has always regarded his work as a trust en-
abling him to serve his fellow citizens. His valu-
able experience in the field of human relations has
been particularly helpful.

Active in civic and fraternal affairs, he is a
member of the Norview Lions Club, which he
helped organize and which he served as president
during 1947-1948. He is a member of Ruth Lodge
No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, in
Norfolk; Norfolk United Chapter No. 1, Royal
Arch Masons; and Grice Commandery No. 16,
Knights Templar, which he served as commander
in 1937-1938. He was grand commander of the
Grand Commandery of Virginia in 1944-1945. He
is a member of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Norfolk.
A communicant of the First Baptist Church in
that city, he was a teacher of Fidelis Bible Class
for twenty-seven years until his resignation on
October I, 1956. As a lawyer, Mr. Lynch belongs
to the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association and
Virginia State Bar Association. His fraternities are
Delta Theta Phi, legal, and Kappa Sigma, social.
Mr. Lynch is also a director of the Southern Bank
of Norfolk and the Bank of Cradock.

On April 8, 1922, in Baltimore, Maryland, Aru-
nah Otto Lynch married Viola Lena Walter of
Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

two children: I. Richard Walter, born October
27, 1923. He is now assistant manager of the
Southern Materials Corporation of Norfolk. He
married Mary Fleet Graves of Portsmouth, and
they are the parents of two children: i. Margaret
Louise, ii. Katherine Viann. 2. Margaret Viola,
born June 30, 1930. She too works for Southern
Materials Corporation of Norfolk, being employed
in its payroll department. Mr. and Mrs. Lynch
make their home at 2507 Old Drive, Norfolk Coun-
ty, and his office is in the County Court House,
Portsmouth.

FORREST W. COILE— As a founder of the
architectural and engineering firm of Williams,
Coile & Blanchard and Associates, and its pre-
decessor, Williams, Coile & Pipino, Forrest W.
Coile began his architectural career on the Virginia
Peninsula in 193 1. Since then he and his partners,
A. Byron Williams and W. Boyce Blanchard, have
seen their once small office grow into a large or-
ganization of architects and engineers who handle
the design of many large construction projects an-
nually, both here and abroad.

Mr. Coile, who came to Newport News just
shortly before the partnership was formed, was
born at Johnstown, Ohio, on September 20, 1905,
the son of the late Frederick A. and Pearl (Coe)
Coile. As the only son of a building contractor
Coile's architectural education actually began in
the early years of his life as an apprentice mason
in his father's business at Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Upon graduation from Mount Vernon High School
in 1923, Coile entered the architectural school at
the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh
where he completed his studies in 1927. That same
year he left for France to continue his architectural
training at the Ecole Americaine des Beaux Arts,
Fontainebleau, receiving their diploma upon com-
pletion.

After Mr. Coile returned from France he went
to Pittsburgh and to the office of architect
Douglas D. Ellingon. A short while later Ellington
moved his practice to Asheville, where they were
primarily engaged in the design of municipal and
school commissions. Three years later Mr. Coile,
with an associate, Basil A. Pipino, came to New-
port News to join the firm of A. Byron Williams,
who was then practicing architecture on the Pen-
insula. In 1932 the firm of Williams, Coile &
Pipino was founded.

The period immediately preceding World War
II brought the firm's architectural and engineering
abilities into full play. With the nation geared for
defense production and the immediate need for
almost every type of construction, Williams, Coile
& Pipino, as it was still known, began to increase

its staff considerably as they were called upon
time and again to provide the complete design
work for large scale housing projects, hospitals,
schools, airfields, industrial projects, and naval
and military construction programs. Along with
this expansion the organization also increased the
number of services available to their clients to in-
clude all phases of civil engineering, mechincal en-
gineering, electrical engineering and master
plumbing. Proving themselves capable, not only in
building construction, the firm's activities have in-
cluded such projects as roads, sewers, gas and
water systems, power plants, electrical distribution
systems, site improvements and planning and many
other related projects.

Basil A. Pipino died in 1943; Mr. Coile and
Mr. Williams, however, continued as partners and
in 1948 they took in W. Boyce Blanchard, a mech-
anical engineer, as Director of Engineering. The
organization has been known by the names of the
three men since that time.

Williams, Coile & Blanchard and Associates,
employing a large staff of technical men, now
operates their home office in the building they own
at 3415 Virginia Avenue, Newport News, Virginia.
They also have branches in Portsmouth, Virginia,
and Washington, D. C.

Mr. Coile was absent for three years during
World War II serving in the Corps of Engineers
and the General Staff Corps of the Army of the
United States. Serving as a lieutenant colonel in
the European Theater of Operations, Coile earned
the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Order
of the British Empire, Croix de Guerre avec
Etoile de Vermeil, and Officer de l'Order de La
Couronne Belgium.

Professionally, Mr. Coile holds a corporate
membership in the American Institute of Archi-
tects. He is a registered architect in the states of
Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Maryland,
Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. He
also holds a certificate of Senior Classification with
the National Council of Architectural Registration
Boards. In addition to his connection as a partner
in Williams, Coile & Blanchard and Associates,
he serves on the board of directors at the Bank
of Warwick. He is a member of the James River
Country Club, Sigma Nu social fraternity, attends
Hilton Christian Church and is a Democrat in
his politics.

Forrest W. Coile was married in 1950 to Eloise
Lane of Washington, D. C, the daughter of
Thomas Herbert and Sara Clayton Lane. Mr.
Coile is the father of a son by a previous marriage,
Forrest W., Jr., also an architect with Williams,
Coile & Blanchard and Associates, who was born
in 1930. Mr. Coile resides at 205 River Road in
Warwick, Virginia.

TWVa. 7

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ABE ARTHUR BANGEL— A prominent mem-
ber of the Portsmouth-Xorfolk bar for many years,
Vbe Arthur Bangel is senior member of the firm
of Bangel, Bangel, and Bangel. Engaged in the
general practice of law, the firm acts as legal
counsel to many important interests. Associated
as partners in the firm are the senior member's
two sons, Stanley J. and Herbert K. Both are
graduates of the Law School of the University of
Virginia.

A. A. Bangel, as he is best known, was born
on Christmas Day, 1894, in New York City, and
is a son of the late Harris and Bertha Bangel. His
parents moved to Portsmouth in 1898, and there
Harris Bangel became a successful merchant. He
spent the remaining years of his life in the city.
A. A. Bangel received Iris early education in the
public schools of Portsmouth and graduated from
Portsmouth High School in 1912. For his law
studies he entered National University in Wash-
ington, D. C, where he received his degree of
Bachelor of Laws in 191 5. Admitted to the Vir-
ginia State Bar, he began private practice in Ports-
mouth in the same year. In 1917 his career was
interrupted when he entered the United States
Army Corps of Engineers for service in World
War I. Following the close of the war, he resumed
law practice at Portsmouth, where he has since
continued successfully.

As an able attorney, he has won wide recogni-
tion for his professional attainments. Extensively
engaged in a general practice, the firm of Bangel,
Bangel, and Bangel deals with a considerable var-
iety of cases. Its senior member holds member-
ship in the Portsmouth-Xorfolk County Bar As-
sociation, the Virginia State Bar Association, and
the American Bar Association.

He has business interests outside of his law
practice, including the presidency of Portsmouth
Newspapers, Inc., publishers of the Portsmouth
Times. He is a member and past president of the
Suburban Country Club of Portsmouth and be-
longs to Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and Post No. 37, American Legion.
His religious affiliation is with Gomley Chesed
Synagogue of Portsmouth.

On March 9, 1924, Abe Arthur Bangel married
Florence Block of Norfolk. They are the parents
of two sons: 1. Stanley Jerome, born July 16,
1925, at Portsmouth. He graduated from Woodrow
Wilson High School in 1942 and received his de-
gree of Bachelor of Laws from the University of
Virginia in 1947. He was admitted to the Virginia
State Bar in that year and joined his father's law
firm. A veteran of service in the United States
Navy, Stanley J. Bangel was commissioned an
ensign in June 1945, and served with the Atlantic
Fleet until his separation from the service in June

1946, His professional affiliations include the
Portsmouth- Norfolk County Bar Association, the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association, the Virginia
State Bar Association, and the National Associa-
tion of Claimants Compensation Attorneys. He
has served as vice president of the last-named
group since 1953. He is also associate editor of
the National Association of Claimants Compensa-
tion Attorneys Journal. In his own city he be-
longs to the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce,
is a member of the board of directors of the
Suburban Country Club, and belongs to Gomley
Chesed Synogogue. On December 22, 1946, Stan-
ley J. Bangel married Frances Dorf of Ports-
mouth, and they are the parents of two children:
i. Karen Lynne, born April 24, 1949. ii. Keith Har-
rison, born March 2j, 1952. 2. Herbert Kay, born
in Portsmouth on May 29, 1928. He received his
early education in the public schools of Church-
land and Portsmouth and graduated from Woodrow
Wilson High School in June 1944. He then en-
tered the University of Virginia, where he re-
ceived the degree of Bachelor of Science in June

1947, and the degree of Bachelor of Laws in
February 1950. He was admitted to the Virginia
State Bar on August 25, 1949, and then became
a member of the law firm of Bangel, Bangel, and
Bangel. His professional affiliations are with the
Portsmouth-Norfolk County Bar Association, Nor-
folk-Portsmouth Bar Association, Virginia State
Bar Association, American Bar Association, and
the National Association of Claimants Compensa-
tion Attorneys. Locally he is a member of the
Portsmouth Cosmopolitan Club, the Chamber of
Commerce, and Lodge No. 898, Loyal Order of
Moose. He serves on the boards of directors of
the Portsmouth Sports Club and the Suburban
Country Club and also on the board of Gomley
Chesed Synogogue. He is also president of the
Men's Club of the synagogue. On November 14,

1948, Herbert Kay Bangel married Carolyn Kros-
kin of Norfolk. They are the parents of two child-
ren: i. Nancy Jo, born March 12, 1951. ii. Bradford
Jay, burn July 12, 1954.

WILLIAM PLUMMER WOODLEY— One of

Norfolk's civic leaders as well as an industrial
executive, William Plummer VVoodley is president
of The Columbian Peanut Company, with general
offices in the Wainwright Building. Widely known
in the industry, and possessing a sound know-
ledge of every aspect of the business which he
heads, Mr. Woodley has been identified with the
management of the firm since his graduation from
the law department of Washington and Lee Uni-
versity in 1928.

The company itself, which is the largest miller
of raw peanuts in America, with mills in Virginia,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, had its be-
ginning in Norfolk in 1892, and was organized by
John L. Roper of that city and his associates. The
original charter was granted in June 1893, and the
company is still operating under this charter and
subsequent amendments. The initial capitalization
of the enterprise was twenty-two thousand dollars.
The company's first plant occupied an entire block
located on Water Street in Norfolk, which was at
that time the center of the peanut-milling industry.
As production increased, cultivation of the nut was
extended to North Carolina and by 1904 the in-
dustry was becoming centered around Suffolk,
which was a more central point. In that year, The
Columbian Peanut Company (which took its name
from the fact of its founding in the year of the
Columbian Exposition) built a modern plant at
Suffolk. It operated this plant until 1913, when it
was sold to the John King Peanut Company. A
short time later, the firm erected another modern
plant in Suffolk and this it still operates. Prior to
'9'3. a policy of building mills scattered through-
out the producing areas had been inaugurated, for
the convenience of growers in disposing of their
crops, plants being operated at Enfield, North
Carolina, Tarboro, North Carolina, Petersburg and
Stony Creek, Virginia. Large storage warehouses
were also built to promote a more orderly distribu-
tion of the crop to the trade; and this network of
plants and warehouses made possible the modern-
day growth of the peanut industry in Virginia and
North Carolina. The Columbian Peanut Company
continued to expand rapidly, and built cleaning
and shelling plants in many of the rural com-
munities of the peanut belt.

Julius P. Woodley became manager of the com-
pany soon after its organization, and was presi-
dent from 1913 until his death in 1928. The com-
pany's rapid growth came about largely through
his initiative and determination; and his efficiency
in developing widespread markets for the product
was also a factor in the strides made by the entire
industry. At about the end of World War I, the
farmers of the Southeastern states began the cul-
tivation of peanuts; and in 1919 The Columbian
Peanut Company erected its first plants in Georgia,
Florida and Alabama. After the death of Julius
P. Woodley in 1928, the company was reorganized
and its capital stock increased. At that time H.
C. Smither became president. He was one of the
pioneers in the development of the peanut industry,
having handled the crop for growers in connection
with his commission business in Norfolk prior to
1900. He continued as directing head of the com-
pany until his retirement in 1947, and was suc-
ceeded in the presidency by William P. Woodley,
who has since filled that office most capably.
Other officers at the present time are T. J. White;

and W. L. Paullin, vice presidents; L. C. Bren-
nan, treasurer; and Edna West Adams, secretary.
The present thirteen cleaning and shelling plants
are located at Ahoskie, Elizabethtown, Enfield,
Scotland Neck and Tarboro, North Carolina; Suf-
folk and Wakefield, Virginia; Bainbridge, Fort
Gaines, Pelham and Shellman, Georgia; and Enter-
prise and Ozark, Alabama.

The career of William P. Woodley has been
characterized by exceptional foresight and pro-
gressiveness — traits which are combined with a
humanitarian spirit, revealed in sound employee
relationships and in his cooperation with com-
munity projects and organizations. He is a native
of Suffolk, and was born on July 25, 1904, son of
James Lawrence and Mary Alice (Hassell) Wood-
ley, both natives of eastern North Carolina. His
father, who had settled in Suffolk in 1901, was
long identified with the management of The Co-
lumbian Peanut Company. He died in that city in
193°. His widow continues to maintain the family
home there. Attending the public schools of Suf-
folk, William P. Woodley graduated from Jeffer-
son High School in 1922. He attended the College
of William and Mary at Williamsburg for one
year, then entered Washington and Lee Univer-
sity, where he took his professional courses and
graduated in 1928 with the degree of Bachelor of
Laws.

Foregoing a career in the law, he immediately
became associated with The Columbian Peanut
Company as vice president. Early in his career,
he became familiar with various phases of opera-
tions at Suffolk, and in Georgia and Alabama,
and was for a time the manager of the Enterprise
plant in the latter state. In 1932 he interested him-
self in the sales operations of the business in Chi-
cago, continuing there until December 1933. He
then returned to Norfolk, where he has since made
his headquarters at the company's home offices.
As president since 1947, he has adhered to a high
standard of leadership in the industry, in which
he has won widespread recognition. He is a mem-
ber and past president of the National Peanut
Council, and he has served on the distributors'
committee of the National Association of Manu-
facturers. Besides his major business connection,
he is a member of the board of directors of the
National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk.

Active in civic affairs, he was recently appointed
executive vice president of the Tidewater Virginia
Development Council. He is a member and past
director of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
and a past president of the Norfolk Council of
Social Agencies. A director of the Norfolk General
Hospital, he served as president of the board from
1948 to 1950. He is also on the Board of Conserva-
tion and Economic Development for the State of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Virginia. During- the World War II period he
served on the Norfolk Selective Service Board,
and he has been active in many worth-while pro-
jects for community betterment. He is an active
member of the First Presbyterian Church. He is
a member ' of the Virginia Club of Norfolk, the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Princess
Anne Country Club and the Cavalier Beach Club.
His favorite sport is golf.

On January 9, 1937, at Norfolk, William Plum-
mer Woodley married Margaret Cornelia Mc-
Dowell, daughter of the late William P. and Nealie
( Sylvester) McDowell. Dr. McDowell was a promi-
nent pediatrician of Norfolk, who died in Decem-
ber 1955. Mrs. McDowell's death occurred in 1933-
Mrs. Woodley attended Peace College at Raleigh,
North Carolina. She is a member and past presi-
dent of the Junior League of Norfolk, a member
of the Garden Club of Norfolk, and attends the
First Presbyterian Church. The couple live at
7700 North Shore Road, Lochhaven.

LEIGH GILROY HOGSHIRE— The numerous
activities and interests of Leigh Gilroy Hogshire
have made him a familiar and influential figure in
the development of the Tidewater area and the
state at large. As president and manager of the
Norfolk, Baltimore and Carolina Line, Inc., which
maintains its general offices and terminal at 937
East Water Street, Norfolk, he has for a third of
a century given leadership in the field of freight
transportation through a combination of water-and-
truck service, a form of service in which Mr. Hog-
shire pioneered on the East Coast. An affiliate of
the older line is the N-B&C Motor Lines, Inc., of
which Mr. Hogshire is also president and man-
ager and which has implemented the land, or truck-
ing, phase of the Hogshire operations. In World
War II, the vessels owned by Mr. Hogshire's en-
terprises were taken over by the Government for
military duty and since then these enterprises have
expanded to multiply the services it had been ren-
dering shippers and the general populace. There
are now division offices and terminals at Baltimore,
Maryland; Charleston, South Carolina; Beaufort,
North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia, and Wilming-
ton, North Carolina. Besides heading these two
large businesses, Mr. Hogshire is a director of
the Seaboard Citizens National Bank of Norfolk,
treasurer of the Hogshire Tent and Awning Man-
ufacturing Company, Inc., and president of the
Hogshire Corporation of Norfolk. He is an out-
standing figure in traffic circles, in Chamber of
Commerce activities and in the maritime world.

Born in Norfolk on July 18, 1897, Mr* Hogshire
is the son of Edward and Martha M. (Blake) Hog-
shire. His father, a native of Princess Anne County,

was a member of an Irish family which had settled
in America in colonial days. He was prominent in
the business life of Norfolk for many years and
was the founder of the Hogshire Tent and Awning
Manufacturing Company, Inc. He died in Norfolk
in October 1932, Martha Blake Hogshire, born in
Gloucester County, Virginia, the daughter of
Thomas B. and Rebecca (Coleman) Blake, was a
resident of Norfolk for sixty-five years and a
charter member of the LeKies Memorial Methodist
Church. She died in Norfolk on August 23, 1956, at
the age of eighty-three. The surviving children are
one daughter, Mrs. John W. Keefe, and three sons,
Russell B. Hogshire, Thomas E. Hogshire and
Leigh Gilroy Hogshire.

After attending Norfolk's public schools — he was
graduated from Maury High School in 1015 — Leigh
Gilroy Hogshire took a course in the Eastman
Business School at Poughkeepsie, New York, and
in 191 7 began his career with the Hogshire Tent
and Awning Manufacturing Company, Inc. His
first job was in the ship supply department in Nor-
folk and Newport News. He later became treasurer
of this business.

On January I, 1923, Mr. Hogshire founded the
Norfolk, Baltimore and Carolina Line, Inc., and
has been its president and manager since then. At
the outset the line provided an all-water freight
service between Norfolk and Eastern North Caro-
lina ports. As stated by Mr. Hogshire, the basic
policy of his company from the start has been to
provide the public with a reliable and economical
method of handling freight shipments, to protect
the public's interests and to safeguard the goodwill
of its patrons. The success of the line is proof that
it has achieved these objectives.

A factor in this success has been the loyalty
and cooperation of the employees, for since the
beginning there have been few changes in key
personnel. Most of the present officers have been
with the line many years, some even from the day
operations were started. The same is true of a
majority of the ship and truck personnel and those
employed in shore capacities. The present officers,
besides Mr. Hogshire, are: Hal G. Williams, ex-
ecutive vice president; T. E. Hogshire, treasurer; J.
W. Keefe, secretary; E. J. Tunney, traffic man-
ager: J. L. Fanell, assistant traffic manager; R. S.
Baum, assistant secretary and treasurer; J. P.
Harper, general agent, and C. A. Cocke, general
claim agent.

When the company started in 1923, its vessels
were diesel-propelled, with freight decks partly
housed and fitted with mast and boom for over-
head loading and discharge to and from lower holds
through hatches in the open sections of the main
decks. This type of ship was the best available
in those days. At the time, Norfolk was a large

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

cotton port. In addition, much tobacco moved into
the area for storage. In 1925, to supplement the
service between Norfolk and Eastern North Caro-
lina and to provide service between Norfolk and
Baltimore, the company began operations between
these last two ports. At first the service was on a
twice-a-week basis; then every other day and final-
ly daily. The Baltimore-Norfolk service utilized
larger ships without mast and boom, but with
freight decks completely housed and fitted with side
ports, elevators and other mechanical equipment
to handle cargo into and out of holds.

By this time the motor truck was becoming of
age and the advantage to the shipper of a tie-in
between the company's water service and truck
transportation was obvious. With the company's
Baltimore service inaugurated and thereby in a
position to serve Eastern North Carolina ports
from both Norfolk and Baltimore, consideration
was given to the idea of using trucks to serve
interior points adjacent to these Carolina ports and
thereby establishing a water-truck service that
would enable these interior points to enjoy lower
freight charges resulting from use of the Inland
Waterway. Such a service would combine the
economy of water transportation with the flexibility
and other advantages of truck transports.

In 1926, the water-truck service was begun
through the port of New Bern, North Carolina.
This served the New Bern area and inland points
as far off as Kinston and Goldsboro, North Caro-
lina, and was the first water-truck service on the
East Coast. Later this water-truck service was ex-
tended to cover the inland territory adjacent to all
ports served by the company, including Norfolk and
Baltimore. Thus came into being the N-B&C Motor
Lines, Inc. This firm obtains a major part of its
revenue from business handled in conjunction with
the water line, although there is a substantial all-
truck operation. The new company handles a large
fleet of pickup and delivery and over-the-road
equipment, including tandem and single-axle trail-
ers, both flats and vans of conventional and high-
cubic types. It owns garages and repair shops for
the maintenance of this equipment.

Between 1925 and 1935, cargo between Baltimore
and North Carolina was transferred at Norfolk.
Ships between Baltimore and this city proceeded
no further south than Norfolk and those between
North Carolina and Norfolk no farther north than
Norfolk. At that time all this was practical and
the most economical, in view of the fact that the
Balimore-North Carolina operation was not suf-
ficient to support a through operation. In 1932,
however, the Inland Waterway was completed as
far south as Wilmington, North Carolina, and the
following year the company began serving this

port. By 1935 tonnage to this area had increased
sufficiently to justify a direct all-water service be-
tween Baltimore and North Carolina ports with
stops at Norfolk to pick up and discharge Norfolk
cargo.

To provide this service Mr. Hogshire found it
necessary to acquire floating equipment suitable to
navigate both Chesapeake Bay and the Inland
Waterway with sufficient draft to be seaworthy in
the Bay and at the same time shallow enough to
transverse the Waterway. Due to the requirements
of Chesapeake Bay shipping, the new ships were
unable to operate up the shallow rivers adjacent to
the Inland Waterway and a great many river points
had to be eliminated from direct all-water service.
Water-truck service through the larger and deeper
ports was substituted. This type of operation con-
tinued until early 1942 when, because of World
War II, the Federal Government took over most of
the company's vessels. Only two vessels were left
in the Norfolk-Baltimore service and a few small
chartered vessels which served Wilmington and
Charleston, South Carolina. By 1947, a majority
of the company's vessels had been returned, but
water transportation had undergone such a change
in the war years that it was necessary for the
company to revise completely the service south of
Norfolk.

The first step was the elimination of the all-water
service to North Carolina ports other than Wil-
mington. These ports, together with inland points
that had been served through them, were now given
a water-truck service through Norfolk. This pro-
vided the much faster and more frequent service
to which the public had become accustomed and
was demanding. Eventually, all-water service to
Wilmington was discontinued and water-truck serv-
ice through Norfolk substituted in order to meet
the demand.

By 1947 it was also apparent that the company's
floating equipment had become antiquated and that
new handling methods developed during the war
necessitated a complete revision of handling and
operating methods. The use of cargo pallets, to-
gether with mechanical equipment suitably de-
signed to transfer cargo in this manner, had be-
come an economic necessity. The change meant the
acquisition of new vessels having large cubic ca-
pacity with cargo decks free of structural obstacles
and designed to accommodate and transport safely
cargo stowed on pallets. The company's ware-
house had to be strengthened throughout and re-
designed to accommodate this type of operation.
Floors had to be made sufficiently strong to with-
stand the abuse and to carry the loads of large
fork lifts.

This program was started and in the early part

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of 1949 the first new-type ships were added to the
company's fleet. These vessels were designed pri-
marily to accommodate cargo-loaded pallets, but
they were also built to handle cargo loaded in the
over-the-road vehicles and capable of being hand-
led as trailer ships when required. Since then the
company has added three tugs and three large cubic-
capacity barges especially designed for push-type
propulsion in the Inland Waterway and for towing
in Chesapeake Bay. This equipment is used in the
Charleston service — the most modern inland water-
way equipment afloat today. Today, cargo received
from railroad cars or from trucks is placed on
pallets at the company's terminals and is not touch-
ed again until at the port of destination it is de-
livered to truck or railroad car for delivery to the
consignee. In many instances the pallets are loaded
at the shipper's warehouse and unloaded at the con-
signee's warehouse.

In all of his enterprises Mr. Hogshire is deter-
mined to achieve similar modernity, economy and
quality of service. Besides his activities in the var-
ious firms in which he is an officer or director, he
is a member and past president of the Propeller
Club of the Port of Norfolk; member of the Na-
tional Propeller Club of the United States; mem-
ber and past president of the Norfolk-Portsmouth
Traffic Club; member of the Associated Traffic
Clubs of America and the New York Traffic Club;
former vice president and member of the board of
directors of the Hampton Roads Maritime Com-
mission; member and former director of the Nor-
folk Chamber of Commerce; and member of the
Virginia State Chamber of Commerce. He is a for-
mer member of the Rotary Club of Norfolk. In
World War II, Mr. Hogshire served on the Ad-
visory Council of the Office of Defense Transpor-
tation. He is also a member and past director of
the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and a mem-
ber of the Princess Anne Country Club; Norfolk
Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons;
Norfolk Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Grice Com-
mandery. Knights Templar, and Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He worships in the LeKies Memorial Meth-
odist Church of Norfolk. His favorite sports are
golf, fishing and boating.

On September 21, 1929, in Norfolk, Mr. Hogshire
married Olive B. Toler of that city. By a previous
marriage, Mr. Hogshire has one daughter, Dorothy
Leigh, the wife of J. P. Harper, prominent at-
torney and member of the Virginia House of De-
legates, of Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Harper have
two children: 1. John P. "Jack" Harper, Jr. 2.
Penelope Harper.

Mr. and Mrs. Leigh G. Hogshire make their
home at Bird Neck Point, Virginia Beach.

WILLIAM EDWIN THOMAS— The president
and general manager of the Thomas Marine Cor-
poration of Norfolk, William Edwin Thomas, may
be said to have been born to the business in
which lie engages. His great-grandfather estab-
lished the family tradition in the shipbuilding and
repair industry in the Nineteenth Century, building
wooden sailing schooners at Portsmouth. His son,
William E.'s grandfather, carried on the tradition,
and it was he who, in the early years of this cen-
tury, founded the Thomas Marine Railway in
Berkley. When he retired his son, Emmett Morris
Thomas, took over management of the plant. There
William Edwin Thomas, representing the fourth
generation, gained his early experience in the
various phases of Shipbuilding and ship repair
work while he was still a high-school student. Al-
though only thirty-three years of age at the time
this is written, he is president and general man-
ager of Thomas Marine Corporation, and capably
directs a compact and highly efficient organization.

Thomas Marine Corporation has a modern plant
located on the eastern branch of the Elizabeth
River in the heart of Norfolk, at 127 Boush Street.
It has a well-equipped machine shop and wood-
working shop, capable of servicing various types
of ships and small-boat repair. This includes work
on tugs, barges and yachts. Launch service and
adequate portable machinery and equipment are
maintained ready for around-the-clock use, for the
repair of vessels in the Hampton Roads area. Ad-
jacent to the plant facilities is berth space capable
of accommodating ocean-going vessels for repair.

A native of Norfolk, William E. Thomas was
born on June 23, 1923, son of Hunter V. and the
late Ruth (Burroughs) Thomas who died in 1926.
Hunter V. Thomas worked within the framework
of the family's industrial tradition, being a ship-
wright in Portsmouth. As a youth, William E.
Thomas made his home with his uncle, Emmett
Morris Thomas. Graduating from Maury High
School in 1941, he supplemented his public school-
ing through courses in engineering and drafting at
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Extension School,
and at the same time held a position in the Nor-
folk Navy Yard as a draftsman until 1942.

He then enlisted for wartime service in the
Merchant Marine as an apprentice seaman, and
served overseas, on supply vessels in the Mediter-
ranean, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and North At-
lantic. He continued in these duties until released
from active service in September 1946, witli the
rank of lieutenant, junior grade.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Thomas entered
the employ of his uncle, Emmett Morris Thomas,
who owned and operated the old Thomas Marine
Railway Plant in Norfolk. He continued in this
connection until his uncle's death in 1947, when

^> K^~&~~m-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the firm was acquired by Southern Materials Cor-
poration of Norfolk. At that time the name was
changed to the Virginia Shipyard Company, and
William E. Thomas remained as vice president
until the latter part of 1050. He left to found his
own firm, Thomas Marine Corporation, which be-
gan operations in January 195 1. With his experi-
ence and naturally acquired abilities in the ship
repair field, he has succeeded in making his com-
pany representative of the firms in the trade.
Workmanship and dependable, economical service ,
have provided the basis for rewarding growth.

Active in civic and community affairs, Mr.
Thomas is a member of the Hampton Roads
Maritime Association, the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce, and Portsmouth Naval Lodge No. 100,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. A member
of the higher bodies of Masonry, he belongs to
William Chapman Chapter No. 74, Royal Arch
Masons; Portsmouth Consistory of the Royal Arch
Masons; Scottish Rite and Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
in Norfolk, and the Portsmouth Shrine Club. He
is also a member of the Elizabeth Manor Country
Club of Portsmouth and the Downtown Club of
Norfolk. His favorite sport is golf. He attends
Monumental Methodist Church in Portsmouth.

On February 27, 1944, in Portsmouth, William
Edwin Thomas married Dorothy Jean Bozeman
of that city, daughter of Walter and Sue (Cain)
Bozeman. The couple are the parents of three
children: 1. William Edwin, Jr., born November

2, 1946. 2. James Morris, born January 24, 1950.

3. Wayne Gregory, born August 20, 1955. The
family resides at 304 Wake Forest Road, Ports-
mouth.

RICHARD LAFAYETTE WOODWARD, JR.

— A businessman whose varied interests have been
centered in Suffolk, Virginia, Richard L. Wood-
ward, Jr., recently completed a term as mayor of
his city. He is currently serving as president of
the Tidewater Virginia Development Council.

Born at Suffolk on July 31, 1888, he is a son of
Hersey Woodward, Sr., and Augusta Eppes Saund-
ers Woodward. Richard L. Woodward attended
the public schools of Suffolk through the eighth
grade. About 1905- 1906 he served in the Seventy-
first Virginia Regiment of the National Guard. Mr.
Woodward began his career with the Tidewater
Railroad Company in 1905, which company is now
the Virginian. He entered the lumber industry in
1906 with the Suffolk Lumber Company and in
1908 became associated with the Montgomery
Lumber Company, of which he later became vice
president. For one year he was associated with
the North Carolina Pine Association, during which

time he wrote a short history of the varieties of
uses of the North Carolina pine. He was president
of the Farmville- Woodward Lumber Company,
also of Suffolk, from 1929, which he helped to
organize, and held the vice presidency of the
Montgomery Lumber Company and the presidency
of the Farmville- Woodward Lumber Company
until his retirement. He was also president of
Woodward Drug Stores, of Hampton, Virginia,
and owner of the Woodward Farm Equipment
Company of Suffolk. He serves as director of the
First Federal Savings and Loan Association in
that city.

In 1949 Richard Lafayette Woodward, Jr., was
elected to the Suffolk City Council and in 1951
became mayor of Suffolk. He resigned from that
office effective July I, 1955, the same date on
which he retired from his business connections.
He was appointed to the Advisory Council on Vir-
ginia Economy by Governor Thomas B. Stanley
in September 1956. Another recent connection is
Mi'. Woodward's service as president of the Tide-
water Virginia Development Council, to which he
was elected July 13, 1956. This is a non-profit
organization devoted to the industrial development
of Tidewater Virginia, concerning itself with the
growth of trade and manufacture in Princess
Anne, Norfolk, Nansemond, Isle of Wight, and
Southampton counties and the cities of Virginia
Beach, Norfolk, South Norfolk, Portsmouth, and
Suffolk and the towns of Franklin and Smithfield,
as well as the counties of Accomac and Northamp-
ton. The presidency of the council is a non-re-
munerative position.

A member of the Virginia Farm Equipment
Dealers Association, Mr. Woodward served as its
president in 1950. He is a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club of Virginia Beach, the Path-
finders Club of Norfolk, and the Downtown Club
of Richmond. He is a communicant of Saint Paul's
Protestant Episcopal Church at Suffolk. In 1956
Mr. Woodward received the Cosmopolitan Award
as First Citizen of the city of Suffolk and Nan-
semond County, and the same year he received
the first and only honorary life membership in the
city of Suffolk and Nansemond County Chamber
of Commerce.

At the Little Church Around the Corner in
New York City on October 16, 1907, Richard L.
Woodward, Jr., married Gladys Alida Delves,
daughter of John Adolphus and Alice Letitia
(Browne) Delves. Mr. and Mrs. Woodward be-
came the parents of the following children, r.
Richard Delves, born November 6, 1910, now
deceased. He married Myrnie Brown of Williams-
ton, North Carolina, and had four children: Dickie
Anne, Myrnie Brown, Virginia Alida, and Richard
D., Jr. 2. Gilbert Hume, born on June 8, 1917.

LOWER TIDEWATKR VIRGINIA

He married Helen Stuart Hensley of Ashville,
North Carolina, and they have two children:
Stuart Delves and Charles Hensley. Colonel Wood-
ward is a graduate of the United States Military
Academy at West Point and is stationed in Wash-
ington, D. C. 3. John Delves, who was horn on
December 23, 1924. He married Nona Holmes
of Lindhurst. Long Island, New York, and they
have three children: Richard L., IV, John D., Jr.,
and Allison Holmes. His hobby is the develop-
ment and showing of horses.

of Frederick H. and Anna (Johnson) Taylor. Mr.
and Mrs. Yann are the parents of two daughters:
1. Mary Taylor, who married the Rev. Samuel S.
Odom. They have one daughter, Marguerite Tay-
lor Odom. 2. Anna Wright, attending Mary
Washington College at Fredericksburg.

JOHN ROBERT VANN— Since his return
from military service in World War I, John Robert
Vann has been identified with the American
Bank and Trust Company of Suffolk, and is now
its president. His leadership has been much in
evidence in community affairs, and the organiza-
tional life of the region.

He is a native of North Carolina, born in the
town of Winton on October 17, 1890, son of
Henry B. and Sallie S. (Wright) Vann. His father
was an undertaker. Until he entered military serv-
ice at the time of World War I, he remained a
resident of Winton, attending its public elementary
and high schools, graduating from high school
there, and beginning his banking career on the
staff of the Merchants and Farmers Bank of
Winton, of wlvch his uncle, John E. Vann, was
the president. He continued with that organiza-
tion from 191 1 until 1918.

Mr. Vann then enlisted for military service in
World War I. He was assigned to Company D,
306th Ammunition Train, a component of the 81st
Division, and served overseas from August 1918,
until July 1919. He held a sergeant's rating, and
participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

When he returned to civilian life, he came to
Suffolk, where in August 1919, he joined the Amer-
ican Bank anil Trust Company. He began his con-
nection with this hank in the capacity of teller.
He became cashier in 1940, and in the same year
was admitted to membership on the board of
directors. In January 1955, he was promoted to
the presidency of the bank — the third man to hold
that office since its founding in 191 2.

As a veteran of World War I, Mr. Vann is a
member of Post No. 57 of the American Legion,
and serves as finance officer at the present time.
He is a member of Suffolk Lodge No. 30, Free
and Accepted Masons; Commandery No. 5 of the
Knights Templar at Portsmouth; and Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, at Norfolk. He is a Democrat
in his politics, and as a communicant of the First
Baptist Church, serves as treasurer.

In Suffolk on April 3, 1926, John Robert Vann
married Ruth A. Taylor of that city, daughter

GEORGE FRANKLIN WHITLEY, JR.— A
lawyer practicing at Smithfield since 1942, George
Franklin Whitley, Jr., has capably filled public
office throughout that period as trial justice of Isle
of Wight County. He was absent during World
War II serving as a naval officer.

Mr. Whitley is a native of Smithfield, and was
born on September 30, 1912, son of George
Franklin, Sr., and Eunice (Minton) Whitley. His
father, born in Isle of Wight County on Novem-
ber 6, 1879, took his degree of Bachelor of Arts
at Elon College and graduate work at the Uni-
versity of North Carolina. After receiving his
degree of Bachelor of Laws at the University of
Yirginia, the elder George F. Whitley began
practice in Smithfield in 1905, and continued there
until his death in 1942. He was at one time com-
monwealth attorney, and was trial justice at the
time of bis death. Eunice Minton, whom he mar-
ried, was born in Nansemond County, and she is
still living.

George F. Whitley, Jr., attended the public
schools of Smithfield and graduated from high
school there in 1929. In 1933 he took his degree
of Bachelor of Arts at the University of Richmond,
and entered the University of Virginia for his
professional studies, taking his Bachelor of Laws
degree there in 1936. He had been admitted to
the Virginia bar in 1935; hut went to New York
City to begin his practice, being admitted to
the bar there in 1937. He remained until 1942, being
associated with the law firm of White and Case,
with offices at 14 Wall Street.

He returned to Smithfield in 1942. hut a short
time afterwards entered the service of the United
States Navy. He was in the Pacific Theater of
Operations for one year, serving two years in the
United States Navy, and held a lieutenant's commis-
sion at the time of his separation from the service.

Mr. Whitley has practiced at Smithfield since
his return from the war. His father having died in
I94_\ he began practice under his own name. In
November 1942, he had been appointed trial justice
of Isle of Wight Count}', and he resumed his tenure
on the bench when he returned from naval service.
His position now as of the present writing is
judge of the Isle of Wight County Court. Con-
ducting a general practice of law, he has offices
at 117 South Church Street, Smithfield. He is
a member of the Virginia State Bar Association.

AAi&

QL^^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

He has become active in the city's business
life as well, and serves on the board of directors
of the Smithfield Ham and Products Company,
Inc., and the Merchants and Farmers Bank. Mr.
Whitley is a Democrat in his politics. He is a
member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, Phi
Kappa Sigma social fraternity, and, in his own
city, the Rotary Club and the Ruritan Club. He
attends Smithfield Baptist Church, which he serves
as trustee and treasurer. His hobby is music and
his favorite outdoor sport is golf.

On October 9, 1937, in Smithfield, George F.
Whitley, Jr., married Alice Rowell, daughter of
James R.. Jr., and Grace (Warren) Rowell. The
couple are the parents of two daughters: I. Lelia
Brock, who was born on September 3, 1943. 2.
Sue Warren, born July 29, 1947.

FRANK BATTEN— In Virginia's largest mar-
ket, which centers around Norfolk and Portsmouth,
the media of information, education and interpreta-
tion with which Frank Batten is associated exercise
tremendous influence. Mr. Batten is publisher of
The Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star in Norfolk
and Portsmouth. In addition, he is vice president
and a director of the company which operates Nor-
folk's AM and TV station, WTAR, and a director
of the National Bank of Commerce. In extending
his activities beyond the publishing and broadcast-
ing and banking businesses, Mr. Batten has become
prominent in community organization projects,
health and welfare work and civilian and national
defense.

Like his forebears, Mr. Batten is a native of
Norfolk, the family having long been identified
with affairs of Tidewater-wide significance. He was
born on February II, 1927, and is the son of Frank
and Dorothy (Martin) Batten. Both parents were
also born in Norfolk. The father, a banker, died
when he was twenty-eight. Mr. Batten is the grand-
son of the late Alvah H. Martin, founder of the
Merchants and Planters Bank, and prominent in
Virginia politics.

The publisher began his education in the public
schools of Norfolk and continued at Culver Mili-
tary Academy, from which he was graduated in
1945. In 1950, he took the degree of Bachelor of
Arts at the University of Virginia and two years
later the degree of Master of Business Administra-
tion at the Harvard Business School in Boston.

Mr. Batten began his newspaper career in 1947,
when he obtained a summer job on the news staff
of what was then called The Ledger-Dispatch.
Until he completed his education he continued work-
ing summers, chiefly as a reporter, on this paper.
For a time he varied his experience by serving as
an advertising salesman. In 1952, after taking his

Master's degree, he went to work on a full-time
basis, this time as a salesman in the advertising
department.

With this rounded experience behind him, Mr.
Batten was appointed assistant secretary-treasurer
of Norfolk Newspapers, Inc.. in 1953. Later he
was made vice president and in 1954 was elected
publisher of The Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Dis-
patch. With the purchase of The Portsmouth Star
in 1955, the names of the papers whose operations
he directs became The Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-
Star. Norfolk and Portsmouth and their environs
are thorough- covered by the Norfolk and Ports-
mouth editions. Futher coverage of the territory,
which has a devoted following of hundreds of thou-
sands of listeners and viewers, is gained through
WTAR-AM and WTAR-TV, in the management
of which Mr. Batten also has a leading voice. As
a director of the National Bank of Commerce of
Norfolk, which merged with the Merchants and
Planters Bank in 1957, Mr. Batten continues an
association begun by his grandfather.

Through his other interests Mr. Batten served
as chairman of the International Naval Review
which assembled warships from all over the world
in Hampton Roads in 1957: as secretary, treasurer
and a trustee of the William and Mary Foundation;
as a director of the Norfolk General Hospital and
the Norfolk Community Chest, and as lieutenant
in the United States Naval Reserve. In the years
I95S-I9S7 he was treasurer and in 1958-1959 vice
president of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
and he served two years as general chairman of the
Norfolk Azalea Festival.

Mr. Batten is married to the former Jane Neal
Parke. He makes his home at 802 Graydon Avenue,
Norfolk. His office is at 150 West Brambleton
Avenue in that citv.

SIDNEY S. KELLAM— Among the Lower
Tidewater's leaders in the insurance field, Sidney
S. Kellam has won recognition in the course of
his thirty years' experience in Princess Anne Coun-
ty. During most of that time, he has been a partner
in the Kellam-Eaton Insurance Company, an
agency with headquarters at 3113 Pacific, Virginia
Beach. Mr. Kellam has been active in a number
of local organizations; has held office as county
treasurer; and has been an influential figure in the
councils of the Democratic party.

He was born at Princess Anne on July 6, 1903,
son of Abel E. and Clara O. (Eaton) Kellam. His
father, who was born in Northampton County,
Virginia, on July 6, 1849, was for twenty years
clerk of court in Princess Anne County. He was
the owner and operator of a lumber company

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

there. His death occurred on January I, 1926. Clara
O. Eaton, whom he married, was born in that
county on May 6, 1870, and she survives her hus-
band.

Sidney S. Kellam attended the public elemen-
tary and high schools of Princess Anne County,
and in his early years worked on a farm owned by
his father. He left to take a position in the machine
shops of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in Ports-
mouth, working there for a year and a half.

In 1925 he entered the insurance business in
Princess Anne County, and after five years' ex-
perience, determined to go into business for him-
self. It thus came about that in 1930 he organized
the Kellam-Eaton Insurance Company, of which
he has since been a partner. The agency has been
located at Virginia Beach since it was founded,
and in 1954 the partners built their present modern
office building at 3113 Pacific Avenue. In addition
to selling general insurance policies, the organiza-
tion has branched out into the real estate business.
Mr. Eaton, the other founding partner, died in
r937> and Mr. Kellam's partners at the present time
are his brothers, Harold B. and William P. Kellam.

The insurance executive has also become an in-
fluential figure in banking in the area. One of the
organizers of the Bank of Virginia Beach, he is a
member of its board of directors and of its ex-
ecutive committee. He is also a director of the
Virginia Beach Federal Savings and Loan Asso-
ciation. He is secretary and treasurer of the Sea
Realty Corporation, a shopping center; secretary
and treasurer of Beach Land, Inc., also a shopping
center; and secretary and treasurer of Holiday
Sands Motel, on the ocean front.

A Democrat, Mr. Kellam served as treasurer of
Princess Anne County for nineteen years, resign-
ing in 1950 to accept appointment as head of the
Department of Conservation and Development of
the State of Virginia. He resigned from that office
in turn in 1953. He is now chairman of the Demo-
cratic Committee of the First Congressional District.
He has been a delegate to every state convention
of his party since 1932, and a delegale to two
National Democratic Conventions as a Delegate-
at-large from the State of Virginia.

Active in the Virginia Beach Rotary Club, Mr.
Kellam formerly served as its president. He is also
a member of the Princess Anne Country Club, and
of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond. Affiliated
with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, he is
a member of Princess Anne Lodge No. 25 in Nor-
folk; United Chapter No. 1 of the Royal Arch
Masons; the consistory of the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite; and Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He attends the Methodist Church.

Mr. Kellam is a member of the Advisory Council

on Naval Affairs, and is a director of the Virginia
State Chamber of Commerce.

In Princess Anne, on January 21, 1933, Sidney
S. Kellam married Odie A. Butt of that city, daugh-
ter of William T. and Eliza (Flanagan) Butt. The
couple are the parents of two daughters: I. Jane
Butt, who was born on September 27, 1938. She
attends Mary Washington College. 2. Elizabeth
Ann, born on May 23, 1945.

HAROLD BLANTON KELLAM— As a part-
ner in the Kellam-Eaton Insurance Company of
Virginia Beach, Harold Blanton Kellam has taken
a prominent place among the insurance executives
of the Lower Tidewater area. He is also an of-
ficial of the K. and E. Corporation; is currently
serving as president of the Virginia Beach Cham-
ber of Commerce; and has taken roles of leader-
ship in other community groups, in welfare organ-
izations, and in church work.

One of the sons of Abel Erastus and Clara
(Eaton) Kellam, he was born in Princess Anne on
November 7, 1912. An older brother, Sidney S.
Kellam, whose record is also in this volume, is a
founding partner of the Kellam-Eaton Insurance
Company, as is another brother, William P. Kel-
lam. Their father, a native of Northampton Coun-
ty, was born on July 6, 1849. He became the pro-
prietor of a lumber concern at Princess Anne; and
for two decades he served as clerk of court in his
county. His death occurred January 1, 1926, and
he is survived by his wife, the former Clara O.
Eaton, who was born in Princess Anne County on
May 6, 1870.

Attending the public schools of Princess Anne,
Harold B. Kellam graduated from Kempsville High
School in 1931. For one year he was a student at
Atlantic University, and he then transferred to the
College of William and Mary, which he also at-
tended for one year. He then took courses at Nor-
folk College, a business school.

In 1934 he began his business career with the
Reliance Life Insurance Company in Norfolk, con-
tinued in this connection until 1937, and was then
transferred to that company's Florida office in
Jacksonville. He remained there until June 1944.
Mr. Kellam joined the Reliance organization as
assistant cashier, and advanced to a district man-
agership.

In 1944 he returned to the Tidewater area and
joined the Kellam-Eaton Insurance Company. It
had been founded in 1930 by Sidney S. Kellam and
M. Claude Eaton. The latter died in 1937, but the
organization has retained his name in its title.
Besides selling general insurance policies, the firm
also deals in real estate. Its address is 31 13 Pacific
Avenue, Virginia Beach, where it has occupied
modern offices in a building erected in 1954. Mr.

. . :->Y*-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Kellam is a partner in the firm, with his two
brothers.

Besides this major business connection, he is a
director of the K. and E. Corporation, a holding
company. He is a past president of the Retail Mer-
chants Association of Virginia Beach and Princess
Anne County. Likewise actice in the leadership of
the Virginia Beach Chamber of Commerce, he was
elected its president to take office in January 1956,
and continues to fill that post at the present time.
He is also past president of the Rotary Club. His
charitable and community work has included serv-
ice through the Virginia Beach Chapter of the
American Red Cross, which he formerly served as
chairman.

A Methodist in his religious faith, Mr. Kellam
attends the church of that denomination in Vir-
ginia Beach. For the past twelve years he has
taught a men's Bible class, and is now chairman of
the official board. He is a Democrat in politics.

At Franklin. Virginia, on June 26, 1937, Har-
old B. Kellam married Frances Marion Arthur of
that city, daughter of Dr. William Hardy and
Elizabeth (Lawless) Arthur. Her father was a den-
tist. Mr. and Mrs. Kellam have two children: 1.
Harold B., Jr., who was born on September 20,
1945. 2. Elizabeth Hardy, born on July 9, 1948.

JAMES BUCKNER MASSEY, JR.— The Nor-
folk Academy in Norfolk is one of the oldest
educational institutions in the United States.
Founded in 1728, it has had a history reflecting
the history of Norfolk, as noted on other pages
of this History of Lower Tidewater Virginia. The
periods of prosperity and the periods of depression,
the years of war and peace through which Nor-
folk passed as she grew from a tiny village to
a great seaport, have had a direct effect upon
the life of the school. And the school, in turn,
from its earliest years, has played a vital role in
the life of Norfolk. The institution has maintained
this outstanding position in recent years partly
because of the leadership of the prominent educa-
tor who has guided it since 1950 — James Buckner
Massey, Jr., A.B., M.A., D.Sc. Mr. Massey's re-
putation is not confined to the educational world.
He is active in cultural programs and in health,
welfare and recreational work and is well known
in Presbyterian circles.

Mr. Massey was born in Augusta County, Vir-
ginia, on March I, 1913, the son of the Reverend
James Buckner and Grace Davies (McLaughlin)
Massey. His father was a Presbyterian minister
for forty-seven years. At the time of his death
in January 1953, he was Professor of the Bible
at the Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Syn-
ney, Virginia. Of Scottish origin and member of
a family which settled in the Colony of Carolina

long before the Revolution, he was the son of
Benjamin Henry Massey of Fort Mill, South Caro-
lina, who served as postmaster of that community
and was a farmer and a Confederate veteran of
the War Between the States. The educator's mo-
ther, a native of Pocahontas County, West Virginia,
continues to maintain the family home in Hamp-
den-Sydney. Her father was Andrew McLaughlin,
also of Scottish descent, who was a planter in
Pocahontas County. He was descended from early
Colonial families of that region, members of which
served in the Continental Army in the Revolu-
tion and in the nation's armed forces in later wars.

James Buckner Massey, Jr., who is the third
of the five children born to his parents, attended
the elementary schools of Prince Edward County,
Virginia. In 193 1, he was graduated from the
Farmville High School. Subsequently, he studied
for one year at Hampden-Sydney College and
then entered Erskine College at Due West, South
Carolina, where he was awarded the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1935.

He began his pedagogical career in the public
school system of Blackstock, South Carolina. He
was a teacher there in the school year 1935-1936.
In the following year he taught in the public
schools of Crewe, Virginia, and in the year 1937-
1938 in those of Farmville, Virginia. He then
joined the faculty of the Episcopal High School
at Alexandria, Virginia, as teacher and coach for
the year 1938-1939.

In 1939, Mr. Massey pursued graduate work
in education at the University of Maryland, where
he took the degree of Master of Arts in 1940.
In the next ten years — except for the period he
was with the armed forces in World War II —
Mr. Massey was a member of the faculty of The
Gilman School, a secondary education institution
in Baltimore, Maryland. He enlisted in the United
States Navy as an apprentice seaman in 1942
but rose through the ranks to lieutenant, senior
grade, the rank he was holding at the time of his
separation in 1946. In the course of his service
with the Navy, Mr. Massey was a member of the
staff of the Eastern Sea Frontier, with headquar-
ters in New York City, and later, for two years,
was aboard attack-cargo ships in the Pacific Thea-
ter of Operations.

From 1946 to 1950 he was, of course, back with
The Gilman School in Baltimore. In 1950, he re-
signed to accept his present post as headmaster
of the Norfolk Academy. This institution now
occupies a spacious area of eighteen acres on the
northwest corner of Newport Avenue and North
Shore Road, in the northern suburbs of Norfolk.
On this extensive property, which is sufficient for
all school needs, school buildings and athletic fields
have been built. With a present-day enrollment

TWVa.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of three hundred, the school is organized into two
divisions — known as the Lower School and the
Upper School.

The Lower School, with a separate organiza-
tion in its own buildings, consists of classes known
as forms, which correspond to the grades in the
average public school. The Upper School has six
forms, of which the first is the lowest, correspond-
ing to grades seven through twelve in the public
schools. The sixth form is the senior graduating
class. The headmaster, Mr. Massey, is in direct
charge of both schools and under his supervision
there is a full-time teaching staff of twenty men
and women and three part-time teachers. The acad-
emy is a member of the Independent School As-
sociation and is fully accredited by the Virginia
State Department of Education and the Southern
Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.
Its graduates are accepted by colleges and uni-
versities throughout the country.

Mr. Massey is himself a member of Phi Kappa
Delta fraternity, the Torch Club of Norfolk, the
Rotary Club of Norfolk and other groups. He
serves on the board of directors of the Travelers
Aid Society of Norfolk, on the board of trustees
of the Norfolk City Library and on the National
Council of the U. S. O. Also, he is a member of
the Session (elder) of the First Presbyterian
Church of Norfolk and has long been active in
Boy Camp work in West Virginia, Virginia, Maine
and New Hampshire.

On July 26, 1941, at Crewe, Virginia, Mr. Massey
married Helen Thomas Collings, daughter of the
late Thomas James Collings and Helen Thomas
(Luke) Collings of that city. Mrs. Massey, whose
father was a banker and railroadman, is a gradu-
ate of the College of William and Mary, where
she was granted the Bachelor of Arts degree. She
taught in the public schools of Virginia and Mary-
land and was also a member of the faculty of The
Gilman School. She is active in cultural and re-
ligious affairs in Norfolk and is a member of the
First Presbyterian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Massey
have four children: 1. James Buckner, III, born
on November 1, 1944. 2. Thomas Collings, born
on February 12, 1948. 3. Joseph Price, born on
December 10, 1950. 4. Elizabeth River Massey,
born June 14, 1957.

CHARLES BRINSON CROSS, JR.— An at-
torney by profession, whose practice is in Ports-
mouth, Charles Brinson Cross, Jr., is now serv-
ing as a member of the General Assembly of Vir-
ginia from Norfolk County and South Norfolk, an
office to which he was. elected on the Democratic
ticket.

A native of Portsmouth, he was born on March
10, 1914, son of Charles Brinson, Sr., and May-

wood (Bland) Cross of that city. His father, who
is now deceased, was for many years active in
the heavy construction industry as head of the
firm of C. B. Cross and Company, Inc., with head-
quarters in Norfolk.

The younger Charles B. Cross received his early
education in Portsmouth, where he attended pub-
lic schools and graduated from Woodrow Wilson
High School in 1930. He attended the College of
William and Mary, Norfolk Division, until 1932,
then transferred to Washington and Lee Univer-
sity at Lexington, where he received his degree
of Bachelor of Laws in 1936.

Admitted to the bar, he began his private prac-
tice of general law at Portsmouth in that year and
continued until 1941, when he was called to active
duty in the United States Navy. Commissioned an
ensign, he was assigned to duty with Naval Intelli-
gence and was stationed at various times in Wash-
ington, D. C; Brooklyn, New York; Norfolk; and
Portsmouth. He was separated from active duty
in September 1945, with the rank of lieutenant
commander, which he held in the United States
Naval Reserve.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Cross resumed
his general practice at Portsmouth, where in the
succeeding years he won wide recognition for his
professional abilities and his public spirit. Besides
his private practice, he is commissioner in chancery
for the Circuit Court of Norfolk County and the
Circuit Court of the City of Portsmouth, and also
for the Corporation Court of South Norfolk. In
1955 he was elected to the General Assembly of
Virginia on the Democratic ticket and is serving
as a member of the House of Delegates from
Norfolk County and South Norfolk.

As a lawyer, he is a member of the Norfolk-
Portsmouth Bar Association, the Portsmouth-Nor-
folk County Bar Association, and the Virginia
State Bar Association. His fraternities are Kappa
Alpha and Phi Delta Phi. A member of the Ki-
wanis Club of Portsmouth, Mr. Cross was its
president in 1942. He is a member of Post No.
37 of the American Legion and of Lodge No. 276,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry,
he is identified with the Portsmouth Valley Scot-
tish Rite organization and. as a holder of the Thir-
ty-second degree, is a member of Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine.

Among his civic responsibilities, Mr. Cross serv-
ed as chairman, in 1948-1949, of the Portsmouth
Chapter of the Amerian Red Cross. He is a com-
municant of the Park View Methodist Church.

On April 19, 1944. Charles Brinson Cross, Jr.,
was married to Eleanor Royce Phillips, daughter
of Roy Franklin and Mable Starr (Gibson) Phil-
lips of Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Cross are the parents

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of two children: I. Martha Eleanor, who was
born on January 30, 1952. 2. Charlotte Marie, born
December 2y, 1953. The family resides at Church-
land.

CAMPBELL ARNOUX— President and gener-
al manager of WTAR Radio Corporation of
Norfolk, Campbell Arnoux has headed the broad-
casting station at that city since January 1934.
and assumed his present duties as president of
the corporation in October 1946. He began his
career in the radio field thirty-five years ago,
when the industry was in its infancy, working in
such varied capacities as announcer and program
director in Texas; and in the intervening years,
has made many valuable contributions to the ad-
vancement of radio broadcasting and televising.
He has won nationwide recognition in both fields,
and few men have served the industry as long
and ably as he.

Mr. Arnoux was born in New York City on
January 13, 1895, son of the late Anthony A. and
Susan Elizabeth (Campbell) Arnoux. His mother
married, as her second husband, Albert D. Evans
of Texas. His father too was a native of New
York City and was a prominent lawyer and writer
who died in 1932. He was a descendant of Cap-
tain Jean Arnoux, a native of France who served
with distinction on behalf of the colonies in the
American Revolution. He remained here, and set-
tled at Vergennes, Vermont, removing to New
York City in 1805, where he established a mer-
cantile business. He died there in 1822. In the
maternal line, the broadcasting executive is des-
cended from James Campbell, a native of Scot-
land who settled in Petersburg in 1795. He mar-
ried Jeanne Victoire de la Porta, a native of France
and a daughter of the Due de la Porta, who was
executed at the time of the French Revolution.
Another Virginia ancestor in the maternal line
was. Michael Woods, who settled in Albemarle
County in colonial times, and built Blair Park,
ancestral home of the Woods family. Both the
Woods and the Campbell families of Virginia later
migrated to Kentucky, and still later to St. Louis,
Missouri. Susan Elizabeth (Campbell- Arnoux)
Evans was born at Paducah, Kentucky, and was
reared in St. Louis, where she arrived with her
family at an early age. She now makes her home
at Fort Worth, Texas.

Campbell Arnoux was four years of age when
the Campbell family moved from New York City
back to St. Louis, and he was ten when they
located in Fort Worth. Attending the public ele-
mentary schools of St. Louis, he completed his
grade and high school education in the Texas
city, and went on to the University of Texas at
Austin, where he was a member of Delta Kappa

Epsilon fraternity, and served as issue editor of
the "Daily Texas," the university paper.

He began his business career with the Fort
Worth "Record" as a news reporter, and during
World War I, served as second lieutenant in the
Fifth Texas Cavalry. He was also a civilian in-
structor in aerial observation during that period.
Following the war he traveled around the world
as free-lance correspondent for two years. Re-
turning to St. Louis in 1921, he became assistant
publicity director with the Southwestern Division
of the American Red Cross. He also served as
a member of the field staff, Disaster Relief Serv-
ice, of the Red Cross, with headquarters in St.
Louis.

In April 1922, Mr. Arnoux entered the radio
broadcasting field as first program director and
chief announcer of Station WBAP, the "Star-
Telegram" station at Fort Worth, Texas. In id_'4
he established Station KTHS at Hot Springs,
Arkansas, of which he became manager, and he
continued as its directing head until January 1934,
when he moved to Norfolk to assume general
management of Station WTAR. This is Virgin-
ia's oldest radio station, and the most powerful
in the Norfolk area. In October 1946, he was made
president of WTAR Radio Corporation, and
still heads this firm which is responsible for the
management of the station. Since he assumed his
managerial duties with the Norfolk broadcasting
organization, he has held temporary posts as vice
president of Station WTRD in Richmond ( 1037-
1940), and as advisor to Station WPID, Peters-
burg. Virginia (1938-1940), in addition to his Nor-
folk duties. He is now a member of the board of
directors of Norfolk Newspapers, Inc.

In 1950, Mr. Arnoux built Station WTAR -
TV, and inaugurated televising there. He continues
to operate that station as well as the radio facili-
ties of WTAR. Under his guidance, color tele-
vision as well has been introduced to the Lower
Tidewater area, and a region extending beyond
Richmond and over much of eastern North Caro-
lina.

Many times honored for his progressive leader-
ship in the broadcasting industry, Campbell Ar-
noux was elected chairman of the TV board of
directors of the National Association of Radio
and Television Broadcasters at that group's thirty-
fourth annual convention held in Chicago in June
1956. During 1955 he served as vice chairman of
the national organization, which lists some four
thousand members representing fourteen hundred
radio stations, three hundred television stations
and four networks. He was a member of the
National Association of Broadcasters' board of
directors from 1945 to 1951; was delegate to the
Congress of the Inter-American Association of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Broadcasters, convening in Mexico City in 1946;
and since 195 1, has been a member of the tele-
vision board of directors of National Association
of Radio and Television Broadcasters, to which
he was recently elected chairman. He was pre-
viously vice chairman of that board, and he served
as chairman of the TV Finance Committee, and
as member of the General Finance Committee, of
the national association in 1954-1955. In 1956 he
was co-chairman of its Convention Committee;
and he is now a member of the Pension Committee
and chairman of the Circulation Study Committee.
Active in the Virginia Association of Broadcasters,
he formerly served on its board of directors. He
is a member of the Associated Press Broadcasters
Association, a member of the Television Bureau
of Advertising and of its board of directors, a
member of the Radio Pioneer Club, and secretary
of the newly organized Television Pioneer Club.

Campbell Arnoux's varied schedule of civic and
social activities include membership in the Rotary
Club, of which he is past president; and in the
Norfolk Symphony Orchestra and Choral Associa-
tion, of which he is first vice president. He is
interested in work with youth, and is past vice
president of Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of
America. He serves on the advisory committee of
the Norfolk Civic Auditorium, and is a member
of the board of directors of the Norfolk Commun-
ity Chest. A communicant of the First Presby-
terian Church of Norfolk, Mr. Arnoux serves on
its board of deacons. He is a member and past
president of the Virginia Club, and a member of
the Princess Anne Country Club, the Commis-
sioned Officers Golf Club and the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, all of Norfolk, and the Farm-
ington Country Club of Charlottesville.

< Mi June 30, 1925, Campbell Arnoux married
Natalie Brigham. They make their home at 7408
Cortlandt Place, Meadowbrook, Norfolk, and are
the parents of two children: I. Suzanne, who is
the wife of John C. Peffer of Norfolk. 2. Patrick
Campbell, now with Station WSPA - TV of
Spartanburg, South Carolina.

HAROLD HUDGINS— With a background of
many years' experience in the cotton industry,
Harold Hudgins of Norfolk has served for the
past decade as personnel officer and civil service
secretary to The Civil Service Commission. He
is a native of Norfolk, and was born on January
17, 1895. son of Claude Laurens and Nancy (Hope)
Hudgins. His father was a departmental supervisor
in the Old Dominion Steamship Company. He at
one time served as sheriff of the City of Norfolk,
being elected to that office in 101,1.

Harold Hudgins attended the public schools of

Norfolk and graduated from Maury High School
there. He then entered Randolph-Macon College
at Ashland, Virginia, as a member of the Class of
191 7, but did not remain to graduate. At the time
of World War I, he entered the service of the
Tinted States Army. Entering as a private, he was
assigned to the 11 6th Infantry Regiment, a com-
ponent of the 29th Division, and he advanced
through the noncommissioned grades to the rank
of captain in the infantry. He remained in service
about two years, and received his honorable dis-
charge at Camp Dix, New Jersey, on April 1, 1919.

In September 1919, Mr. Hudgins entered the
cotton business, as an employee of the firm of
Rodgers and Company, and continued in the broker-
age and export phases of that industry for many
years. In 1946 he became personnel officer and
civil service secretary of the City of Norfolk, Vir-
ginia.

As a veteran of World War I, he is a member
of Post No. 35 of the American Legion at Norfolk.
He is an Episcopalian in his religious faith.

At Suffolk, on June 12, 1917, Harold Hudgins
married Gladys Virginia Parker, daughter of Hen-
ley Milson and Julia Riddick (Parker) Parker.
Mr. and Mrs. Hudgins are the parents of three
children: I. Harold, Jr., born February 18, 1919.

2. Julie Ann, wdio was born on February 5, 1923.

3. Thomas Parker, born February 1, 1925. Mr.
Hudgins' office is in the City Hall Annex, Nor-
folk.

GEORGE H. CURTIS. Ill— Member of a
family which has long been identified with the
industrial life of Norfolk, George H. Curtis, III.
is vice president of the Curtis Marine Company,
Inc. A native of Norfolk, be was born on January
14, 1924, son of George H. and Hannah (Rodman)
Curtis. His maternal grandfather. Colonel W. B.
Rodman was general counsel for the Norfolk and
Southern Railway from 191 2 until 1944, when he
retired. He had also practiced law in Washington,
North Carolina. He died in 1947, surviving his
wife by a quarter-century. George H. Curtis, Jr.,
was born in Portsmouth. He served in the United
States Navy in World War I and in 103 1 estab-
lished the Curtis Marine Company, of which he has
remained president. He is a member and past presi-
dent of the Propeller Club of the Port of Norfolk
and a member of the Lions Club. His marriage to
Hannah Rodman took place in April 1921. She is
the daughter of Colonel W. B. and Adelaide (Ful-
ford) Rodman. Both of her parents were born in
Washington, North Carolina. George H. Curtis,
Jr., and Hannah (Rodman) Curtis became the
parents of three children: 1. Adelaide, born in 1922.
She is the wife of Charles E. Snyder, Tr., who is

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

secretary-treasurer of the Curtis Company. 2.
George H., Ill, born January 14, 1924. 3. Lee
Ann, born April 22, 1936. She is attending the Uni-
versity of North Carolina.

George H. Curtis, III, completed his secondary
studies at Woodberry Forest School at Orange,
Virginia, and went on to the University of Mich-
igan, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts
in 1948. He immediately began his career with Cur-
tis Marine Company, Inc., beginning work in sub-
ordinate positions in the shop to gain experience.
He became treasurer of the corporation in 1950,
and vice president in 1953.

The Norfolk firm deals in marine supplies and
equipment and also stocks related industrial lines.
It acts as agent for the sale of Allis-Chalmers prod-
ucts, carrying its line of engines, and represents
Pyrene, C-O-Two, and Twin Disc Clutch Com-
pany, Westinghouse Air Brake Company, and Wil-
lard Battery Company. Headquarters are at 554
Front Street, and a branch office is maintained at
Richmond. There are forty people on the payroll.

Mr. Curtis interrupted his studies at the Uni-
versity of Michigan at the time of World War II
to serve in the United States Navy. As an enlisted
man, he saw action in the South Pacific and received
his discharge on April 10, 1946. He is a member of
the Propeller Club and the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club and Monogram Club, and his fra-
ternity is Alpha Delta Phi. He is a communicant
of the Episcopal Church and has served on the
vestry of his congregation, Christ and St. Luke's.
Fond of active sports, he is especially partial to
boating and fishing.

Mrs. Curtis is the former Mary F. McNamara,
daughter of John A. and Estelle (Welch) Mc-
Namara. Her father, who was born in St. Louis,
Missouri, is a construction engineer and now resides
at Tucson, Arizona. He served in the army in
World War II. Mrs. Curtis' mother, a native of
Chicago, is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis
were married on May 21, 1949. They are the
parents of two children: 1. George H., IV, who
was born on January 20, 1952. 2. Margaret Lee,
born July 14, 1954. The family resides at 1446 Mal-
lory Court, Norfolk.

JEFFERSON SINCLAIR SELDEN, JR.—
Selden's Dairy Farm, one of the show-places
of the Virginia Peninsula, has been contributing
to the physical and economic health of the popu-
lace under the aegis of the Selden family since
1902. A partner in the ownership of this large
enterprise and manager of all its operations, Jef-
ferson Sinclair Selden, Jr.. is also prominent in
the business, civic, social, and religious life of

the Peninsula, especially in and around Hampton;
in dairy trade circles; in health and welfare acti-
vities; and in Kiwanis International. He serves
as an officer or as a director of various corpora-
tions in many fields of business.

Mr. Selden was born at Hampton on April 23,
1909, the son of Jefferson Sinclair and Mary
Cooke (Roane) Selden. He is one of four chil-
dren, all of whom are living, the others being
Robert Francis Selden; Mrs. Mary Catherine Sel-
den Ramsey, wife of the Reverend R. R. Ramsey,
and Harry Wythe Selden. The senior Mr. Selden
was born on a farm in Gloucester County, Vir-
ginia, on February 14, 1875. For a time he, like
his own father, was a farmer. Then he acquired
a boat which he operated in the transport of
oysters from his native county to Baltimore,
Maryland. In 1902 he moved to Hampton and
purchased a farm which he developed into the
dairy business which now bears his family name.
His wife, who was born in Gloucester County
on April 27, 1874, died on December 5, 195 1.

The younger Jefferson S. Selden attended
Hampton's public schools and was graduated
from the Hampton High School in 1927. He was
only seventeen when he took over operation of
the Selden Dairy and Farm. This was immediately
after taking his diploma. He had, of course,
worked with his father in the business from an
early age. He was accepted as a full partner in
the ownership four years later, when he was
twenty-one years old, and he has continued to
own the half interest to this day. As manager
of the business, he has built it to the point
where it operates with about three hundred-fifty
head of milking cows and heifers producing more
than six hundred gallons of milk daily and an
additional two hundred head of beef cattle. He
supervises more than one thousand nine hundred
thirty-seven acres, of which one thousand two
hundred are under cultivation. Having acquired
the Paynes Island Estate on the Rappahannock
River, comprised of one thousand and fifty acres,
in 1957. Besides feed for the cows, he raises
other crops for market. The dairy and farm are
located on Military Highway No. 250, Hampton.
In addition to the production of milk on the
farm, the Selden interests operate a processing
plant for retail distribution of its own milk and
about five hundred gallons purchased daily from
regular producers. Numerous homes in Hampton
and elsewhere on the Peninsula are served by
the Selden Dairy.

Besides Selden's Dairy, Mr. Selden is active
as a director in the Merchants National Bank
of Hampton; as president of the Glu-Pen Cor-
poration of Virginia and the Kirby Refining Cor-
poration of Severn, North Carolina; as a direc-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

tor of Florida Orange Stores of Newport News
and Warwick; as a director of Hampton Hotels,
Inc.; and as a member of the Limited Partnership
of Sussex at the Hampton Housing Development.

Through his church and civic work Mr. Selden
has had opportunity to speak to more than two
hundred different clubs and other organizations
on a multitude of topics, and he is in great de-
mand as a speaker. He serves on the board of
trustees and is treasurer of Dixie Hospital at
Hampton, is on the board of directors of the
Peninsula Industrial Commission, and is a for-
mer vestryman at Saint John's Episcopal Church
of Hampton as well as former president of its
Bible Class. He is a former director of the
Hampton Chapter of the American National Red
Cross and the Hampton Community Chest, the
Retail Merchants Association of Hampton, and
the Peninsula Executives Club. A past president
of the Kiwanis Club of Hampton, he is also
past lieutenant governor of the old four division
of the Capital District of Kiwanis International
and past governor (1952) of the Capital District
itself, this district being composed of the Ki-
wanis Clubs of Virginia, Delaware, Maryland,
and the District of Columbia. In addition to the
organizations named, he is a member of the Pe-
ninsula Chamber of Commerce, is on the board
of directors of Virginia State Chamber of Com-
merce, and is a member of the Virginia State
Dairymen's Association. He has a reputation as a
collector of coins and stamps. A Democratic ad-
herent when voting, he has no political aspira-
tions of his own. However, through every medium
available to him, he keeps well informed on cur-
rent history and politics, on the local, state, and
national levels.

Mr. Selden married Sarah Isabella Dellinger
of Lincolnton, North Carolina, daughter of Ro-
bert H. Dellinger, who in 1956 observed his nine-
tieth birthday, and the late Laura Eugenia ( Lof-
tin) Dellinger. The wedding ceremony was per-
formed at St. John's Episcopal Church in Hamp-
ton. Mr. and Mrs. Selden have one son: Jeffer-
son Sinclair Selden, III, who was born in Hamp-
ton on December 25, 1942.

FAIRFAX M. BERKLEY— During much of
his career in the rewarding profession of educa-
tion, Fairfax M. Berkley has been identified with
the city of Norfolk public school system. He is
assistant principal of Blair Junior High School,
and is widely known in educators' circles, having
served as president of the Norfolk Education As-
sociation. He has also been active in Virginia's
historical groups.

A native of Berkley, in Norfolk County, Fair-
fax M. Berkley was born on January 18, 1906, the

youngest of six children born to Waverley Lee,
Sr., and Judith Elizabeth (Ferebee) Berkley. The
family is of English origin, and in the paternal
line is descended from John Berkley, who came
to the Virginia Colony in the late Seventeenth
Century and settled in Fairfax County. There his
descendants became substantial planters. The line
comes down in successive generations from John
Berkley through William (1), William (2), Ben-
jamin, John Walker, Lycurgus, Waverley Lee,
Sr., and Fairfax M. Berkley. The Ferebees are
also of English lineage, descended from John
Ferebee, surveyor, who laid out the town of Nor-
folk in 1680. The family have been prominently
identified with the development of that town since
Colonial times. From John, the Ferebee line des-
cends through Thomas, William, Thomas Cooper
(1), Thomas Cooper (2) and Judith Elizabeth
1 Ferebee) Berkley. Lycurgus Berkley, for whom the
town of Berkley was named, was born in Fairfax
County in 1827, and came to Norfolk in 1847. For a
number of years he was a partner in the firm of
Berkley, Miller and Company, wholesale dry goods
merchants of Norfolk. Following his marriage to
Eliza Middleton, only child of Captain John S.
Middleton of Ferry Point, Norfolk County, he
made his home at Ferry Point. There he acquired
considerable property, and on this land founded
the town which bears his name, platting the
streets and lots, and taking a leading part in its
development. He donated sites for the building of
churches, and gave the various denominations fi-
nancial support as well. With the incorporation of
the town in 1870. it was named in his honor, and
subsequently, in 1906, was annexed by the city of
Norfolk. L3-curgus Berkley died in 1881 and his
wife in 1004. Their son, Waverley Lee Berkley,
Sr., was born August 18, 1861, at Ferry Point. In
the early years of his career he entered the dry
goods business, and later headed the retail furni-
ture firm of W. L. Berkley and Company. He re-
tired from business several years before his death
on February 6, 1922. He was vice president of
the Merchants and Planters Bank and president
of the Berkley Permanent Building and Loan As-
sociation, which he had helped to organize in
1886. It is now the Home Federal Savings and
Loan Association. He was active in Masonry. He
had been reared in the Methodist Church, but
after his marriage became a member of St. Paul's
Episcopal Church of Berkley, which he served as
senior warden.

His wife, the former Judith Elizabeth Ferebee,
was a daughter of Thomas Cooper Ferebee of
Currituck County, North Carolina, and Mary Eli-
zabeth (Wallace) Ferebee of Norfolk County. She
was born April 26, 1865, and died June 19, 1939.
Waverly Lee and Judith Elizabeth (Ferebee)

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Berkley were the parents of six children: 1. Percy
Cooper, born 1887, died 1929. 2. Judith Ferebee,
who married Richard C. Owen. He is a retired
member of the firm of Foote Brothers and Com-
pany of Norfolk. 3. Helen Middleton, who mar-
ried David A. Dashiell, retired traffic manager for
F. S. Royster Company of Norfolk. 4. Waverley
Lee, 2nd, whose biography is included in this work.
5. John Wallace (died in infancy). 6. Fairfax M.
Fairfax Berkley's family roots go deep into the
history of Norfolk and Tidewater Virginia. He
is a descendant of Sir George Yeardley, Governor
of Virginia in 1618 and of Adam Thoroughgood,
who came to Virginia in 1621 from King's Lynn,
in the County of Norfolk, England, and whose
beautiful home on the Lynnhaven River is one of
the oldest houses in Virginia. Mr. Berkley's great-
great-great-great-grandfather. Cornelius Calvert,
was for forty years an alderman and twice mayor
of the Borough of Norfolk.

Attending public schools of Norfolk and gradu-
ating from Maury High School in 1923, Fairfax
M. Berkley matriculated at the College of William
and Mary in Williamsburg. There he graduated
in 1927, taking his degree of Bachelor of Arts.
At William and Mary, he was a member of the
following national honorary fraternities: Omicron
Delta Kappa (leadership), Sigma Upsilon (liter-
ary), Theta Alpha Phi (dramatic), Phi Delta Gam-
ma (forensic). Pi Gamma Mu (social science). In
1933 ne took his degree of Master of Arts at
Columbia University, New York City. He has also
attended the University of Virginia Graduate
School and the Sorbonne, in Paris, France.

Meantime, in I9?7, he began his teaching career,
and throughout his nearly three decades in the
teaching profession, he has been with the Norfolk
school system. He has taught English, French
and Spanish, and since 1942 has served as assist-
ant principal of Blair Junior High School. A mem-
ber of the Norfolk Education Association, he was
elected its president and served from 1950 to 1952.
He is a member of the Virginia Education As-
sociation and the National Education Association,
and he has been a delegate to several state and
national conventions.

His interest in Virginia history is indicated in
his membership in the Virginia Historical Society,
the Association for the Preservation of Virginia
Antiquities (of which he is Director of the Nor-
folk Branch), the Order of Cape Henry 1607
(life member), and the Virginia Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution, of whose Nor-
folk Chapter he has served as secretary and was
the president in 1951. He is frequently called upon
to speak on historical subjects before civic groups,
and is an effective advocate of good citizenship.
A communicant of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

of Norfolk, he formerly served as superintendent
of its Sunday school, in which he still teaches. He
was formerly a member of St. Bride's Episcopal
Church, having served as register and vestryman.
He has served on the vestry of St. Andrew's
Church, is a lay reader, and since 1948 has served
as sponsor of the crucifers of the church.

His interest in the youth of Norfolk extends
beyond his daily contacts in school and in church.
Since 1946 he has been advisor to the West Chap-
ter of the Maury High School Hi-Y Club, meet-
ing with this group of boys one evening each week
during the school year, and assisting them in their
sponsorship of the annual Maury Regatta, the
only sail-boat races in the country which are
sponsored entirely by high school students.

He is a member of the board of governors of
the Girls' Club of Norfolk, and a director of the
Norfolk Mental Health Center.

Mr. Berkley is unmarried, and resides at 708
Baldwin Avenue, Norfolk.

CLYDE WARREN COOPER— A member of
the Portsmouth and Norfolk County bar for the
past thirty years, Clyde Warren Cooper is en-
gaged in general practice at Portsmouth. Born
in Norfolk County on July 2. 1893, he is the young-
est of six children born to Warren Ward and
Sarah Elizabeth (Whitson) Cooper. Both parents
were natives of North Carolina, and both are now
deceased. His father came to Norfolk County in
1885 and devoted the remaining years of his life to
farming there.

Clyde W. Cooper received his early education
in the public schools of Norfolk County and the
city of Norfolk. He began his career as an office
employee with the Seaboard Air Line Railway in
Norfolk, in 1910, and continued in this connection
until 1917. During these years he attended even-
ing classes at Norfolk College, taking business and
law courses. In 191 7 he entered the employ of the
Portsmouth Cotton Oil Corporation and held vari-
ous positions in clerical and sales capacities until
1929. In that year the Portsmouth Cotton Oil
Corporation was acquired by the Procter and Gam-
ble Manufacturing Company.

Meantime, Mr. Cooper had continued to study
law and on December 15, 1928, was admitted to
the Virginia State Bar. In 1930 he entered the
private practice of his profession at Portsmouth.
In the course of the intervening years, this prac-
tice has brought him large responsibilities, and he
serves a number of corporations and other large
interests. He is counsel and a member of the
board of directors of the American National Bank
of Portsmouth and is attorney for the Portsmouth
Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Vir-
ginia Electric and Power Company, and the Uni-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ted States Fidelity and Guaranty Company of Balti-
more, Maryland.

Professionally, Mr. Cooper is affiliated with the
Portsmouth-Norfolk Bar Association, the Ports-
mouth and Norfolk County Bar Association, and
the Virginia State Bar Association. Active in civic
affairs, he is a member of the Portsmouth Rotary
Club, which he served as president in 1954. He is
a member and past master of America Lodge No.
330, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Ports-
mouth; Lodge No. 82, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks; and a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club and the Farmington Country
Club of Charlottesville. He attends Monumental
Methodist Church in Portsmouth.

In the World War II years, Mr. Cooper was
appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to
a dollar-a-year post as chairman of the many war
bond sales campaigns in the Portsmouth-Norfolk
County area. He was also attorney for the local
rationing board. He was also appointed chairman
of a special Selective Service board in Portsmouth,
which it was necessary to establish because of
the large influx of defense workers of draft age.
Governor Darden also appointed Mr. Cooper, dur-
ing this period, to head a local campaign for army
relief. He has served his city as a member of various
boards active in the fund-raising drives of the Ports-
mouth Community Chest.

The sound professional preparation and the lof-
ty ideals which have made Mr. Cooper an out-
standing lawyer have also made him one of Tide-
water Virginia's most valuable citizens.

At Portsmouth, on March 14, 1925, Clyde War-
ren Cooper married Margaret Chapman Wishart,
a native of North Carolina and daughter of A. T.
and Margaret (Chapman) Wishart, of Isle of Wight
County. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper make their home at
5 Court Street, Portsmouth. Mr. Cooper's offices
are in the Colony Theater Building.

JAMES WILLIAM BOLDING's role in the
business affairs of Portsmouth is that of senior
partner in one of the region's better-known invest-
ment firms, Bolding and Company, which has its
offices in the Portsmouth Hotel Building on Din-
widdie Street. As successors to the firm of James
\\ . Bolding, the present partnership was organized
on November 1, 1954. Mr. Bolding's son is junior
partner and accountant. The investment advisers
hold membership in the Philadelphia-Baltimore
Stock Exchange, and associate membership in the
Boston Stock Exchange.

A native of Dublin, Texas, James W. Bolding
was born on November 27, 1898, son of William
G. and Mary Anne (Weatherby) Bolding. His
father was a prominent wholesale grain merchant

of Comanche, Texas. James W. Bolding. Sr., re-
ceived his education at Howard Payne College,
St. John's College, and the American College of
Life Underwriters. He came to Portsmouth in
1920, while on active duty in the L'nited States
Navy. Naval service was to comprise a consider-
able part of his career, and he was in uniform
until 1932, when he was separated from the serv-
ice and became active in the business life of the
Tidewater Virginia area.

In the years which followed, he engaged in var-
ious business operations which included the Penn-
sylvania-Norfolk Tire Company. He founded this
firm, which opened stores in Norfolk, Portsmouth,
and Suffolk. He also headed the J. W. Bolding
Coal Company, with coal yards in Cradock and
Norfolk. These business interests Mr. Bolding sold
just prior to this country's entry into World War
II. when he was recalled to active service in the
United States Navy. He served throughout the war
and was again honorably discharged in 1945.

When he returned to peacetime pursuits and to
the Lower Tidewater area, Mr. Bolding entered
the life insurance field, as representative of the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Ports-
mouth, and he later became general agent for the
Franklin Life Insurance Company, with headquar-
ters in the same city. Trained and experienced in
administrative and legal procedures relating to in-
vestments and securities, he entered the invest-
ments business in 1947 in Portsmouth, operating
his firm as James W. Bolding, Investment Broker.
In October 1954, he became a member of the Phila-
delphia-Baltimore Stock Exchange. On November
1 of that year, he was joined by his son, James W.,
Jr., who has since been a partner in the firm which
has been renamed Bolding and Company.

The organization, which has assets totaling near-
ly sixty thousand dollars, acts as agents in the
purchase of stock exchange securities. United States
Treasury and municipal bonds, utility and bank
stocks. It provides custodianship and advisory serv-
ice and makes appraisals and analyses to assure
clients maximum benefits from investments. The
firm holds membership in the Portsmouth Chamber
of Commerce as well as the Philadelphia-Baltimore
Stock Exchange.

James W. Bolding, Sr., married Elizabeth Mer-
riken, and they are the parents of three children:
1. James William, Jr., born at Portsmouth on
September 9, 1921. He attended the public schools
of Portsmouth and in 1946 graduated from the
United States Coast Guard Academy. He has also
taken courses at the University of Georgia and
is thoroughly trained in investment procedures and
securities analysis. He began his career with his
father, and they formed Bolding and Company in
1954. The younger James W. Bolding married,

■^y^r^'^«c-*»A_

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

on June 8, 1946, Mary Elizabeth Danaher of Grosse
Pointe, Michigan, and they are the parents of four
children: i. James William, III, born on October 13,
194S. ii. Evelyn Elizabeth, born November 7, 1949. iii.
Martha Mary, born May 7, 1952. iv. Patrick Dana-
her, born April 7, 1954. 2. Donald B., born at,
Portsmouth on November 28, 1924. He graduated
from Purdue University, taking the degree of
Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering,
and is now a resident of Houston, Texas, where
he is associated with Texas Foundries, Inc. On
August 28, 1946, he married Margaretta Reeve,
and they are the parents of: i. Sophie Elisa, born
September 21, 1950. ii. Margaretta Reeve, born
September 19, 1952. iii. Dona Elizabeth, born Oc-
tober 3, 1954. 3. Bruce Merriken, born at Ports-
mouth on October 8, 1931. He took his degree of
Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at
Purdue University and is now with the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation.
He was married on September 10, 1955, to Patri-
cia Ohlin.

MAJOR McKINLEY HILLARD— Lawyer,
former member of the General Assembly, and cur-
rently county clerk of Norfolk County, Major
McKinley Hillard has in the course of his long
record of public service proved himself an excep-
tionally able and conscientious professional man
and public servant. Personal traits of friendliness,
courtesy, and kindliness, complementing his in-
dustry and high ideals, have earned him a place
as a respected leader of community and county.

A native of Morgan County, Tennessee, he was
born on October 23, 1896, son of Mandiville Erv-
ing and Clare Elizabeth (Rich) Hillard. Despite
his birthplace outside the state, Mr. Hillard's par-
ents spent the greater part of their lives in Nor-
folk County, and his father was active in lumber
manufacturing operations and farming. From 1915
until his death in 1938, he served as justice of the
peace. Major McKinley Hillard passed his boy-
hood in the Deep Creek section of Norfolk Coun-
ty, attended public schools there, and graduated
from Deep Creek High School in 1915. Continu-
ing his education at the College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg, he graduated there with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1920 and went
to the University of Richmond for his professional
courses, taking his Bachelor of Laws degree there
with the Class of 1926. In that year he was ad-
mitted to the Virginia State Bar.

Service in World War I had intervened during
Mr. Hillard's student years. In 1918 he enlisted
as a private in the United States Coast Artillery
and was honorably discharged in November of
that year, following the signing of the armistice.

At that time he was attending officers' training
school.

Following his graduation from law school and
admission to the bar in 1926, he began the pri-
vate practice of law in Portsmouth and, in the
course of the years since that time, has won wide
recognition for his professional abilities, as well
as for his public spirit.

Major M. Hillard first entered public life in
1927, when he was elected to the Virginia House
of Delegates from Norfolk County. He served as
a member of the House during the regular ses-
sions of 1928 and 1930 and also during the special
session occurring between those years. In 1931 he
was elected a member of the Virginia State Senate
from the Third Senatorial District and served with
distinction until his resignation in 1954, to accept
appointment to his present position as county
clerk of Norfolk Count).

In his role in public affairs, Mr. Hillard has
exercised a considerable influence at both the
county and the state levels. During his years in
the State Senate, he occupied a position of emin-
ence and leadership. He was a member of many
important committees, including the Roads and
Internal Navigation Committee, the Agriculture,
Mining, and Manufacturing Committee (both of
which he served as chairman); the Fish and Game
Committee, and the General Laws Committee.

Mr. Hillard is a member of the Portsmouth-
Norfolk County Bar Association and Virginia
State Bar Association. Apart from his professional
connections, he holds membership in the Ports-
mouth Chamber of Commerce; the Deep Creek
Ruritan Club, Lodge No. 82, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks; Lodge No. 898, Loyal Or-
der of Moose; and American Legion Post No. 37.
He attends Deep Creek Baptist Church.

On November 26, 1921, Major McKinley Hillard
was married at Deep Creek to Mary Frances Cher-
ry of that place. They were the parents of three
children: I. Major McKinley, Jr., born August
28, 1922. He took his pre-law studies at the Col-
lege of William and Mary and his legal training
at the University of Richmond, thus paralleling
the educational record of his father. He received
his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1949 and now
practices at Portsmouth, with offices in the Colony
Theater Building. Major M. Hillard, Jr., married
Marion Tonkin of Portsmouth, and they are the
parents of two children: i. Susan Jewett. ii. Major
McKinley, III. 2. Merle Cherry, who is deceased.
She married Philip Shaw of Portsmouth, and they
had a son, David Hillard Shaw. 3. Irving Hillard,
who died in infancy.

J. RIVES WORSHAM — President of the Old
Dominion Peanut Corporation of Norfolk, J.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Rives Worsham is also an outstanding civic leader.
He is a man of wide interests, both business and
civic, and is highly esteemed in Norfolk. Pos-
sessing the qualities of foresight and progressive-
ness, he combines these traits with a humanitarian
spirit which is much in evidence in his work with
community projects and organizations.

Born at Petersburg, Virginia, on January 28,
1891, he is a son of Timothy W. and Evelyn
(Blick) Worsham, both natives of Prince George
County, Virginia. Both families, of English origin,
attained prominence in colonial Virginia, and have
provided the state with leadership each genera-
tion since. Timothy W. Worsham was among
the pioneers in the peanut industry in Norfolk,
where he was a partner in the United States
Peanut Company and the Atlantic Peanut Com-
pany. He died in Norfolk in 1913 at the age of
forty-nine. His wife, the former Evelyn Blick, con-
tinued to reside in Norfolk until her death in
1949. Both are buried in the historic Blanford
Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia. They became
the parents of two children: 1. J. Rives. 2. Laura
Evelyn, who married Allen J. Clay. He died in
1940.

J. Rives Worsham received his early education
in Norfolk, and attended the old Norfolk High
School. He continued his education at Randolph-
Macon College, where he was a member of Sigma
Phi Epsilon, Sigma Upsilon, and Tau Kappa
Alpha fraternities. Following in the footsteps of
his father, he began his career in the peanut indus-
try. For a time he was employed by the Colum-
bian Peanut Company, and was general manager
of the Peanut Growers Association.

In 1924 he became secretary and treasurer of
the Old Dominion Peanut Corporation, and con-
tinued in these positions until 1945, when he be-
came president on the death of his partner. The
corporation was founded in 1913, and manufactures
candies as well as processing, packaging, and distri-
buting peanuts. Many of its candies are made with
peanuts, such as its peanut brittle and chocolate
peanuts, and it also produces cocoanut candies
and hard candies. The brand name these products
carry is "Betteryet," by which they are favorably
known to wholesale and retail outlets, and indivi-
dual consumers, throughout the southern and
eastern states. The company, which has enjoyed
steady growth through the years, normally em-
ploys about seventy-five persons. In addition to
Mr. Worsham, the president, the officials of the
corporation are G. L. Dinsmore, vice president
and secretary; J. Rives Worsham, Jr., vice presi-
dent and treasurer; and Donald Underbill, office
manager.

Besides this major business connection, Mr.
Worsham is a director of the Southern Bank of

Norfolk and of the Bank of Norview. For his
proven abilities in dealing with civic and public
affairs, he has been honored with many positions
of public trust. He is admired as a man of great
vitality and qualities of leadership, and his help
is always sought when there is a difficult task
to be faced. He served on the Norfolk City Coun-
cil from 1940 to 1948, and part of that time was
vice mayor of the city. From 1948 to 1950 he was
a member of the City Planning Commission. He
is a member and chairman of the Norfolk Port
Authority, member and past president of the Nor-
folk Central Young Men's Christian Association,
and past director and presently national councillor
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. He is also
a member and past vice president of the Virginia
State Chamber of Commerce. At the present time
he is serving as chairman of the board of directors
of the Norfolk General Hospital, which is now
erecting a new nine-story building at a cost in
excess of five million dollars. Mr. Worsham is
also a member of the board of trustees of Ran-
dolph-Macon College, and serves on the board of
the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges.

He is a member and past president of the Nor-
folk Rotary Club, and a member of the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club and the Princess Anne
Country Club. He is a member and past chairman
of the board of stewards of the Ghent Methodist
Church. His hobby is civic service, and he has
aided many worthwhile causes on a statewide as
well as citywide basis.

At Richmond, Virginia, on October 3, 1914. J-
Rives Worsham married Martha Wise Sutherland
of Richmond, daughter of Irviu L. and Sallie
(Wise) Sutherland, both of whom are now de-
ceased. Mrs. Worsham is active in cultural affairs,
her particular interest being the Virginia Society
of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She is a member and past regent of Great Bridge
Chapter of the organization, in Norfolk, and is
also a member of the Colonial Dames of the
Seventeenth Century, the Daughters of Colonial
Wars, and the Ghent Methodist Church. Mr. and
Mrs. Worsham are the parents of two children:
1. J. Rives, Jr., born August 31, 1 9 1 5 , at Rich-
mond. He graduated from Virginia Military In-
stitute, taught at Augusta Military Academy, then
entered Air Corps service in World War II. At
the war's end he held the rank of major. Since
returning to civilian status, he has been with the
Old Dominion Peanut Corporation, and is now
vice president and treasurer. He married Nancy
Hudson Jones of Detroit, Michigan, and they are
the parents of two children: i. James Rives Wor-
sham, III. ii. Nancy Hudson Worsham. 2. Audrey
Wise, born in Norfolk on December 31, 19^0.
She is a graduate of Randolph-Macon Women's

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

College, and is now the wife of Dr. David C.
Whitehead, a physician practicing in Norfolk, Vir-
ginia. They are the parents of three children: i.
Sallie Wise. ii. David Calloway, iii. Martha Wise
Whitehead.

JOHN L. CARTER— A civil engineer hy pro-
fession, who received his training at the University
of Alabama, John L. Carter is president of the
Carter Contracting Company, Inc., which has its
headquarters at 106 West Olney Road in Norfolk.
Its predecessor firm, Carter-Hassell Contracting
Company, Inc., was founded in November 1946,
by Mr. Carter in partnership with Thomas R.
Hassell, Jr.; this firm was incorporated in October
1952. At that time Mr. Carter became its president,
and Mr. Hassell vice president. Experiencing steady
growth, the company took a prominent part in the
general building operations of the Greater Nor-
folk area and Tidewater Virginia. At the time of
its liquidation in 1957 there were one hundred
people on its payroll, engaged in all types of con-
struction operations — industrial, commercial, in-
stitutional, municipal and residential as well as
government projects. It erected many important
structures, including the Boiling Park Elementary
School, Ocean View Elementary School, Mary Cal-
cott Elementary School, Liberty Park Elementary
School, Chesterfield Heights Elementary School
addition; two additions to Granby High School;
addition to the United States Naval Hospital at
Portsmouth; United States Navy Sports and Rec-
reation Center on Hampton Boulevard; Cape
Charles Air Force Base Sports and Recreation Cen-
ter; United States Army Guided Missile Station
at Norfolk; Little Creek Naval Officers' Quarters
comprising sixty units; Princess Anne County
Clerk's Office Building; Atlantic and Pacific Tea
Company supermarkets at Ocean View and Rich-
mond. In 1 95 1 the company completed in ninety
days an immense project which involved the crat-
ing of seventy-six shiploads of equipment and ma-
terials used in establishing the Thule United States
Air Force Base in Greenland. Carter-Hassell Con-
tracting Company, Inc. was liquidated on January
'. '957, and a new corporation formed in the name
of Carter Contracting Company, Inc., which is
continuing the same type of work that Carter-
Hassell Contracting Company, was engaged in.

John L. Carter, former president of the Carter-
Hassell Contracting Company, and now president
of Carter Contracting Co., Inc., was born on Oc-
tober 18, 1913, at Scott, in Johnson County, Georgia,
son of Marvin C. and Elizabeth (James) Carter.
On his paternal side he is descended from an Eng-
lish family which settled in Virginia in early colo-
nial times, and migrated to Georgia in the early
antebellum period. John G. Carter, grandfather of

the construction executive, was a planter, and served
in the Confederate States Army from Johnson
County, Georgia. Marvin C. Carter was born in
that county, and continues active as a farmer and
civil engineer, now making his home in Scott,
Georgia. His wife, the former Elizabeth James,
who died in 19 16, was descended from an early
antebellum family who for many years lived near
Macon, Georgia.

Receiving his early education in the public schools
of Scott, John L. Carter graduated from Vidalia
High School in Georgia in 1930. He attended the
University of Georgia during the next academic
year, majoring in forestry. From 1935 to 1942 he
was with the Mobile District of the United States
Corps of Engineers, and it was during this time,
while engaged on a dam project on the Warrior
River at Tuscaloosa, that he entered the University
of Alabama to complete his education in civil en-
gineering. By attending classes from eight in the
morning to three in the afternoon, and continuing
his work with the Corps of Engineers from four
until midnight, he was able to continue his educa-
tion. He graduated at the University of Alabama
in the class of 1940, receiving the degree of Bach-
elor of Science in Civil Engineering, and was li-
censed to practice as a professional engineer by
the state of Alabama.

From 1942 to 1944 he was with Pan American
Airways as office engineer, with headquarters at
Recife, Brazil, engaged in establishing airfields in
South America for the United States Government
and Pan American and Panagra airlines. Returning
to the United States in 1944, he continued his pro-
fessional work as civil engineer at the United States
Naval Air Station in Norfolk, continuing there until
the close of the war. The following year, as in-
dicated above, he became co-founder of his own
firm, Carter-Hassell Contracting Company, which
was later dissolved, his firm now being known as
Carter Contracting Company, Inc.

Mr. Carter holds membership in the Associated
General Contractors of America and the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce. His fraternity is Delta Tau
Delta, and he is a member of Virginia Beach Lodge
No. 274, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; John
Walters Chapter No. 68, of the Royal Arch Ma-
sons; Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar;
and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Norfolk, being a
Thirty-second-degree Mason in Auld Consistory
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in that
city. He is a member of the Cavalier Beach Club,
Lafayette Yacht Club and the Virginia Beach
Methodist Church. His favorite outdoor pastimes
are fishing and hunting.

On May 23, 1933, at Savannah, Georgia, John
L. Carter married Bernice Watkins, daughter of

LOWTR TIDEWATKR VIRGINIA

William M. and Cordia (Hancock) Watkins of
Brunswick, Georgia. Mrs. Carter is a graduate of
the University of Alabama, from which she re-
ceived the Bachelor of Arts degree, and she for-
merly taught in the public schools of Georgia and
Alabama. Mr. and Mrs. John L. Carter are the
parents of a daughter, Lynn Bernice, who was
born at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on November 14,
1940. The family resides at 1 1 1 Eighty-eighth Street,
Virginia Beach.

WILLIAM J. MISSETT— From the beginning
of his career, William J. Missett has been a news-
paper man. He has worked at his profession both
north and south of Mason and Dixon's Line and
came to Suffolk in 1943 to serve as editor and
publisher of the "Xews-Herald."

Born at Carbondale, Pennsylvania, on November
3, 1911, he is a son of William S. and Gertrude
V. (Hennigan) Missett. Both parents are still
living, and his father is a retired railroadman. At-
tending the public elementary schools of Carbon-
dale and graduating from high school there in
1929, William J. Missett entered Saint Thomas
College at Scranton, Pennsylvania, for his ad-
vanced studies. There he graduated in 1933 with the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. He began his work in
the newspaper field at Scranton, joining the staff of
the "Republican" of that city in 1934 and leaving
in 1936 to accept a position with the Oswego
"Palladium-Times."

In April 1941, he moved to West Virginia,
where he became identified with the Beckley News-
paper Corporation at Beckley. He worked for that
news publishing hrm in responsible capacities
through December 1942 and on January 3, 1943,
began his duties with the Suffolk "News-Herald."
In addition to being editor and publisher of the
paper, he holds the office of president of the
publishing company. The "News-Herald" is suc-
cessor to the old Suffolk "Herald," which was a
weekly paper. It has been continuously published
as a daily since March 1923.

Active in the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mis-
sett formerly served as its president. He is a
member of the Rotary Club and a communicant
of Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Church. His fa-
vorite outdoor pastime is boating.

At Archbald, Pennsylvania, in 1938 William J.
Missett married Kathryn McAndrew of that city,
daughter of James T. and Kathryn (Movies)
McAndrew. Mr. and Mrs. Missett are the parents
of the following children: 1. William, Jr. 2. Thomas
F. 3. James A. 4. John B. 5. Mary Kathryn.

NORBORNE TUCKER POARCH— For near-
ly forty years, Norborne Tucker Poarch has been

identified with the lumber industry in its various
phases. His entire career has been spent with the
Camp Manufacturing Company, and he has played
an important part in the company's logging oper-
ations, and in shaping its policies on timber con-
servation in Tidewater Virginia. The firm has its
headquarters at Franklin, and Mr. Poarch is its
area manager at Whaleyville. There he has de-
monstrated a large degree of civic spirit, and has
been prominently identified with the public affairs
of Nansemond County.

Mr. Poarch was born near Lawrenceville, Vir-
ginia, on August 2", 1898, son of the late John
Henry and Annie Elizabeth (Davis) Poarch. His
father operated a general store in Brunswick Coun-
ty, Virginia, for many years prior to his death in
1931, at the age of seventy-three. He was a son
of Peter L. Poarch of Brunswick County, who
was an extensive planter and a slaveholder, and
who served the Confederate cause by furnishing
supplies for the Confederate States Army. Annie
Elizabeth (Davis) Poarch was a native of Bruns-
wick County and daughter of Robert E. Davis, a
planter who also served the Confederate forces in
the commissary department. Mrs. Poarch died in
1905.

One of eight children born to his parents, Nor-
borne Tucker Poarch passed his boyhood years in
Brunswick County and received his education in
the public schools there. In April 1917, he began his
long connection with the Camp Manufacturing
Company as foreman of logging operations in
Brunswick County. With his excellent background
of experience in the various phases of logging oper-
ations, he assumed increasing responsibilities in the
large-scale activities which the company has long
been carrying on in the Tidewater area. Since May
1925, he has resided in Nansemond County, and as
area manager, he directs the firm's operations both
in this part of the Tidewater region and in east-
ern North Carolina. Besides supervising logging
operations, he has also had charge of tree con-
servation practices, including those on the vast
tree-farm holdings of the company.

Since 1935, Mr. Poarch and his family have made
their home on White Marsh Road, one mile south-
east of Suffolk. That city is the center of a vast
timberlands area comprising nearly forty thousand
acres of the Great Dismal Swamp.

Always constructively interested in the cause
of conservation in relation to forest products and
tree-farm operations, he has for a number of years
been an active member of the Southern Pulpwood
Conservation Association. He is also active in the
life of his community. He serves on the board of
directors of the Bank of Whaleyville. which is the
subject of a sketch in this history. He is now

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

serving his third term as a member of the Nanse-
mond County board of supervisors from the Cy-
press District. From 1935 to 1942 he served as
deputy sheriff of Nansemond County. He is a mem-
ber of Welcome Lodge of the Knights of Pythias
in Suffolk, Norfolk Lodge No. 128 of D. O. K. K..
and the Cypress Ruritan Club.

As an active member of West End Baptist
Church of Suffolk, Mr. Poarch served as a member
of its board of deacons from 1949 to 1955. He is
past president of the Progressive Men's Bible Class,
and is a member of the church finance committee.

On December 18, 1919, at Weldon, in Halifax
County, North Carolina, Norborne Tucker Poarch
married Elma Louise Bowen of Brunswick County,
Virginia, daughter of Peter Y. and Irene (Tatem)
Bowen. Both of her parents were also natives of
Brunswick County, and both are now deceased.
Like her husband, Mrs. Poarch is an earnest worker
in the West End Baptist Church. She is chairman
of the Nansemond County Home Demonstration
Club. The couple are the parents of two children:
1. Frances Elizabeth, who was born on April 9,
1921. She took her degree of Bachelor of Arts at
the College of William and Mary in Blacksburg,
and she formerly taught in the public schools of
Norfolk and Nansemond County. She is now mar-
ried to Jesse Darden Langston of that county, who
is a veteran of naval service in WTorld War II and
now a partner in the Langston and Conley Grocery
Company at Whaleyville. They are the parents of
two children: Nancy Low and Jesse Darden Lans-
ton, Jr. 2. Norborne Tucker, Jr., born January 5,
1925. He is a graduate of Suffolk High School and
a veteran of World War II, having served with
the Third Army under General George S. Patton
in the European theater. He participated in the
Battle of the Bulge. He is now a partner in the
Langston and Conley Grocery Company of
Whaleyville, and is also engaged in logging oper-
ations. He married Margaret Wilkins of Suffolk,
and they are the parents of two children: Nor-
borne Tucker, III, and Judith Wilkins Poarch.

MARION TIMOTHY PLYLER, JR., M.D.—

By the high calibre of his professional service and
his constructive efforts as a citizen, Dr. Marion
Timothy Plyler, Jr., has earned the confidence and
respect of the residents of Whaleyville and his
county. He has centered his practice there since
1940, and while he has conducted a general practice
of medicine, he has devoted particular attention to
diseases of the lungs and thoracic diagnosis.

Dr. Plyler was born August 4, 1909, in Wash-
ington, North Carolina, son of Dr. Marion Timothy,
Sr., and Epie Duncan (Smith) Plyler. His father's

degree was that of Doctor of Divinity, and he was
a Methodist clergyman. The Plylers are of German
descent, and their forebears who first arrived in this
country settled in Pennsylvania. They moved to
North Carolina, however, before the Revolution.
The grandfather of the Whaleyville physician and
surgeon was Robert Conrad Plyler, a planter, who
married Sarah Kimball. Their son, Marion T. Ply-
ler, Sr., D.D., was born September 14, 1867, in
Iredell County, North Carolina. He received his
degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts
from Trinity College and also took a Master of
Arts degree at the University of North Carolina.
His degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred by-
Duke University. He served several pastorates in
North Carolina Conference of the Methodist
Church, and from 1927 until his death on March
24, 1954, he was editor of the North Carolina
Christian Advocate. During that period he made
his home at Durham. He was a distinguished scholar
and the author of several books. His wife, the
former Epie Duncan Smith, was born in Gates
County, North Carolina, and died at Durham on
January 28, 1956. She was a daughter of LeRoy
Lee and Eliza (Norfleet) Smith. Her father was a
lawyer and a planter of Gatesville, North Carolina,
who served several terms in the State Legislature
and was a delegate to the Democratic National
Conventions of 1912 and 1916, wdien Woodrow
Wilson was nominated. His wife, the former Eliza
Norfleet, was descended from families resident in
Virginia and North Carolina from colonial times.

Marion T. Plyler, D.D., and Epie Duncan
(Smith) Plyler became the parents of nine children,
of whom two died in infancy. Dr. Marion T. Plyler,
Jr., was fifth in order of birth. He passed his boy-
hood in several localities in which his father held
pastorates, and in 1926 graduated from high school
in Raleigh, North Carolina. He then entered North
Carolina State College and followed a one-year
premedical course there with three years at Duke
University, where he received his degree of Bach-
elor of Arts in 1930. He continued his professional
studies at Duke University Medical School, where
he graduated in 1934 and received his degree of
Doctor of Medicine. He then interned at the North
Carolina Tuberculosis Sanatorium at McCain.
North Carolina, for one year and spent a second
year's internship at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital
in Norfolk. He then concluded still another year as
intern at North Carolina Sanatorium. With this
excellent background of professional preparation,
Dr. Plyler began his career with the North Carolina
State Board of Health, in the Division of Indus-
trial Hygiene and Diseases of the Chest.

After a year in the service of the state, he began
private practice at Nashville, North Carolina, in

TWVa. y

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1937, and remained there until May 1940. Since that
time he has centered his practice in Whaleyville,
rendering skilled professional service to a large
circle of patients, his practice extending over much
of Nansemond County and into adjacent Gates
County, North Carolina.

Always uppermost in Dr. Plyler's program of
living is his profession. He is a deep student of
medicine, a fact which has won him wide recogni-
tion in his specialty, diseases of the chest and
thorax. In 1952 he completed a postgraduate course
in this field at Duke University and is a member
of the American College of Chest Physicians.

On May 1, 1955, Dr. A. McRay Jones of Nor-
folk joined Dr. Plyler in practice. Dr. Jones receiv-
ed his degree of Doctor of Medicine from the
Medical College of the University of Virginia in
1952 and interned at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital
in Norfolk. On April 1, 1956, the two physicians
opened a modern and well-equipped clinic at
Whaleyville. This was constructed primarily to give
the community the latest and most efficient medical
services, which it had previously lacked. The com-
pletely air-conditioned building of ten rooms has
x-ray equipment, a fully equipped laboratory, and
full examination and pharmaceutical facilities.

Dr. Plyler also serves on the staff of Obici Mem-
orial Hospital at Suffolk. He is a member of the
Tri-County Medical Society, the Virginia State
Medical Society, the Seaboard Medical Society,
the American Medical Association, and the Amer-
ican Trudeau Society, which is devoted to the
study and control of tuberculosis. His medical fra-
ternity is Phi Chi.

The physician has long taken an interest in civic
affairs. While a resident of Nashville, North Caro-
lina, he served as president of its Lions Chili in
1939. A member of the Ruritan Club of Whaley-
ville. he was its president in 1950. For the past eight
years he has served on the Nansemond County
school board. He is a member of the board of
stewards and the board of trustees of the Metho-
dist Church at Whaleyville.

On July 31, 1937, Dr. Marion Timothy Plyler,
Jr.. married Alma Odell Blanchard, a native of
Gates County, North Carolina, and daughter of
James P. and Pauline (Eure) Blanchard. Mrs.
Plyler is a graduate of the University of North
Carolina in Greensboro, from which she received
her degree of Bachelor of Arts with the Class of
1930. She formerly taught in the public schools of
Greensboro, for five years, and in the schools of
Ahoskie, North Carolina, for two years, the profes-
sion of teaching occupying the years between her
graduation and her marriage. She is a member of
the Methodist Church at Whaleyville and the
Women's Club of Suffolk, and she serves on the

Women's Auxiliary of the Obici Memorial Hos-
pital.

Dr. and Mrs. Plyler are the parents of two chil-
dren: r. Marion Timothy, III, who was born on
April 23, 1938. He is now attending Hargrave
Military School at Staunton, Virginia. 2. Martha
Blanchard, who was born November 11, 1943. She
is now a student at Whaleyville Junior High
School. When time allows, Dr. Plyler enjoys the
outdoor sports of fishing and hunting.

PAUL DeYOE WOODWARD— A man whose
tangible contributions to Norfolk and Virginia as
a whole may be measured by the millions of dollars,
Paul DeYoe Woodward has also made, through the
science of architecture, a contribution to the beauty
and progress of the city which cannot so easily be
measured. Although still a young man by the stand-
ard of his profession, he has won a distinctive
place in its ranks. He has served as president of
the Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of
Architects, and has to his credit a long list of
structures which he has designed either as an in-
dividual architect, or in association with Oliver and
Smith of Norfolk. His talents and achievements
have won him national recognition. His work has
been characterized by a variety of styles and domin-
ated by no one school of architecture. Always he
has placed utility and fitness for a specific purpose
as first considerations, and perhaps for this very
reason, esthetic beauty has also identified his work.
Born on December 13, 1917, in Norfolk, he is
a son of Edward N. and Laura (DeYoe) Woodward.
His father was born at Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
of English descent. His forebears had lived in
Sullivan County. Pennsylvania, from colonial times.
A civil engineer by profession, Edward X. Wood-
ward came to Norfolk as a construction engineer to
direct the building of the Lone Star Cement Cor-
poration's plant in the southern part of the city.
He died at Chuckatuck, Virginia, in 1949. In the
maternal line, Laura (DeYoe) Woodward, the
mother of Paul D. Woodward, is of French descent,
her forebears having settled in New York State at
an early period. She continues to maintain the
Woodward family home at Chuckatuck. In his
mother's family, many members in recurrent gen-
erations have been prominent in the building and
contracting fields.

The second of four children born to his parents,
Paul D. Woodward passed his boyhood in the
village of Chuckatuck, and graduated from Suf-
folk High School in 1935. He then entered Vir-
ginia Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg, and grad-
uated there with the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Architecture in 1940. He continued his studies

0a^3$ry£.

ff-t^-tCAK-<^C^^_

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

at the University of Pennsylvania Post-Graduate
School of Architecture, and prior to entering mili-
tary service for duty in World War II, was em-
ployed as a draftsman in the firm of Williams,
Coile and Pipino, Architects, of Newport News.

Commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry
in I'M-, lie served four years, spending most of that
time in combat service in the European Theater of
Operations. He was separated from the service in
1946, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He had
participated in the North African campaign with
the Second Corps Combat Team, attached to the
Fifth Army, and later he participated in the Tuni-
sian, Sicilian and Italian campaigns, pushing up
the Italian peninsula with the Fifth Army troops
to the Brenner Pass on the Italian-Austrian frontier
and into Austria before the war's end. He was
wounded three times, and was awarded the Purple
Heart and two oak-leaf clusters. His other mili-
tary decorations included the Silver Star and the
Bronze Star with one cluster, awarded for meri-
torious service in ground operations against the
enemy.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Woodward left his
distinguished record of military service behind him
and took up the profession for which he had pre-
pared himself. From 1946 to 1948 he was associated
with the architectural firm of Joseph H. Saunder,
of Washington, D. C. He came to Norfolk in 1948,
and there formed his own architectural firm. Since
entering private practice as Paul D. Woodward,
Architect, he has received many important com-
missions, involving millions of dollars in construc-
tion costs. The list includes a wide variety of struc-
tures— commercial buildings, warehouses, industrial
plants, schools and other institutional structures,
municipal buildings, apartments and housing pro-
jects, churches, and residential construction
throughout the Southeast from Virginia to Florida.
The following are specific examples from these
various types of building designs which have come
from his boards. Commercial projects: Alexandria
Motors, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia; Blair Motor
Company, Suffolk; Smith and Welton's Specialty
Shop, Norfolk; Shopping Center, Norfolk; Bay-
side Shopping Center, Princess Anne; Broadway
Department Store, Newport News; Lerner Shops,
Inc., Norfolk. Warehouses and industrial: Comico
Products plant; Alexandria Dairy plant; Geophysi-
cal Instrument plant; Security Van and Storage
warehouse; Eberwine Brothers' canning plant; Soil-
tone fertilizer plant; office and shop building for
the Rural Electrification Administration; United
Foods warehouse, Jacksonville, Florida; coal load-
ing facilities for the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road, Newport News. The churches and schools
he has designed have included: Church of Galilee,

Virginia Beach; Meadowbrook Elementary School,
Norfolk; Baptist Temple Church, Alexandria, Vir-
ginia; St. Clements Church in that city; Mount
Zion Church, Berkley, Virginia. Institutional and
municipal construction: Isle of Wight Courthouse;
and the Tri-County Health Center, and Sewage
Treatment Plant, both at Jacksonville, Florida.
Apartments and housing: Norfolk Redevelopment
and Housing Authority projects to a value of one
million six hundred and seventy thousand dollars;
Federal Housing Administration projects totaling
two million dollars; other such projects at Nanse-
mond totaling two hundred and sixty-five thousand
dollars. He has planned residential construction in
Virginia and Florida totaling four and a half mil-
lion dollars in value.

In addition to conducting a private practice, Mr.
Woodward has been, since 1950, a member of the
firm of Woodward, Oliver and Smith, who operate
jointly an architectural organization specializing
in military installations. In this connection, he has
designed numerous projects, valued at many mil-
lions of dollars. These have included the following
structures: construction at Fort Eustis, for the
United States Army, of twenty barracks, regimental
headquarters, warehouses and motor pools; Naval
Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Virginia (bar-
racks, ammunition building, Beach Group adminis-
tration building, operations building, signal tower,
landing craft administration building, utility build-
ing, incinerator plant, parking areas, athletic field,
etc.); and construction at Naval Ammunition De-
pot, Portsmouth, which included ammunition quali-
ty evaluation laboratory, fire station building, truck-
weighing station, and railroad- and waterfront
work.

As an architect, Mr. Woodward is a member
and director of the Virginia Chapter, American
Institute of Architects, and served as its president
in 1955. He is also a member of the Society of
American Military Engineers, the National As-
sociation of Home Builders, and, in his own city,
the Chamber of Commerce. He attends the Epis-
copal Church. He retains his rank of lieutenant
colonel in the Reserve Corps, United States Army,
and is presently serving as commandant of the
Norfolk Reserve Officers School. His artistic
talents extend to landscape painting.

On February 5. 1942, at Suffolk, Paul D. Wood-
ward married Evelyn Eberwine of that city, daugh-
ter of Vernon G. and Gladys (Windsor) Eberwine.
Mr. and Mrs. Woodward have two children : Roger
Paul and Susan Woodward.

JOHN KENDRICK HUTTON— One of Suf-
folk's veteran attorneys, John Kendrick Hutton
practiced there from 1912 to 1940. Since 1940 he

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

lias been serving as judge of the Second Judicial
Circuit, with jurisdiction comprising Nansemond
and Southampton counties and the city of Suffolk.

Born at Bristol on April 3, 1888, he is a son
of Alson and Margaret (Kendrick) Hutton, and
grandson of Robert and Steel (Edmundson) Hut-
ton. both natives of Washington County, Virginia,
where they spent their entire lives. Robert Hutton
was a farmer. His son Alson was born in Wash-
ington Count}- and graduated from Emory and
Henry College, later receiving his degree of Mas-
ter of Arts at the University of Virginia. He be-
came an educator, being on the staff of Southwest
Virginia Institute (now Virginia Intermont Col-
lege) in various capacities. He served as super-
intendent of schools and civil engineer at Bristol.

In the public schools of that city. Judge Hutton
began his education, and he also attended his
father's school in Russell County. He later ma-
triculated at Richmond College, taking the classical
course there. He received his degree of Bachelor
of Arts in 1908, while also completing one year's
study in the law school. He took his degree of
Bachelor of Laws in 191 1, having in the meantime
taken one year's work in the law school of the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and having
also taught at Hargrave Military Academy, Chat-
ham, Virginia, during the first year of the school's
existence. While completing his law course, he
taught for a year in Richmond Academy.

On January 1, 1912, he was admitted to the
bar and established his home in Suffolk and com-
menced practice in association with S. E. Everett,
who was Commonwealth's Attorney for some time.
They continued their professional connection for
five years, and in 1917 Mr. Hutton joined another
partner, Job R. Saunders, in forming the firm of
Saunders and Hutton. Together they continued
practice until 1940.

Meantime, in 1933, John K. Hutton was elected
by the city council to the position of city attorney
for the City of Suffolk. He has been a loyal mem-
ber of the Democratic party since he reached vot-
ing age, and during the presidential campaign of
1936, was chosen elector from the Second District.
In the late 1930s he served a's chairman of the
Democratic Committee in the City of Suffolk.

In 1940, Mr. Hutton was elected by the Vir-
ginia General Assembly to the office of judge of
the Second Judicial Circuit, to succeed James L.
McLemore. He has occupied the bench to the pre-
sent time, and has distinguished himself in his
court duties, demonstrating a very sound know-
ledge of the law, coupled with fairmindedness and a
thorough understanding of people.

He is an honorary member of the Virginia State
Bar Association and the Suffolk-Nansemond Coun-

ty Bar Association. He has served on the boards
of directors of the local Chamber of Commerce and
the Suffolk School Board, and was the first presi-
dent of the Lions Club in Suffolk. A communicant
of the West End Baptist Church, he has served
on its official hoard.

Judge Hutton has been married twice. His first
wife was Delha Miller Dudley, wdio died in Febru-
ary 1940. Of this marriage there are two daughters:
Margaret E. (Mrs. G. B. Hume) and Jean (Mrs.
J. C. Lentz). In 1941 he married Margaret Trot-
man of Suffolk, daughter of E. Pelham and Mary
(Butler) Trotman. By this second marriage he is
the father of two children: John K., Jr., born
September 18, 1942, and Mary Pelham, born Febru-
ary 20, 1950.

WILLIAM W. McCLANAN, JR., has been
active in the management of several of Virginia
Beach's business organizations. One of the organ-
izers of Radio Station WBOF, he is now treasurer
of Virginia Beach Broadcasting Corporation and
the Virginian Television Corporation. He has like-
wise held office in local municipal and organi-
zational connections.

A native of Virginia Beach, he was born on April
25, 1914, and is a son of William Walter, Sr., and
Ora Virginia (Land) McClanan. Both parents were
born in Princess Anne County and both are now
deceased. In association with others, the elder
William W. McClanan built and operated the first
wholesale and retail ice plant in Virginia Beach,
under the name of Virginia Beach Ice Company.
It was also he who with others, was responsible for
the construction of the Methodist Church in that
community in 1QI3.

The younger William W. McClanan attended
the public schools of Virginia Beach and was a
student at Oceana High School in Princess Anne
County from 1928 to 1932. From 1933 to 1935 he
attended Emory and Henry College at Emory,
Virginia.

Mr. McClanan was employed by the Virginia
Beach Ice Company from June 1935, until Decem-
ber 1936. He worked temporarily for the Town of
Virginia Beach until May 7, 1937, at which time he
opened a dry cleaning and laundry business known
as the Atlantic Cleaners and Laundry Service. He
has operated this business continuously to the pre-
sent time, and over the years has expanded it to
cover all services connected with the industry, in-
cluding fur storage and rug cleaning. He fills the
offices of secretary and treasurer of the corpo-
ration.

In 1945, he became a charter member of the
board of directors of the Bank of Virginia Beach,
and still serves in this capacity. He is currently

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

president of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Dry Cleaning
and Laundry Association. In 1954, Mr. McClanan
participated in the organization of Radio Station
WBOF at Virginia Beach, and lias been a member
of its board of directors since its beginning. He
is now its treasurer, and also treasurer of Virginian
Television Corporation, and of the Virginia Beach
Broadcasting Corporation.

Since 1946, the dry cleaning and broadcasting
executive has been a member of the Virginia Beach
city council. He was president of the Virginia
Beach Chamber of Commerce from 1949 to 1952,
and president of the Virginia Beach Sports Club
from 1950 to 1953. He was a member of the Rotary
Club from 1939 to 1954, and has been a member
of the Princess Anne Country Club since 1943.
From 1952 to 1954 he was director and general
chairman of the Virginia Beach Open Golf Tourna-
ment. A devoted and active communicant of the
First Presbyterian Church, he was president of the
Edward M. Bardy Bible Class during 1948-1949.

At Blountville Tennessee, on May 28, 1935, Wil-
liam W. McClanan, Jr., married Elizabeth Porter-
field of Glade Spring, Virginia, daughter of Thomas
and Elizabeth (Miller) Porterfield. The couple are
the parents of two children: 1. Susan Russell, born
March 13. 1938. 2. William Walter, born February
26, 1943.

OTTO NORFLEET BALLANCE— Founded
early in the nation's worst depression to meet
major economic and social needs in Tidewater life,
and since then guided by some of the nation's ablest
financiers, The Southern Bank of Norfolk is today
one of the South's strongest financial institutions
and a major factor in the community and state it
serves. Associated with the bank since it opened
its doors for business on September 12, 1932, and
for more than a year with its predecessor, the
Southern Savings and Finance Company, Otto Nor-
fleet Ballance is now its executive vice president,
a member of its board of directors and a permanent
member of its executive committee. He is also
vice president and a director of the Bank of Nor-
view, Bank of Norview Building, Inc., and Bank
of Cradock and is a familiar figure in many phases
of life in the Norfolk-Portsmouth area. Some of
his hobbies, notably public speaking, have contribu-
ted to his reputation.

Born in Norfolk on February 20, 1912, Mr. Bal-
lance is the son of the late Joseph S. and Janie N.
Ballance. His father was a native of Currituck,
North Carolina, his mother of Suffolk, Virginia.
The former, associated with the Norfolk and West-
' ern Railway for forty-eight years, was a foreman
at Lambert's Point at the time of his death on
May 5, 1953, at the age of eighty-three. The mother

died on April 3, 1954, at the age of sixty-six.

Otto N. Ballance received all his early education
in Norfolk. In 1930, he was graduated from Maury
High School. Later he spent two years in study,
by correspondence, with the Blackstone Institute
of Chicago, Illinois, majoring in law, and, subse-
quently, specialized for his present field by study
with the American Institute of Banking, taking
such courses as commercial law, negotiable instru-
ments and analyzing financial statements.

Mr. Ballance, a World War II veteran, served
two "hitches" with the armed forces. He enlisted
for a three-year period in the Virginia National
Guard in 1929 and served through 1931, attached
to the 1 nth Field Artillery, 29th Division. In 1943,
he took a leave of absence from the bank to serve
in the United States Infantry. He was with the
famed Third Army overseas, serving in England,
France and Germany and participating in five major
campaigns — Normandy, Northern France, Arden-
nes, Rhineland and Central Europe. He received
his honorable discharge after the German sur-
render in 1945. Today he is active in Norfolk Post
No. 3160, Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Mr. Ballance was still with the Virginia Na-
tional Guard when he began his financial career.
In 1930 he went to work for the Morris Plan Bank
in Norfolk, an institution now known as the Bank
of Virginia. In 1931, he resigned from that post to
accept appointment to the staff of what was then
called the Southern Savings and Finance Com-
pany, but which, on September 12, 1932, was
chartered as the Southern Bank of Norfolk. He
has been with that institution ever since and has
made an acknowdedged contribution to its growth
and strength and thereby the entire Tidewater area.

It was in 1936 that Mr. Ballance took his first
important step upward in the banking organization.
Elected assistant cashier that year, he was later
in the same year assigned to duty as manager of
the bank's Ocean View Branch.

In 1943, just before he took his military leave,
Mr. Ballance was elected an assistant vice presi-
dent, but he remained as manager of the Ocean
View Branch, the post to which he returned upon
leaving the armed forces in 1945. Four years later
he was elected vice president and transferred to
the bank's main office and the following year, 1950,
was elevated to the executive vice presidency. Also
in 1950 Mr. Ballance was elected a member of the
bank's board of directors.

In 1953 Mr. Ballance was named vice p^sident
and a director of both the newly-organized Bank
of Norview and its estate holding corporation, the
Bank of Norview Building, Inc. Then, in 1955,
an additional office was bestowed upon him: the
vice presidency and membership on the board of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

directors of the newly-organized Bank of Cradock,
Cradock- Portsmouth.

Mr. Ballance's banking experience has covered
virtually all phases of banking. It began with his
service as depositor's ledger bookkeeper (individual,
commercial and savings) and continued with w:ork
as paying and receiving teller, note teller, collection
teller, general ledger bookkeeping, auditing, branch
management, personnel management, loans (per-
sonal, commercial, consumer credit. F.H.A.-Title
I, real estate, automobile and general collateral);
experience in presiding over executive committee
and board of director meetings in the absence of
the president and chairman of the board; and. in
addition to his present general responsibilities, as-
signment to duties as operations and personnel of-
ficer for the bank's main offices and six branches.

In the community at large, Mr. Ballance has been
a member of the Lions Club of Ocean View since
1936 and has served that club as president two
terms. He is now an International Counsellor of
the International Association of Lions Clubs. Also,
he is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce,
Norfolk Vaclit and Country Club, Virginia Club,
American Institute of Banking and Personnel Ex-
ecutives Club, in addition to the Veterans of
Foreign Wars. His hobbies and recreations in-
clude public speaking, law, audit controls, per-
sonnel relations, golf, baseball, football, horse-
back riding and basketball.

Mr. Ballance married, in Norfolk on October 27,
1933. Ruth Merritt. They have one daughter, Mary
Sue, born in Norfolk in 1943. Their home is at 9329
Buckman Avenue, Norfolk.

WILLIAM JOSEPH STORY, JR.— Since
r949, William Joseph Story, Jr., has capably served
as superintendent of schools at South Norfolk.
Born in Courtland. Southampton County, on De-
cember 28, 1909, he is a son of William Joseph
and Lena L. (Rudisil) Story. His father, also a
native of Southampton County, was descended
from colonial families of Virginia. He was prom-
inent in the affairs of Courtland, and for a time
was cashier of a bank. He also engaged in the
real estate business, and served for some years
as postmaster of Courtland. He died there on
August 1, 1952. His wife survives him and still
lives in that city.

One of seven children. William J. Story, Jr.,
graduated from Courtland High School in 1926.
He attended the College of William and Mary,
Atlantic University, and Elon College, and in
June 1934, received his degree of Bachelor of
Art- at Elon, which is in North Carolina.

He began his career as educator in the capacity

of assistant principal of Bassett High School in
Henry County, and continued there from Sep-
tember 1934. to June 1936. He then joined the
faculty of Cradock High School in Norfolk Coun-
ty, and served until June 1939, as English teacher
and football coach. His next appointment took
him to Granby High School in Norfolk, where
he taught history and coached football until June
1944. He was then named assistant principal of
the school, and continued in that capacity, and
as football coach, until March 1946. Thereafter
until June 1948, Mr. Story served as head foot-
ball coach at Davidson College in North Carolina.

He returned to Norfolk in September 1948, and
during the next academic year, served as assistant
principal at Maury High School. He had mean-
time been taking advanced courses at the College
of William and Mary, and received his degree of
Master of Education there in June 1949. The fol-
lowing month he was appointed superintendent
of schools at South Norfolk, and has held that
position since. At the time he became superinten-
dent, the enrollment of students in the elementary
and high schools of South Norfolk stood at six-
teen hundred; but the community is a rapidly
growing one. and with the annexation of Portlock
and Riverdale more than doubling the population.
Mr. Story had to provide adequate school facilities
for forty-six hundred pupils, the 1956 enrollment.
A program formulated in 1949 by the school
board and city leaders set afoot building projects
commensurate with the needs of the growing city.
In 1955, the Oscar Frommel Smith High School
was completed, one of the most modern in the
state. The George Washington Carver High School
had been erected in 1953, and it too is an out-
standing example of modern architecture and effi-
cient design. In addition to these schools, there
are six elementary schools and the South Norfolk
Junior High School under Mr. Story's supervi-
sion, and on their combined teaching staffs are
one hundred and ninety-seven teachers. The South
Norfolk school system is today recognized as one
of the most modern and efficient in the state. In
the administration of Mr. Story have arisen the
problems stemming from the Supreme Court de-
cision calling for the desegregation of schools, and
he has brought clear-headed and dispassionate
leadership into a troubled situation.

Mr. Story is a member of the National Educa-
tion Association and the Virginia State Education
Association. In 1952 he was vice president of the
Virginia Superintendents Association, and is active
in the South Norfolk Education Association. He
is vitally interested in youth work even apart from
his teaching and administrative duties, and former-
lv served on the board of directors of the Boys
Club of Norfolk. As a former coach, he retains

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

his interest in competitive outdoor sports — foot-
ball, basketball and baseball — and he is also fond
of swimming.

On June 12, 1937, in Portsmouth, William J.
Story, Jr., married Louise Woodhouse, daughter
of Kenneth B. and Grace (Hudgins) Woodhouse
of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Story are the parents
of two children: 1. William Joseph, III, born
March 4, 1938. He is a graduate of Oscar From-
mel Smith High School, where he was active in
athletics and a member of the football team. 2.
Chandler Woodhouse, born June 1, 1944.

ROBERT DRAUGHON WILSON— Chartered
by the Commonwealth of Virginia in July 1952,
the Tidewater Plywood Corporation of Norfolk
has, in an amazingly brief period, moved into a
foremost position among firms in its field in the
Southeastern States. Its founder, president and
treasurer is Robert Draughon Wilson, who has
had a long and varied career in this field and who
is well known not only in his business and the
construction industry in general but also in the
civic and religious life of the Lower Tidewater.
His is a well known name among those of the
Quaker faith in the Old Dominion.

Mr. Wilson was born at High Point. North
Carolina, on March 22, 1919, the son of the late
L. Floyd Wilson and of Mattie (Draughon) Wil-
son of High Point. His father, who died in 1951,
was for many years associated with the Beeson
Hardware Company of High Point. He was a
son of Jesse Clark Wilson, schoolmaster of the
Providence Quaker School of Randolph County,
North Carolina, whose ancestors were Quakers
of Dutch and Scotch-Irish extraction who settled
in the Tarheel State in colonial times. One of the
three sons born to L. Floyd and Mattie (Draugh-
on) Wilson, the president of the Tidewater Ply-
wood Corporation spent his boyhood at High
Point. He was graduated from the High Point
High School in 1936 and then entered Guilford
College in North Carolina. He was graduated from
this institution in 1940 with the degree of Bache-
lor of Arts in Economics.

Mr. Wilson's first position, which was with the
Carborundum Corporation, gave him ample op-
portunity to test the academic preparation he had
obtained for the business world. He spent eighteen
months in the corporation's automotive products
division. His next position, that of traveling rep-
resentative for the Ohio Knife Company of Cin-
cinnati, provided him with his initial experience
in the plywood field and hence furthered his pre-
paration for successful operation in that field. His
work required that he call on veneer and plywood
manufacturers and paper mills in the eastern part

of the United States and Canada. When he left
the knife company, he became a field representa-
tive for the Associated Plywood Mills, Inc., of
Eugene, Oregon, with headquarters in Charlotte,
North Carolina. Later he joined the staff of the
United States Plywood Corporation of Knoxville,
Tennessee. He resigned from that firm to form
his own enterprise, the Tidewater Plywood Cor-
poration, in Norfolk.

Since it began operations in July 1952, the firm,
as wholesale distributors of fir plywood — both
decorative and structural — hardwood plywood;
hardwood plywood wall paneling ("Panawall") ;
laminated flooring ("Parkay"); high-pressure plas-
tic laminate ("Nevamar"); prefinished wallboard
paneling ("Marlite") ; glue, mouldings and insula-
tion products ("Celotex") and cedar shingles, has
made an acknowledged contribution to its industry
and the construction business.

Its charter authorized a capital stock of one
hundred thousand dollars. The original officers
were Robert D. Wilson, president and treasurer;
Mattie D. Wilson, vice president, and John G.
Frazier, Jr., secretary. H. C. Warick, who serves
as sales manager, joined the company in November
1 952. He was formerly with The Southern States
Iron and Roofing Company, a wholesale building
materials firm. In December 1952. the company
purchased the inventory of the Norfolk branch of
the Dixie Plywood Company, whose headquarters
are in Savannah, Georgia. This firm was consoli-
dating its units and was joining the Norfolk unit
with that in Atlanta. Sales and operations of the
Tidewater Plywood Corporation were made from
the Dixie location on Forty-sixth Street, Norfolk,
until January 1, 1953, when Tidewater moved into
its new building at Argonne Avenue Extension
and the Virginia Railway right-of-way. The new
building was occupied under lease arrangements.
Available were two four thousand foot-square sec-
tions, adjoining each other, to be used for office
and warehouse.

The ensuing months of the first year were
spent in an aggressive effort to become established
with the dealers and other customers in the area
and in making contacts with supplying mills on
the West Coast. Efforts were successful and the
company produced a profit the first year, despite
the usual first-year obstacles. The most significant
fact of the first year of operation was that the
company had in that year become the largest
wholesaler of plywood in the Tidewater area of
Virginia.

Progress in sales and profits continued in the
second year, though there were unusual market
conditions, punctuated by price wars and by
strikes.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

In the third year of operation, the company had
become a smooth-working operation with an ex-
perienced staff. Delivery demands were of such
nature as to require four trucks as compared to
the one used piece of equipment used in the first
year. Sales continued to rise and demands on the
company for its products were greater than could
be housed in the quarters then in use and pre-
viously considered plans for a new and larger
warehouse facility were put into action. In that
year, the authorized capital stock was increased
from one hundred thousand to three hundred thou-
sand dollars.

In April 1956, as part of its expansion program,
the company moved to its new modern warehouse
and office on its own site of three and one-half
acres at 3563 Argonne Avenue. It is descrihed as
the most functional warehouse and office in the
wdiolesale building materials field in Eastern Vir-
ginia. It is located at an easily accessible point
adjacent to the Virginia Railway and is centralized
for the trading area of Norfolk. The plant is of
concrete block and brick construction, with seven-
teen thousand five hundred square feet of open
warehouse storage free of posts or columns. The
building is platform, or freight-car, level, with
more than two hundred lineal feet of platform for
receiving and discharging materials. Three freight
cars can be placed alongside the building at the
rail siding, while four trucks can be loaded out
at the same time from the front platform. A con-
crete ramp is provided for "drive-in" ease of trucks.
Office and display space is attractively furnished
in plywood paneling, thus contributing to the sales
promotion of the company's products. Driveways
and parking areas are large and are paved for
complete utilization in all weather conditions.

By gearing its local plywood promotion to na-
tional manufacturers' advertising, furnishing sales
aids and literature and actively participating in
home shows in Norfolk. Mr. Wilson's company,
as a wholesale distributor, is helping its retail out-
lets generate sales leads in the entire Tidewater.
Periodically the company arranges meetings with
individual dealers and their sales organizations.
The company also stages "Do-it- Yourself" shows
and other aggressive promotional programs which
reach the dealer, home owner and architect. More
than ninety-five percent of material sold is ulti-
mately used in residential and commercial con-
struction. Using plywood as a nucleus around
which a large group of allied building products
are sold, the firm has forged to the top in its
field in an exaraordinarily short period.

In addition to warehousing and distributing ply-
wood and allied products, the Tidewater Plywood
Corporation serves as a wholesale broker for di-

rect car-lot factory-to-customer shipments. Sales
are made to recognized lumber and building ma-
terials dealers, hobby shops, cabinet shops, furni-
ture and fixture manufacturers, home prefabri-
cation firms and to large-scale contractors estab-
lished by volume purchase as wholesale buyers.

As head of this large operation, Robert D. Wil-
son has become widely known both in his field
of business and in his community. Through his
firm lie is a member of the Tidewater Chapter
of the National Home Builders Association and the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. He is also a mem-
ber of the Rotary Club of Virginia Beach, the
Princess Anne Country Club, the Cavalier Yacht
and Country Club, the Virginia Breakfast Club
(a division of International Christian Leadership)
and other organizations. He is active in the Vir-
ginia Beach Friends (Quaker) Meeting House
and is interested in all out-door sports, particularly-
boating, golf, swimming and football. His home
is on Pinewood Road, Virginia Beach.

On June 28, 1941, at Woodland, North Carolina,
Mr. Wilson married Helen Louise Brown, daugh-
ter of David H. and Christine ( Frazier) Brown
of that community. Mrs. Wilson's father, a busi-
ness man and farmer at Woodland, and her mother
are members of the Quaker faith. Mrs. Wilson
attended Guilford College. She is a recorded min-
ister in the Quaker faith, and is a member of the
Junior League in Norfolk. She and her husband
have two children: 1. Robert Draughon, Jr., born
on September 3, 1943. 2. Diane Clark, born on
July 30, 1944.

NATHANIEL BEAMAN, III— An institution
with resources of nearly $34,000,000, the Southern
Bank of Norfolk has, in addition to its large com-
mercial, savings and installment loan departments,
an extraordinarily active trust department. In
charge of that department is Nathaniel Beaman,
III, the bank's vice president and trust officer, who
brings to his oflfice training and experience in the
two fields of greatest importance in trust work —
banking and the law. Mr. Beaman, the son and
grandson of bankers, has also in his background,
experience in the military service of the nation, for
he has served twice with the United States Navy,
and is now a lieutenant senior grade in the United
States Coast Guard Reserve.

Mr. Beaman was born in Norfolk on April 29,
1925, the son of Robert Prentis and Salome (Sling-
luff) Beaman. Also a native of Norfolk, Robert
Prentis Beaman was associated with the National
Bank of Commerce of Norfolk most of his work-
ing life. He was its president for an aggregate of
eleven years. He began his career with the bank

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

immediately upon completing his education, but
had already done some work on its staff in summer
vacation periods. He left the bank temporarily in
1925, at which time he was serving as vice presi-
dent. Until 193 1 he engaged in the investment busi-
ness. In that year he returned to the bank as its
president. In 1940 he received the award as Nor-
folk's "first citizen." He retired in 1942 and died
in 1953 at the age of sixty-one. In his record was
service as a captain of Field Artillery with the
American Expeditionary Force in France in World
War I.

Nathaniel Beaman's mother, a native of Balti-
more, Maryland, is now associated with William
and Mary College at Norfolk. She is well known
in social and educational circles. Nathaniel Beaman,
grandfather of the Southern Bank's vice president,
served as president of the National Bank of Com-
merce for thirty years. Also, he was mayor of
Norfolk. The present Nathaniel Beaman's great-
uncle, the Honorable Robert R. Prentis, served as
chief justice of the Commonwealth of Virginia
following a career as lawyer and judge of the
Circuit Court.

Mr. Beaman attended Norfolk Academy, at which
his father had also been a student, and then Staun-
ton Military Academy, from which he was gradu-
ated. For a time he was at Virginia Military In-
stitute. In February 1945, he took the degree of
Bachelor of Arts at Duke University. The following
May he was commissioned an ensign in tin-
United States Navy and assigned to active duty.
He served on a destroyer in the Pacific. When re-
leased to inactive status, he returned to Duke Uni-
versity for legal training and in January 1949,
was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Laws.

For a time after his admission to the Bar of
Virginia, he practiced his profession with the law
firm of Breeden and Hoffman in Norfolk, but he
was recalled to active duty with the Navy. This
time he served two years with the Office of Naval
Intelligence, attached to the staff of the Chief of
Naval Operations.

Upon his return to civilian life, Mr. Beaman was
appointed public relations officer of the trust de-
partment of the First Citizens Bank and Trust
Company at Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1953 he
was promoted to associate trust officer of this
institution. In 1954 he resigned to do postgraduate
work in taxation at William and Mary College.
In 1955, he was elected vice president and trust
officer of the Southern Bank of Norfolk and has
since devoted himself to the duties of that office.
He is a member of the Rotary Club of Norfolk,
the Virginia Bar Association, American Bar As-
sociation, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Kap-
pa Alpha Order and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.

In politics he is allied with the Southern Demo-
crats. He worships at St. Andrew's Episcopal
Church of Norfolk, where he serves as a member
of the vestry and chairman of the finance com-
mittee.

Mr. Beaman married Elizabeth Middleton Das-
hiell of Norfolk on December 2$, 1950. Mrs. Bea-
man is the daughter of David and Helen (Berkley)
Dashiell, both also natives of that city. Mr. Das-
hiell, who was born in 1886, retired in January 1956,
after many years as traffic manager of the F. S.
Royster Guano Company. Mr. and Mrs. Beaman
have three children: 1. Nathaniel, IV, born on
November 19, 195 1. 2. Elizabeth Johns, born on
December 13, 1954. 3. William Prentis, born on
August 2^, 1956. The Beaman home is at 5335
Rolfe Avenue, Norfolk. Mr. Beaman's headquarters
are in the main office of the Southern Bank of Nor-
folk— at Granby and Main streets.

JOHN HENRY POWELL— A- soon as he

had completed his law courses, John Henry Powell
of Suffolk became county clerk of Nansemond
County and has capably filled that position through-
out the twenty-seven years since that time. This
is an office which has been identified with the
Powell family, for his father held it before him.
John H. Powell takes a lively interest in political
affairs and in the programs of various organiza-
tions, in several of which he has held office.

The attorney and public official is a native of
Nansemond County, where he was born on March
22, 1908, son of Paul Jones and Sallie B. (Simons)
Powell. His father too was a native of the Tide-
water region, born in Isle of Wight County on
April 11, 1876. A farmer and later a merchant, he
lir^t held public office as commissioner of revenues
for Nansemond County and was clerk of the
county for two years prior to his death on Sep-
tember 11, 1930. Sallie B. Simons, whom he mar-
ried, was born in Nansemond Count}-. She died
November 9, 1941.

After attending the public schools of Myrtle
and Windsor, John Henry Powell graduated from
Windsor High School in 1924. He went to the
University of Richmond for his advanced aca-
demic and professional studies and took his degree
of Bachelor of Laws there in 1930. He had been
admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia on
July 15, 1929. In the year he completed his law-
studies, his father died, and a few days later, on
September 20, 1930, he was appointed by Judge
James L. McLemore to succeed Paul J. Powell
in the office of county clerk. He has continued in
that position since, with offices at Suffolk.

A Democrat in his politics, he has been secre-
tary of the Nansemond County Democratic Ex-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ecutive Committee since March, 193 1. He is active
in Ruritan International and was president in 1943.
He is also a past president of the Suffolk Lions
Club, and a member of the Executives Club and
Purdie Lodge No. 70, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons. His fraternity is Phi Delta Theta, and
he is also a member of the Sons of the American
Revolution. Mr. Powell has been a devoted worker
in hi> church, the Baptist. He formerly served as
deacon and has also been a trustee and superin-
tendent of its Sunday school. Fond of the out-of-
doors, he takes a great interest in fishing.

In Lexington on November 9, 1940, John Henry
Powell married Eleanor McClung of that city,
who was a daughter of Dr. Hunter and Eugenia
Cameron (Harmon) McClung. Both of her par-
ents are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Powell have
four children: 1. Eleanor, born August 15, 1941.
2. Jean Cameron, born January 19, 1944. 3. John
Henry, Jr., born September 30, 1946. 4. Paul Hun-
ter, born August 18, 1954.

CHARLES CLINTON CARPENTER— Well

known throughout the Southeastern States in the
field of heavy construction, the Carpenter Con-
struction Company, Engineers and Contractors, of
Norfolk, owes its existence and success to Charles
Clinton Carpenter and the high-caliber professional
and technical men whom he has selected as his
associates. Mr. Carpenter's broad experience in
his field has enabled him to give guidance to a
wide variety of projects in many areas. A Naval
officer in World War I, he has since engaged
in much Governmental work without neglecting
opportunities to accept contracts in the strictly
civilian field. He has held positions of leadership
in various trade and professional organizations
and in public and private groups devoted to the
development of the Lower Tidewater.

Mr. Carpenter was born in Norfolk on Novem-
ber 11, 1893, the son of the late Charles R. and
Rebecca Wilmot (Cox) Carpenter. His father, a
native of Chicago, Illinois, died in Norfolk in
1925. Early in his career he came to the Lower
Tidewater and thereafter was active in the lumber
industry in Norfolk. For a time he was associa-
ted with the John L. Roper Lumber Company.
Later, he carried on independent operations which
extended into New York and the New England
States. Rebecca Wilmot Cox Carpenter, born in
Franklin, Virginia, died in 1915.

Through part of his early life C. C. Carpenter
lived in Massachusetts. He was graduated from
the Summerville High School, Summerville, Mas-
sachusetts, and then matriculated at the Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology at Boston. He took
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engi-

neering there in 1916, and immediately afterward
began his career with the firm of Morris Knowles,
Engineers, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was
assigned to the firm's Government Army Camp
projects and was engaged on these until he en-
listed in the United States Navy in 1918. Com-
missioned an ensign he served as a line officer
until the end of World War I.

When he returned to civilian pursuits, Mr. Car-
penter became associated with the engineering
firm of H. P. Converse Company of Boston as
superintendent of construction on Government
projects in the Norfolk area and on bridge con-
struction across the Connecticut River at Spring-
field, Massachusetts.

In 1922, Mr. Carpenter settled permanently in
his native city. At that time he became a member
of the firm of Carpenter and Petrie Inc., contrac-
tors. In 1934 he founded the Carpenter Construc-
tion Company, with general offices in the Na-
tional Bank of Commerce Building. A. Carl
Schenck. who received the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Civil Engineering from the University
of Alabama in 1934 and whose life is reviewed
on other pages, has been associated with the firm
as executive engineer since 1942.

The company covers a wide area in the heavy
construction field and has, to some extent, special-
ized in marine construction. Its "credits" include
bridges, docks, piers, bulkheads, foundations, sew-
age and water treatment plants, underwater and
overhead utilities, extensive waterfront, harbor and
river improvement projects in Government, indus-
trial and municipal work and core-boring in soil
investigation work for foundations. In World War
II, the firm was engaged primarily in construction
for the armed forces.

A Registered Professional Engineer in Virginia
and other states, Mr. Carpenter is active in the
American Society of Professional Engineers. He
is past president of the Hampton Roads Engi-
neers Club and the Virginia Chapter of the As-
sociated General Contractors of America and serv-
ed on the boards of directors of the Virginia State
Chamber of Commerce, the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce and the Hampton Roads Maritime
Commission. His other affiliations are with the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, Princess Anne
Country Club, the Cavalier Beach Club and the
Galilee Episcopal Church of Virginia Beach. His
favorite sport is sailing. His home is at Bay
Colony. Virginia Beach.

Mr. Carpenter married Phyllis Stamp of Grand
Rapids, Michigan, in Norfolk on May 6, 1925.
They have two children: 1. Charles Jerould Car-
penter, who took the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Civil Engineering at his father's Alma Mater,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 1954,
and soon thereafter was commissioned a lieutenant
in the Corps of Engineers, United States Army,
and was stationed at Camp Leonard Wood, Mis-
souri. He is now associated in his father's firm. 2.
Sylvia Joyce Carpenter.

A. CARL SCHENCK— As executive engineer
of the Carpenter Construction Company, Engi-
neers and Contractors, of Norfolk, A. Carl Schenck
has furthered a reputation in the heavy construc-
tion industry begun when he entered the engi-
neering profession a quarter of a century ago.
In his background is experience in the railroad
world and with the Stone and Webster Engineer-
ing Corporation, with a special record of accom-
plishment in maritime construction work. Like
the firm with which he has been associated since
1942, Mr. Schenck is known throughout the South-
eastern States.

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on
July 31, 1910, the son of the Reverend A. C. Schenck
and the late Hattie (Ritter) Schenck. His father.
who has served as a minister of the Lutheran
Church all his working life, is now pastor of the
Geigertown, Pennsylvania, Lutheran Church.

Reared in Germantown, A. Carl Schenck received
his early education in the public schools of that
community. He was graduated from high school
in 1928. Before continuing his education, Mr.
Schenck began his career as an employee of the
[Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. He
worked in that line's construction department in
Philadelphia until 1930, when he resigned to enter
the University of Alabama, where he took the de-
gree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
in 1934. At the university he was elected to Tau
Beta Pi, the honorary engineering fraternity.

From the time he won his degree in 1934 to
1942, Mr. Schenck was engaged as a civil engi-
neer with the Stone and Webster Engineering
Corporation of Boston. He worked on construc-
tion projects in Louisiana; Chicago; Bridgeport,
Connecticut; and Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia.
In 1942, he resigned from Stone and Webster
to accept appointment as executive engineer of
the Carpenter Construction Company. Since then
he has played a prominent part in the work of
this outstanding construction firm. The Carpen-
ter Construction Company was founded in 1022
by C. Clinton Carpenter, the noted engineer who
continues as the directing head of the firm and
whose biography appears in another section of
this history. The firm is extensively engaged in
heavy construction in all the Southeastern States.
Its completed projects include bridges, docks,
piers, bulkheads, foundations, sewage and water

treatment plants, underground and overhead facil-
ities, extensive waterfront, harbor and river im-
provement projects in Government, industrial and
municipal work and soil investigation work.

In the year 1956-1957, Mr. Schenck served as
president of the Tidewater Chapter of the Vir-
ginia Society of Professional Engineers. He is also
past president of the Engineers Club of Hampton
Roads. His other organizations include the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia State Cham-
ber of Commerce, the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club, and the Virginia Club of Norfolk. He wor-
ships in the First Lutheran Church of Norfolk and
his hobbies are gardening and golf.

On July 6, 1934. at Lake Wales, Florida, Mr.
Schenck married Eloise Williams of that com-
munity and daughter of Dr. William B. Williams,
dental surgeon, and Elena (Register) Williams.
Mr. and Mrs. Schenck have two children: 1. Nancy
Elizabeth, born on May 31, 193d. 2. Jean Gray,
born on July 21, 1939.

CLARENCE EDWARD FOREHAND has
encompassed in his varied career the occupations
of farmer, retail grocer and soldier, as well as
his present profession of banking. He is president
and general manager of the South Norfolk Loan
Corporation, which he oraganized, and he has also
served as mayor of his city.

Born May 13, 1913, in South Norfolk, he is :i
son of George W. and Huldah P. (Howell) Fore-
hand. The Forehand family originally came from the
eastern part of North Carolina, and for a number
of years they have been prominently identified
with the development of South Norfolk. George
W. Forehand was engaged in the retail grocery
business there, and was also a farmer. He died
in 1950. His wife, the former Huldah P. Howell, is
now a resident of Danville, Virginia.

The youngest of their three children, Clarence
E. Forehand graduated from South Norfolk High
School in 1930. He attended the College of Wil-
liam and Mary. Norfolk Division, for two and a
half years, majoring in agriculture. Outstanding
as an athlete, he was a member of the varsitj
football team, and its captain in 1934. After leav-
ing college, he played semi-professional football
for several years, and has retained a deep interest
in the game.

He began his career as a farmer in the vicinity
of Hickory, Norfolk County, and continued to
cultivate his acreage there until he was called
into active service in the army in 1941. In July
r933. he had enlisted as a private in the Virginia
National Guard, and had advanced to the rank
of second lieutenant by 1940. serving in Battery
B, 1 nth Field Artillery. When he entered active

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

service at the time this country was preparing for
defense in the face of the fascist threat from
abroad, his unit became a component of the 20th
Division. He attended Fort Sill School of Fire,
and went overseas as an officer in the Sixth Corps
artillery staff. He served through the North Afri-
can campaign, the Italian campaigns including
the Salerno and Anzio beachhead actions, and
later the campaign in southern France, being at
various times with the Fifth and the Seventh Arm-
ies. He was wounded during the southern France
invasion, and was awarded the Purple Heart, as
well as a Bronze Star for meritorious conduct in
ground operations against the enemy. At the close
of the war he took over command of the 493rd
Field Artillery Battalion in Austria. He won suc-
cessive promotions, in the course of his combat
experience, to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and
was separated from active service in January 1946.

Resuming his civilian life, Mr. Forehand again
turned his attention to farming near Hickory, and
he also entered the retail grocery business at
South Norfolk. In June 1955 he organized the
South Norfolk Loan Corporation, and has since
served as president and general manager of this
thriving banking concern.

A man of many activities, his interest in good
government led to his election as a member of
the city council of South Norfolk in 1947, with
the change of the city charter to the city manager
form of government. He served two terms on the
council, and of this total of eight years, was mayor
for six. It was during his administration that the
population of South Norfolk was doubled with the
annexation of Portlock and Riverdale, and emerged
from an overgrown town to a city with a popula-
tion of over twenty thousand. This placed heavy
demands upon the abilities of the mayor. Many
reforms were instituted in all municipal depart-
ments, and planning for the future drawn up. A
comprehensive program of school construction was
undertaken, giving the city two new high schools,
which with other developments, gave South Nor-
folk one of the best school systems in the state.
A court house was erected, a comprehensive sys-
tem of street improvements undertaken, and a plan-
ning commission, housing authority and recreation
bureau established.

Refusing candidacy for re-election, Mr. Fore-
hand withdrew from active public life in 1955,
and has since devoted his time to business inter-
ests. At the present time these are centered largely
in his management of the South Norfolk Loan
Corporation.

He has retained his interest in military affairs,
and in December 1946, took command of the reac-
tivitated 111th Field Artillery, Virginia National
Guard. In October 1954, he became commanding

officer of the newly activated 615th Antiaircraft
Artillery, also a state National Guard unit. He
is active in veterans' affairs, and is a member of
American Legion Post No. 108, Veterans of For-
eign Wars Post No. 2163, and the J. Robert Gra-
ham Post of the Disabled American Veterans.

He is also a member of South Norfolk Lodge
No. 339, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the
Auld Consistory No. 3705. Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite, the Valley of Norfolk, Orient of
Virginia, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also
a member of the National Guard Association, and
attends the South Norfolk Baptist Church. His
favorite form of recreation is golf.

At South Mills, North Carolina, on August 26,
'939. Clarence E. Forehand married Frances Gariz-
zard, daughter of Eugene Hinton and Edna (Gard-
ner) Garizzard, of Boykins, Virginia. Mrs. Fore-
hand is a graduate of Sarah Leigh Hospital School
of Nursing. She is a member of the Portlock Gar-
den Club, the South Norfolk Woman's Club, the
Sarah Leigh Alumnae Association and the South
Norfolk Baptist Church. The couple are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Clarence Edward, Jr., born
October 8, 1942. 2. Mary Margaret, born March
4. 1947-

JAMES CECIL WHICHARD is vice president
of the National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk.
He was born September 2, 1898, at Whichard. in
Pitt County, North Carolina, son of the late Willis
Robert, Jr., and Ella (Keel) Whichard, and grand-
son of Willis R. and Mary Ann Amanda ( Gurga-
nus) Whichard of Pitt County. The town of Which-
ard was long the ancestral home of members of this
family. There Willis R. Whichard, Sr., conducted
a general store and served as postmaster. He was
also a substantial farmer, and a man of considerable
influence in the community. Willis Robert Which-
ard, Jr., was for many years a resident of Norfolk,
where his death occurred on January 28, 1933-
For a time he was associated with Whichard Broth-
ers, Inc., a wholesale dry goods firm in that city,
which had been established in 1900. From 1919
until his death, he served as secretary of Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, and of the Scottish Rite bodies at
Norfolk. His wife, the former Ella Keel, died there
on March 8, 1934.

Attending the public schools of Norfolk, James
Cecil Whichard graduated from Maury High School
in 191 7. As a member of the Virginia National
Guard, he entered active military service in April
of that year, the month this country entered World
War I. After being stationed at Norfolk until
September, he accompanied his unit to Camp Mc-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Clellan. Anniston, Alabama, where it became a
component of the 29th Division. He was stationed
at Camp Green, Charlotte, North Carolina, from
January until March 1918, then shipped overseas
with the 29th Division, serving with the American
Expeditionary Forces in France. He was later at-
tached to the Provost Marshal's Office at Langres
on military police duty, from October 1918, to
June 1919. Several months later, he was honorably
discharged at Camp Lee, Virginia.

On his return to civilian life, Mr. Whichard en-
tered the employ of the Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company in Norfolk, with which he
continued until November 1919. He was next em-
ployed by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey
in the Norfolk area, but remained with the petro-
leum firm only until February 1920. At that time
he began his career in the banking profession,
joining the staff of the Trust Company of Norfolk,
which in January 1927, was acquired by the present
National Bank of Commerce. Having worked his
way up through positions of increasing responsibili-
ty in its various departments, he was promoted to
the vice presidency in 1955.

Mr. Whichard is a member of the Virginia Bank-
ers Association and the American Bankers Associa-
tion. Apart from his professional connections, he
is a member of Ruth Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, the Scottish Rite bodies of
Norfolk, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, which his
father served long and faithfully as secretary. He
is also a member of the Royal Order of Jesters,
the Royal Order of Scotland, the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, the Pyramid Club, the Norfolk
Sports Club, and the Downtown Club of Norfolk.
As an active and interested member of the business
community, he belongs to the Chamber of Com-
merce, and he attends the First Christian Church.

On July 8, 1922, James Cecil Whichard married,
as his first wife, Grace L. Moseley of Norfolk, who
died on March 11, 1936. They were the parents
of one daughter, Frances Moseley, born December
9, 1923. She married Frank G. Odenheimer, III,
and they are the parents of two children: i. James
Whichard. ii. Carolyn Egerton. Mr. Whichard mar-
ried, second, on July 13, 1937, Catherine G. Mc-
Carrick. To their union three children were born:
Catherine, on March 20, 1939; Susan Willis, born
July 31, 1940; and Amanda Ann, born April 24,
194^.

CLAIBORNE R. BRYANT— Associated with
the National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk for
three decades, Claiborne R. Bryant is now a vice
president of that institution and is in charge of

its Virginia Beach Office. His name is associated
with progressive activities in the Virgnia Beach
community, for he served in leadership capacities
for nearly a score of years with the Chamber of
Commerce and for many years was an elder and
deacon of the First Presbyterian Church. He has
also held a variety of posts with civic groups and
is active, as a director or officer, in a half
dozen business enterprises, including the Virginia
Beach Federal Savings and Loan Association,
Bell Road Enterprises, Inc., Paragon Corpora-
tion and Sheridan Corporation.

Mr. Bryant was born on a farm in Isle of
Wight County on November 12, 1908. His parents
were John Dwight and Dora E. (Crumpler) Bry-
ant. The father was born in Southampton County,
the mother in Isle of Wight County. After many
years as a farmer in Isle of Wight County, John
D. Bryant moved to Norfolk. There, until his
retirement, he worked for the Virginia Railroad.
He died on August 21, 1942. His widow resides
in Virginia Beach.

Claiborne R. Bryant spent most of his early
life in Norfolk. Following his attendance at the
public schools in that city, he joined the staff
of the National Bank of Commerce, and has since
graduated from the American Institute of Bank-
ing. He was attached to the head office in Nor-
folk for nine years. On February 15, 1935, he was
transferred to the Virginia Beach office in a cleri-
cal capacity. On March 26, 1952, he was made vice
president. To the duties of this office he has added
those of a directorship in the Virginia Beach Fed-
eral Savings and Loan Association, the secretary-
ship of the Bell Road Enterprises, Inc., and the
vice presidency of the Paragon and Sheridan
corporations.

In 1938 Mr. Bryant was elected to the board
of directors of the Virginia Beach Chamber of
Commerce. He served on the board until he re-
tired in 1956. In 1952 and 1953 lie had served as
vice president and in 1954 as president of the
chamber. In October 1956 he was appointed to
serve on the Advisory Council on Naval Affairs
for activities in his immediate district. He was the
first president of the Virginia Beach Rescue
Squad, holding that office for two years, and
he continues active in the organization. From
1954 to 1956 he was vice president of the
Virginia Beach Parent-Teacher Association. He is
a director of the Virginia Beach Sports Club and
also a member of the Lions Club of Virginia
Beach, the Princess Anne Country Club, the Vir-
ginia State Chamber of Commerce, and various
bodies of the Masonic order, including the Vir-
ginia Beach Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons; Norfolk Chapter No. 1, Royal Arch Ma-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

sons; Grice Commandery Xo. 16, Knights Tem-
plar, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Virginia Beach;
and Princess Anne Shrine Club. He remains an
influential member of the congregation of First
Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach, where for
so long he served on the boards of deacons and
elders. In politics Mr. Bryant is a Republican.
Hunting and golf are his major recreations

Mr. Bryant married Emily Morris Davis in Nor-
folk on February 20, 1932. Mrs. Bryant is the
daughter of Adred Judson and Laura (Morris) Da-
vis, who were born in North Carolina. Mr. Davis
operated a marine shipyard for the repair of hulls
and other marine facilities. He died in 1912, his
widow in 1944. Mrs. Bryant is a teacher in the
Sunday school at the First Presbyterian Church
and a member of the Linkhorn Park Garden Club.
She and her husband have two sons: I. Judson
Dwight, born on April 28, 1942. 2. Stuart Ray,
born on January 16, 1944. The Bryants make their
home at 106 Laurel Lane, Virginia Beach.

BERNARD B. SPIGEL— A noted architect of
Norfolk, Bernard B. Spigel has performed an im-
portant community service through his activities
in the design and construction of structures for
institutional, commercial, church, school and club
use. His talents and achievements have won na-
tional recognition and his work has been marked
by an immense variety, and by mastery of the prin-
ciples of design. Structures which he planned stand
in many localities in Virginia and eastern North
Carolina.

Born March 10, 1895, in Henrico County, Vir-
ginia, Mr. Spigel is a son of Moses and Sarah
(Betaieg) Spigel. His lather was a native of Aus-
tria, and early in his career was engaged in tobacco
planting in Roumania. Marrying there, he came
to \merica shortly afterwards, and located in
Henrico County, Virginia. There he continued as
a tobacco planter for several years. Shortly after
the turn of the century, he moved his family to
Norfolk, where for a time he was a merchant on
Church Street. He later located in Bedford, Vir-
ginia, and at the time of his death was living in
retirement in Norfolk. His wife died in that city
in 1934-

Of the nine children born to his parents, Bernard
B. Spigel is next to the youngest. He graduated
from Maury High School in 1912, ami continued
his education at Carnegie Institute of Technology
for the following four years. There he majored in
architectural engineering. The course of study which
he was taking normally requires live years, but
his professional training was interrupted when this

country entered World War I, and he enlisted in
the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He
served eighteen months with the American Ex-
peditionary Forces in France, and for a time was
attached to the 27th Division. He was honorably
discharged in the spring of 1919 at Camp Dix,
New Jersey, holding at that time the rank of cor-
poral.

Returning to Norfolk, he began his career in
architecture with the Norfolk firm of Neff and
Thompson, and in 1920 left to form his own firm
under the name of Bernard B. Spigel, Architect.

Over a period of thirty-five years, since he es-
tablished his own firm, Mr. Spigel has been recog-
nized as a top-flight architect. Examples of Ins
work are to be seen in many Norfolk buildings
and elsewhere in Virginia and eastern North Caro-
lina. A complete listing of the major public build-
ings whose plans have come from his boards can-
not, of course, be included here. Outstanding among
them are a number of school structures, com-
pleted or in the course of construction, in Norfolk,
Norfolk County, Princess Anne County and else-
where in the state; health centers in Princess Anne,
Brunswick, Greenville and Sussex counties and
the City of Norfolk; shopping centers in Walnut
Hills, Petersburg, Newmarket, Newport News,
Rodman, Portsmouth, Ward's Corner, Norfolk, and
Food Fair at Virginia Beach Boulevard, and a
shopping center located at 31st Street between
Pacific and Arctic avenues, Virginia Beach. He
has designed numerous housing and redevelopment
projects in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Wil-
liamsburg, and Yorktown. He has also designed a
number of army and navy installations in Tide-
water Virginia. He drew the plans for the First
Baptist Church at Williamsburg, the Great Bridge
Lutheran Church, Oceana Air Base Chapel, the
chapel at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Chili, the Commis-
sioned Officers Golf Club, the Chief Petty Officers
Club, the Norfolk Motor Company, Inc. building,
the Colonial Chevrolet Corporation's building, Rice
Fashion Corner, Inc., Smith and Welton building
and many stores and branch bank structures in
the greater Norfolk area. Mr. Spigel has received
national recognition in theater design, and was
selected as one of twenty architects in the nation
to serve on the Linked States Theater Advisory
Board. He designed Loew's State Theater in Eliza-
beth City, North Carolina. During World War
II. Mr. Spigel was very active in the provision
of housing for war workers, for United States Navy
and all emergency housing, giving of his talents
both day and night.

As an architect-member of the Princess Anne
County Planning Commission, Mr. Spigel designed

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the multi-unit administration and cultural center in
Princess Anne. The long-range project calls for
the erection of seven additional buildings. Archi-
tecturally, the new buildings must conform to the
existing colonial-type structures. When the new
courthouse is completed, the old courthouse, por-
tions of which were constructed in r 691 , will
be turned over to the Virginia Historical Society,
for the preservation of historically significant docu-
ments and relics.

Surrounding Mr. Spigel in his well-appointed
offices in the Kresge Building is a staff of capable
and experienced workers, each proficient in his
field of specialization. The organization operates
smoothly and efficiently. Air. Spigel is a member
of the American Institute of Architects, the So-
ciety of American Military Engineers, Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, Hampton Roads Post of
the American Legion, and the Tidewater Anglers
Club, Dudley's Duck Hunting Club, the American
Camellia Society, the Urban Land Institute, Nor-
folk Lodge No. 10 of the Knights of Pythias, and
Ohef Sholom Temple. Mr. Spigel is listed in Who's
Who in the South and Southwest. His favorite
sports are duck hunting, deep-sea fishing and grow-
ing camellias.

By his first marriage, Mr. Spigel is the father
of a daughter, Lucy. She is a graduate of the Col-
lege of William and Mary, holding the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. She married Frederick Herman
of New York, who received his degree of Doctor of
Philosophy from Harvard University and is now
associated with the architectural firm of Bernard
B. Spigel. They are the parents of Bernard Lania
and Lucy Fredericka Herman. Mr. Spigel mar-
ried, second, Enid Wilby, a native of Kentucky.
The family resides on the Lynnhaven River at
London Bridge.

HONORABLE HERMAN WHITE— An at-

torney-at-law who has practiced at South Norfolk
since 1933, the Honorable Herman White has also
served continuously, since 1935, as judge of the
civil and police court of South Norfolk. His at-
tainments have earned him wide respect and ad-
miration, as have his splendid personal qualities
and his thorough devotion to the highest princi-
ples of thinking and living.

Born on a farm at Askewville, near Windsor,
in Bertie County, North Carolina, on January 27,
•895. Judge White is the only child of Kader and
Luritha (Miller) White. Both parents were also
natives of that county. Of Irish origin, the White
family settled in the vicinity of the historic "Eden
House," Bertie County, during the colonial era.
Kader White, who died in 1900 at the age of
thirty-one, was a cotton farmer, and a son of

Jonathan White, planter and Confederate veteran.
Luritha (Miller) White, lived in Bertie County
until December 1912, then moved to South Nor-
folk, Virginia, and died there on March -', 1936.
Of English extraction, she was a daughter of
Jesse Miller, a planter.

Herman White passed his boyhood on the farm
and attended the one-teacher country school near-
by, know as the "Old Cobb School." As his father
died when he was five years old, the responsibili-
ties of farming fell early on his shoulders, and
he managed the home acreage until he was eigh-
teen years old. He then left the farm to enter the
employ of the Greenleaf Johnson Lumber Com-
pany of South Norfolk, and later completed a
business course in the Davis-Wagner Business
College in Norfolk.

At Portsmouth, on July 26, 1917, he enlisted
in Company K, 4th Virginia Infantry, which was
later merged with Machine (lun Company, 116th
Infantry, at Cam]) McClellan, Anniston, Alabama,
and became a part of the 29th Division, for serv-
ice in World War I. As a private, first class, he
served with his unit in the American Expeditionary-
Forces in France, and took part in the Argonne
Forest offensive. He was honorably discharged
at Camp Lee, Virginia, on May 27, 1919.

Returning to South Norfolk, he entered the
employ of the American Agricultural Company,
and for a time sold life insurance. Meantime, he
was preparing himself for his career in law by
studying during the evenings, and taking courses
at the Norfolk College Law School. In 1933 he
graduated there with the degree of Bachelor of
Laws. Admitted to the Virginia bar, he devoted his
full time to his profession, establishing offices in
South Norfolk and engaging in a general practice.
His judgments and hi-~ integrity in private prac-
tice brought him the opportunity for public office,
and an appointment as judge of the trial justice
court by the South Norfolk City Council in 1935.
He was reappointed to successive terms by the
Council until, with the change in the city charter,
he was appointed to his present office of judge
of the civil and police court by Judge Jerry G.
Bray, Jr., of the corporation court. His term
runs until 1959.

With over twenty years' continuous service on
the bench, Judge White has demonstrated a keen
sense of justice and fairmindedness, and has won
more than a local reputation. His duties are wide
and varied, and under his jurisdiction come the
civil court cases, in addition to which he presides
over the police court, traffic court and the juvenile
and domestic relations court. He is a member of
the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association and
the Virginia State Bar.

Active in veteran's affairs, he is a past com-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

mander of Post No. 472, Veterans of Foreign
War-., and is a member of Tidewater Post No.
2163, V. F. \Y., at South Norfolk, serving as
quartermaster. He was formerly a member of
the Civitan Club, and is a member of the lodges
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
the Loyal Order of Moose. He attends the South
Norfolk Baptist Church. The Judge's favorite
sports are baseball and football, and he also is
fond of fishing.

Twice married, he chose as his first wife. Miss
Edna Lee Dobbs of Gadsden, Alabama. They
were married there on September 11, 1920, and
she died at South Norfolk October 9, 1947. They
were the parents of two children: 1. Betty Lou,
who married J. Winston Blanke of Norfolk. 2.
Edna Verrell, who married Bernice Owens of
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, now of Crowns-
ville, Maryland. They are the parents of one son:
Herman Langley Owens. Judge White married,
second, Sarah Elizabeth Snow, who was born in
Bertie County, North Carolina, in a ceremony
taking place at Fox Hall, Norfolk County, on
April -, 1948. She is very active in church work
and is an ordained minister of the Assembly of
God Church, serving as a minister in the First
Assembly of God Church, Suffolk. She has one
son, A. F. Snow, who is in his twenty-first year
with the United States Coast Guard, serving at
the present time at Radio Washington. He and
his wife, Ellie Snow, have one child, Cheryl Snow.

IRVIN REID — After a long and varied career
in banking, Irvin Reid became president of the
Citizens Marine Jefferson Bank of Newport News
in 1950. A native of Elizabeth City, North Caro-
lina, he was born on April 18, 1897, son of
Edmond Chauncey and Mary Elizabeth (Price)
Reid. His parents too w'ere natives of North Caro-
lina, born in Pasquotank County. His father, a
farmer, died in May 1949, and Mrs. Reid sur-
vived him only until October of the following
year.

In public and private schools of Elizabeth City,
Irvin Reid received his early education. He la-
ter took extension courses from the College of
William and Mary, and, in the line with his career
preparation, the course sponsored by the Ameri-
can Bankers Association, at the Graduate School
of Banking at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Graduated in 1939, he is now serving as a mem-
ber of the schools thesis examiners; also recently
appointed by American Bankers Association
President Welman as a member of the school's
Boa. d of Regents.

Mr. Reid began his career, however, as a sales-
man for the Reynolds Tobacco Company. After
several months in this position, he entered the

banking field by joining the staff of the Schmelz
National Bank of Newport News. He remained
with that organization until 1928 w'th the ex-
ception of five months during the World War
period, when he was in military service. From
1928, he was in the investment banking business
in New York City and Washington, D. C, for
somewhat more than two years with the Na-
tional City Company, a subsidiary of the Na-
tional City Bank of New York City

About 1930, he returned to Newport News,
and there became identified with the Morris
Plan Bank of Virginia, remaining on its staff
until 1934. At that time he formed his con-
nection with Citizens Marine Jefferson Bank,
with which he has continued since. He held vari-
ous position^ ot responsibility, including that of
assistant cashier, before becoming president of
the bank in 1950. He has been a member of the
bank's board of directors since 1947.

Mr. Reid is also a director of the Newport
News Cemetery Corporation, and serves on the
board of the Virginia Peninsula Association of
Commerce, and in this organization holds the
position of assistant treasurer. He is also a
member of the Virginia State Chamber of Com-
merce and the United States Chamber of Com-
merce. He is treasurer and a member of the
board of the Peninsular Industrial Committee.
Mr. Reid served in 1957 as chairman of the
United Community Fund for the Newport News-
Warwick Hampton area. As a banker, he is a
member of the American Bankers Association,
and formerly served as chairman of Group No.
1 of the Virginia Bankers Association; also a
member of Virginia Bankers Association Board
of Directors. Mr. Reid is a member of the
Board of Managers of Riverside Hospital also
it's secretary and treasurer. He is a member
and past president of the Rotary Club, on the
Board of Tidewater American Automobile Asso-
ciation and has served on the board of trustees
of Newport News Lodge No. 315, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. He is also affiliated
with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
being a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 278;
the consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scot-
tish Rite at Newport News; and Khedive Tem-
ple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mys-
tic Shrine. His other memberships include the
Propeller Club, the James River Country Club,
tiie Golden Horseshoe Club at Williamsburg,
Virginia, and American Legion Post No 25. His
favorite sport is golf. Mr. Reid is an Episcopa-
lian, attends Saint Paul's Church, and formerly
served on its vestry.

On January 17, 1924, at Newport News, Irvin
Reid married a resident of that city, Miss Sarah

LOWER TIDI AYATFR VIRGINIA

I'ardy, who is a daughter of George T. and
Ida Car, dine il'orter) Hardy. Both of her parents
are deceased.

WILSON JENKINS BROWNING— As foun-
der and owner of W. J. Browning Company, with
offices in the Royster Building in Norfolk, Wil-
son Jenkins Browning heads one of the region's
outstanding coal and shipping agencies. As a busi-
ness and civic leader, he has been influential in the
affairs of Norfolk and Tidewater Virginia for over
thirty years. After varied experience in early
youth, he entered the export coal field, in which
he was well established when his firm was founded.
This background, knowledge and managerial abili-
ty have won the organization its place of leader-
ship in the shipping and export trade.

A native of the Faucett Community in Halifax
County, North Carolina, Mr. Browning was born
on June 3, 1906, son of William Levi and Carrie
f Jenkins) Browning. His parents were both na-
tives of North Carolina, and spent their lives in
Halifax County, where William L. Browning de-
voted himself to farming. Wilson J. Browning
attended a three-teacher country school in his
native community until he was fourteen, then left
home to seek his career. He first took a position
with the Roanoke Rapids Power Company as a
laborer on the construction of the first power line
extending from Roanoke Rapids to Weldon. After
several months on this project, he joined the staff
of the E. B. Glover Funeral Home in Roanoke
Rapids.

In January 1924, he was attracted to railroad
work, and until September 1926, was employed by
the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, beginning as an
office boy and becoming a way-bill clerk. At the
end of this period, he joined the Raleigh Smoke-
less Fuel Company. This was his first connection
in the field which has been his vocation. He re-
mained with the firm until November 1927, after
which he joined the Wyatt Coal Sales Company
of Newport News, which firm later moved its
offices to Norfolk. There Mr. Browning became
manager of the firm, with his headquarters in that
city.

During the World War II period, his services
were loaned to the United States War Shipping
Administration, for which he directed statistical
work in Norfolk, of value in the war effort. At
the same time he continued to direct operations
of the Wyatt Coal Sales Company. Following the
war he devoted himself exclusively to the manage-
ment of the firm until it was liquidated in 1054-
He had meantime become an outstanding figure
in export coal and shipping circles, and in 1946
put his broad experience to good use by founding
the W. J. Browning Company of Norfolk, of

which he is sole owner and manager. The firm is
active not only as coal and shipping agents, but
as a charterers representatives and owners agency.
The founder has built up his organization to a
position of leadership in its field, and it has be-
come an important factor in the economic life of
the ports of Greater Hampton Roads and Lower
Tidewater.

A member of the Hampton Roads. Wholesale
Coal Association, Mr. Browning served as its
president in 1938- 1939. He is also a member of the
Hampton Roads Maritime Association, and serves
on its committee on port charges and customs.
He is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, the Lions Club and other civic groups, and
has been an active supporter of the Community
Chest and the American Red Cross fund-raising
campaigns, as well as of other programs for civic
betterment. He is a communicant of the Ghent
Methodist Church, and was formerly president of
its Men's Bible class. He is a member of Owens
Lodge No. 164, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in Norfolk.

At Newport News, on December 3, 1935, Wilson
Jenkins Browning married Mary Rose of Elberton,
Georgia. They are the parents of two children: I.
Mary Katharine, horn June 8, 1938. She is a stu-
dent at Longwood College, Farmville. 2. Wilson
Jenkins, Jr., born May 29, 1942; now attending
Blair Junior High School in Norfolk. The family
resides at 6000 Wcstwood Terrace, Norfolk.

MACIE V. MARLOWE— An Air Force veteran
of World War II, Macie V. Marlowe is now en-
gaged in the practice of law in Norfolk. He is active
in professional organizations and in civic and vet-
erans affairs. His office is in Suite 417, Board of
Trade Building.

Born in Richmond on July 25, 1921, he is the
son of the late Macie V. and Blanche Mae (Jones)
Marlowe. Both bis parents were also natives of
the capital. The attorney began his preliminary
education in Richmond and completed it in Nor-
folk. Graduated from Dunlap High School in 1939.
he spent the next three years at the College of
William and Mary. Before he had an opportunity
to take his preprofessional degree, he withdrew
from the college to enlist in the United States
Arm)- Air Forces, and he served from February
1942 to January 1947, most of that time in the
European Theater of Operations.

Upon his separation from the service, Mr. Mar-
lowe resumed his education at the College of Wil-
liam and Mary. In 1948, he was awarded the degree
of Bachelor of Arts and in 1950 that of Bachelor
of Laws. Upon his admission to practice as a

102

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

member of the Virginia State Bar that year, he
became an associate of Louis B. Fine, the Norfolk
lawyer and business man. They were engaged in
practice together for two and one-half years. At
the end of that period Mr. Marlowe established an
independent practice, with offices of his own. He
is a member of the American, Norfolk and Ports-
mouth and the Virginia State bar associations. He
also belongs to the William and Mary Alumni As-
sociation, American Legion, Norfolk Junior Cham-
ber of Commerce, The Waltonians of the Izaak
Walton League of America and the Norfolk Lodge
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
He worships in St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Nor-
folk and is a Democrat. Fishing and golf are his
chief diversions.

Mr. Marlowe married Catherine Woolard in Nor-
folk on July 25, 1955. Mr. Marlowe is the father
of two children: 1. Susan Elizabeth. 2. Macie V.,
Jr. Their home is at 1553 West 50th St., Norfolk.

CYRUS WILEY GRANDY— When in 1037 the
late Cyrus Wiley Grandy was awarded the Distin-
guished Service Medal as the City of Norfolk's
"first citizen," public recognition was given to a
man who for many years had served his native
community in numerous valuable ways. He was
an investment banker active in a variety of other
financial and commercial institutions of the city
and a leader in health and welfare and cultural
activities and in municipal beautification endeavors.
His interests cut across every phase of life in the
Lower Tidewater and he won widespread respect
and affection.

Cyrus Wiley Grandy, the third of his name, was
born in Norfolk on December 5, 1878, the son of
Cyrus Wiley and Mary (Selden) Grandy. He com-
pleted his education at the University of Virginia
in 1902, and then went to Wall Street, in New
York City, to join the staff of Moffat and White,
brokers. He remained there until 1905, when he
returned to Norfolk. After that he was engaged
in the cotton and investment banking business, as
well as other commercial endeavors, the rest of
his life.

Mr. Grandy was president of C. W. Grandy and
Sons, Inc., cotton brokers; director and vice presi-
dent of the National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk;
director and secretary of Lamberts Point Docks,
Inc.; director and member of the executive com-
mittee of Priddy and Company, fertilizer manu-
facturers, and a director of the Mutual Assurance
Society of Virginia.

As a community leader, Mr. Grandy served as
president of the Norfolk Association of Commerce;
chairman of the Norfolk Chapter, American Na-

tional Red Cross; vice chairman of the Norfolk
Redevelopment and Housing Authority; president
and a director of the Norfolk Community Chest;
president of the Norfolk Orchestral Association;
president of the Howard Association; member of
the executive committees of the Navy Young
Men's Christian Association of Norfolk and the
Norfolk United Service Organizations; president
of the Mary F. Ballentine Home for the Aged; di-
rector of Jackson Field Home; president of the
Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences and the Nor-
folk Academy; and member of the Norfolk Plan-
ning Commission. He also belonged to the Vir-
ginia Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of
Commerce of the United States, the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, the Princess Anne Country
Club, the Virginia Club, the Colonnade Club of
Charlottesville, and the St. Anthony Club of New
York City. His death occurred on May 21, 1955.
Cyrus Wiley Grandy married Mary Carter Ran-
dolph in Millwood, Virginia, on February 18, 1914.
They became the parents of three children: 1. Mary
Carter, now Mrs. Hartwell H. Gary, Jr., of Lynch-
burg. 2. Caroline Selden, now Mrs. S. Heth Tyler,
Jr., of Norfolk. 3. Cyrus Wiley, IV, who was born
in Norfolk on March 22, 1920. He is the subject
of the biography that follows.

CYRUS WILEY GRANDY, IV— A member of
one of the illustrious families of the Tidewater,
Cyrus Wiley Grandy, IV, has been maintaining
the family's contribution to economic, civic and
cultural development of the region, particularly in
Norfolk and Portsmouth. He is an officer or di-
rector in three business organizations, the Invest-
ment Corporation of Norfolk, Portsmouth Radio
Corporation and Mutual Assurance Society of Vir-
ginia, and maintains his headquarters with the first
named in the Selden Arcade, Norfolk. He is a
director of six organizations in the health and wel-
fare field, two of which he also serves as treasurer.

Air. Grandy was born in Norfolk on March 22,
1920, the son of Cyrus Wiley and Mary Carter
(Randolph) Grandy. C. Wiley Grandy, IV, as
he prefers to be known, was educated at the Nor-
folk Academy, Episcopal High School of Alexandria
and the University of Virginia.

In 1941 he joined the staff of the National Bank
of Commerce in Norfolk. The following year, how-
ever, the nation having entered World War II,
he was appointed a member of the Office of Stra-
tegic Services and for the next three years served
in Washington, D. C, and New York City. In
1945, he joined the Investment Corporation of
Norfolk, later becoming vice president and secre-
tary. He has discharged the duties of these offices
since then. He is assistant secretarv of the Ports-

9lf<f^^4~

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

10-,

mouth Radio Corporation and a director of the
Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, which main-
tains its home office in Richmond.

fn the fields of education, health, welfare and
cultural advancement, Mr. Grandy is a trustee and
treasurer of the Norfolk Academy and the Nor-
folk Museum of Arts and Sciences and a director
of the Mary F. Ballentine Home, Norfolk Com-
munity Fund, the Virginia Division of the American
Cancer Society and the Norfolk General Hospital.
He is a former vestryman at Christ and St. Luke's
Protestant Episcopal Church of Norfolk and is a
member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
Princess Anne Country Club, Virginia Club, and
the Norfolk German Club.

On November 13, 1943, in Washington, D. C,
Mr. Grandy married Ann Sterrett, daughter of the
Reverend Henry Hatch Dent and Helen (Black)
Sterrett. They are the parents of three children: 1.
Carter Randolph, born on October 27, 1944. 2.
Cyrus Wiley, V, born on June 12, 11)4(1. 3. Hatch
Dent Sterrett, born on April 24, 1950. Mr. and
Mrs. Grandy and their children make their home
at 1421 West Princess Anne Road, Norfolk.

WILLIAM POWHATAN HUNT— Since 1942
William Powhatan Hunt of Hampton has been
a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisher-
ies Commission and since 1954 of the Adminis-
trative Board of the Virginia Biological Labora-
tory. Behind these appointments, all made by
Governors of Virginia, lies Air. Hunt's leader-
ship in such industries as the nil, fishing, fuel,
and marine transportation and his alert, active
interest in progress and in the welfare not only
of the Lower Tidewater but the entire state.
Mr. Hunt's principal business is the Hunt Oil
Company, a distributor for the Sinclair Refin-
ing Company, with headquarters in Hampton.
But he is also interested, as officer or partner,
in the Peninsula Oil Company, Inc., Hunt Crab-
meal Company, W. P. Hunt Company, Hunt
Fuel Corporation, and the Pennant Oil Corpora-
tion and, as a director, in the Merchants National
Bank of Hampton.

He was born in York County on January 25,
1907, the son of Powhatan King and Mary Eliza-
beth (Freeman) Hunt. His father, a leading fig-
ure in the seafood wholesale and retail trade,
was born in that county on April 20, 1874; the
mother was born in the same county on Januarv
15. 1879, and died in Hampton on August 20,
1938. Powhatan K. Hunt has operated in the
seafood business under the name of P. K. Hunt
and Sons since 191 1.

William P. Hunt began his education in the
public schools of York County. When the family

moved to Hampton he transferred to the schools
of that community and in 1927 was graduated
from the Hampton High School. For about one
year after receiving his diploma, he worked for
his father. In 1929 he and a brother, Everett
Freeman Hunt established the Hunt Oil Com-
pany as a partnership. In 1949 the brother died.
Since then William P. Hunt has operated the
business alone. This Sinclair distributorship, with
headquarters at the foot of Ivy Home Road in
Hampton, employs nine persons. He participated
in the founding of the other companies, being
secretary and treasurer of the Peninsula Oil Com-
pany. Inc., founded in 1934; secretary and treas-
urer of the Hunt Fuel Corporation, founded in
1949; secretary and treasurer of the Pennant Oil
Corporation, founded in 1053; and partner in the
Hunt Crabmeal Company, founded in 1938, and
W. P. Hunt Company, a marine transportation
business, founded in 1939. He has been a direc-
tor of the Merchants National Bank of Hampton
for many years.

Mr. Hunt, an active Democrat, was first ap-
pointed as a representative from the Common-
wealth on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission by Governor Darden in 1942. Each
successive Governor has reappointed him. It was
Governor Stanley who, in 1954, appointed him
to the Administrative Board of the Virginia Bio-
logical Laboratory. He is a member, also, of the
Kiwanis Club of Hampton, the Hampton Ger-
man Club, the James River Country Club, Hamp-
ton Yacht Club, and Downtown Club of Rich-
mond. With his family he worships in the First
Presbyterian Church of Hampton. Boating and
Fishing are his favorite sports

On November 21. 11)31, in Hampton, Mr. Hunt
married Elizabeth Britt Miller, a native of that
city and daughter of Colonel Albert Sanford and
Elizabeth Britt (Brown) Miller. Colonel Miller
died on April 2, 195(1: his widow survives him.
Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have two children: 1. William
Powhatan, Jr., born on December 30, 1942. 2.
Katherine Conover, born on April 13, 1946.

FRED L. HART — After early experience in
newspaper work and drug store management, Fred
L. Hart of Suffolk came into prominence in the
lower Tidewater's broadcasting industry as exe-
cutive head of Station WLPM. His broad inter-
ests include directorship of a North Carolina
broadcasting corporation and of a local bank as
well.

Born at Suffolk on March 25, 1909, he is a son
of Fred L., Sr., and Hannah (Dawson) Hart. His
father, who built up the Nansemond Drug Com-
pany, died in 1934, but Mrs. Hart is still living.
Their son attended the public schools of Suffolk,

io4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

graduated from high school there in 1927, and
for two years was a student at Virginia Military
Institute. He began his business career on the
staff of the Norfolk newspaper, "Virginian-Pilot,"
but left two years later to succeed his father in
the presidency of the Nansemond Drug Company
in Suffolk. The elder Fred Hart had founded the
firm, and headed it until his retirement. The son
continued to manage it successfully until 1940;
but feeling that this was not the field to which he
cared to devote his career, sold the firm to other
interests in that year.

Meantime, in 1938, he had organized the Suffolk
Broadcasting Corporation, which began operating
its radio station with the call letters WLPM, on
1450 kilocycles. The station has become known
as "The Voice of the World's Largest Peanut
Market.'' The transmitter and executive offices
are located in the Radio Building, on Highway
460 near Suffolk. Mr. Hart has been president of
the corporation, and general manager of the
station, since it was founded.

His other business interests include director-
ship of the Kinston Broadcasting Company of
Kinston, North Carolina, and directorship of the
New Hanover Broadcasting Company of Wilming-
ton in that state, of which he is also the vice
president. He serves on the board of the National
Bank of Suffolk.

In past years, Mr. Hart has served as president
of the Retail Merchants Association, and of the
local Chamber of Commerce. He is also a past
president of the Rotary Club of Suffolk, and is
a member of the lodge of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. He and his family
attend Main Street Methodist Church.

At Suffolk, on November 30, 1940, Fred L.
Hart married Margaret Simpson of Elizabeth City,
North Carolina. The couple are the parents of
one son, Fred L., 3rd, who was born on May
24, 1944.

PHILIP ELLIS FRANKFORT of Franklin be-
gan his career with the Camp Manufacturing Com-
pany, and, with the exception of the time he
spent in the Air Corps in World War II, he has
been with that firm since. He advanced to the
vice presidency and also served on the board of
directors of that corporation until its recent merger
with Union Bag Corporation. He has continued
with the merged organization to date. He is inter-
ested in civic work and serves on the local hos-
pital board.

Born at Franklin on May 25, 1919, he is a
son of Harry McQuade and Elise (Ellis) Frank-
fort. His father, who was a salesman, died in 1953,
but his mother is still living. Attending the public
schools of his native city, Philip E. Frankfort

graduated from high school there in 1936. He then
entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he
received the degree of Bachelor of Science in In-
dustrial Engineering in 1940.

As mentioned above, Mr. Frankfort's career be-
gan when he joined the Camp Manufacturing
Company at Franklin. This was on his graduation
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He left not
long afterwards to enlist for wartime service in the
United States Army Air Corps, in which he was
commissioned a captain. He spent ten months in
the European theater and was separated from the
service in October 1945.

Rejoining Camp Manufacturing Company, he
advanced to positions of executive responsibility
in the years following the war and in March 1956,
was named vice president in charge of the firm's
lumber and woodlands division. He was also a
director.

A Rotarian, Mr. Frankfort is past president of
his club, and he is a member of the board of the
Raiford Memorial Hospital and a member of the
Franklin Town Planning Commission. He is a
member of Cypress Cove Country Club, and his
favorite sport is golf. Attending the Methodist
Church, he serves his congregation as a steward.

In his home city of Franklin, on March 1,
1941, Philip E. Frankfort married Otys Rae Har-
grave, daughter of B. V. and Lillian (Slade) Har-
grave. Both of her parents are living. Mr. and
Mrs. Frankfort are the parents of four children:
I. Courtney Stewart, who was born on January
1, 1942. 2. Margaret Ellis, born July 15, 1943. 3.
and 4. Philip Rae and Ellis McQuade, twins, who
where born April 16, 1948.

WALTER C. SHORTER— Returning from
World War II service as a colonel in the army,
Walter C. Shorter devoted himself to industrial
pursuits at Franklin. He is now vice president
and general sales manager of the Union Bag-Camp
Paper Corporation, is vice president and director
in the Stocker Manufacturing Company in New
Jersey, and serves on the boards of several
Chicago firms.

A native of Callands, in Pittsylvania County,
Virginia, he was born on August 16 1902, son of
Charles Booker and Olivia (Wyatt) Shorter. He
completed his secondary studies at Whitemell
High School, Whitemell, Virginia, where he grad-
uated in 1919. In that year he entered Virginia
Military Institute. He was in the Reserve Officers
Training Corps while a student there, and he
graduated with honors in 1923 with the degree
of Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.
During 1923.1924 he served as tactical officer at
the Institute, and held the rank of second lieu-
tenant in the Officers Reserve Corps. He remain-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

105

ed in the Reserves until 1942 when he was called
to active duty.

Meantime, in 1924, he began his career in in-
dustry as chief chemist with the Columbian Paper
Company at Buena Vista, Virginia. The following
year he left to join International Paper Company
of New York City, as sales manager in its Spe-
cialties Division. He continued to reside in that
city, and to serve in that position, until he re-
turned to active military service in 1942.

When recalled to duty on February 24 of that
year, he was commissioned a major in the Field
Artillery, and for a time served as chief of the
War Production Board and Office of Price Ad-
ministration Liaison and Industry Service Sec-
tions Purchases Branch of the War Department.
He was sent to London in June as a lieutenant
colonel in the Field Artillery, and served as liai-
son officer between the General Purchasing Office
of the United States and the British War Office.
In October 1942, he became chief of the Supply
Branch, G-4, with the Headquarters, S.O.S., of
the United States Army at Cheltenham, England,
holding the rank of colonel. In June 1943, he was
named deputy general purchasing agent for the
United States Army in the European Theater of
Operations, being in charge of the offices in Lon-
don and the Iberian Peninsula. From April
through May 1945, he was stationed in the Pen-
tagon Building in Washington. At present, Walter
C. Shorter hoids the rank of Colonel, Field Artil-
lery (Inactive), in the Officers Reserve Corps.
He was awarded the Bronze Star, and the Order
of the British Empire, Military, for his wartime
achievements, and the Military Cross of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy has also been con-
ferred on him.

While still in civilian life, Mr. Shorter served
the War Production Board as a do!lar-a-year
man, in liaison work, as deputy director of the
Paper Branch, as chief of the Containers Branch,
and finally as assistant director of Industry
Branches supervising lumber and building mate-
rials, plumbing and heating, medical supplies,
technical equipment and containers branches of
the War Production Board. He was with the
War Production Board from 1940 to 1942.

After returning from the war, Mr. Shorter
settled in Franklin, where he was vice president
and director of the Camp Manufacturing Com-
pany, until May 7, 1958, when he became vice
president and general sales manager of the Union
Bag-Camp Paper Corporation of New York City.
He is also vice president and director of Stocker
Manufacturing Company of Netcong, New Jersey,
and a director of the United Wallpaper Company,
Newberry Realty Company, and Trims, Inc., all
of Chicago, Illinois. He is president of Kraft

Paper Manufacturers Export Association, and
president of Kraft Paper Association, Inc., both
of New York.

Mr. Shorter's career has also included teach-
ing experience. During 1923-1924 he was assistant
professor of mathematics at Virginia Military
Institute, and from 1926 to 1928, instructed in
mathematics at evening sessions of the College of
the City of New York.

He is a member of the Commonwealth Club of
Richmond, the Golden Horseshoe of Williams-
burg, the Union League Club of New York, the
American Club of London, England, Sleepy Hol-
low Country Club of Scarborough-on-Hudson, New
York, Cavalier Club of Virginia Beach, Cypress
Cove Country Club of Franklin, and Stockbridge
Golf Club of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He is
affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons, and is a member of the Ruritans and the Ro-
tary, Virginians Society of New York, V. M. I.
Club of New York, Army Ordnance Association
of Washington, D. C, The Quartermaster Associ-
ation of that city, the Military Order of Foreign
Wars, the Fellowship of U. S. -British Comrades,
and the Salesmen's Association of the Paper In-
dustry. He is a Baptist in his religious faith.

At Joliet, Illinois, on May 20, 1931, Walter C.
Shorter married Mrs. Evelyn Noska Douglass,
daughter of George A. and Margaret (Peasley)
Noska. He has a son, Walter Wyatt Shorter, and
a daughter, Margaret Ann Shorter; also a step-
son, Leon Forest Douglass, 3rd.

HUGH LARRABEE DOUGHERTY— The

president of The Atlantic Permanent Building and
Loan Assiciation, Inc., of Norfolk, Hugh Larra-
bee Dougherty is also prominent in a number of
other business and civic connections, including the
vice presidency of the Peoples Insurance Agency,
and directorship of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce.

He was born in Norfolk on February 13, 1899,
son of William Brewer and Bessie (Gibbs) Dough-
erty. His father, who died at Norfolk in 1942, was
for more than half a century closely associated
with the banking and business affairs of that city.
In 1894 he was one of the founders of The At-
lantic Permanent Building and Loan Association,
and continued as an executive officer and director
throughout the years. He was president at the
time of his death. He was also an officer and di-
rector of the old Peoples Bank and Trust Com-
pany, which later merged with the Seaboard Citi-
zens National Bank of Norfolk; and of the Peoples
Insurance Agency, Inc., of Berkley and Norfolk.
His wife, the former Bessie Gibbs, died in 1944.

Hugh L. Dougherty attended the local schools of
Norfolk and graduated from Maury High School

io6

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

in 1917. He then took a business course at East-
man Business College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
In 1018 he began his career with the Peoples In-
surance Agency, Inc., and the Peoples Bank and
Trust Company of Norfolk.

In 1928 he was elected to the board of directors
of the Atlantic Permanent Building and Loan As-
sociation, and since 1946 has been an executive
officer, serving as executive vice president until
his election to the presidency in 1953. As one of
the oldest financial institutions in Norfolk, founded
in 1894, the Association enjoyed a steady growth
from the start, and lias met thrift and home-loan
requirements which have increased apace with the
growth of the Greater Norfolk area. With a his-
tory now covering- a period of over threescore
years, it has provided millions of dollars yearly
in loans secured by first liens to carefully selected
local borrowers. Over the years, the Association
has made it possible for many thousands of fami-
lies in the Norfolk area to become home owners,
and has helped additional thousands to enjoy the
rewards of thrift. As one of the strong financial
institutions of the Greater Norfolk area, it listed
assets of over sixteen and one-half million dol-
lars at the close of business, November 30, 1056.
On that date the one hundred and twenty-fourth
consecutive dividend was paid to members. The
Association is a member of the Federal Savings
and Loan Insurance Corporation and the Federal
Home Loan Bank System. Besides Mr. Dougherty,
officers are J. H. Costenbader, chairman of the
board; R. W. Porter, vice president; W. G. Brink-
ley, secretary-treasurer; Jerry M. Fleming, assist-
ant secretary; J. Paul Smith, assistant treasurer.

In addition to the beautiful modern home office
building at 740 Boush Street, occupied in Decem-
ber 1954, The Atlantic Permanent Building and
Loan Association has a branch office at 123 West
Berkley Avenue; and a site for a future branch
has been acquired at Little Creek Road and Tide-
water Drive, Norfolk.

In addition to his responsibilities as president
of this financial firm. Hugh L. Dougherty is vice
president of the Peoples Insurance Agency, Inc.,
of Norfolk. The Association is a member of the
Virginia Building, Savings and Loan League, and
he is a past director of the United States Savings
and Loan League.

Active in civic and community affairs, he is a
member and past president of the Lions Club of
Norfolk; serves on the board of directors of the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce; and is a member
of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and the
Princess Anne Country Club. A member of Doric
Lodge No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
he also belongs to other Masonic bodies, including
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles

of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the
Ghent Methodist Church of Norfolk and is past
chairman of the Official Board there. As a veteran
of military service, he is a member of American
Legion Post No. 35.

His military record goes back to 1926, when he
became a member of the Virginia National Guard.
As captain in the tilth Field Artillery, a com-
ponent of the 29th Division, he served in the
European theater during World War II. At the
time of his separation from the service, at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, in February 1946, he held
the rank of colonel.

On October 29, 1924, at Norfolk, Hugh L.
Dougherty married Miss Effie Griffin, daughter
of the late Arthur L. and Effie Ola (Taylor) Grif-
fin of that city. Mrs. Griffin lives in Norfolk. Mr.
and Mrs. Dougherty are the parents of two child-
ren: I. Hugh L., Jr., born April 15, 1932. He
graduated from Virginia Military Institute with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering,
and is now serving as a lieutenant in the United
States Marine Corps overseas. 2. Effie Lee, born
June 29, 1935. She is now a student at Eastman
School of Music, Rochester, New York. The fami-
ly's home is at Windsor Point, Norfolk.

THOMAS HENRY BIRDSONG— Having

made his way to the front rank of Suffolk indus-
trialists, as owner of the firm which bears his
name and an executive of other organizations, the
late Thomas Henry Birdsong was chosen by his
fellow citizens for the responsible posts of city
councilman and mayor. He was a native of the
area, and was born on August 22, 1867, son of
Sidney A. and Georgiana (Hall) Birdsong of Isle
of Wight County.

Attending local schools, Mr. Birdsong complet-
ed his formal education at private school, and
early in his career entered the peanut industry.
He formed his own organization, T. H. Birdsong
and Company, of Courtland, in 191 1, and dealt
not only in peanuts but in cotton and farm supplies.
In addition to his major business connection, he
was part owner of the Holland Supply Company
of Holland, Adams Grove Supply Company of
Adams Grove, and had other interests in Court-
land and Emporia. He was one of the organizers,
and an officer, of the National Bank of Suffolk.

Mr. Birdsong's wide knowledge of the peanut
industry, and his popularity among the ranks of his
colleagues, led to his election as president of the
Virginia Cooperative Peanut Association. He act-
ed as manager of its affairs. He was well and
favorably known by peanut growers throughout a
wide area of Virginia and the Carolinas.

He was first called to the service of his city of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

107

Suffolk by petition, when the nonpartisan city-
manager form of government was adopted. He
served on the city council from the time it was
formed until two years before his death. This was
a total of twelve years. On the death of Mayor
J. H. Macleary, Mr. Birdsong was chosen the
city's chief executive. He held that office for eight
years.

Active in the civic and organizational life of
his city, T. H. Birdsong, Sr., was a charter mem-
ber of the Suffolk Rotary Club, and was an earnest
worker for the American Red Cross and other
charitable groups. He was a communicant of Main
Street Methodist Church.

On April 15, 1895, Thomas Henry Birdsong
married Miss Martha McLemore of Southampton,
daughter of B. F. and Rose (Westbrook) McLe-
more, and sister of Judge James L. McLemore.
The couple became the parents of five sons: I.
Thomas Henry, Jr., who was born on May 6,
1898. 2. William McLemore, born on March 20,
1900. 3. Hall Franklin, born on October 5, 1902.
4. Harvard Russell, born April 7, 1909. 5. McLe-
more, born on December 12, 191 1. The sons are
subjects of ensuing separate biographical sketches.

The death of the industrialist, municipal and civic
leader occurred on October 5, 1933.

THOMAS HENRY BIRDSONG, JR.— From
the early years of his career, Thomas Henry Bird-
song, Jr., has been active in those business inter-
ests so long and prominently identified with his
family — dealing in farm supplies, cotton and pea-
nuts. He is vice president and assistant secretary-
treasurer of T. H. Birdsong and Company, an
executive of Birdsong Storage Company, Inc., and
an official of other corporations. He has headed
his city's Planning Board for a number of years.

Born in Courtland, Virginia, on May 6, 1898,
he is a son of Thomas Henry, Sr., and Martha
(McLemore) Birdsong. His father, the subject of
an accompanying sketch, headed T. H. Birdsong
and Company, which was founded in 191 1. From
this original firm developed the dealership in farm
supplies, and the transactions in cotton and pea-
nuts, in which the Birdsongs have assumed leader-
ship. The younger T. H. Birdsong attended the
public schools in Courtland, and graduated from
Suffolk High School in 1916. He then entered
Randolph-Macon College, where he completed his
courses in 1920. Despite the fact that he had
completed his college studies in the conventional
four years, he had taken time out from his studies
to serve in the LTnited States Army at the time of
World War I.

When he finished college in 1920, he immedi-
ately joined the firm of T. H. Birdsong and Com-

pany, then headed by his father. In the course of
his connection with the organization, the company
has operated a peanut mill at Courtland, but this
burned down in 1938. The following year, the
erection of the present mill at Suffolk was begun.
Located on Factory Street, it is the center of
the firm's processing operations at the present
time. The processing and wholesaling of peanuts
is carried on by the Birdsong Storage Company.
It employs over two hundred people, and its of-
ficers are Harvard R. Birdsong, president; H. F.
Birdsong, vice president; W. M. Birdsong, sec-
retary-treasurer and T. H. Birdsong, Jr., president
and assistant secretary-treasurer.

In addition to his executive connections with
the Birdsong interests, T. H. Birdsong, Jr., is a
director of the Old Dominion Peanut Corporation,
Pretlow Peanut Company, Inc., and Albemarle
Peanut Company, Inc. In 1950 he served as presi-
dent of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. He has
been a loyal and effective worker on the Suffolk
Planning Board, of which he has served as chair-
man for a number of years.

One of Mr. Birdsong's foremost community in-
terests is scouting. He is a member of the National
Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and also
serves on the board for Region No. 3, whose
jurisdiction covers several southern states. He has
also been a devoted worker for the Methodist
Church, serving on its board of stewards and as
superintendent of its Sunday school. He is a mem-
ber of Courtland Lodge No. 85, Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, in Southampton, the Lions Club,
Princess Anne Country Club at Virginia Beach,
and Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.

At Benns Church in Isle of Wight County, on
January 3, 1923, Thomas Henry Birdsong, Jr.,
married Virginia Wishart of that county, daugh-
ter of A. Thurston and Margaret (Chapman)
Wishart. The couple are the parents of one son:
Thomas H., 3rd, who was born on February 14,
1927. He received his degree of Bachelor of Arts
at Randolph-Macon College in 1950, and married
Annette Jones of Suffolk. They have two children:
i. Thomas H., 4th. ii. Virginia Corinne.

WILLIAM McLEMORE BIRDSONG is a.

lawyer by training, and he has brought his profes-
sional knowledge and managerial abilities into the
service of the Birdsong industrial interests. Primary
among these is the Birdsong Storage Company,
Inc., of which he is secretary and treasurer. He
serves on the boards of a number of other corpora-
tions, and he has also held public office.

Born March 29, 1900, at Courtland in Southamp-
ton County, he is a son of Thomas Henry, Sr.,
and Martha (McLemore) Birdsong. He attended

IOc

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the public schools of his native city and Suffolk,
and graduated from Suffolk High School in 1918.
For his advanced studies, he entered Randolph-
Macon College, where he was enrolled for two
years, and in 1920 transferred to the University
of Virginia. He remained to receive both his Bach-
elor of Science and his Bachelor of Law* degrees
there, graduating in 1925.

Prior to his college studies, Air. Birdsong had
entered the United States Army for World War I
service. Assigned to the infantry, he attended the
Officers Training School at Camp Lee, Virginia.

After he left the University of Virginia, he was
admitted to the state bar, in 1925, and practiced
.it Suffolk until 11143. In that year he assumed the
office* of secretary and treasurer of Birdsong
Storage Company. Besides his connection with
this firm, he serves on the boards of directors
of the American Cold Storage Corporation, Old
Dominion Peanut Corporation, Pretlow Peanut
Company. Inc., Albemarle Peanut Company, Inc.,
National Screen Company, Inc., and the National
Bank of Suffolk.

For a number of years while he was practicing
as a lawyer, William M. Birdsong served as assist-
ant Commonwealth attorney of Nansemond Coun-
ty. For several years he was city attorney of Suf-
folk. He is a member and past president of that
city's Chamber of Commerce, a member of the
Rotary Club, and of the Princess Anne Country
Club of Virginia Beach and Elizabeth Manor
Country and Golf Club at Portsmouth. A com-
municant of the Methodist Church, he has served
as chairman of its board of stewards. His fratern-
ities are Phi Delta Phi, legal, and Phi Kappa
Sigma.

At the University Chapel in Charlottesville, on
November 5, 1932, William McLemore Birdsong
married Mabel Yancey Brooking, daughter of E.
L. and Mabel (Fitzpatrick) Brooking of Chat-
tanooga, Tenneseee. The couple are the parents
of three sons: t. William M., Jr., born on January
5, 1934. 2. Cabell Brooking, born September 4.
io35- 3 George Yancey, born November S, 1939.

HALL FRANKLIN BIRDSONG— Identified
with the Birdsong Storage Company at Suffolk
for the past decade and a half. Hall Franklin
Birdsong now holds the office of vice president
of the corporation. He has other corporate in-
terests as well, and has served as city councilman.

Like the other brothers identified with the man-
agement of this long-established family organiza-
tion, he is a native of Courtland, and was born
on October 5, 1902, son of Thomas H., Sr., and
Martha ( McLemore) Birdsong. His father and
brothers have biographical sketches in this work.

Hall F. Birdsong completed his public school
studies at Suffolk, graduating from high school
there in 1921. He went to Randolph-Macon Col-
lege for his advanced studies, and received his
degree of Bachelor of Arts there in 1925.

Mr. Birdsong began his career with the firm of
T. H. Birdsong and Company in Courtland, his
father's organization, which had been established
in 1891. After a year with the company, he moved
to Emporia, Virginia, and for thirteen years served
as manager of the Adams Grove Supply Company
there.

In 1940 he came to Suffolk, and became a part-
ner in the Birdsong Storage Company, a major
operator in the peanut industry, in a city in which
the storage, processing and distribution of this
product has great economic significance. When
the company was incorporated, he became vice
president, and has since served in that capacity.

He is also a leader in the banking field, serving
as president of the Old Dominion Investors Trust.
Inc., of Suffolk. He is a director of the Old Do-
minion Peanut Corporation, the Pretlow Peanut
Company, Inc., and the Albemarle Peanut Com-
pany, Inc.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Birdsong has
served two terms on the Suffolk City Council, his
tenure covering the years from 1948 to 1935. He
was president of the local Rotary Club for the 1956-
1957 term, and is a member of the Elizabeth Manor
Golf and Country Club and Phi Kappa Sigma
fraternity. He attends the Main Street Mehodist
Church.

On February 12, 1927, in Suffolk, Hall Franklin
Birdsong married Elizabeth West of that city,
daughter of Joshua C, Jr., and Katharine (Bea-
mon) West, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and
Mrs. Birdsong have two children: 1. Elizabeth
West, who married G. R. Joyner, Jr. They have
one daughter, Nancy. 2. Hall Franklin, Jr.. now
serving as a naval air cadet at Pensacola, Florida.

HARVARD RUSSELL BIRDSONG— The

youngest of the brothers engaged in the manage-
ment of the Birdsong Storage Company at Suffolk,
Harvard Russell Birdsong is its president, an
office he has held for nearly a decade. He also
heads three other firms in the area, and serves on
various boards of directors. He has filled posts
in the service of his church and of the local school
system.

Born April 7, 1909, in Courtland, he is a son
of Thomas H., Sr., and Martha (McLemore)
Birdsong. His father's and brothers' sketches ac-
company. After attending the public schools of
Suffolk, and graduating from high school there
in 1927, Harvard R. Birdsong enrolled at Ran-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

109

doIph-Macon College, where he was a student
for two years. He left to begin his business career
with the Birdsong Storage Company, then a
partnership. It was later incorporated, and lie
became its president in 1947. He is also president
of the American Cold Storage Corporation of Suf-
folk, the Benthall Machine Company of Suffolk,
and the Pretlow Peanut Company of Franklin, and
serves on the boards of directors of each. He is
also a director of the Albemarle Peanut Company
of Edenton, North Carolina, and of the Farmers
Bank of Nansemond, at Suffolk.

From 1941 to 1943, Mr. Birdsong served on the
Suffolk school board. Active in the Main Street
Methodist Church, he has served on its board of
stewards. He is a Rotarian, and a member of the
Princess Anne Country Club of Virginia Beach.
His favorite outdoor sport is golf.

At the Episcopal Church in Suffolk, on October
I2» !93S. Harvard Russell Birdsong married Mary
Taylor Withers of Suffolk, daughter of John
Thornton and Phoebe (Jones) Withers. The couple
are the parents of three daughters: r. Sally Ann,
born April 30, 1938. 2. Susan W., born May 16,
1941. 3. Alary Harvard, born December 7, 1946.

HARVEY B. McLEMORE, JR.— The McLe-
more family of Courtland has a long tradition of
service in public office. For nearly seventy years
its members in three generations have continu-
ously filled the position of county clerk, and Har-
vey B. McLemore is making this important pub-
lic responsibility his life work. He is also identi-
fied with banking, and with service to church and
to community organizations.

Born at Courtland on December 12, 1903, he
is a son of Harvey B. and Pattie (Williams)
McLemore. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin F.
McLemore, was clerk of Southampton County
from 1887 to 1909, and the elder Harvey B. McLe-
more succeeded to this position, serving until his
death in January 1934. He was also president of
the old Bank of Southampton, and held a number
of civic posts. His wife, the former Pattie Wil-
liams, survives him.

The younger Harvey B. McLemore attended
public schools at Courtland and graduated from
Suffolk High School in 1921. For two years he
was a student at Randolph-Macon College. Early
in his career he became associated with his father
in the work of the Southampton County clerk's
office, and assisted the elder man until his death
early in 1934. At that time Harvey B. McLemore,
Jr., succeeded him as county clerk, a position he
has filled most capably throughout the more than
two decades since that time.

Mr. McLemore is a director of the Southamp-
ton County Bank at Courtland. He is a member

and past president of the Ruritan Club, a member
of Cypress Cove Country Club, and attends Court-
land Methodist Church, where he has served as
chairman of the official board. His fraternity is
Phi Kappa Sigma. During the 1955-1956 term,
Mr. McLemore filled the office of president of
the Virginia Court Clerks Association. He is a
Democrat in his politics. His favorite outdoor
sport is golf.

On June 27, 1936, at West Point, Virginia,
Harvey B. McLemore married Alyce Page Adams,
of King William County, daughter of Charles R.
and Julia Page (Alexander) Adams. Both of her
parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. McLemore are
the parents of two children: 1. Harvey B., 3rd,
who was born on February 21, 1939. 2. Anita
Page, born August 13, 1943.

SAMUEL ELIBA POPE— A farmer by oc-
cupation, with large acreage in Southampton
County, Samuel Eliba Pope has served his fellow
citizens during the past decade as a member of
the Virginia House of Delegates. His extensive
land holdings near Drewryville have long been
in the family, his father, Franklin Pierce Pope,
having begun farming there in 1885. A native of
Southampton County, Franklin P. Pope was born
in 1852 and died in January 1916. He married
Hattie Drewry, also a native of Southampton
County, and their son Samuel was born on the
family farm on May 18, 1905.

Receiving his early education in Southampton
County public schools, Samuel E. Pope later en-
tered Randolph-Macon College. There he took
his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1926 and after-
wards took postgraduate courses at Virginia Poly-
technic Institute.

Mr. Pope taught school at Winchester for one
year. Since 1929 he has engaged in farming on the
acreage which has been in the family for seventy
years. This is known as the Royal Oaks Farm.
It originally consisted of holdings of one thousand,
seven hundred fifty acres, of which Mr. Pope now
owns about eight hundred fifty. There he grows
peanuts, sweet potatoes, corn, cotton, hogs, and
beef cattle. Besides his agricultural interests, he
serves on the board of directors of the South-
ampton County Bank at Courtland.

In 1946 Air. Pope was first elected to the Vir-
ginia House of Delegates. He has been re-elected
five times, holding office continuously to the pre-
sent. He is now chairman of the House Agricul-
tural Committee. In 1952 he was a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention.

He is a member of the Farm Bureau, the Ru-
ritan Club, and the lodge of Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he is a member of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

tilt' higher bodies, including the chapter of the
Royal Arch Masons and the commandery of the
Knights Templar. His fraternity is Kappa Alpha.
A communicant of the Drewryville Methodist
Church, Mr. Pope serves on its board of stewards.
He is fond of the out-of-doors and his favorite-
sport is bird hunting.

At Live Oak, Florida, on June 3, 1933, Samuel
Eliba Pope married Sara Holt White of that place-
She is the daughter of Jack and Addie (Phillips I
White. Mr. and Mrs. Pope have three children: 1.
Sara Anne, born on October 20, 1934. She mar-
ried John A. Richman of Richmond. 2. Nancy
Elizabeth, born September 20, 1938. She is now
a student at Duke University, Durham, North
Carolina. 3. Samuel, Jr., born March 12, 1941.

thematics. 2. Marilyn Jane, born July 18, 1929. She
is the wife of Richard Rotroff, and they have
three children: i. Thomas, ii. Jeffry. iii. John.

EVERETT GAIL McDOUGLE has to his
credit a record of over three decades of loyal and
effective service to the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
roads. Most of these years have been spent in
the North; but after a short time in Richmond,
he went to Newport News in 1951, and in 1957
became assistant vice president of operations in
Huntington, West Virginia. He has taken an
active interest in lodges and businessmen's groups.

Born at Fulton, Indiana, on March 26, 1904, he
received his public sjhool education in his native
city, graduating from Fulton High School in 1922.
On September 29 of that year, he began his long
connection with the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road at Peru, Indiana, in the capacity of clerk.
He held various clerical positions with the com-
pany on its Chicago Division during the years
which followed, his assignments taking him to
various locations betveen Chicago and Cheviot,
Ohio.

In 1947, Mr. McDougle came to Virginia and
settled in Richmond, where he held the position
of assistant superintendent until 1951. On April 1.
of that year he came to Newport News to assume
duties as assistant superintendent there, and he
was promoted to superintendent on April 1, 1954.
On Jure 16, 1957 he was appointed as assistant
to vice president at Richmond, Virginia, and moved
to Huntington, West Virginia, on July 16, 1957.

Mr. McDougle belongs to Peru, Indiana, Chap-
ter No. 62 of the Royal Arch Masons. He is
also a member of the Propeller Club of the United
States. He attends the Methodist Church. His
hobby interests are sports and gardening.

At Peru, Indiana, on June 11, 1927, Everett
Gail McDougle married Bernice Welch of that
city, daughter of John and Ora (Saunders) Welch.
The couple are the parents of two children: 1.
Paul Everett, born May 25, 1928. He graduated
from Purdue University in 1949 with an engineer-
ing degree, and now holds a Master's degree in ma-

JAMES EDWARD PARKER'S varied business
career has included positions of responsibility in
industry, public utilities, the insurance field, and
petroleum production. After nearly a decade as
part owner of an oil company, he became president
of the First Federal Savings and Loan Associa-
tori of Suffolk late in 1955. He remains active in
fuel oil distribution, heading his own firm.

He was born at Suffolk on February 5, 1907,
son of James E. and Lula Virginia (Williams)
Parker. Both parents were born in Nansemond
County, and both are now deceased. James E.
Parker was a merchant in Suffolk. The younger
James E. Parker attended the public schools of
that city and graduated from Suffolk High School
in 1927. Immediate entry into industry attracted
him more than an advancd education, and the
successful course of his career indicates that the
decision was, in his case, a wise one. He entered
the employ of the Planters Nut and Chocolate Com-
pany of Suffolk, and remained with that organ-
ization for a year and a half. At the end of that
time he began a sixteen-year tenure with the
Virginia Electric Power Company in its sales
and accounting departments. Some of the com-
mercial activities of Mr. Parker's busy career
overlap. He was for three years engaged in sales
work for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Com-
pany, and during the same period developed his
interest in the petroleum industry. He was for
nine years part owner of the Southern Oil Com-
pany of Suffolk. He continues to own and operate
Parker Fuels, distributing fuel oil to a number of
retailers in the Suffolk area.

In August 1955, James E. Parker began his
duties as president and manager of the First Fed-
eral Savings and Loan Association, of which he
is also a director. His varied business experience
made him an excellent choice for this post, and
he has done a creditable job in guiding the bank
to new standards of service. Its financial resources
are also advancing steadily under his direction.

Mr. Parker is a Democrat in his politics. He is
a member and currently the vice president of the
Kiwanis Club, and a member of the lodges of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Suffolk
Lodge No. 685, and the Free and Accepted Masons,
Hiram Lodge No. 340. He attends Oxford Meth-
odist Church and serves on its board of stewards.
Fond of the out-of-doors, he is partial to sports
associated with the waters of this coastal region,
particularly boating and fishing.

In Suffolk, on September 23, 1939, James Ed-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ward Parker married Mary Sue Rawds of that
city, daughter of Dr. Japheth E. and Emma (Hol-
land) Rawls. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have three
children: i. Mary Sue, born on February 22, 1942.
2. Ann Elizabeth, born February 22, 1946. 3. James
Edward, 3rd, horn November 27, 1948.

H. KENNETH PEEBLES— For the past forty
years, H. Kenneth Peebles has been identified
with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company, and is now vice president in
charge of purchases. He holds other responsible
position- as well, being on the board of a bank,
and chairman of the Peninula Airport Commission.

Born at Oswego, New York, on May 27, 1895,
be is a son of Hubert J. and Annie E. (Longley)
Peebles, both of whom are deceased. H. Kenneth
Peebles attended the public schools of his native
city, and graduated from Oswego High School
in IQ12. He then entered Cornell University at
Ithaca, New York, and there, in 1916, received his
degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical En-
gineering.

The same year he came to Newport News,
and began his career with the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, with which
he has remained ever since. After holding various
positions over the next two decades, he was placed
in charge of purchases in 1937, and was promoted
to the vice presidency in 1956, retaining his for-
mer responsibilities.

Mr. Peebles is chairman of the Peninsula Air-
port Commission and is a member of the board of
directors of the First National Bank of Newport
News. He is an independent in his politics, and
attends St. John's Episcopal Church in Hampton.
He is a member of the James River Country Club.

On June _'3, 1927, at Newport News, H. Ken-
neth Peebles married Dora Lee Gray of that
city, daughter of James E. and Dora (Bunkley)
Grav, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Peebles have no children.

DAVID DICK'S entire business career has been
identified with the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company, in which he now holds
the responsible office of purchasing agent. Promi-
nent in civic connections, he is currently chair-
ma. ■ of the Newport News Redevelopment and
Housing Authority, and formerly served as presi-
dent of the Virginia Peninsula Association of Com-
rrerce.

Mr. Dick is a native of Newport News, where
he was born on July 20, 1898, son of Robert
Murray and Annie (Miller) Dick. Both of his
parents came to this country from Scotland,

his father having been born at Grenoek ami his
mother at Port Glasgow. Robert M. Dick arrived
in the United States in 1894, and from 1896 un-
til his death in 1945, he was a shipbuilder with
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company. Mrs. Dick survived him by two years,
a. id died in 19^7. Attending the public schools of
Newport News, David Dick graduated from high
school there in 1914. He then began his career
with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company, but continued bis education
through evening courses at the College of William
and Mary.

Beginning his connection with the company as
an apprentice, Mr. Dick subsequently became a
draftsman. He left at the time of World War I
to -irve in the United States Army, being assigned
to the 48th Infantry Regiment. His military career
lasted one year, and he held the rank of corporal
at the time of his honorable discharge.

Resuming his connection with the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company after
the war. he advanced from draftsman through
various supervisory positions, and became assis-
tant purchasing agent in 1939. He continued in
that capacity until January 1956, when nc was
promoted to purchasing agent of the company.

Mr. Dick has been chairman of the Newport
New- Redevelopment and Housing Authority
since 1945, and is a director of the War Memorial
Museum. A Republican in his politics, he has
served as secretary of the Newport News electoral
board since 1931. He is a member and past presi-
dent of the Virginia Peninsula Association of
Commerce, member and past president of the
I. ions Club, and a director of the Newport News
Boys' Club. He also holds membership in the
Propeller Club of the Port of Newport News,
the James River Country Club and the May
Club. He and his family attend the Second
Presb3"terian Church, and he serves his congre-
gation as a trustee. His favorite pastime is garden-
ing.

On December 3, 1927, at Newport News, David
Dick married Agnes Broaddus of Monticello,
Georgia, daughter of John and Ida (Hatfield)
Broaddus. The couple have two children: 1. Wil-
liam Murray, who was born on October 5, 1935,
and is now attending Hampden-Sydney College.
2. Agnes M;.e, born October 21, 1940, now at-
tending Mary Baldwin College.

CLAUDE O. PRICE— With a record of forty-
six years of loyal and effective service to the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com-
pany, Claude O. Price now heads the company's
traffic, scrap sales and fuel procurement operations.
He is a native of Prince Edward County, and

I 12

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

was born on January 16, 1894, s°n of Alexander
Powhatan and Alice Baker (Irving) Price. Both
of his parents were also born in Prince Edward
County, his father in 1849 and his mother on
December 13, 1856. His father was a farmer, and
later became an exporter of hardwoods to the
European market. He was one of the first grow-
ers of bright-leaf tobacco in Virginia. His death
occurred on February 2j, 191 1. Mrs. Price died
in 1952, in her ninety-sixth year.

After attending the public schools of Newport
News, and graduating from high school there in
1912, Claude O. Price began his connection with
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com-
pany on a permanent basis. He had worked in
the firm's shipfitters' department the preceding
summer, and on June 26, 1912, began his full-time
connection in the Weight Department. He con-
tinued to supplement his formal education through
evening courses taken at the College of William
and Mary, Extension Division.

He continued to work in the Weight Depart-
ment, where he won steady advancement, until
May 15, 1923, and he was then transferred to
the office of the Material Department. Since Jan-
uary 1, 1940, he has served in the Purchasing De-
partment as head of traffic, scrap sales and fuel
procurement.

During the World War II period, Mr. Price
served capably as chairman of the Elizabeth City
County selective service board. He is an indepen-
dent Democrat in his politics. Active in Masonry,
h is a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 278, of
which he was master in 1921-1922. He was district
deputy grand master of the Masons in 1932, and
is a member of St. John's Chapter No. 57, Royal
Arch Masons, and Hampton Commandery No.
16, Knights Templar. He is also a member of
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine, in Norfolk. Attending Cen-
tral Methodist Church in Hampton, he is a member
of its official board, and has been the lay leader
for the past seven years. Mr. Price is fond of the
o.it-of-doors, his favorite sport being fishing.

At Hampton, on May 30, 1923, Claude O. Price
married Nell G. Hudgins of that city, daughter
of Wesley Skidmore and Ruth L. (Tennis) Hud-
gins. Her father was born in York County and
her mother in Elizabeth City County, Virginia.
Mr. and Mrs. Price have one son, James H., who
was born at Hampton on November 15, 1926.
He married Mildred Charnock of Tangier, Vir-
ginia, and they have three sons: James H., Jr.,
Charles C, and Robert K.

and Dry Dock Company in 1940, and is now its
treasurer. He is also a bank official, and a mem-
ber of a number of local organizations.

Born in Harnett County, North Carolina, on
May 6, 1905, he is a son of William Fulton and
Peiinie. Eudora (Harrington) Lanier. His father,
also a native of Harnett County, is still living
at the age of eighty years. He has followed
farming as his occupation. Mrs. Lanier died in
1947. Attending the public schools of Lillington,
North Carolina, Thomas Leon Lanier graduated
from high school there in 1924. He then en-
tered the University of North Carolina, where
in 1928 he graduated with the degree of Bache-
lor of Science in Business Administration. He
went to New York City to begin his career in
accounting, and there joined the firm of Has-
kins and Sells, which he later left to become
associated with Arthur Andersen and Company.
His successive connections with these Certified
Public Accounting organizations continued until
1940. He himself passed his examination as Cer-
tified Public Accountant in New York in 1934.

He left that city to come to Newport News
in 1940, and there joined the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in the ca-
pacity of assistant to the comptroller. In 1950
he was promoted to the post of treasurer of the
corporation, which he has since held.

Mr. Lanier is a director of the Warwick Na-
tional Bank, treasurer and trustee of the Penin-
sula United Fund, and member of the Regional
Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca. He is a member of the Peninsula Execu-
tives Club, the James River Country Club, and
the Propellor Club of the Port of Newport News.
He is a Presbyterian in his religious faith, and
a Democrat in his politics. His principal hobby
is farming.

At Kipling, North Carolina, on September 2,
1934, Thomas Leon Lanier married Nell John-
son of that town, daughter of Robert T. and
Ottie Mae (Utley) Johnson. The couple are the
parents of three children: 1. Nancy Nell, and 2.
Thomas Leon, Jr., twins, who were born on
January 1, 1938. 3. Robert Fulton, born Novem-
ber 16, 1945.

THOMAS LEON LANIER— After beginning
his career as a public accountant, Thomas Leon
Lan: -r joined the Newport News Shipbuilding

HAROLD TOWNSEND BENT'S entire career
was spent with the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company, and he was vice presi-
dent of the corporation, and works manager,
until his retirement in March 1957. He has had
sound training as well as ample experience, hold-
ing a degree in naval architecture and marine
engineering.

Born at Boston, Massachusetts, on February
4, 1892, he is a son of George Edgar and Anna

/6*yu, -/3 *~.f*

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

113

Belle (Townseiid) Bent. His father, who was
born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, was a painter
and decorator by trade. He is now deceased, as
is Mrs. Bent, who was a native of Sangerville,
.Maine. In his early years, Harold T. Bent at-
tended Parker Primary School and Grant Gram-
mar School in Watertown, Massachusetts, and
completed his secondary studies at Mechanic
Arts Higli School in Boston, now known as
Boston Technical High School, where he gradu-
ated in 1910. For his advanced training, he en-
rolled at one of the best-known technical schools
in the country, Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology at Cambridge, where he graduated in
h j 1 4 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

He came to Newport News in 1915, joining
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company on July 6 of that year. He served as
staff supervisor until 1927, and was then promoted
to assistant superintendent. He became superin-
tendent in 1932, and served in that capacity un-
til 1946, when he was made production manager.
In 1954, ^'r- Bent became works manager of
the vast shipbuilding installation at Newport News,
and he was promoted to vice president of the
corporation in January 1955, while continuing
his duties as works manager. He retired March
1. 1957-

He is a member of the Society of Naval Archi-
tects and Marine Engineers. He served the
Hampton Yacht Club as commodore for five
years, was co-founder of the Hampton Roads
Power Squadron, a unit of the United States
Power Squadrons, and was its commander for
the first five years. He is also a member of the
Propellor Club, James River Country Club, and
Peninsula Lodge No. 278, Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons. In Masonry he is a member of
the higher bodies, including St. John's Chapter
of the Royal Arch Masons, Hampton Comman-
dery of the Knights Templar, and as a Thirty-
second degree Mason, the Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. Mr. Bent and his family attend the Epis-
copal Church.

A short time after he had come to Newport
News, Harold T. Bent made the acquaintance
of Mary Elizabeth Smith of Newport News, and
they were married in Newport News on June
20, 1918. She is the daughter of Levin James
and Georgie (Plummer) Smith. The Smith family
is an old family in Warwick Count)-. Mr. and
Mrs. Bent have a son, Harold Townsend, Jr.,
who was born on December 6, 1920. He gradu-
ated from Georgia School of Technology with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in physics.
Married to the former Miss Elsie Elizabeth Sun-

derland of Decatur, Georgia, he is the father of
two children: 1. Samantha Townsend Bent, born
in 1945. 2. John Galbraith Bent, born in 1952.

RALPH BENJAMIN DOUGLASS, chairman
of the board of Smith-Douglass Company, Incor-
porated, and an official of other organizations
of the Norfolk area, was born at Alexander City,
Alabama, on May 6, 1891, son of Frazier Michel
and Georgia Emma (Barnes) Douglass. He com-
pleted his education at Massey Business College
in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Douglass left his native state in 1915, mov-
ing to Savannah, Georgia, thence to Raleigh, North
Carolina. Coming to Norfolk in 1919, he accepted
appointment as vice president of the Eastern Cot-
ton Oil Company, and held that office until 1927,
when he joined as a partner Oscar F. Smith in
the Smith-Douglass Company, Incorporated. He
was vice president of this Norfolk firm until 1950,
serving as president from 1950 until August 1957,
at which time he became chairman of the board.

He was chairman of the Organizing Committee
and first chairman of the Executive Committee
of the American Plant Food Council, Inc., Wash-
ington, D.C. He was one of the organizers of the
Plant Food Institute of North Carolina and Vir-
ginia and served as one of its early presidents
and from 1938 to 1050 was on the board of directors
of this organization. Mr. Douglass is director of
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Educational
Foundation, and of the Agricultural Foundation
of North Carolina State College. He serves on
the boards of the Hampton Roads Maritime Ex-
change and the Seaboard Citizens National Bank.

During the World War II years, Mr. Douglass
was a consultant in the chemical division of the
War Production Board. Active in the Virginia
Manufacturers Association, he served on its board
of directors and as a member of its executive
committee. In his home city, he is a director and
member of the executive committee of Norfolk
General Hospital, and the Norfolk Community
Fund. He is a member and vice president of the
National Tax Equality Association.

Mr. Douglass is a member of the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, and the Princess Anne Coun-
try Club of Virginia Beach, and the Common-
wealth Club of Richmond. He is a Methodist in
his religious faith.

In Luverne, Alabama, on May 20, 1912, Ralph
Benjamin Douglass married Renova Beard, daugh-
ter of John M. Beard and Emma Beall Beard.
Mrs. Douglass died in January 1951. The couple
were the parents of two daughters: 1. Dorothy,
who is the wife of Lucius J. Kellam of Belle
Haven, Virginia. They have two children, Dorothy

II4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Douglass and Lucius James, III. 2. Rebecca, who
married George Walter Mapp, Jr., an attorney
in Accomac, Virginia. They have three daughters:
i. Mildred Douglass, ii. Margaret Aydelotte. iii.
Carolyn LeCato. Mr. Douglass makes his home
at 1337 West Princess Anne Road, Norfolk.

cia Ann, born July 9, 1936. 2. Richard Alan,
born December 9, 1940.

WALTER T. RILEE— From the early years
of his career, Walter T. Rilee has followed the
profession of banking. He has been with the
Bank of Hampton Roads, in Newport News,
since it was chartered under that name, and has
advanced through the various executive positions
to the presidency.

Born in Gloucester County on September 28,
1908, the bank executive is a son of Walter Lee
and Clara Lee (Soles) Rilee, both natives of
Gloucester County. Walter L. Rilee was for
many years engaged in the insurance business
at Newport News and is now retired. In that
city, Walter T. Rilee received his public school
education and graduated from high school in
June 1927. In lieu of advanced academic studies,
he began his practical business experience, join-
ing the staff of the Citizens Marine Bank of
Newport News in September 1927, in the posi-
tion of runner. He advanced to posts of greater
responsibility with that organization in the course
of his connection, which continued until 1934.

At that time, Mr. Rilee joined the Industrial
Loan and Investment Corporation and a few
months later, in October 1934, it received its
charter from the state to operate as a bank.
In 1935 trie present name, Bank of Hampton
Roads, was adopted. At that time he held the
position of assistant cashier, and he was later pro-
moted to cashier and subsequently to vice presi-
dent, while retaining his duties as cashier. After
a period of time in the position of executive
vice president, Mr. Rilee was named president
of the Bank of Hampton Roads in 1954. He is
also a member of its board of directors.

Besides bankers' organizations, Mr. Rilee is
a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 278, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masor.s, the chapter of the
Royal Arch Masons, commandery of the Knights
Templar, consistory of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite, and the Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
the Lions Club, and James River Country Club.
The family worships at Congregational Christian
Church. Mr. Rilee's favorite outdoor pastime is
golf.

At Hampton on April 20, 1935, Walter T. Rilee
married Mary Ann Moore of that city, daughter
of Floyd W. and Sallie (Crockett) Moore. The
■.ouple are the parents of two children: r. Patri-

JAMES ASHBY DANIELS of Newport News
has rounded out a quarter of a century in the
accounting profession. He is_ now the senior part-
ner in the firm of Daniels, Turnbull and Free-
man, and maintains offices in the Melson Build-
ing. He is a director of the Bank of Hampton
Roads and is active in local organizations.

Born in Isle of Wight County on March 18,
1903, Mr. Daniels is a son of William A. and
Mamie (Ashby) Daniels, both of whom were
natives of that same county. His father, a far-
mer, died on August 29, 1939, and his mother
died on December 29, 1949. James A. Daniels
began his education in the public schools of his
native county and graduated from Carrollton
High School in the Class of 1919. He then stud-
ied accounting at Newport News Business Col-
lege and was the first graduate of that insti-
tution to pass the state board examination as
a Certified Public Accountant.

In 1932, shortly after he had begun his pro-
fessional career, he became partner in the firm
of Edmondson, Daniels and Willett, and this
organization of public accountants continued in
existence until July 1, 1945. Then Mr. Daniels
practiced under his own name until January 1,
1957. In addition to heading his firm, he car-
ries business responsibilities as director and comp-
troller of the Citizens Rapid Transit Company
of Hampton and, as stated before, as a director
of the Bank of Hampton Roads, in Newport
News. He has been secretary of the bank's
board since its founding.

Mr. Daniels is a Democrat in his politics and
is a member of the Lions Club and James River
Country Club. He and his family attend Grace
Methodist Church. Fond of the out-of-doors,
the accounting executive follows the sports of
boating, fishing, hunting, and golf.

On February 19, 1926, at Richmond, James
A. Daniels married Elva S. Epperson of Hali-
fax County, daughter of John E. and Susan
(Shelton) Epperson. The couple are the parents
of two sons: 1. James A., Jr., born August 4,
1928. He married Miriam White of Warwick,
and they have two children: William Scott and
Susan Stafford. 2. Robert S., born February 14,
1940.

J. CARGILL JOHNSON— Most of the years of
J. Cargill Johnson's business career have been
identified with the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Drydock Company, a major industry of the
Lower Tidewater, which is referred to elsewhere
in these pages. For over a decade and a half,

/£C~~<:/':

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

he has held the position of assistant personnel
manager there, and has been active in other
business connections and in public office as well.

Born in Prince George County on May 31,
1894, Mr. Johnson is a son of Julius S. and
Mary 1 Bland) Johnson. His father, also a native
of Prince George County, was a railroadman,
and Mary Bland, whom he married, was born
in Petersburg, Virginia. Both parents are now
deceased. J. Cargill Johnson received his public
school education in Newport News, graduating
from its high school in 1912. He began his
career with the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Drydock Company in 1912. After holding various
positions of increasing responsibility, he was pro-
moted to assistant personnel manager in 1940,
and in addition, he is president of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Credit
Union.

Mr. Johnson is a director of the Citizens Mar-
ine and Jefferson Bank of Newport News. He
is currently serving on the Virginia State Game
Commission, to which he was appointed by
Governor Stanley. He is a Democrat in his poli-
tics, and attends the Episcopal Church. He is
fond of hunting and golf, and is a member
of the James River Country Club.

At Hampton, on June 28, 1924, J. Cargill John-
son married Frances L. Myers of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania. The couple are the parents of two
sons: 1. J. Cargill, Jr., who graduated from the
College of William and Mary and is now with
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock
Company. 2. Roper Bland, attending Georgia In-
stitute of Technology.

T. PARKER HOST— With many years in the
shipping industry to his credit, T. Parker Host
of Newport News now heads his own steam-
ship agency and brokerage business. In addition
to being chief executive of T. Parker Host, Inc.,
he is also president of the Tidewater Stevedor-
ing Corporation. He has served as mayor of his
city, and is a veteran of Air Corps service in
World Wars I and II.

Born at Newport News on October 2, 1892,
he is a son of Lewis Clinton and Abbie (Jones)
Host. His father, a native of Hampton, Virginia,
spent most of the years of his active career with
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and died in
February 1935. Airs. Host is still living. She is
a native of Portsmouth. T. Parker Host attended
the public schools of his native city and the
University of Virginia.

Prior to 1923, he worked for various shipping
firms, and with ample experience and confidence
in his own abilities, he left the employ of others
to start his own steamship agency and brokerage

business in that year. The firm which he foun-
ded has enjoyed a steady growth, and in 195 1
was incorporated as T. Parker Host, Inc., with
Mr. Host as its president. Officers are in the
Chesapeake and Ohio Terminal Building in New-
port News, and a branch is operated in the
Western Union Building in Norfolk. Mr. Host
has been president of the Tidewater Stevedor-
ing Corporation since 1925; and through his con-
trol of these two interrelated organizations, is
an influential figure in the industrial life of Lower
Tidewater.

A veteran of both World War I and World
War II, Mr. Host served in the Air Corps in
both conflicts. In the first war, he held the rank
of second lieutenant, and spent over two years
as a pilot, serving in France and the Army of
Occupation in Germany. At the outbreak of World
War II, he returned to the Air Corps as a major,
later attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After a service of three and one-half years in
the United States and North Africa he returned
to Newport News and his shipping business.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Host became
vice mayor of Newport News in 1936 and serv-
ed until 1940. He then became mayor, and most
capably discharged the duties of that office until
February 1942, when he resigned to enter the
Air Corps. At the present time, he is serving
as vice consul of the Norwegian government in
his city, and in recognition of his services, has
been honored with the title of Knight of the
Order of St. Olaf, conferred by the King of
Norway.

Mr. Host is a member of the Virginia Club
of Norfolk and the James River Country Club.
His fraternity is Sigma Alpha Epsilon and he
is a member of the lodge of the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons. He and his family attend
the Presbyterian Church. Boating is his favorite
outdoor sport, and among the quieter pastimes
he enjoys bridge.

On July 6, 1921, in Newport News, T. Parker
Host married Jane Hamilton Shearer of Hampton,
daughter of James and Margaret (Findlay) Shea-
rer. Mr. and Mrs. Host have two children: 1.
Jane Hamilton, now Mrs. T. V. Moore, Jr.,
of Miami, Florida, and the mother of two sons:
i. Parker Host Moore, ii. John Hamilton Moore.
2. T. Parker, Jr., who is associated with his
father in business. He married Janet Peebles
and they have two children: i. T. Parker, III.
ii. David Findlay.

ABNER S. POPE — In the course of his career
in banking, which dates back five decades. Abner
S. Pope advanced to the presidency of the Sea-
board Citizens' National Bank. He held that office

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

for twenty-four years, and is now chairman of the
board.

A native of Newsoms, Virginia, Mr. Pope was
born on March I, 1883, son of Joseph B. and Jennie
B. (Prince) Pope. He received his education in
preparatory schools in Richmond, graduating
from Richmond College with the degree of Bach-
elor of Science in 1903, and came to Norfolk in
1909. In 1912, at the age of twenty-nine, he became
cashier of the Seaboard National Bank. He re-
mained in that position until 1919, and thereafter
until 1922, served as president of the Savings
Bank of Norfolk. Mr. Pope then returned to the
Seaboard National Bank, as vice president, and he
also served on its board of directors from 1922. In
1932 he was elected to the presidency of the bank,
and served until January 1956, when he was
elected chairman of the board.

Interested in community welfare causes, Mr.
Pope is a member of the board of the Norfolk
General Hospital, and he also serves on the board
of the Tidewater Hospital Association. He is a
member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
the Norfolk Country Club and the Princess Anne
Country Club.

On April 10 1907, Abner S. Pope married Rosa
Virginia Smith of Richmond, Virginia, daughter of
Dr. W. R. L. and Nannie (Bowman) Smith. Mr.
and Mrs. Pope are the parents of the following
children: 1. Margaret, now Mrs. E. L. Woodard
of Hickory. North Carolina. 2. Nancy, who is
the wife of Haley F. Shuford. They too live in
Hickory, North Carolina. 3. Virginia, who mar-
ried Charles F. Burroughs, Jr. Their home is in
Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Pope have ten gr.-ind-
children. Their own home is at 1515 Hampton
Boulevard, Norfolk.

HENRY LEWIS BOONE— The president of
W. A. Hall and Company, Inc., of Norfolk, Henry
Lewis Boone has been continuously identified with
the general building field in that city since 1927.
A thorough craftsman in all phases of construc-
tion, he has played a vital part in the upbuilding
of Norfolk during the period of its greatest growth.

He was born on December 29, 1900, in Northamp-
ton County, North Carolina, son of Joseph Colon-
na and Jossie (Pulley) Boone, both natives of
that county, which has been the seat of the Boone
family for several generations. His father, a far-
mer, died July 2, 1950. He was a son of Henry
Thomas Boone, farmer and veteran of service in
the Confederate States Army, who had spent his
life in Northampton County. Jossie (Pulley)
Boone continues to maintain the family home
there.

It was at this farm homestead that Henrv Lewis

Boone passed his boyhood years, and he attended
the public schools in Jackson, North Carolina. At
the age of eighteen he began his apprenticeship
in the carpenter's trade in Northampton County,
and worked on various projects in that vicinity
for the following four years. At the age of twenty-
two he located at Boykins, Virginia, where he
continued in the construction trade until 1927. In
March of that year he came to Norfolk and entered
the employ of John H. Pierce, prominent build-
ing contractor. Mr. Pierce died in 1929, and at
that time Mr. Boone joined W. A. Hall, Sr., in
his construction firm, as a superintendent. In 1941
he became a partner with the elder Mr. Hall
until his death in August 1950, and the following
month Mr. Boone became a partner of Mr. Hall's
son, W. A. Hall, Jr., in organizing the present
contracting firm, W. A. Hall and Company, Inc.,
which has its office at 255 Monticello Arcade. He
is senior partner and president of the corporation;
and Mr. Hall, whose biography accompanies, is
secretary and treasurer. In the little more than
a half-decade of its existence, the firm has com-
pleted a number of important projects, the major
ones being listed in Mr. Hall's sketch.

Fond of outdoor life, Mr. Boone is especially
partial to hunting, and to enjoy the sport at its
best, he acquired interests in Knots Island in
eastern Princess Anne County, where he main-
tains a boat house.

On December 24, 1924, at Petersburg, Virginia,
Henry Lewis Boone married Courtney Stephens,
daughter of Frank and Noney (Gray) Stephens
of Southampton County, Virginia. Her mother
is now deceased. Mrs. Boone is a member of the
[ngleside Garden Club and Squires Memorial
Presbyterian Church. The couple are the parents
of a daughter, Geraldine Courtney, born Novem-
ber 14, 1939.

WILLIAM ALFORD HALL, JR.— Norfolk in
recent years has been the scene of extraordinary
growth and modernization. In every section of the
city are to be found buildings erected by W. A.
Hall and Company, Inc., as well as numerous
remodeling projects for which this firm has con-
tracted. William Alford Hall, Jr., is secretary and
treasurer of this firm, which has its offices in the
Monticello Arcade, Norfolk. He, with Henry L.
Boone, founded the company in September 1950,
and both brought to its managment a splendid
background in the building and contracting field
in the Greater Norfolk area. The gratifying suc-
cess of the firm results from this accumulation of
experience, and a quality of service and workman-
ship which distinguish it in the building field.

William A. Hall, Jr., was born February 7,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1907, at Burkeville, Virginia, son of the late Wil-
liam Alforrl, Sr., and Margaret Belle (Carter)
Hall. His father was a prominent building con-
tractor of Norfolk, who was born on February 8,
1871, in Loudon, England. At the age of fourteen
he came to this country and first made his home
in St. Augustine, Florida. There he learned the
trade of ship's carpenter, and also engaged in com-
mercial fishing on the Indian River between St.
Augustine and Fort Pierce, Florida. In the early
years of the century he moved to Thomasville,
Georgia, where he farmed for several years before
selling his holdings and moving to Burkeville,
Virginia. While living there, he served as rural
mail carrier, covering a twenty-seven mile route
with horse and buggy, and he supplemented his
earnings by farming. With this country's entrance
into World War I, in 1917, he accepted employ-
ment as ship's carpenter in the shipyard at West
Point. Virginia, and before the end of the conflict
had been promoted to assistant superintendent of
construction. In the early months of 1910, William
A. Hall, Sr., took his family to Norfolk, and for
several years was in charge of a boat repair yard
at Atlantic City. In 1923, he joined the well-
known building contracting firm of John C. Pierce
of Norfolk, as superintendent of construction, and
he continued in this connection until the death of
Mr. Pierce in 1929. In that year he formed his
own company as YV. A. Hall, General Building
Contractor of Norfolk, and in the years which
followed, until his death on August 28. 1950, was
one of the city's leaders in the construction field.
Under his supervision, the firm erected many im-
portant commercial structures of the Norfolk area,
including a number of branch bank offices for
the National Bank of Commerce, and a number
of store-front remodeling projects in the down-
town section around Granby Street.

William -\. Hall, Jr., received his early educa-
tion in the public schools of Burkeville, West
Point and Norfolk. He graduated from Randolph-
Macon Academy at Bedford, Virginia, in 1925, and
attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute for one
year, majoring in chemical engineering. From 1926
to 1935 he was employed by the well-known oil
corporation. The Texas Company, at its Norfolk
office, resigning to enlist in the United States
Army. His tour of duty included assignment to
a horsedrawn artillery outfit, and in 1939, as a
technical sergeant, he took part in reorganizing
the Fourth Infantry Division into the first motor-
ized outfit in the United States Army, at Fort
Benning, Georgia. He served in the 42nd Field
Artillery Battalion. In December 1941, his division
was transferred to Camp Gordon, Georgia, where
he was stationed until July 1942. He then entered

Officers' Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Artillery
Corps, he was attached to the Eighth Training
Regiment at Fort Sill until his separation from
the service on December 5, 1945.

Returning to Norfolk after the war, William A.
Hall, Jr., entered his father's construction firm
as a carpenter, and he later served as superinten-
dent of various building projects. His father died
in August 1950, and on September 1, Mr. Hall
joined Henry L. Boone in forming the present
firm, W. A. Hall and Company, Inc. Mr. Boone,
who is the subject of an accompanying sketch,
is president, and Mr. Hall secretary and treasurer.

Engaged in all types of construction work, com-
mercial, industrial and institutional, the company
has numbered among its projects many important
structures, including an addition to Bayside Ele-
mentary School; addition to the Francis E. Wil-
lard Elementary School; addition to the Meadow-
brook Elementary School; the Cavalier Lodge,
addition to the Cavalier Hotel: the bar and ban-
quet room of the Cavalier Hotel; the Holiday
Sands Motel, which is also at Virginia Beach and
is the first privately constructed lift-slab job in
Virginia: the Norfolk Federal Savings and Loan
Association's branch office at Ward's Corner; the
Bank of Commerce's branch office at 20th and
Colonial Avenue; and many store buildings at
Ward's Corner shopping center. The firm is a
member of the Norfolk Builders and Contractors
Exchange and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

On December 29, 1929, in Norfolk, William A.
Hall, Jr., married Margaret Doris Bell, daushter
of Andrew J. and Rosine (Dalton) Bell of Nor-
folk. Her father is a retired Seaboard Air Line
Railroad employee. Mrs. Hall is a graduate of
Maury High School and Radford State Teachers
College. They are the parents of four children:
1 William Alford, III. He served with the Uni-
ted States Army in the occupation of Japan and
later in the Korean conflict. He is now a student
at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Norfolk Divi-
sion. 2. Joseph Bell, a business man of Norfolk.
He also served in the occupation of Japan and was
wounded in the Korean conflict. 3. John Char-
les. 4. Margaret Alford. The two younger child-
ren are attending parochial school in Norfolk.

WILLIAM O. SHERMAN, JR.— Norfolk Iron
and Wire Works, a firm specializing in designing,
fabricating, distributing and erecting structural steel,
ornamental iron and wire work, has grown and
prospered under direction of members of the Sher-
man family. Its president today is William O. Sher-
man, Jr. With office and plant at 3045 East Vir-
ginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk, this compact or-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ganization offers years of experience in steel fabrica-
tion and related lines, and employs over twenty-
five skilled mechanics, machine operators and crafts-
men. This is a creative and adaptable group, capable
of working in many media and on a variety of con-
tracts, and has subcontracted on a large number
cit commercial, industrial, institutional and govern-
ment projects. It takes just pride in its quality of
service and workmanship.

The original Norfolk Iron and Wire Works was
established in 1905, A. L. Rible being one of the
founders. Twenty-five years later, the firm of W.
O. Sherman and Company was established as a
sales engineering organization, distributiong steel
products, and this concern acquired the properties
of the Norfolk Iron and Wire Works in 1935. At
that time, W. O. Sherman, Sr.. and J. E. Speight,
associates in the Sherman organization, bringing
many years' experience in related fields, formed a
partnership for operating the newly acquired busi-
ness. The partnership was dissolved in 1941 when
W. O. Sherman, Sr., became sole owner. He con-
tinued as directing head of the emergent Norfolk
Iron and Wire Works (which had retained the
older organization's name) until shortly before his
death in 1951. He was then succeeded as the
directing head of the corporation by his son. W. O.
Sherman, Jr., who had already had extensive ex-
perience in the industry. For many years he had
spent his summer vacations working in the Nor-
folk Iron and Wire Works, and entered the firm
on a full-time basis in 1945. following his return
from military service in World War II. Continuing
its record of growth and service under his direction,
the corporation is today one of the leading firms
in its field in Tidewater Virginia. It was incor-
porated in 1955, with W. O. Sherman, Jr., as presi-
dent and manager: Mrs. Leota S. Prentiss, vice
president and treasurer: and Mrs. Gale A. Sher-
man as secretary. The present plant and offices on
East Virginia Beach Boulevard were occupied in
1941.

William Ottie Sherman, Sr., who was directing
head of the firm from 1935 until a short time before
his death, was born in South Norfolk. He received
his education through the secondary years in the
public schools of that cit)', and beyond that point
was self-educated. He became chief structural en-
gineer of bridge design for the Seaboard Air Line
Railroad at the age of twenty-six. and he later
held important engineering positions with the archi-
tectural and engineering firm of Neff and Thomp-
son. He had responsible duties in connection with
the building of a number of the important structures
in Norfolk, including the Cavalier Hotel, the Roy-
ster Building, the Wainwright Building and Maury
High School. For a number of years, W. O. Sher-

man, Sr., engaged in private practice as a civil en-
gineer in Norfolk, and in 1930 formed the firm of
W. O. Sherman and Company, a sales engineering
organization which five years later acquired the
Norfolk Iron and Wire Works. He was a member
of the Hampton Roads Post of the Society of
American Military Engineers, and of the Lions
Club, and in earlier life he had been a Kiwanian.
He attended the Ocean View Baptist Church.

W. O. Sherman. Sr., married Leota Downing of
Norfolk, who survives him. and to them three
children were born: 1. Leota Carol, who married
Joseph H. Prentiss of Norfolk. 2. William O., Jr.
3. Esther Hope, who married Cecil J. McCary of
Norfolk. By an earlier marriage, W. O. Sherman,
Sr.. was the father of a son, Henry L. Scheuerman
(who retains the original spelling of the family
name). A resident of Norfolk, he formerly served
as chief of police of South Norfolk, and is now
an inspector with the Virginia State Police, in
its Motor Vehicles Department.

William O. Sherman, Jr., was born March 16,
1923. in Norfolk, and graduated from Maury High
School in 1942. For a year he attended Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, Norfolk Division, and in
1943 enlisted in the LTnited States Army Air Corps
as an aviation cadet. After receiving his pre-rlight
training, he became a technical student at Davidson
College, North Carolina. He was separated from
the service in 1945, and entered the Norfolk Iron
and Wire Works on a full-time basis. Since his
father's health was declining, he assumed an in-
creasing measure of responsibility in management.

When W O. Sherman, Sr., retired, his son was
well equipped to assume the duties of chief executive,
and during his tenure as directing head of the
firm, which began in 1951, he has capably managed
the firm and has undertaken an extensive expansion
program. He incorporated the business in 1955.
In addition to extensive government contract work,
the firm is today engaged in many projects of a
commercial, industrial and institutional nature.
Among these have been the Foreman Field Stadi-
um. Young Park Elementary School, and Talbot
Park Baptist Church.

Mr. Sherman is a member and secretary of the
Subcontractors Association of Virginia, and a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Junior Chamber of Commerce
and the Lafayette Yacht Club. He is partial to
fishing among the outdoor sports.

On April 17, 1945, at Norfolk, William 0. Sher-
man, Jr., married Gale Anselm, daughter of Wil-
liam B. and Blanche (Gale) Anselm of that city.
Mrs. Sherman is a graduate of Maury High School,
Class of 1941, and attended the College of Wil-
liam and Mary, Norfolk Division. The couple are
communicants of the Freemason Street Baptist

LO jJJa-O**' 6. LlJcuwjl^/

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Church. They are the parents of a son, William
Ottie, III, who was born on July 31, 1947.

JOHN WESLEY SNOW, JR.— The masonry
contracting firm in Norfolk known by the some-
what unusual name of Snow, Jr., and King, Inc.,
has been in existence for a little more than a
decade. Under the executive direction of its presi-
dent, John Wesley Snow, Jr., it has made steady
and satisfactory progress upon the sound structure
of a few basic principles: conscientious attention
to detail, fine workmanship, and the employment
of workmen who have a sound knowledge of their
craft, masonry. It has an excellent reputation
throughout the trade as well as among building
owners and managers and contractors throughout
the Tidewater area. It is today one of the largest
firms concentrating entirely on masonry work, and
on the impressive list of structures on which it
has contracted are included the Sears Roebuck and
Company's building in Norfolk; the Mayflower
Apartments at Virginia Beach (which is the tallest
residential building in the state); the new adminis-
tration and classroom building of Norfolk Division,
Virginia State College; the Norfolk Municipal Air-
port's administration building; the Norfolk Cen-
tral Young Men's Christian Association Building;
the Greek Orthodox Church of Norfolk; the Mary
F. Ballentine Home; and several public school
buildings. It is working on the new Norfolk Gen-
eral Hospital, scheduled for completion in 1957.

John Wesley Snow, Jr., its co-founder, president,
and treasurer, was born March 20, 191 7, at Hope-
well, son of John Wesley, Sr., and Mabel (Bur-
rows) Snow. His father, a native of Norfolk, has
been prominent in the building trades for many
years, and his grandfather, Thomas Snow, was also
active in masonry contracting. John W. Snow, Jr.,
thus brings down to the third generation a con-
scientious and craftsmanlike career interest in his
business. His mother, the former Mabel Burruss,
died in 1919, when he was only two years old.

He passed his boyhood in several localities where
his father was engaged in building projects and
completed his secondary education at McKinley
High School in Washington, D. C, where he
graduated in 1936. He continued his education at
the University of Maryland, where he was a student
for two years, majoring in business administration,
and he supplemented his advanced studies there
by attending Benjamin Franklin School of Account-
ing in Washington, D. C, for one year.

He began his career in the construction field with
the Virginia Engineering Company of Newport
News and served his apprenticeship in bricklaying
under his father, working in the latter's construc-
tion firm. He continued with the Virginia Engi-

neering Company until 1945, learning through prac-
tical experience the many phases of masonry con-
struction and the business aspects of contracting
as well.

With this excellent background he terminated
his association with his father to form his own
firm in Norfolk in 1945. As co-founder of Snow,
Jr., and King, Inc., he became president and treasur-
er of the firm and continues as its executive head.
Its other officers are F. L. Detterman, vice presi-
dent, and Mrs. Dorothy Mae Snow, secretary. Of-
fices and warehouse are at 2415 Church Street, Nor-
folk. The combination of experience and a con-
scientious attitude toward its work has won Snow,
Jr., and King, Inc., a reputation as one of the
most reliable contractors in masonry construction,
and the growth in its volume of business has con-
tinued accordingly. The firm holds organizational
membership in the Builders and Contractors Ex-
change, Inc., of Norfolk, and the city's Chamber
of Commerce.

Mr. Snow is a member of the Virginia Subcon-
tractors Association. His other memberships in-
clude the Cavalier Beach Club, the Cavalier Golf
Club, Sertoma International, and the Ocean View
Lodge No. 335, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons. In Masonry he is a member of the higher
bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite,
holds the Thirty-second degree, and belongs to
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. His favorite sports are boat-
ing and golf.

On February 10, 1940, at Pensacola, Florida,
John Wesley Snow, Jr., married Dorothy Mae
Bladen of Washington, D. C., daughter of the late
John Bladen and his wife, the former Viola Stark.
The family formerly lived in the nation's capital.
but now reside in New York City. Mr. and Mrs.
Snow are communicants of Christ Methodist
Church, and they make their home at 18 Cavalier
Drive, Linlier, Virginia Beach. They are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Linda Barbara, born No-
vember 16, 1943. 2. Thomas Michael, born March
16, 1945.

WILLIAM E. WARREN— Senior vice presi-
dent of the National Bank of Commerce of Nor-
folk. William E. Warren held the post of vice
president and director of the Merchants and
Planters Bank until its recent merger with the
National Bank of Commerce.

Born December 9, 1907, at Portsmouth, he is a
son of John Lloyd and Etta (Minton) Warren.
His father was descended from early colonial
settlers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and is
now retired, having spent his active life in farm-
ing and livestock raising. Etta (Minton) Warren was

120

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

born in Nansemond County, and her ancestry is
also traceable to early colonial Virginia.

William E. Warren passed his boyhood in Ports-
mouth, where he graduated from Woodrow Wil-
son High School in 1926. He continued his studies
at William and Mary College at Williamsburg,
where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts in 1929. He then attended the Graduate
School of the University of Virginia, where he
majored in English.

During the years from 1929 to 1932, he was a
member of the teaching faculty of Christ Church
Episcopal School for Boys in Middlesex County,
Virginia. Continuing his career in educational
work, he joined the public school system of South
Norfolk, with which he remained as teacher, as-
sistant principal and assistant superintendent from
1932 to 1938. In the latter year he began his
association with the Merchants and Planters Bank
of Norfolk as assistant cashier and assistant mana-
ger of the South Norfolk Branch. With the open-
of the Lafayette Boulevard Branch in November
1946, he was transferred there as its manager. In
January 1955, Mr. Warren was elected to the
board of directors of the Merchants and Planters
Bank, and also became vice president, continuing
as officer in charge of its Lafayette Boulevard
Branch. On November 4, 1957, the Merchants and
Planters Bank merged with the National Bank of
Commerce of Norfolk and since that time Mr.
Warren has held the position of senior vice presi-
dent of the National Bank of Commerce.

Since 1950. Mr. Warren has served as a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the Chesapeake
Building Association of Norfolk. He belongs to
the Virginia Bankers Association, the American
Institute of Banking and the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce.

He is a member and past president of the Lafay-
ette Business Men's Club, member of the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club, the Sigma Nu fraternity,
and the Virginia Society of the Sons of the Ameri-
can Revolution. He is entitled to membership in
the last-named organization by right of direct
descent in the maternal line from Colonel George
Elliott of the American Continental Army of Vir-
ginia. He is interested in all outdoor sports, es-
pecially football. An Episcopalian, he is a member
of the Church of the Good Shepherd.

On March 31, 1934, at Norfolk, William E.
Warren married Lois Sharber Parkerson of Nor-
folk, daughter of Jesse J. and Emma Clark (Mark-
ham) Parkerson of that city. Her father served
as president of the Merchants and Planters Bank
of Norfolk and is one of the community's out-
standing business and civic leaders. Mrs. Warren
is a graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman's Col-
lege at Lynchburg, Virginia. Active in cultural

and civic affairs, she is a member of the Church
of the Good Shepherd, the American Association
of University Women, the Virginia Branch of the
International Order of King's Daughters, and the
Lockhaven Garden Club. Mr. and Mrs. Warren
are the parents of a daughter, Ann Parkerson, a
graduate of Granby High School, and now attend-
ing Randolph-Macon Woman's College at Lynch-
burg. The family reside at 7414 North Shore
Road, Norfolk.

HORACE GODWIN ASHBURN, M.D., is
well endowed with those qualities which best fit
a man for the difficult profession of medicine.
Family background played its part in his prepara-
tion, for his father, the late Dr. William Beauregard
Ashburn, was a prominent physician of Norfolk
County. The elder Dr. Ashburn was born in 1861
in Isle of Wight County and graduated from the
Medical College of Virginia. As a general practi-
tioner, he maintained his office in Berkley and South
Norfolk from 1902 until his death in 1923. He mar-
ried Geneva Godwin, who was born in Nansemond
County in 1867 and died at South Norfolk in 1938.
The descent of both can be traced back to the early
days of settlement in Isle of Wight and Nanse-
mond counties.

To this couple, the son whom they named Horace
Godwin was born in Franklin County on July 17,
1893. He is the oldest son of his parents. Receiving
his early education in Miss Minnie Tilley's Private
School in Berkley, he later attended the public
schools of that community and in 191 1 was a mem-
ber of the first graduating class of Maury High
School in Norfolk. He then entered the University
of Virginia, where he received his degree of Bache-
lor of Arts in 1914 and his degree of Doctor of Med-
icine in 1918. He interned at the University of Vir-
ginia Hospital for one year and the following year
interned at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City.
His senior year in medical college had coincided
with this country's participation in World War
I, and Dr. Ashburn was enlisted in the United
States Army Medical Reserve Corps.

In 1920 Dr. Ashburn began private practice in
South Norfolk, where he has maintained his office
since. In 1927 the Dr. H. G. Ashburn Clinic was
erected at Jackson and Ohio streets, South Nor-
folk, and this has since been the center of his
practice. Early in his career, Dr. Ashburn began to
specialize in the field of general surgery, and in 1932
he was honored by being made a fellow of the
American College of Surgeons. In his extensive
practice of surgery, he has built a sound profession-
al reputation and has won the commendation of
his colleagues and the confidence of the public.

He is a fellow of the Southeastern Surgical Con-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

121

gress and a member of the Norfolk County Medical
Society, the Virginia State Medical Association,
the Seaboard Medical Society, the American Acad-
emy of General Practice, and the American Medical
Association. His college fraternity was Theta Delta
Chi. An indefatigable worker, Dr. Ashburn has
sacrificed his leisure hours to make opportunity
for increasing his knowledge of medical science,
and he has attained particular distinction in the
field of general surgery. He is a member of the
surgical staffs of the Leigh Memorial Hospital and
St. Vincent de Paul Hospital and a member of
the courtesy staff of the Norfolk General Hospital.
Dr. Ashburn is one of those rare men who at-
tain eminence in the professions, yet prove their
exceptional abilities in business affairs as well. He
is a member of the boards of directors of the Mer-
chants and Planters Bank and the Home Federal
Savings and Loan Association. He is a member
of Doric Lodge No. 40, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons; Ionic Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons;
Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar; and
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the
Princess Anne Country Club, the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, and St. Bride's Episcopal
Church. When his demanding schedule of pro-
fessional duties allows it, Dr. Ashburn enjoys es-
caping into the out-of-doors on occasion and is an
enthusiastic hunter and fisherman.

In New York City, on October 17, 1922, Dr.
Horace Godwin Ashburn was married to the for-
mer Miss Serena Hankins of Spring Lake, New
Jersey. She is the daughter of the late Paul and
Fannie (Hankins) Hankins of Toms River, New
Jersey. Mrs. Ashburn is a registered nurse, a
graduate of St. Luke's Hospital in New York City.
She is active in community affairs. She has rend-
ered valuable service on the Women's Auxiliary
of St. Vincent de Paul Hospital and is also active in
the auxiliary of the Norfolk County Medical Socie-
ty. She is an active member of St. Bride's Episco-
pal Church. Dr. and Mrs. Ashburn are the parents
of two children: 1. Horace Godwin, Jr., who was
born on June 17, 1925. He is a graduate of Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, from which he received the
degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and
Animal Husbandry. He is a veteran of World
War II service with the United States Army Air
Force. At the present time, Horace G. Ashburn,
Jr., is engaged in livestock farming near Hickory
in Norfolk County, and he is serving as president
of the Norfolk Country Farm Bureau. He is mar-
ried to the former Miss Paulette Pifer, of Win-
chester, and they are the parents of three chil-
dren: i. Paulette. ii. William Godwin, iii. Robert
Sheffield. 2. Serena Ashburn, who was born on

August 8, 1927. She is a graduate of St. Mary's
Junior College at Raleigh, North Carolina, and of
Mary Washington College of the University of
Virginia. She holds the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. She is married to Colonel R. B. Wilde of
the United States Marine Corps, who is at present
stationed in Washington, D. C. Colonel and Mrs.
Wilde make their home in Arlington, Virginia.
The family residence of Dr. and Mrs. Horace God-
win Ashburn is at 713 Sparrow Road, on the
eastern branch of the Elizabeth River near the
city of Norfolk. The address of the clinic is Jack-
son and Ohio streets in South Norfolk.

PETER K. BABALAS, who began his practice
in Norfolk in 1950, is now a partner in the firm
of Babalas and Breit, Attorneys and Counsellors
at Law, which has its offices in the Helena Build-
ing at Plume and Granby. Both during and since
World War II, he has served in the Army, and he
is active in community and organizational life.

Born July 8, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts,
Mr. Babalas is a son of Kostas and Catherine
(Milonas) Babalas. Both parents were born in
Greece, and his father came to this country in
1915, locating at Manchester, New Hampshire, be-
fore settling in Boston. In Manchester he and a
brother operated a lumber yard. He entered the
restaurant business in Boston and later continued
in the same field at Waltham, Massachusetts. He
retired in 1948 and now resides in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Mrs. Babalas also survives. Both
were born in 1894.

Reared in Boston and receiving his early educa-
tion in its public schools, Peter K. Babalas gradu-
ated from Rindge Technical High School in 1041
and began his advanced education at Harvard
University. In January 1943, he left his studies to
enter the United States Navy as an air cadet, but
not qualifying as a flyer, he left the Naval Air
Corps and in May 1943, joined the United States
Army. He served overseas, holding a commission
as first lieutenant in the Infantry, and received his
honorable discharge in April 1946.

Mr. Babalas then resumed his studies at Har-
vard University and took his degree of Bachelor
of Arts there in 1947. He then came to Virginia
and enrolled at the University of Virginia, where
he took his professional courses and graduated
with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in February
1950. On August 25, 1949, he passed his examina-
tion for admission to the bar of the state. He be-
gan his practice of law in Norfolk in 1950, but
the following year was called back into active serv-
ice in the army and was stationed in Pennsyl-
vania until 1952. He then resumed his practice at

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Norfolk, continuing independently until January
1954, when he formed the present partnership with
Calvin W. Breit, whose biographical sketch ac-
companies this.

Taking a vital interest in the commercial life
of his city, Mr. Babalas is a stockholder in several
companies. He is a member of the Virginia State
Bar Association, the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar As-
sociation, and the American Bar Association. Af-
filiated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons, he is a member of Atlantic Lodge No. 2,
and of the higher bodies of Masonry. Holding
the Thirty-second degree, he is also a member of
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise belongs to the
Norfolk lodge No. 38, of the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and
A. H. E. P. A., a progressive Greek-American
group. Of Greek Orthodox faith, he attends the
local church of that denomination and is currently
secretary of its building fund. Interested in sports,
he is a member of the Lafayette Country Club;
the Norfolk Sports Club; the Izaak Walton
League, Norfolk Chapter: and the Fraternal Order
of Police Associates. His especial interests are
hunting, fishing, and golf.

Mr. Babalas attended Harvard University on a
scholarship. During his most recent stint in the
army, he was assigned to the Judge Advocate Gene-
ral's Department and was stationed at the Army
War College, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Mr. and Mrs. Peter K. Babalas reside at 115
Beverly Avenue, Norfolk. She is the former Miss
Lillie Macheras, daughter of Peter and Florence
(Gianakis) Macheras, and both of her parents
were born in Greece. They came to America early
in the 1900s and located at Columbus, Ohio, where
her father operated a restaurant, until his death
in 1938 at the age of forty-two. Mrs. Macheras
survives him and makes her home at Lexington.
Mr. and Mrs. Babalas were married on December
27, 1948. They are the parents of two children: 1.
Marcia, born November 14, 1951. 2. Karen, born
April 19, 1955.

CALVIN W. BREIT— Member of the law firm
of Babalas and Breit, with offices in the Helena
Building in Norfolk, Calvin W. Breit is a young
professional man who has proved himself a use-
ful member of the community in civic as well as
professional connections. A native of Newark,
New Jersey, he was born on May 6, 1925, son
of Albert and Henrietta (Kessel) Breit. Both
parents were born in New York City, and his
mother now resides in Norfolk. His father was
a merchant in Newark and later in the state
of Texas, and in 1940 he came to Norfolk and

operated a store there until his death in 1953,
at the age of sixty. He was a veteran of military
service in World War I, having served in France
with the American Expeditionary Force, and was
discharged in 1919.

Calvin W. Breit spent most of his boyhood
years in Texas, beginning his public school edu-
cation there and later attending schools in Oma-
ha, Nebraska, and in Duluth, Minnesota. He
graduated from high school in Duluth in 1940.
He first came to Virginia to attend William and
Mary College, Norfolk Division, but left his stud-
ies in August 1943, to enter the United States
Army. He served in Europe, was hospitalized,
and was discharged in February 1946. He then
resumed his studies at William and Mary and,
after completing his advanced academic courses
there, entered New York University Law School.
At the end of one year in New York, he returned
to Norfolk because of the illness of his father,
and there he continued his law studies at the
College of William and Mary. When he gradu-
ated in 1951, he received both the Bachelor of
Arts and the Bachelor of Civil Law degrees.

Admitted to the bar, Mr. Breit began practice
in his own name in 1951 and in 1954 formed
the partnership with Peter K. Babalas, whose
biographical sketch accompanies. He is a member
of the American Bar Association, the Virginia
State Bar and Virginia Bar Association, and the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association.

He takes a vital interest in community affairs,
being a member of the Chamber of Commerce
and the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Of Jewish
faith, he is a member of B'nai B'rith. He is fond
of hunting, fishing", and golf.

On February 20, 1949, Calvin W. Breit mar-
ried Mildred Jacobs of Petersburg, daughter of
Max and Faye (Schoenbaum) Jacobs. Her father
was a native of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Breit
make their home at 142 Blake Road and are
the parents of three children: I. Mitchell Mark,
born June 25, 1951. 2. William David, born Octo-
ber 23, 1952. 3. Jeffrey Arnold, born April 15, 1955.

HAL J. LYON — Entering the theater manage-
ment field after spectacular early successes as a
musician Hal J. Lyon has been a leader in the
business affairs of the Lower Tidewater area since
he founded Lyon Realty Corporation, Hal Lyon
Enterprises, and two amusement corporations in
1930. He has headed these organizations since,
and has become one of the East Coast's major
owners and operators of motion-picture houses
and of hotels.

Mr. Lyon, who won his early reputation as an
organist, was born at Waterloo, Iowa, on Sep-
tember 16, 1909, son of Judson J. and Clara Maty

.-u^~z^_-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'23

(Parker) Lyon. He attended local public schools,
and graduated from East Waterloo High School.
In his early years he specialized in the study of
music, and from 1921 to 1925 was a pupil of C.
Albert Scholin at Waterloo, studying piano and
organ. As early as 1923 he began earning his
reputation as a prodigy of the organ keyboard,
in Publix Theaters in Chicago. He continued his
studies, however, being enrolled from 1925 to 1927
at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago,
and learning organ and theory under Frank Van
Dusen. As a "boy wonder" organist he was fea-
tured from coast to coast between 1923 and 1929.
He became an authority on organ accompani-
ment to motion pictures, and wrote articles on
this field of music specialization for "Metronome,"
"Musical Observer" and "Motion Picture Herald"
magazines during 1926-1927. At the age of seven-
teen he was Supervisor of Music for the Strand
Amusement Company of Iowa. In 1944 he took the
master course at Westminster Choir School in
Princeton, New Jersey, and studied choral con-
ducting under John Finley Williamson, and organ
under Dr. Alexander McCurdy. He also took
courses at Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, at
Union Theological Seminary in New York City
and under Dr. Clarence Dickinson. He was organist
and choirmaster at Franklin Baptist Church from
1930 to 1945, and continues active as a concert
organist. During 1945-1946 he was minister of music
at Pace Memorial Methodist Church at Richmond.
Since 1946 he has been organist and choirmaster
for all festival and special occasions at High Street
Methodist Church, Franklin, Virginia, of which
he has been a member since 1930. In 1954 he
presented a large three-manual Wicks pipe organ
and sixty-one-bell carillon to his church in honor
of his mother. He also presented a carillon to
the Franklin Baptist Church in 1939, while he
was minister of music there. While on a tour of
sixteen European countries in 1950, he played at
regular services at Westminster Abbey, Notre
Dame in Paris, and the Monastery of St. Francis
of Assisi near Rome.

Due to the critical illness of his wife Mr. Lyon
was forced to abandon his musical career profes-
sionally, and when he was twenty-one years of
age, and much of his achievement in the field of
music was still ahead of him, he came to Franklin
in 1930 and launched his business career by sign-
ing a lease on the Franklin Theatre. The building
had been erected in 1921, and had been leased to
various chains and independent operators for
operation as a theater, but without satisfactory
results. It was bankrupt at the time Mr. Lyon
assumed management. Although he had had no
business experience, and launched his enterprise
in the teeth of the depression, he brought success

to, the venture. He made many innovations during
the next five years. On November 10, 1935, a
new theater in Boykins was opened by the young
entrepreneur. Within two years of that time, new
prospects were apparent at Franklin, where a
large paper mill had opened, attracting many new
residents. This prompted him to erect the beauti-
ful and modern Lyon's State Theatre on lower
Main Street. Another motion-picture house was
added to the chain on August 9, 1940, when an
attractive modern theater in Waverly was built
on a lot presented to Mr. Lyon by a group of
twenty businessmen of that town.

In September 1942, Mr. Lyon purchased the
interest of the entire group of one hundred and
eighty stockholders of the Franklin Amusement
Corporation, which had built the Franklin Theatre
in 1921. The Elco and Delta theaters in Ports-
mouth were acquired by the Lyon circuit in 1946;
and the year 1950 saw the addition of a three-
hundred-car drive-in theater at Carrsville.

Late in the 1940s, new scope and direction were
given to Air. Lyon's enterprises when he turned
his attention to the accommodation of guests and
tourists visiting Franklin. On July 10, 1947, he
acquired the R. A. Pretlow mansion on South
High Street and a considerable portion of the
Pretlow estate. The mansion was renovated in the
style of an early nineteenth-century inn. With
gracious overnight accommodations, and serving
distinctive food in a charming setting, The Town
House, as it has been named, has become one of
our nationally famous inns. It was opened to the
public on February 29, 1948, and a throng of over
five thousand visitors from all parts of the Tide-
water area and elsewhere attended the formal
opening. Since that time, the inn has been accord-
ed highest ratings in "Gourmet," Duncan Hines'
publications, and the A. A. A. books.

Mr. Lyon is president and general manager of
Lyon Realty Corporation, Hal Lyon Enterprises,
Inc., Franklin Amusement Corporation and Lyon
Amusement Corporation. From 1937 to 1942 he
was president of Franklin Housing Corporation.
His offices are in Lyon's State Theatre Building.
In recent years he has continued to expand his
business interests to include a large guest ranch
in Tucson, Arizona, a housing development in
Phoenix, Arizona, and several hotels ranging as
far afield as Honolulu, Hawaii.

He of course retains his interest in music, being
a life member of the National Federation of
Music Clubs and the American Guild of Organists.
Active in the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, he
was its president from 1938 to 1943. He became
a member of the Franklin Rotary Club in 1930,
and in 1942-1943 served as its president. He has
been a director of music at state, national and

'-4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

international Rotary conventions. In 1942-1943 he
served as president of the Franklin Community
Fund, Inc., and from 1944 to 1948, served as chair-
man of the Southampton County Chapter of the
National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. He
was vice president of the Virginia Travel Council
for 1955-1956, and is now on its board of directors.
Since 1950 he has been a director of the Virginia
Motion Picture Owners, and he was general chair-
man of its annual convention held at the Hotel
Chamberlain at Old Point Comfort in 1955. He was
president of the Franklin Community Concerts As-
sociation in 1952.1953. Since 1930, he has been
a member of the Cypress Cove Country Club.

On July 20, 1929, Hal J. Lyon married Marion
Louise Basnight. They are the parents of a daugh-
ter, Halouise, born May 13, 1930. She is now Mrs.
Virgil Enlow McDowell, Jr., and the mother of
two children: Michael Enlow McDowell, born
May 26, 1952, and Lou Lyon McDowell, born
February 28, 1954. Mr. Lyon's residence is op-
posite the famous Town House.

HOMER LENOIR FERGUSON— Newport
News' influential and respected shipbuilding exec-
utive, Homer L. Ferguson, was active in his
chosen industry from the turn of the century
until his recent death. He had served as presi-
dent and as chairman of the board of the New-
port News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
for many years, had other business interests as
well, and was active in a diversity of organiza-
tions.

Born in Waynesville, Haywood County, North
Carolina, on March 6, 1873, he was a son of
William Burder and Laura Adelaide (Reeves)
Ferguson. After completing his secondary stud-
ies, he won appointment to the United States
Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He
graduated there in 1892, but instead of entering
naval service, went overseas to continue his edu-
cation at the University of Glasgow, where he
graduated in 1895. In the later years of his life
he received honorary degrees of Doctor of Com-
mercial Science from Washington and Lee Uni-
ver ity (1930), Doctor of Laws from the Uni-
versity of Richmond (1932), Doctor of Engineer-
ing from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1933),
Doctor of Science from Duke University (1933),
Doctor of Engineering from Rensselaer Polytech-
nic Institute (1937), and Doctor of Science from
William and Mary College (1942).

Mr. Ferguson began his career as assistant
naval constructor at the Columbian Iron Works
in Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked dur-
ing 1895-1896. Thereafter until 1899, he was ad-
viser with Wolff and Zeicker, at the Portland,
Oregon, Navy Yard. He worked in the Navy

Yard at Bremerton, Washington, during 1890-
1900, then went to the opposite coast of the
country, to take a position as superintendent of
construction with the Bath Iron Works of Bath,
Maine.

It was thus with considerable experience in
his field that the young man of twenty-nine came
to Newport News in 1902, to accept a position
as assistant superintendent of construction with
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company. After two years with the firm, he
left for Washington, D. C, where he worked in
the Bureau of Construction and Repair, 1904-
1905. In the latter year he once again joined
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com-
pany, and was with the organization thereafter
until the end of his life. He advanced rapidly,
and in 1915 was elected president of the corpora-
tion, and general manager. He served in both
offices until 1937, when he resigned as general
manager, but retained the presidency. He also
continued as president after he had been elected
chairman of the board in 1940, but resigned
from the chief excutive's post in 1946. He re-
mained board chairman to the end of his life.

In addition to his major business interests, he
was president and a trustee of the Mariners
Museum of Newport News, and a director of
tlie Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Com-
pany of Virginia.

A member of the Society of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers, Mr. Ferguson served as
it> president during the 1928-1929 term. He was
also a member of the Shipbuilders Council of
America, the National Association of Manufac-
turers, the National Industrial Conference Board,
and the United States Chamber of Commerce,
which he served as president in 1919-1920. He
was an honorary member of the American Socie-
ty of Marine Engineers, and of the Propeller
Club of the United States.

Mr. Ferguson was active in several learned
societies. He served on the council of the Ameri-
can Geographic Society, and was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa national scholastic honor society.
He belonged to the Engineers Club of New
York, the Army and Navy Club of Washington,
D. C, and the James River Country Club of
Newport News. Active in fraternal affairs, he
was affiliated with the lodges of the Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons and the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks. He was an Epis-
copalian.

Mr. Ferguson received honors from foreign
governments: the Diploma and Cross of the Le-
gion of Honor, from France, and Belgium's
Knight Commander, Order of Leopold II.

September 23, 1896, Homer Lenoir Ferguson

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'25

married Eliza Anderson Skinner, daughter of
Thomas C. and Belle (Anderson) Skinner. The
couple became the parents of six children: I.
William McL., whose biography appears in this
work. 2. Homer, Jr. 3. Charles Anderson (de-
ceased). 4. Walter Post (deceased). 5. Isabel,
who married Lyman S. Ayres. 6. Elise, who mar-
ried Storer P. Ware.

The death of Homer L. Ferguson occurred on
March 14, 1953.

WILLIAM McLEOD FERGUSON— For the

past two decades, William McLeod Ferguson has
practiced law at Newport News, and is now sen-
ior member of the firm of Ferguson, Yates and
Stephens, which has its offices in the First Na-
tional Bank Building. Throughout the early 1940s
he served with distinction as a member of the
General Assembly of Virginia, and has held
other public and political offices.

A native of Newport News, he was born on
March 4, 1906, son of Homer Lenoir and Eliza
Anderson (Skinner) Ferguson. His father was
a shipbuilder, who was for some years presi-
dent of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company. He served for seventeen years
in the United States Navy. William McLeod Fer-
guson attended the public schools of Newport
News through the first year of high school. In 1920
he entered Episcopal High School, where lie
graduated in 1924. In the fall of that year he
entered the University of Virginia, and received
his degree of Bachelor of Arts there in 1927,
after only three years' study. During the aca-
demic year 1927-1928 he attended Harvard Law
School, then returned to the University of Vir-
ginia, completing his professional courses in its
lav/ school and graduating with the degree of
Bachelor of Laws in 1930.

Admitted to the bar of the State of New- York,
he began practice in September 1930, with the
firm of Burlingham, Veeder, Clark, and Kupper,
admiralty lawyers. He remained in this connec-
tion until July 1936, then returned to his native
Newport News and opened his private law office
theie. He continued to practice independently un-
til 1940, when he became a member of the firm
of Skinner and Ferguson. This partnership was
terminated by the death of Frederick H. Skin-
ner in May 1944. In September of that year,
Mr. Ferguson became a member of the firm
of Montague, Ferguson, and Holt. This law-
partnership was dissolved as of April 1, 1955,
and on that date he became senior partner in
a newly organized firm, Ferguson, Yates, and
Stephens, Attorneys at Law. His partners are
Richard T. Yates and J. Warren Stephens.

Mr. Ferguson was first elected to the General

Assembly of Virginia in 1940, and served until
January 1946. A "Dixiecrat" in the national pre-
sidential campaign of 1948, he served as elector
for the Honorable Strom Thurmond. It was also
in that year that he began his tenure on the
Warwick school board, on which he has served
since.

Since his undergraduate days at the Univer-
sity of Virginia, Mr. Ferguson has been a mem-
ber of St. Anthony Hall. He is also a mem-
ber of the Anglers Club of New York City,
James River Country Club, the Press Club of
Virginia, and the Royal Stag Hunt Club. He is
a communicant of St. Stephens Episcopal Church
in Warwick, where he serves as a trustee and
member of the Vestry.

In New York City on October 19, 1935, William
McLeod Ferguson married Claire M. Murray,
daughter of Joseph R. and Clara (Lane) Murray.
To Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson five children have
been born: 1. Clare Margaret, on November 21,
1936. 2. William McLeod, Jr., born September
23. '937- 3- Charles Anderson, 2nd, born January
18, 1939. 4. Mary Josephine, born February 21,
1940. 5. David Lane, born December 19, 1942.

JAMES WENDELL CREEF, M.D.— Within
a period of a few years, Dr. James W. Creef has
built up an extensive general practice of medicine
in South Norfolk. He is associated with Dr. Jerome
Stanley Gross, also a general practitioner, and
their offices are in the Creef-Gross Medical Build-
ing at 1201 Jackson Street. Completed in Septem-
ber 1956, and formally opened on November 1 of
that year, it is the first modern office building con-
structed specifically for the use of the medical
profession in South Norfolk since 1927. It is a
ten-room structure, completely air-conditioned with
a Charleston Colonial brick-pattern exterior, and
was designed and built with the most modern fa-
cilities for the comfort of patients and utility of
purpose. There are two suites in the building,
and each suite has two examing rooms, a consul-
tation room, and a rest room. At the front of the
building is a large central waiting room, with the
receptionist's desk built into a wall separating the
waiting room from the central passageway. Behind
the waiting room and passageway are a laboratory,
first-aid room, and utility room. The modern equip-
ment includes laboratory facilities, fluoroscope, in-
tercommunication system for the receptionist, air-
conditioning, baseboard heating, and a radio-phono-
graph system to allow music to be transmitted
through the building. Each room has a separate
volume control for music. The Creef-Gross Medical
Building is furnished to give it a homelike rather
than an office or clinic atmosphere.

Dr. James W. Creef was born July 30, 1917,

126

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

near Hickory in Norfolk County, son of Seldon
B. and Nancy (Basnight) Creef, both of Dare
County, North Carolina. He attended the public
schools of South Norfolk and in 1933 graduated
from the South Norfolk High School. Some time
elapsed between the time of his graduation from
high school and his medical studies, and during
this time he was engaged as an electrician at
Norfolk Naval Shipyard. He began his advanced
studies at the College of William and Mary, Nor-
folk Division, where he was a student for one
year (1933- 1934), and he continued his premedical
studies at the University of Virginia. He received
his degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Medical
College of Virginia in 1952. Following his rotating
internship at Norfolk General Hospital, Dr. Creef
began his private practice of medicine at South
Norfolk in July 1953.

He is a member of the staff of the Norfolk-
General Hospital and the courtesy staffs of the
St. Vincent de Paul and Leigh Memorial hospitals.
As a physician he holds membership in the Nor-
folk County Medical Society, the Virginia State
Medical Association, and the Tidewater Academy
of General Practice.

Apart from his professional connections, Dr.
Creef is a member of South Norfolk Lodge No.
339, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Ionic
Chapter No. 46, Royal Arch Masons in Berkley;
the consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scott-
ish Rite; and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The two
last-named Masonic groups are in Norfolk. In his
religious affiliation, he is a communicant of the
Chesapeake Avenue Methodist Church of South
Norfolk. Masonry and his church membership are
the extent of his nonprofessional affiliations.

In the Chesapeake Avenue Methodist Church on
June 3, 1941, Dr. James Wendell Creef married
Hallie Rose of Norfolk, daughter of Leo B. and
Esther (Rogers) Rose of that city. The couple are
the parents of two children: 1. Teresa Diane, born
September 28, 1948. 2. Michael Seldon, born April
18, 1956. The family resides at 603 D Street, South
Norfolk.

JEROME STANLEY GROSS, M.D.— Com-
pleting his medical studies after his return from
military service in World War II, Dr. Jerome Stan-
ley Gross has practiced at South Norfolk since
the beginning of his professional career. He is
associated with Dr. James W. Creef in practice,
with offices in the Creef-Gross Medical Building
on Jackson Street. Dr. Creef is the subject of an
accompanying sketch, in which is also to be found
a description of the remarkable modern profession-

al building which they built and occupy. Dr. Gross
is active in hospital connections and professional
groups.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on May 21,
1924, son of Michael and Ann Ruth (Spigel) Gross.
Both of his parents were born in Baltimore, Mary-
land. His father, who has been a resident of Nor-
folk for many years, was a member of the firm of
Gross Brothers, long active in the shoe-repairing
business in that city.

Dr. Gross received his early education in the
public schools of Norfolk and graduated from
Maury High School in 1942. He then entered the
College of William and Mary, Norfolk Division,
which he attended for one year. At that time his
studies were interrupted by the call to the military
service of his country. Assigned to the 17th Air-
born Division, 'he served in the European Theater
of Operations and on January 7, 1945, was severely
wounded during the historic Battle of the Bulge.
Following his hospitalization in England he re-
joined his outfit and with them returned to the
United States, where he was separated from the
army at Fort Meade, Maryland, on November 6,
1945-

Resuming his studies at the College of William
and Mary, he followed his premedical studies there
for two years, then transferred to George Wash-
ington University, where he received his degree
of Bachelor of Arts in 1948, having majored in
sociology. He next enrolled at the Medical College
of Virginia and took his degree of Doctor of Medi-
cine there in 1952. He took a rotating internship
at Norfolk General Hospital and in 1953 began his
private practice of medicine in South Norfolk.

Dr. Gross has been engaged in a general practice
of medicine since that time, and he joined Dr.
Creef in 1956. The two had been roomates at medi-
cal school. The Creef-Gross Medical Building, to
house their offices and full facilities for the diag-
nosis and treatment of disease, was completed in
September 1956, and opened on November I. In
their general practice of medicine, the two physi-
cians serve a large number of patients in all parts
of Norfolk and Princess Anne counties.

Besides his private practice, carried on at that
address, Dr. Gross is a member of the staff of
Norfolk General Hospital. He is a member of the
Norfolk County Medical Society, the Virginia State
Medical Association, and the Tidewater Academy
of General Practice.

Dr. Gross also holds membership in Lodge No.
38, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and
his religious affiliation is with Beth El Temple in
Norfolk. His favorite sport is fishing.

On June 6, 1950, at Richmond, Dr. Jerome S.
Gross married Pearl Kline of Hazelton, Pennsyl-

■**~*~*S/i

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

127

vania, daughter of Sam and Minnie (Shloss) Kline,
now residents of Princess Anne County. Dr. and
Mrs. Gross reside at Avalon Terrace in that coun-
ty.

ROBERT EDWARD GIBSON— Since the be-
ginning of his legal career, Robert Edward Gibson
has practiced at South Norfolk. He has held of-
fice as city attorney, and is now commonwealth
attorney. He is a progressive young lawyer and
an effective worker in civic groups as well.

Born May 15, 1918, at South Norfolk, he is a
son of Luther Harrison and Bertha (Bunnell)
Gibson. His father was born in 1893 in the Rose-
raont section of Portlock, which in recent years
has been annexed to South Norfolk. He was des-
cended from forebears long associated with the
development of that area, but his own career came
to an untimely end while he was still in his twen-
ties, in an accident which occurred in 1921. His
wife, the former Bertha Iola Bunnell, was a native
of New Haven, Connecticut, and daughter of Al-
bert A. and Maude Adelaide (Vibbert) Bunnell.
She was descended from early settlers in Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut. Following the death of
her husband, she was married in 1924 to Dr.
Luther Clyde Ferebee. Dr. Ferebee, who died at
South Norfolk in 1952, was a prominent physician
and surgeon, and distinguished himself in public
office as well. He was a member of the General
Assembly from 1914 to 1916; was sheriff of Nor-
folk County from 1916 to 1920; and was county
coroner from 1930 to 1942. He was influential in
political circles. Mrs. Bertha ( Bunnell-Gibson)
Ferebee died in South Norfolk in 1942. By her
first marriage, to Mr. Gibson, she was the mother
of two children: 1. Helen Virginia, who died Janu-
ary 6, 1926. 2. Robert Edward.

Graduating from South Norfolk High School
in 1935, Robert E. Gibson continued his academic
studies for three years at Hampden-Sydney Col-
lege, and for a time was employed as a chemist.
For his law studies, he entered the University of
Richmond, where he received his degree of Bache-
lor of Laws in 1948. The same year he began ac-
tive practice at South Norfolk in association with
the late Honorable Q. C. David, Jr., judge of the
corporation court of South Norfolk. This partner-
ship continued until January I, 1951. In addition to
his general practice, Mr. Gibson served from 1948
to 1950 as town attorney of Portlock, since merged
with South Norfolk; and he was city attorney of
the latter city from January 1, 1951, until March
1, 1956. In November 1954, while serving in that
office, he was appointed to his present post as
commonwealth attorney in South Norfolk, to fill
out the unexpired term of Jerry G. Bray, Jr., who
had succeeded Judge Davis as judge of the cor-

poration court. In 1947, Mr. Gibson served for a
time as assistant trial justice of South Norfolk.
Meantime, besides his many public duties, he capa-
bly carries on a general practice of law, with
offices at 1107 Poindexter Street. He is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association
and the Virginia State Bar Association.

His fraternities are Delta Theta Phi (law) and
Lambda Chi (honorary scholastic). Active in civic
affairs, he is a member and past president of the
South Norfolk Junior Chamber of Commerce, arid
a member of the Lions Club and the Southside
Business Men's Club. Since 1948 he has served as
secretary of the South Norfolk Democratic party
organization and was an alternate delegate to
the 1956 National Democratic Convention in Chica-
go, Illinois. He enjoys sports as a spectator, and is
fond of fishing. He is a communicant of the Rose-
mont Christian Congregational Church on Bain-
bridge Boulevard. The Gibson family donated the
site on which this church is erected, and Gibson
Street, nearby, took its name from them.

At Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 10, 1945,
Robert E. Gibson married Margaret Elizabeth
McHorney of South Norfolk. They live at 1401
Earl Street in that city.

HENRY STEELE LEWIS— Norfolk's publish-
ing and broadcasting executive Henry Steele Lewis
was for eight years president of Norfolk News-
papers, Inc., publishers of the Virginian- Pilot and
the Ledger-Dispatch, and also an official of WTAR
Radio Corporation. Although educated as a chemist,
he early turned his attention to publishing as a
career, and learned the newspaper business under
the tutelage and in close association with S. L.
Slover, now chairman of the board of Norfolk
Newspapers, Inc., and the late Paul S. Huber,
whom he succeeded as president. While he shunned
the spotlight, Mr. Lewis was always active, both
as publisher and as private citizen, on behalf of
charitable and civic enterprises.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 25,
1900, the publisher was the son of George H. and
Regina (Steele) Lewis. He moved with his parents
to Norfolk in 1903. His father, an electrical en-
gineer, had been sent to that city to supervise the
electrification of the Chesapeake Transit Company's
line to Virginia Beach by way of Cape Henry.
Henry S. Lewis received his early education at
Norfolk Academy, and later attended Episcopal
High School at Alexandria, Virginia. Then, as his
father had done before him, he enrolled at Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York. There he received his
degree of Bachelor of Chemistry in 1923. The year
he entered there, he was in the Reserve Officers
Training Corps.

TWVa. 13

128

LOWER TIDEW ATER YIROIMA

After graduation from Cornell, Mr. Lewis was
employed by the Dunlop Rubber Company in Buf-
falo, Xew York, and Baltimore, Maryland. In April
1926, he became associated with the Ledger-Dis-
patch as assistant treasurer and assistant secretary.
Seven years later he was elected secretary and
treasurer of Norfolk Newspapers, Inc. In 1935, he
took on the additional duties of business manager of
the two newspapers, the corporation having mean-
time acquired the Virginian-Pilot as well. In 1945,
he was promoted to vice president, continuing as
treasurer and business manager; and on October
14, 1946, he was promoted to the presidency of
Norfolk Newspapers, Inc., succeeding the late Paul
S. Huber.

Mr. Lewis proved himself an executive of modern
and progressive views, and humane motivations.
During his long association with the newspapers,
he encouraged the granting of many benefits to
employees, including hospitalization, insurance and
retirement provisions.

Mr. Lewis was vice president and treasurer of
WTAR Radio Corporation. He was a director of
Richmond Newspapers, Inc., Seaboard Citizens Na-
tional Bank, as well as Norfolk Newspapers, Inc.,
Ledger-Dispatch Corporation, and WTAR Radio
Corporation. He was secretary and assistant treas-
urer of the S. L. Slover Corporation.

He found the time to make a vital contribution
to the civic life of Norfolk. For a number of years
he was president of the Union Mission. He had
worked effectively with the Tidewater Council, Boy
Scouts of America, in which his father had long
been a leader. He was a member of the Virginian
Club, the Princess Anne Country Club, the Nor-
folk Yacht and Country Club and Chi Phi frater-
nity. An Episcopalian in religious faith, he attended
Eastern Shore Chapel.

On October 22, 1930, Henry Steele Lewis mar-
ried Miss Virginia Syer of Portsmouth, daughter
of Charles and Grace (Watts) Syer. The couple
became the parents of a son, H. S. Lewis. Jr., born
October 27, 1933. He graduated from Princeton
University, and is now a medical student at the
University of Virginia.

Mr. Lewis' death occurred on October 24, 1954.
The following appraisal of his place in the com-
munity, appearing in the editorial columns of a
local newspaper, conveys to us much of the charac-
ter and nature of the man:

Although Mr. Lewis never indulged in extremes of self-
effacement, he avoided personal publicity and chose to play
a highly important role in the life of the community with a
quiet reserve that marked him in all his activities. Un-
obtrusively, he gave his support and the support of the
newspapers of which he was the head to a vast number of
worthwhile community enterprises. An important part of his
contribution to his times was the manner in which he
directed the newspaper operations in the performance of the

public service to which they are committed.

The death of Mr. Lewis at an age when many more
years of usefulness seemed sure to lie ahead, is reason for
regret on the part of the business world of which he was
a part, and is a cause of genuine sadness on the part of
those both inside and outside the corporations with which
he was connected who felt the influence of his personality
and his kindly spirit.

QUINTON CLARENCE DAVIS, JR.— Few
men in the history of the Tidewater region have
been held in as universal esteem and affection as
the late Quinton Clarence Davis, Jr. As attorney,
mayor, legislator, judge and civic leader he con-
sistently bent his efforts toward the advancement
of the commonwealth. He occupied a unique place
in the affairs of South Norfolk, where his activities
always centered. Known affectionately as Q. C.,
Judge Davis was one of the most striking personal-
ities of his times.

He was born in Pasquotank County, North
Carolina, on September 9, 1884, son of Rev. Quin-
ton C, Sr., and Sarah Elizabeth (Davis) Davis.
Both parents were likewise natives of Pasquotank
County, and his father was a Baptist clergyman,
at one time serving as pastor of the South Nor-
folk Baptist Church. He died at Eustis, Florida,
in 1926. He was a son of John Smithson and Emma
Virginia (Sawyer) Davis, and his father was a
planter and surveyor in Pasquotank County. Sarah
Elizabeth (Davis) Davis was the daughter of Wil-
son Davis, a planter and a brick and stone mason,
who built the first county courthouse in Pasquo-
tank County. His wife was the former Elizabeth
Halstead. Of Welsh origin, the Davises were
among the families whose forebears had settled in
Pasquotank County in colonial times.

Judge Q. C. Davis attended the public schools
of Virginia, Chester, Pennsylvania, and Maryland,
and completed his secondary studies at Camden,
Xew Jersey, where he graduated from high school.
He then attended the University of North Caro-
lina, but transferred to the University of Richmond
to complete his professional studies, receiving his
law degree there in 1912. He began his active
practice in New Jersey, and in his early career
was also a member of the Pennsylvania bar. In
1914 he located at South Norfolk, and he also
maintained law offices in Norfolk. He held the
reputation in legal circles of being a forceful and
colorful figure at the bar, particularly in his pre-
sentation of a defense case. He took part in many
notable cases. He possessed many of the traits of
the earlier circuit-riding lawyers, who adopted an
oratorical and dramatic style in the courtroom and
political campaigns, who made frequent use of
quotes from the Bible and other fundamental books,
who acquired a shrewdness in appraising humanity,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

129

and who reflected much of the spirit which per-
meates American humor. Excelling in these same
traits. Judge Davis was recognized as without peer
iii pleading his cases. He was active, zestful,
argumentative, sometimes impish, often gleeful,
and always warmly human.

His election by the General Assembly to the
judgeship of the new corporation court of the city
of South Norfolk came to him as a logical honor
after many years of practice. As judge of South
Norfolk's first court of record, as the city became
a municipality of the first class, he took the oath
of office on April 12, 1952. In the editorial columns
of the Portsmouth "Star," the following tribute was
paid him, which also sketched something of his
previous career in public life:

Q. C. Davis, a practitioner at the bar for many years, him-
self a former member of the General Assembly from .Norfolk
County for ten years, South Norfolk's first Town Mayor in
1919, and long its Town and City Attorney, had held the
esteem of his neighbors in South Norfolk through a long life
of service to them. His active churchtnanship, his devoted
family life and his constancy in the cause of friendship, built
in both business and political affiliation, gave him all that
former political adversaries, who had now come to honor him,
needed for their justification . . . O. C. Davis will not be
fou«d lacking in the performance of judicial duty. On the
other hand he will do honor to the bench over which he will
preside. This tribute which is given in heartfelt measure also
comes from columns that have not always been in accord with
some political stands taken or followed by the new South
Norfolk jurist. But the world has known that Q. C. Davis
never faltered in loyalty to man or cause where favor had
been accorded or trust placed in him. Indeed, what attribute
could be superior !

He filled the important post of judge of the
corporation court of South Norfolk until his death
on August 31, 1054. This event came as a distinct
shock to people throughout the state, as he had
become widely known. Among the tributes to his
memory was the following from the editorial pages
of the Norfolk "Virginian- Pilot" of September 1.
'954:

The public record of Judge Davis is full of his activities,
and nearly all of them — this too was characteristic — were con-
centrated in South Norfolk which above all places he loved.
There he was the town's first mayor, town and city attorney,
legislator for several terms, political manager in local, district
and to some extent in state affairs, and, late in his life,
judge. There he was the center of nearly everything. And
there he left his imprint on a community where everybody
knew him and he knew everybody. But it is impossible to
measure the life of a man like Q. C. Davis, Jr.. by official
yardsticks. To an extraordinary degree the personality was
the man. His death leaves a vacancy in South Norfolk that
is not likely to be filled.

The South Norfolk City Council passed a resolu-
tion on the occasion of his death, which read in
part:

The lasting memory of Q. C. Davis, Jr.,

vill live and

blossom and flourish in the hearts of his fellow citizens and
it seems most appropriate to say at his death that "To live in
the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die."

In private affairs, Judge Davis was a member
of the South Norfolk Baptist Church, the Civitan
Club, Norfolk Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, the Berkley Red Men
and Willie Lee Lodge No. 119, Knights of Pythias.
His fraternity was Delta Theta Phi.

In 1909, Judge Q. C. Davis married Lola Ger-
trude Diggs, daughter of John Franklin and Susan
(Morgan) Diggs of Mathews County, Virginia.
Her father was a planter and served in Lee's Army
of Virginia in the War Between the States. Lola
Gertrude (Diggs) Davis died in South Norfolk on
July 7, 1942. The couple were the parents of five
children: 1. Virginia Marie, a graduate of West
Hampton College. She married James Gardner
Knowlton of Norfolk. Now residing in Atlanta,
Georgia, they are the parents of two children: Jane
Jones and Marie Gardner Knowlton. 2. Quinton
Clarence. Ill, of South Norfolk. He attended the
College of William and Mary, served in the United
States Army in World War II, and married
Thelma Creef of South XTorfolk. They are the pa-
rents of a son, Quinton Clarence, 4th. 3. Rose
Gertrude, who received her degree of Bachelor of
Arts from Mary Washington College. She married
John Hodges Morrisette, hardware merchant in
the Berkley section of Norfolk. They are the
parents of two children: Anne Davis and John
Hodges Morrisette, Jr. 4. Emma Jane, who re-
ceived her degree of Bachelor of Arts from Martha
Washington College and was formerly active in
public affairs, serving as a member of the South
Carolina State Legislature. She married William
Luther McDermott of Rock Hill in that state, and
they are the parents of three children: Lola Davis,
Emma Jane and William Luther McDermott. 5.
Jefferson Davis, a graduate of Elon College and
the College of William and Mary. During World
War II he served in the United States Fifteenth
Air Force in Italy, and is now a member of the
faculty of Princess Anne High School. He married
Janet Rowe of Hampton. Virginia.

The stately Davis home at 1 106 Chesapeake Ave-
nue was always one of the focal points of South
Norfolk hospitality. There the judge reared his
family and found his greatest joy in their company,
as well as among his flowers and the books of one
of the finest libraries in the region. He was very
much interested in beautifying South Norfolk, and
with W.P.A. workers during the depression, he
made Lakeside Park a place of beauty. He had
hopes of a museum for the park, and had collected
many souvenirs and items of historical interest for
display.

'3°

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

High ideals of service to his fellowmen, both
in private life and in positions of public trust, was
a guiding star in the career of Judge Davis. Honor-
ed and respected in his lifetime, he has won a
secure place in the affectionate remembrance of
an entire citv.

ALLAN RANDOLPH HOFFMAN— Since

the close of World War I, Allan Randolph Hof-
r..an has operated his own business as ship agent.
With headquarters at 23 10 West Avenue, New-
port News, he serves as local representative of
a number of the major steamship lines with
piers at Hampton Roads. At present, he is serv-
ing as chairman of the Newport News Port
Commission.

He was born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
on June 27, 1892, son of Allan R. and Eliza-
beth C. (Peterson) Hoffman. His father, also
born in that city, on December 25, 1800, was an
engraver by trade. He died on April 25, 1908,
but his wife, the former Elizabeth C. Peterson,
ij still living, being in her ninety-fifth year at
the time of writing. She too is a native Philadel-
phian.

The family came to Newport News in Allan
Randolph Hoffman's early years, and he received
his education in the public schools of that city,
graduating from its high school in 19 17. For two
years he attended the College of William and
Mary, and left to begin his business as a ship
agent, forming the firm of Allan R. Hoffman
and Company in 1919. The concern has con-
tinued to operate successfully under that name
to the present time. The Hoffman Building, which
houses its offices, was erected by Mr. Hoffman
in 1937.

Since the Newport News Port Commission
was formed in 1954. Mr. Hoffman has served
as a member and is now its chairman. For
nineteen years he has been a member of the
local board of education. Besides his major busi-
ness connection, he is president of the Trave-
lers Aid Society, and vice president of the
Tri-City Corporation and the Propeller Club
of Newport News. He is a member of the
Rotary Club and served as its secretary for
several years. His other memberships include
the James River Country Club and Peninsula
Lodge No. 278, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons. A member of the Newport News Consis-
tory, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, he
holds the Thirty-second degree, and is a mem-
ber of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is an active
communicant of Trinity Methodist Church. In
his politics he is a Democrat.

At Staunton, Virginia, on September 2, 1920,

Allan Randolph Hoffman married Rose Collins
Harman of that city, daughter of Ernest M.
and Bettie (Collins) Harman. The couple are
the parents of three children: 1. Rosellen, who
is the wife of G. Guy Via, Jr. 2. Martha Eliza-
beth, who married Walter W. Eames, Jr. 3. Al-
lan R.. Jr. Mr. Hoffman has three grandchil-
dren: G. Guy Via, 3rd, Rosellen Randolph \ ia,
and Charlotte Christian Eames.

EDWARD NELSON ISLIN— A little more
than three decades ago, Edward Nelson Islin be-
gan his career with The Bank of Virginia at
Newport News, and he is now vice president,
and manager of its Newport News office at 2805
Washington Avenue.

Born in that city on August 11, 1904, he is a
son of John Alexander and Agnes (Smith) Islin.
His father came to the South from Carbon County,
Pennsylvania, and died on October 13, 1954. Agnes
.Smith, whom he married, was a native of Glasgow,
Scotland, and she died on April 11, 1941. Attend-
ing the public schools of Newport News, Edward
N. Islin graduated from high school there in
June 1920. His advanced studies were taken at
the College of William and Mary, where he gradu-
ated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in
19^5-

In that year he joined the staff of The Bank
of Virginia at Newport News. He held various
positions there and at the bank's branches in
Richmond and Roanoke, and was well qualified
by his varied experience for the responsibilities
of vice president, to which office he was named
in 1944. At the same time he became manager of
the Newport News office where he had begun
hi- connection.

Mr. Islin has taken a positive role in welfare
work in his home city. He is past chairman of
the Newport News-Warwick Chapter of the
American Red Cross and is now serving as
treasurer and member of the board. He was for-
merly fund chairman of the Community Chest.
He is a past president of the James River Country
Club, and past president of the Newport News
Rotary Club. His other memberships include the
Lodge No. 315, Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, and Theta Delta Chi social fraternity.
Mr. Islin is a Democrat in his politics, and a
Methodist in his religious faith. He serves on
the official board of the First Methodist Church
of Warwick. Golf and fishing are his favorite
sports.

At Suffolk. Virginia, on October 15, 1927, Edward
Nelson Islin married Mary Elizabeth Eley of
that city, daughter of W. Hatcher and Beulah
(Savage) Eley. The couple are the parents of
one daughter, Elizabeth Eley, who is now the

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'3'

wife of Robert L. Saffelle, Jr., of Salisbury, North
Cirolina.

CRAWFORD STANLEY ROGERS— As pres-
ident and general manager of the Norfolk Ship-
building and Dry Dock Corporation, the late
Crawford Stanley Rogers occupied a position of
prominence in the public and civic affairs of his
city, as well as in his industry. He contributed
much to the advancement of his city, and in
recognition of his place as one of Norfolk's "First
Citizens," received the Cosmopolitan Club Award
for 1954.

Member of a distinguished American family, he
was descended from colonial settlers in Virginia,
and was born at Norfolk on September 27, 1885,
son of Joseph Stanley and Addie Aurelia (Moore)
Rogers. His father was a businessman of Norfolk,
born there on September 26, 1859, and died in
the same city on January 2, 1912. He was in
turn a son of Crawford Rogers, a drygoods mer-
chant of Norfolk and a veteran of Confederate
service, who was born on January 6, 1837, and
died September 7, 1920. He married Mary Eliza-
beth Diggs, born March 11, 1837, died April 10,
1916. Their marriage took place on April 28, 1858.
William Diggs, great-grandfather of Crawford
Stanley Rogers, was born September 2, 1809, and
died September 13, 1866. His wife, Julia Anne
(Foster) Diggs, was born February 10, 1813, and
died January II, 1876; and her father, Isaac Fos-
ter, was born in 1789, son of Captain Isaac Foster,
who died in 1805. He served as a lieutenant and
later as captain of a company under the com-
mand of Captain Josiah Foster and Colonel John
Peyton in the Revolution. He was in command
of his company at Yorktown when Cornwallis
surrendered.

Addie Aurelia (Moore) Rogers was born No-
vember 18, 1862, and died September 19, 1916.
She was a daughter of Harvey and Julia (Father-
ly) Moore of Norfolk.

Completing his formal education in the public
schools of Berkley Ward, city of Norfolk, Craw-
ford Stanley Rogers began his career in 1903,
with the Southern Railway, working in various
positions until 1907. Thereafter until 1916 he was
associated with the Garrett Wine Company of
Norfolk as bookkeeper and secretary.

It was in 1916 that Mr. Rogers formed the
connection with Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Corporation which was to continue for the
duration of his career. He joined the organization
in the capacity of assistant secretary; and during
1925-1926, was general manager as well as assist-
ant secretary. He was vice president and general
manager from 1926 to 1944, and in the latter year
became president of the corporation, continuing

his duties as general manager. Under his capable
management, the company grew into one of the
major industries of Tidewater Virginia. During
the World War II years, when its operations were
at peak volume, there were about twenty-five hun-
dred employees on the payroll.

Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corpora-
tion had its beginning shortly after the turn of
the century, when F. O. Smith and Charles Mc-
Coy formed a partnership known as the Smith and
McCoy Shipbuilding Company. Its plant was at the
foot of the Campostella Bridge. With the death of
Mr. McCoy several years later, the company be-
came the F. O. Smith Shipbuilding Company; and
when the other partner died in 1916, the plant was
purchased by the present owners. Incorporation
under the present name took place in 1916. Today,
there are three completely equipped ship repair
plants in the Norfolk Harbor, a twelve-thousand-
ton floating dry dock, a five-thousand-ton Crandall
railway, a four-thousand-ton floating dry dock, and
three thousand-ton marine railways. These, effec-
tively used by the company, play a large part in
keeping Norfolk in the lead as a shipping center.

The first president of the corporation when it
was formed in 191 6 was George W. Roper, who
became chairman of the board in 1945. He was
succeeded by Mr. Rogers.

Besides heading this large corporation, Mr. Rog-
ers had many other interests. He served on the
boards of directors of the National Bank of Com-
merce, the Virginia State Chandler of Commerce,
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia
Manufacturers Association, Norfolk Community
Chest, Patriotic Education, Inc., the National As-
sociation of Manufacturers, and Norfolk Industrial
Commission. From 1948 to 195 1, he served as a
director of the Norfolk City School Board; and
over the same three year period, was a director
of Tidewater Hospitalization Association. He was
a member of Southern Industrial Relations Con-
ference; and in 1954 became president of the
Tidewater Virginia Development Council. He was
a member of the board of directors of the Ship-
builders Council of America, and chairman of the
board of the Norfolk Port Authority. He was past
chairman of the Hampton Roads Maritime As-
sociation.

During World War II, he was awarded a Cer-
tificate of Service, for voluntary and noncompen-
sated services rendered to the War Manpower
Commission in the Hampton Roads area. In
1952 he received the "Man of the Year in Indus-
try" Award of the Norfolk Industrial Manage-
ment Club — -a choice concurred in by the clubs
of Portsmouth and Richmond. The Cosmopolitan
Club of Norfolk selected him as First Citizen for
1954. Mr. Rogers was a member of the advisory

132

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

board of the College of William and Mary, Nor-
folk Division, and of Virginia Polytechnic Insti-
tute Extension. He served as co-chairman of the
MacArthur Memorial Committee in 1951. He was
chairman of the recruitment committee for teach-
ers, Norfolk Public Schools; was president of
Norfolk Servicemen's Club for Armed Services
Personnel from 1951 to 1955; and was chairman
of the board of the Norfolk Navy Young Men's
Christian Association. In the service of the people
of his home city, Mr. Rogers was a member of
the Norfolk Tax Commission from 1946 to 1948;
and in the latter year he became president of the
Leigh Memorial Hospital.

A member of the Kiwanis Club of Norfolk, he
served as its president in 1940; and he was presi-
dent of the Propeller Club of Norfolk during 1937-
1938. He was a member of the Norfolk Executives
Club, the Virginia Club, Norfolk Yacht and Coun-
try Club, Society of Naval Architects and Marine
Engineers, and Berkley Lodge No. 167, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was past
master. Active in the higher bodies of Masonry,
he was a member of Ionic Chapter No. 46, Royal
Arch Masons; Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights
Templar; and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Another
major organizational interest was the patriotic
societies. He was a member and past president
of Norfolk Chapter, Virginia Society of the Sons
of the American Revolution, and was a past presi-
dent of the Virginia society as well. He was past
vice-president-general of the South Atlantic Dis-
trict, and a member of the board of trustees of
the National Society of the Sons of the American
Revolution.

Mr. Rogers was a communicant of Ghent Metho-
dist Church, and served as chairman of the board
of stewards in 1938- 1939. He was chairman of
the committee whicli financed and built eight
homes in Norfolk for retired Methodist ministers.
Gardening was his hobby, and he was especially
interested in floriculture, successfully raising ca-
mellias and azaleas.

On March 22, 1910, Crawford Stanley Rogers
married Columbia Taylor Bott of Norfolk, daugh-
ter of James A. and Georgie R. (Sturgis) Bott.
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers became the parents of a
daughter, Frances, who married James R. Coates
of Norfolk, assistant vice president of Norfolk
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation. Mr. and
Mrs. Coates are the parents of two children: 1.
Crawford Rogers. 2. James Ironmonger Coates.
The Rogers home is at 5315 Edgewater Drive,
and Mrs. Rogers maintains a summer place at
Blue Ridge Summit in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Rogers' death, on June 4, 1956, deprived
his region of one of its most capable and dis-

tinguished industrialists, and his home city of a
loyal and useful citizen.

Of many resolutions passed and presented to
Mrs. Rogers, we quote from one passed by the
National Association of Manufacturers:

Possessed of keen mind, his exceptional ability, his clear
judgment and wise counsel combined with his high sense of
honor commanded the respect of all those associates who had
contact with him and the memory of his cheerful, kind and
lovable qualities and sterling character will be an abiding
inspiration to all those who enjoyed his friendship.

WILLIAM ALLEN CHARTERS— A mortgage
and investment banker whose entire career has
been centered in Norfolk, William Allen Charters
is now president of Investment Corporation of
Norfolk. He is also an official of other corporations
and is active in real estate development, civic
causes, and welfare work.

Mr. Charters is a native of Norfolk and was born
on February 26, 1894. son of Charles Linwood and
Elizabeth Frances (West) Charters. The financial
executive received his entire formal education in
the public schools of his city. He began his career
in 191 2 with the Norfolk Bank for Savings and
Trusts, which later became the Trust Company of
Norfolk, and he remained with that oragnization
until 1927. He has since been identified with the
Investment Corporation of Norfolk, beginning his
connection in the capacity of secretary-treasurer
in 1927. He was named vice president in 194 1 and
president in 1950.

Mr. Charters is also president of Lakewood,
Inc.; president and director, Norfolk-Justice In-
surance Corporation; and vice president and di-
rector, Nansemond Hotel. He is currently serving
as chairman of the Employees' Retirement System
of the city of Norfolk, and he is a member of the
Board of Review for Real Estate Assessments for
the City of Norfolk. He serves on the board of
trustees of the Leigh Memorial Hospital, is on
the board of directors of the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce, and attends the Church of the Good
Shepherd. He is a member of the Princess Anne
Country Club; the Virginia Club; the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, Ruth Lodge No. 89; and
Consistery and Khedive Temple, of the Shrine, in
Norfolk.

On July 12, 1924, William Allen Charters mar-
ried Emma Jane Mercer. They make their home
at 1302 Harmott Avenue.

HENRY LESLIE LAM, JR.— One of the

younger men practicing law in Norfolk, Henry
Leslie Lam, Jr., who resides at Virginia Beach,
has his own firm, with offices in the Board of
Trade Building. He is a veteran of Air Corps

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'33

service in World War II, and has held responsible
posts in veterans' organizations.

Born November 21, 1922, in Norfolk, Mr. Lam
is a son of Henry L., Sr., and Elizabeth (Bliss)
Lam. Both of his parents are native Virginians,
his father having been born at Goshen and his
mother at Farmville. The elder Henry L. Lam
was for twenty-five years with the Southern Sani-
tary Company, of Norfolk, a wholesale dealer in
janitors' and cleaning supplies, and advanced to
the position of secretary and treasurer in that or-
ganization. He died August 8, 1938, at the age of
sixty-three. His wife, the former Elizabeth Bliss,
lived to the age of seventy and died February of
1949-

Reared in Norfolk and receiving his early educa-
tion there, Henry L. Lam, Jr., completed his prep-
aratory studies at Augusta Military Academy at
Fort Defiance, from which he graduated. He com-
pleted his advanced studies after his service in
World War II. Enlisting in the United States
Army Air Corps in 1943, he was commissioned a
lieutenant, and served as an instructor in flying.
He received his honorable discharge on December
5, 1945-

Mr. Lam then resumed his education at Wil-
liam and Mary College, took his degree of Bachelor
of Arts there in 1950, and two years later received
his degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from the Wil-
liamsburg branch of the same college. Admitted
to the bar of the state of Virginia in 1952, he began
practice as an associate in the firm of Kellam and
Kellam in Norfolk, and remained with that partner-
ship until February 1955. He left to open his own
office for a general practice of law, in the Board
of Trade Building, Norfolk. He is a member of
the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia State
Bar Association, the American Bar Association,
and the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association.

Active in the American Legion, Mr. Lam has
held office twice as commander of Princess Anne
Post No. 113. He is past Judge Advocate of the
Department of Virginia of the Legion, and Grand
Advocate of the Forty and Eight. He is a member
of the Tidewater Automobile Association, the
Wythe Law Club of the College of William and
Mary (of which he is past president), the Air-
craft Owners and Pilots Association, the Princess
Anne Ruritan Club, and Phi Kappa Tau social
fraternity. Mr. Lam and his family attend the
First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach, and
he serves as an usher there.

In September 1942, Henry L. Lam married Edna
Goodman of Mooresville, North Carolina, daugh-
ter of Mack and Lelia Goodman. Her father is
a retired farmer and lives in Mount Ulla, North
Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Lam have two children :

I. Gary, who was born July 11, 1943, in Chico,
California. 2. Bliss, born on April 8, 1948, in
Norfolk. Mrs. Lam is active in church work, and
is president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ameri-
can Legion.

GEORGE KEITH McMURRAN— In the in-
surance business since the conclusion of his ac-
tive wartime service in the United State Navy,
George Keith McMurran is now vice president
and general manager of the Newport News firm
of Bowen Company. He is currently serving as
an official of the Virginia Association of Insur-
ance Agents.

Born November 20, 1920, at Newport News,
he is the son of Lewis A. and Agnes Barclay
(Epes) McMurran. His father was also a native
of the Lower Tidewater area, born at Ports-
mouth. He trained as a lawyer and practiced at
Newport News, where he died on January 12,
1930. His wife, the former Agnes B. Epes, was
born in Franklin, Kentucky, and died November
I, 1949. Attending the public schools of his na-
tive city, G. Keith McMurran graduated from
Newport News High School in 193", and entered
Washington and Lee University, where he re-
ceived his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1941.
Shortly afterwards he enlisted for service in
the United States Navy. In the course of his
four years in uniform, he advanced in rank from
ensign to lieutenant, junior grade, and lieutenant.
Separated from active service in December 1945,
he retains the rank of lieutenant commander 111
the United States Naval Reserve.

In January 1946, Mr. McMurran joined the
general insurance firm, Bowen Company, with
headquarters at 136 Twenty-eighth Street in New-
port News. He has been its vice president and
general manager since 1954. Active in the Vir-
ginia Association of Insurance Agents since he
entered the field, he now holds office as its vice
president.

In his home area he is a member of the
James River Country Club, Hampton Roads Ger-
man Club, and the Rotary Club at Warwick,
and the Lafayette Gun Club. He is fond of the
outdoors, his favorite pastimes being fishing,
horseback riding and target shooting. Mr. Mc-
Murran's fraternity is Pi Kappa Alpha. He is
a Democrat in his politics. Active in the work
of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Newport News,
he serves on its vestry, and he is secretary of
the Standing Committee, Diocese of Southern
Virginia.

On July 7, 1945, at Newport News, G. Keith
McMurran married Jane Beale Saunders of that
city, daughter of Joseph H. and Lola (Beale)
Saunders. Her father, who is deceased, was

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

superintendent of schools there. Mr. and Mrs.
McMurran have one son, George Keith, Jr., who
was born on July 23, 1951.

GEORGE WINN GRANGER— Active in the

building supplies industry from the beginning of
his career, George Winn Granger is an official
of the firm of Ranhorne and Granger, Inc., of
Hampton, and of the firm bearing the same
name at Williamsburg. He has held office in the
Peninsula Building Exchange, and currently heads
the Warwick Rotary Club.

Born at Newport News on June 14, 1912, he
is a son of George Llewellyn and Maude M. (Winn)
Granger. His father is deceased, but his mother
is still living. Attending the public schools of
Newport News, George W. Granger (who is
better known among his friends and business
associates as Jack Granger) graduated from the
high school in that city in February 1931. He
then began a sixteen years' connection with Ben-
son Phillips Company, a building supplies firm
in Newport News, and held various positions in
that organization, advancing to branch manager
and sales manager.

He left in 1947 to become a partner in his
present firm, Ranhorne and Granger, Inc., a
building supplies firm which has its headquarters
at 1736 Pembroke Avenue in Hampton. Since
that time he has held office as secretary and
treasurer of the corporation. He is also secretary
and treasurer of Ranhorne and Granger, Inc., a
fuel distributing firm at the same address, and
secretary and treasurer of Ranhorne and Granger,
Inc., of Williamsburg, a building supplies firm
which was opened in that city in March 1956.

In the Peninsula Builders Exchange, Mr. Gran-
ger held the office of president in 1955. He was
president of the Rotary Club of Warwick for the
I95S-i956 term, and is a member of the James
River Country Club. He is a Democrat, and at-
tends the Calvary Baptist Church of Newport
News.

At Williamsburg, on February 27, 1937, George
W. Granger married Evelyn Rogers. She was
born in Hilton Village, now a part of Warwick,
daughter of William R. and Estelle (Scheelky)
Rogers. Mr. and Mrs. Granger have two chil-
dren: 1. George Winn, Jr., who was born on
August 28, 1942. 2. Allyson Lee, born March
12, 1946.

1900, Dr. Bradley is a son of Allen Marshall
and Katherine (Dale) Bradley. His father too
was a physician, who was born in Rich Valley,
Indiana, and practiced in Chicago, Illinois. He
died in 1928. Mrs. Bradley, a native of Dora,
Indiana, is still living. Dr. Chester D. Bradley
attended the public schools of Wabash, Indiana,
and when his father moved to Chicago to prac-
tice, continued his schooling there. Some years
intervened before Dr. Bradley took up his medi-
cal studies. He served in the army in World
War I, being assigned to Company A, 132nd In-
fantry Regiment, 33rd Division, as a private. He
served overseas one year, and received his honor-
able discharge in May 1919.

In the early 1930s, he began his study of
medicine and attended the University of Illinois
Medical School in Chicago. There, in 1935, he
received his degree of Doctor of Medicine. While
completing his courses, be interned at Milwau-
kee County Hospital, from 1934 to 1936, and in
the latter year went to Washington, D. C, where
he served as physician with the Veterans Ad-
ministration. He came to Hampton later the
same year, also with the Veterans Administration.
In 1941 Dr. Bradley began his private practice
in that city. He moved to Newport News in
1945 and, since his arrival there, has specialized
in obstetrics. He is a member of the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the
Virginia Obstetrical and Gynecological Society,
the American Medical Association, Virginia Medi-
cal Society, Virginia Peninsula Academy of Medi-
cine, and the Warwick-Newport News Medical
Society.

In 1951 Dr. Bradley assisted Colonel Paul R.
Goode, deputy post commander at Fort Monroe,
Virginia, in founding the Jefferson Davis Case-
mate, which subsequently became the Historical
Museum of Fort Monroe. He is a communicant
of the Methodist Church.

On September 25, 1942, in Hampton, Dr.
Chester Dale Bradley married Miriam Katherine
Decker of Chicago, Illinois, daughter of Homer
and Christina (Pratt) Decker. Dr. and Mrs.
Bradlev have no children.

CHESTER DALE BRADLEY, M.D. has

practiced in the Lower Tidewater area from the
early years of his career. At the present time
he specializes in obstetrics and has his offices
at 2914 West Avenue, Newport News.

Born at Wabash, Indiana, on December II,

LEOPOLD MARSHALL von SCHILLING

was born in Washington, D. C. on March I, 1874.
His mother was Molly Booker of Sherwood, a
plantation which was located near the present
entrance to the Langley Air Force Base. His
father was Major Franz von Schilling of the
United States Array, formerly of the army of the
Grand Duke of Baden, a member of an old German
family known there as Schilling von Canstatt.
Marshall, as he was popularly known in Hamp-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'35

ton, Virginia, where he spent most of his life,
lost his mother when he was a small boy. He was
reared by his father in Washington until the age
of fifteen years when he came to Hampton to live
with his uncle. Hunter R. Booker, while his
father went back to Germany to spend his last
days, being in ill health.

On February 10, 1890, he went to work at the
Bank of Newport News (now the First National
Bank of Newport News) as a runner, and was
employed in the banking business most of his life.

Alter leaving the Newport News Bank he was
employed as a teller by the Bank of Hampton
until June 1903, when he and his Uncle organized
the Merchants National Bank of Hampton with
which he was connected for the remainder of
his life.

He was married in 1904 to Miss Martha Wynne
Howard, and there were two sons and a daughter.

In addition to the banking business, he was also
in the automobile business from 191 1 to 1943.

Prior to the first world war he held a commis-
sion as Imperial German Vice Consul, and during
the 1920's he was consular representative at the
Port of Hampton Roads for the German Repub-
lic. During this war, being restricted from mili-
tary service by the Federal Banking Authorities,
he nevertheless held a commission in the United
States Secret Service.

In the period after World War I he was in-
strumental in the organization of a number or.
banks in the community, including the Bank of
Fox Hill, the Old Point National Bank at Phoe-
bus, The Citizens Bank at Poquoson and one in
Gloucester County. It was also during this time
that the local chapter of the American Institute
of Banking was formed, and having been self-
educated he was very conscious of the need for
an educational program in the field of banking.
Therefore he was an ardent supporter of this or-
ganization for the proper education of young
bankers. This was also the formative period of
the Air Force at Langley Field, and he became
banker to, and fast friend of, many of the young
Air Force Officers who later became the leaders
of the nation's Air Force in World War II.

Early in the 1920s he was instrumental in
bringing the trawl fishing industry to Hampton,
having financed the first locally owned deep sea
fishing vessel operating from this port. His hobby
was his own boat, and one of his greatest interests
was the promotion of the various phases of the
sea food industry that offered a means of livelihood
to the people of this community.

In 1928 he succeeded his Uncle, H. R. Booker,
as president of The Merchants National Bank
of Hampton and of the Elizabeth City County
Retail Merchants Association.

It was also during the 1920s that he was a
member of the Hampton School Board.

His idea of running a bank was that the bank's
primary object was to serve the community whose
money made the bank's operation possible. He there-
fore gave preference to local loans which would
promote the best interests of the community, and
when the bank trouble in 1933 occurred, the invest-
ments of his bank included very few of the de-
faulted foreign bonds which had been sold to
some bankers on the lure of their high yield. On
the contrary, his portfolio of local loans proved
sound, and the confidence of the local people in-
dicated that they were aware of his sound bank-
ing policy. The result was that his bank opened
promptly with no trouble nor government aid
after the banking holiday of 1933.

He was quick to realize the value, as a way
out of the depression, of the Federal Housing
Program. He made the second Federal Housing
Insured mortgage loan in the United States. He
became chairman of the Board of the bank in
K144, and continued in that office until his death
on his 50th Wedding Anniversary, October 18,
1954, at age eighty years. He was a member of the
Hampton Rotary Club and served as its president
during the year 1933-1934. He was a 32nd degree
Mason, an Elk and a member of St. John's
Episcopal Church.

He was well known in his community and State
Banking group for his frankness, wisdom, honesty,
integrity, fearlessness and civic mindedness. While
never known for his diplomacy, one always knew
where he stood, and he was eminently fair to
friend and foe alike.

LUCIEN HOWARD von SCHILLING— For

over two decades, Lucien Howard von Schilling
has been active in the banking profession at Hamp-
ton, and he is now president of The Merchants
National Bank there. He is a native of that city,
born on June I", 1907, son of Leopold Marshall
ami Martha (Howard) von Schilling. His father
too was a banker, active in business for sixty-four
years.

After completing his public school education
locally, Lufcien H. von Schilling attended Virginia
Military Institute, where he graduated with the
degree of Bachelor of Science. He went on to
advanced studies at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, where he received his Master of
Science degree. At this time he was interested in
an engineering career; but when he was later at-
tracted to the banking field, he took courses with
the American Institute of Banking, and received
both the Pre-Standard and the Standard certifi-
cates.

He began his career in 1928 as design and test

.36

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

engineer with the Wright Aeronautical Corpora-
tion, remained through 1929, and in 1930 accepted
a position as airplane designer and stress analyst
tor Bellanca Aircraft Corporation. He joined the
staff of Autogiro Specialties Company of Phila-
delphia. Pennsylvania, in 193 1, as design engineer
and mathematician.

When the depression struck and aircraft man-
ufacturers were forced to cut their staffs, Mr. von
Schilling held temporary positions selling auto-
mobiles and working in a Bermuda hotel.

In 1933 he turned his attention to banking, join-
ing the staff of the Bank of Fox Hill as cashier.
He remained with that institution until 1936, when
he came to Hampton to assume duties as secre-
tary of The Merchants National Bank. Between
that time and 1944, he successively held the offices
of vice president and executive vice president; and
in 1944 'ie was elevated to the presidency of The
Merchants National Bank, a position he has since
held.

Mr. von Schilling was a reserve officer in the
United States Corps of Engineers and the Coast
Artillery Corps between 1929 and World War II.
but he was not accepted for active wartime duties
because of inability to pass the physical examina-
tion.

He is a member of the Rotary Club of Hamp-
ton, Hampton Yacht Club and the Engineers Club
of the Virginia Peninsula, Inc. In his religious
faith he is Protestant Episcopal.

At Hampton, on June 12, 1936, Lucien Howard
von Schilling married Ruth Evelyn Andrews,
daughter of Elton Beecher and Kate Allen (Bir-
chell) Andrews. Mr. and Mrs. von Schilling have
one daughter, Ruth Virginia, who was born on
July 22, 1940.

JOHN BRACKSTON HUNDLEY— After
early experience in the construction and ship-
building fielis, John Brackston Hundley entered
the real estate business at Hampton several years
ago, and he now heads his own agency, with offices
at 3507 Victoria Boulevard. He is active in busi-
nessmen's groups and in civic causes.

Born in Floyd County, Virginia, on December
28, 1912, he is a son of George \V. and Cora
Belle (Reynolds) Hundley. Both of his parents
were born in Patrick County, Virginia. His father,
who died in 1944, was a farmer. John B. Hundley
attended the public schools of Roanoke County,
and graduated from the Roanoke County High
School in 1930.

He began his business career with the Virginia
Bridge and Iron Company at Roanoke, entering
the company's employ as a stock clerk and re-
maining with the organization for three years.
At the end of that time he came to the Lower

Tidewater city of Newport News, where for
nine years he was employed by the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, work-
ing in the shipfitters' department.

He left this industrial connection in I94<> to
enter the real estate business, and since October
15, 1952, has headed his own firm with offices on
Victoria Boulevard, under the name of Hundley-
Real Estate.

SAMUEL ROLAND BUXTON, JR.— Since his
admittance to the bar in December 1935, Samuel
Roland Buxton, Jr., has practiced at Newport
News, and he has also served as judge of the
municipal court for the City of Warwick. He
has banking interests, and takes a considerable
interest in fraternal affairs.

He is a native of Newport News, born on
August 4, 1912, son of Samuel R. and Elizabeth
Lewis (Dimmock) Buxton. His father, who was
born in Northampton County, North Carolina,
was also a lawyer, and practiced at Newport News
from 1900 to 1948. He died in November 1951.
Miss Dimmock, whom he married, was a native of
Baltimore, Maryland, and died in May 1941. The
younger Samuel R. Buxton attended the public
schools of his native city and in 1930 received
his diploma from Newport News High School.
He then enrolled at Wake Forest College in
North Carolina, was a student there until 1933,
and completed his formal education, including his
law courses, at the University of Richmond.

After being admitted to the bar of his state,
Mr. Buxton practiced at Newport News. He first
joined his father, becoming an associate in the
firm of Buxton and Buxton, and they continued
their professional association until the elder man's
retirement in 1948. Since that time Samuel R.
Buxton, Jr., has practiced independently. With
offices in the Law Building, he conducts a gen-
eral practice.

In November 1952, he was appointed judge of
the municipal court for the City of Warwick. He
is a member of the Newport News-Warwick Bar
Association, the Virginia State Bar Association
and the American Bar Association. Mr. Buxton
serves on the advisory board of the Bank of
Virginia, Newport News Branch. He is a Demo-
crat in his politics, and a member of Kappa Alpha
and Omega Delta Kappa fraternities. He also
holds membership in the James River Country-
Club and attends St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

On August 17, 1938, at Newport News, Samuel
Poland Buxton, Jr., married Ann Goodwin Parker
of that city, daughter of Harvey T. and Mollie
(Goodwin) Parker. The couple are the parents
of three children: 1. Mollie Garnett, who was
born on July 5, 1940. 2. Elizabzeth Peele, born

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'37

January 30, 1942. 3. Samuel Roland, 3rd, born
January 23, 1948.

JOSEPH ELLIOTT CARPENTER— Partner
in the general insurance and real estate firm of
Carpenter Brothers, at Newport News, Joseph
Elliott Carpenter entered the realty field after his
return from service as an army officer in World
War II. He is a native of Brunswick County and
was born on January 14, 1914, son of William Ruf-
fin, Sr., and Henrietta (Elliott) Carpenter. His
father, who was born in Brunswick County in 1859,
was also a realtor, buying and selling such ex-
tensive properties as farms and timberlands. He
died on April 1, 1944, and Mrs. Carpenter died on
May 23, 1954. She too was a native Virginian, born
in York County.

Joseph Elliott Carpenter attended public school
at Alberta, and he was later a student in the
schools of Newport News, completing his high-
school education in that city in 1933. He was a
student at the University of Virginia for a year
and one-half.

Mr. Carpenter's first job was with the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, where
he worked before attending the state university.
After completing his advanced courses, he entered
the insurance business in the same city, as a sales-
man representing the People's Life Insurance
Company and Northwestern Mutual Life Insur-
ance Company. He later became a broker.

His career was interrupted by service in World
War II, and for five years he was in the United
States Army, in which he earned a captain's com-
mission in the Transportation Corps. He spent
some time in the Pacific Theater of Operations and
was separated from the service in March 1946.

He resumed his career with the Abbitt Realty
Company in Newport News and after a year and
one-half as salesman with that firm, joined his
brother, William R. Carpenter, Jr., in establishing
their own organization, Carpenter Brothers, in
October 1947. They deal in real estate and also
write general insurance. Offices of the firm are
in their own building (completed in October 1957),
which is located at 105 Thirtieth Street, Newport
News.

Mr. Carpenter is a member of the Peninsula
Industrial Committee. He is also a member of
the National Association of Real Estate Boards,
regional vice president of the Virginia Real Estate
Association, and past president of the Newport
News-Warwick Real Estate Association. He was
nominated Realtor Man of the Year in 1956. Apart
from his professional and industrial connections,
he belongs to the James River Country Club. He
is serving as vestryman and as chairman of the
finance committee for the construction of St.

Stephen's Mission Church, which is now being
built. In his politics he is a Democrat.

At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 16,
1946, Joseph Elliott Carpenter married Carolyn
Ivy Ford of Newport News, daughter of Charles
E. Ford, whose biography appears in this work,
and his wife, the former Mildred Ivy Creasy. Mr.
and Mrs. Carpenter have three children: 1. Cynthia
Lee, born January 30, 1947. 2. Joseph Elliott, Jr.,
born January 17, 1950. 3. Nancy Carolyn, born
September 20, 1955.

J. JAMES DAVIS— Over the past thirty-five
years, J. James Davis has become one of the
most widely known and respected lawyers of South
Norfolk and the Lower Tidewater area. He has
made substantial contributions toward the progress
of his city, and was its mayor from 1936 to 1947.
His administration was noteworthy for improve-
ments and long-range planning which will continue
to produce benefits for the citizens of South
Norfolk. Long active in public affairs, Mr. Davis
has also held other important positions of public
trust.

A native of Norfolk County, he was born near
South Norfolk on March 22, 1896. son of the late
Thomas and Mellie (Morgan) Davis. His paternal
grandparents were Wilson and Elizabeth (Hal-
stead) Davis, who were both born in Pasquotank
County, North Carolina, but lived almost all their
lives in Norfolk County, Virginia. Wilson Davis
was a substantial farmer. Their son Thomas was
born in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, on
July 23, 1863, and in 1882, settled in the Elbow
Community of Norfolk County, where he contin-
ued farming. He died on May 11, 1933. His wife,
the former Mellie Morgan, was born in Pasquo-
tank County on March 12, 1866, and died at the
Davis family home in Norfolk County on January
25, 1946. She was the daughter of Abner and Anne
Morgan, both natives of Pasquotank County and
lifelong residents there.

After attending Great Bridge High School (the
site of a celebrated conflict of the American Re-
volution), J. James Davis entered the University
of Richmond. He attended for two years, and later
passed his Virginia state bar examination, being
admitted to practice in 1921. Shortly afterwards
he began private practice in South Norfolk, where
he has since conducted an extensive general prac-
tice of law. With varied experience to his credit,
he is recognized as one of the most learned and
astute lawyers of Tidewater Virginia.

Since early manhood he has taken a deep inter-
est in civic and public affairs. He served as chair-
man of the South Norfolk school board from
1927 to 1930, and it was during his tenure that

i38

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the South Norfolk High School was erected and
plan- set in motion for the building of a school
system commensurate with the needs of the city.
On August 29, 1934, Mr. Davis was appointed
conciliation commissioner for Norfolk County by
the Honorable Luther B. Way, Judge of the United
States District Court, and on October 1, 1936, he
was appointed chairman of the group of South
Norfolk electors pledged to the support of Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt in the 1 'residential campaign. The
following year he was appointed chairman of the
James H. Price Campaign Committee for South
Norfolk, and saw his candidate win the election
for governor.

Meantime, on December 9, 1936, J. James Davis
had been appointed mayor of South Norfolk, and
on September 1, 1937, was elected to succeed him-
self. Successively re-elected over the next decade,
he held office until 1947. During his tenure he
gave full support to every movement for the bene-
fit of South Norfolk. He inaugurated and brought
to successful completion many projects, including
the construction of a new city hall, a civic center
and two overpasses, and a comprehensive system
of -treet improvements.

Although in recent years Mr. Davis has devoted
his time to his extensive practice of law, he re-
mains interested in the affairs of the Democratic
party on the county, state and national levels.
In the service of his own city, he is now a mem-
ber of the board of directors and vice president
of the South Norfolk Bridge Commission, Inc. He
was head of Civil Defense for the City of South
Norfolk during World War II. Mr. Davis is a
director of the Chesapeake Building Association
of Berkley, in Norfolk.

He is past president of the Kiwanis Club of
South Norfolk, and a member of the Lions Club,
the Cavalier Yacht and Country Club, and South
Norfolk Lodge No. 339, Ancient Free and Accep-
ted Masons. He is also a member of Ionic Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons, of which he is a past high priest.
Mr. Davis's favorite outdoor sport is golf. He is a
member of the South Norfolk Baptist Church.

\- a lawyer, he is a member of the Norfolk
County Bar Association and the Virginia State
Bar Association. His law office is in the Mer-
chants and Planters Bank Building.

By his first marriage, Mr. Davis was the father
of two children: 1. Joseph James, Jr. 2. Ann Mae
(Davis) Ott. J. James Davis, Sr., married, second,
Margaret B. Bozeman, and they are the parents
of one son, James Morgan Davis. Mr. Davis has
four grandchildren: Joseph James, III, and Kath-
leen Sharon Davis: and Lance M., and Donna
Lynn Ott. The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Davis is
at Linkhorn Park, Virginia Beach.

HARRY A. KEITZ— Throughout the greater

part of his career, Harry A. Keitz has headed the
freight forwarding and customs brokerage house,
Wilfred Schade and Company, which has its head-
quarters at Newport News. It is an old organiza-
tion, founded before the turn of the century, and
Mr. Keitz incorporated it in 1951, since which time
he has been its president. Over the years he has
become one of bis city's more influential business
leaders, identified with banking and with the
management of such groups as the Virginia Port
Authority.

Born at St. Louis, Missouri, on August 28,
1890, he is a son of Henry and Rose (Schulte)
Keitz, both of whom are now deceased. His fa-
ther was a merchant in St. Louis. In that city
Harry A. Keitz received his education, attending
the public schools and graduating from high school
and from Perkins College. While taking his ad-
vanced courses, he had already formed his con-
nection with Wilfred Schade and Company at its
St. Louis office, having gone on the payroll there
in 1908, sixteen years after the firm was organized.

Mr. Keitz came to Newport News in 1913, trans-
ferred there by his company to manage its office
in that city. Five years later, in his twenty-eighth
year, he purchased the entire interests of the com-
pany and has since been its sole owner. Since that
time he has played a conspicuous part in the indus-
try centered in forwarding freight shipments to
foreign countries. In the period directly following
World War II. he took the lead in making New-
port News, and particularly Pier No. 8, a vital and
busy center in transferring food supplies and
other necessities to the near-starving millions
of war-ravaged Europe. While directing a full
flow of business through company channels, he
also took the responsibility of forwarding many
cargoes for UNRRA, including food-stuffs, cattle,
horses and poultry, and such other requisites as
were needed to place European economy on its
feet.

He has demonstrated the same quality of self-
less endeavor in his relations to his community.
For about five years he served on the board of
the Virginia Port Authority and was at one
time its chairman. He is currently a member
of the board of directors of the First National
Hank of Newport News. He has been president
of both the old Newport News Chamber of Com-
merce and the Virginia Peninsula Association of
Commerce, and has been active in the programs
of the American Red Cross and the Boy Scouts
of America.

He is a member of the James River Country
Club, and is a Roman Catholic in his religious
faith.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

On August 19, 1950, Harry A. Keitz married
Bessie Channel of Smithfield, (laughter of Otis
and Bessie (Morris) Channel.

WILLIAM FRANCIS JORDAN is president
and general manager of the Moon Engineering
Company, Inc., a Norfolk firm engaged in general
marine and industrial plant repairs. Its manage-
ment has represented his major career effort over
the past thirty-five years.

A native of Isle of Wight County, Mr. Jordan
was born on September 22, 1890, son of William
Francis, Sr., and Sarah Elizabeth (Johnson) Jor-
dan, and a descendant of Samuel Jordan, who
came to the Virginia Colony in 1609 from Eng-
land. The elder William F. Jordan was a son of
Josiah W. Jordan, a planter of Isle of Wight
County. All five of Josiah's sons served in the
Confederate States Army. William F. Jordan, Sr.,
was only a lad of fifteen when he left home to
join the forces, in the last phases of the war. In
the reconstruction period, he became a general
merchant, and his later years were spent at Rescue,
Virginia, where he died in 1902. His wife, the for-
mer Sarah Elizabeth Johnson, a native of Prin-
cess Anne County, survived him until 1940. The
couple are buried in St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Cemetery near Smithfield. which has been in
existence since 1632. The couple were the parents
of three daughters and a son: Ella I., Sarah Eliza-
beth and Susan Darley; and William Francis, Jr.,
who was the third in order of birth. The sisters
are residents of Old Fort Boykins on the James
River, and they have taken active roles in the
restoration of historic old St. Luke's Episcopal
Church.

William F. Jordan received his early education
in the public schools of Isle of Wight County. His
father's death occurred in 1902, when he was
eleven years of age, and necessitated his assuming
many of the responsibilities of manhood, includ-
ing assisting his mother in managing the general
store at Rescue. It was not until later years that
he was able to resume his education, attending
the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg
for three years. From 1907 to 1910 he taught
school in Isle of Wight County, and he later
operated an oyster house at Battery Park, Vir-
ginia. There he became interested in public af-
fairs, and served as the first recorder of births
and deaths for Isle of Wight County. He was also
tax adjuster until 1917, when he enlisted in the
United States Navy for service in World War I.
He served on patrol duty along the Atlantic Sea-
board, and rose to the rank of chief master of
arms. He received his honorable discharge at Nor-
folk on December 11, 1918.

While he was in naval service, his mother and

sisters had established the family home in Nor-
folk, and there, after the war, he secured a posi-
tion with the old United States Shipping Board,
with which he continued until August 1920.

At that time he joined Guy H. Moon and P. N.
Gibbings in the founding of the Moon Engineer-
ing Company. Inc. Mr. Moon was its first presi-
dent, Mr. Jordan at that time held the office of
vice president, and Mr. Gibbings was secretary
and treasurer. From a modest beginning, the firm
has grown to an organization serving a variety
of needs of industrial and shipping interests
throughout the Lower Tidewater area. Mr. Moon
sold his interest in 1928, although out of loyalty
to him as a founder, the company still carries his
name. Mr. Jordan has since been president and
general manager. Mr. Gibbings has continued to
serve through the years as secretary-treasurer.
Oliver X. May served as vice president from 1945
until his death in 1955, and he was succeeded in
that office by T. J. Johnson. Main offices are at
545 Front Street.

The scope of the company's work covers a wide
field in general marine and industrial repairs. A
compact and highly skilled organization, its equip-
ment includes portable machinery of every des-
cription utilized in repair work, which are most
generally put into use when ships are unloading
and loading. A four-hundred-foot pier operated by
the company extends along the waterfront border-
ing the plant, and there the most modern equip-
ment is housed, for the repair and overhaul of
ships' boilers and machinery. The firm's machin-
ists and technicians are skilled in all phases of
industrial plant repairs as well. Their cumulative
training and experience makes the company a
leader in its field, and it justly takes considerable
pride in its workmanlike service, and the efficient
and conscientious manner in which it carries 01 t
all assignments.

A master mechanic, devoted to the technical
as well as the managerial aspects of his business.
Mr. Jordan finds little time for outside activities.
His firm belongs to the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce and the Virginia State Chamber of Com-
merce. Mr. Jordan himself is a communicant of
the Meadowbrook Episcopal Church. His favorite
sport is fishing.

At McKenney, Virginia, on December 31, 1944.
William Francis Jordan married Sarah Louise
(Ferguson) Rives of Dinwiddie County. A gradu-
ate of Farmville State Teachers College, she for-
merly taught in the public schools of her native
county. She is active in the cultural and religious
affairs of Norfolk, and is a member of the Great
Bridge Chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution, the Women's Club, Larchmont Gar-
den Club and Larchmont Methodist Church. By

i4o

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

her previous marriage, to the late Aubrey T.
Rives of Dinwiddie County, she is the mother of
three children: I. Virgil A. Rives of Norfolk,
who married Ruth Hard of Pittsfield, Massachu-
setts. Their two children are Susan Ann and Char-
lotte Rives. _'. Aubrey T. Rives. Jr.. D.D.S., of
Norfolk. He married Katherine Maddox of Dan-
ville, and they have two children: Sarah Louise
and William Francis. 3. Talmadge Rives of Nor-
folk. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan make their home at
m_'5 Manchester Avenue. Norfolk.

JAMES W. POWELL, SR.— Co-founder of the
Powell-McClellan Lumber Company, Inc., of Nor-
folk, James W. Powell, Sr., now holds office as
its president and treasurer. His career has been
characterized by determination and hard work in
the face of trials, and ultimate success, and he is
respected for his achievements as well as for his
qualities of character. His judgment is respected
by all who know him.

Beginning bis life with no initial advantages,
and orphaned at an early age, he was early thrown
on his own resources. He w-as born September 16,
1891, near Hertford. Perquimans County, North
Carolina, son of James Richard and Althea (Jack-
son) Powell. His father was a native of Isle of
Wight County, and was engaged in farming in
Perquimans County when his untimely deatli oc-
curred in 1895. Miss Jackson, whom he married,
was a native of that county. Left an orphan when
he was quite young, James W. Powell went to live
with relatives for a time, working on the farm for
his board and attending a nearby country school.
In 1907, during the Jamestown Exposition, he made
his first trip to Norfolk to visit a married sister.
The city stimulated him, and although he returned
to his relatives' farm, he carried with him a resolve
to find his career in some other field than agricul-
ture.

The following year he returned to Norfolk to
live with his sister. His first employment was as
delivery boy for a retail grocery store on Chestnut
Street, at a wage of two dollars per week, which
he paid to his sister as board. He next secured a
position delivering ice from four until six each
morning, at five dollars per week. This work lasted
throughout the summer season, and the next fall he
began his career in the lumber industry as an em-
ployee of the Surry Lumber Company at a wage
of twelve dollars for a seventy-two-hour week.
From 1910 to 1914 he was employed in various
phases of the industry with the old Forsberg Lum-
ber Company of Berkley, now a part of Norfolk.
Leaving this employment, he went to Baltimore,
Maryland, where he joined the Dixie Box Company

as a saw filer in charge of saw maintenance at
wage of eighteen dollars per week. As that firm
afforded him only part-time employment, he left
in 1915 to go on the payroll of the du Pont Power
Company at Hopewell, Virginia. He began his
connection there as a painter, but was soon placed
in charge of the electric motors maintenance de-
partment. He remained until 191 7, when with the
entrance of this country into World War I, he
became a machinist at the United States Navy
Yard in Portsmouth. In 1919 he left to begin a
sixteen-year tenure with the M. T. Blassingham
Lumber Company in Norfolk.

He began work there as a saw filer, and was
later promoted to foreman of the planing mill.
While with this firm, until the mid-i930S, he also
operated a private enterprise of his own, maintain-
ing a saw-filing and lawn-mower repair shop on
Hampton Boulevard.

In 1935, in the midst of the difficult days of the
economic depression, he joined Harry A. McClellan
in forming the Powell-McClellan Lumber Company
of Norfolk. His partner, who had resigned from a
position as shipping clerk with the Blassingham
Lumber Company, became the first president of
the firm and was in charge of office operations,
while Mr. Powell, as vice president, took charge
of procedures in the field and was responsible for
delivery service. With the death of Mr. McClellan
in 1941, Mr. Powell acquired bis interests, and
has since been directing head of the enterprise.

At the present site of the company, 3200 Lafay-
ette Boulevard, is a plant which covers three city
blocks, and has several hundred thousand square
feet of floor space. It was at this same location that
the firm first began operations in a sixteen-by-
forty building. The two partners had two employees,
and a delivery truck valued at a hundred and
twenty-five dollars. The span between these two
conditions of industrial prosperity was built largely
through Mr. Powell's efforts. A man of high ideals,
vision, faith and determination, be concentrated
tirelessly on building one of Norfolk's most com-
plete lumber and building materials supply houses.
Today the Powell-McClellan Lumber Company is
a "one-stop yard," where one can buy one foot,
or a million feet, of a wide variety of lumber. The
slogan of the company is, "Big Enough to Serve
You, Small Enough to Know You." It carries
a complete line of Grade A building materials,
from brick and concrete for foundations to shingles
for the roof, and a full stock of builders' hardware.
Fifty-five employees are on the payroll on a full-
time basis, in the conduct of the various operations
which include one of the most modern and best-
equipped millwork plants in the Tidewater area.
Expanding its operations to meet demands, the

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

141

company established branches at 762 Little Creek
Road, Norfolk, and at 3200 George Washington
Highway in Portsmouth. It owes much of its suc-
cess to friendly customer relations. Besides Mr.
Powell, the president and treasurer, the officers
are: Roy J. Allen, vice prsident and general man-
ager; James W. Powell, Jr., executive vice presi-
dent; Bernard M. Dixon, secretary; and Henry J.
Wrigley, assistant secretary.

Besides his major business connection, Mr. Pow-
ell is chairman of the board of directors of Ma-
terials Distributors, Inc., of Norfolk, founded in
1956. As jobbers and wholesalers, this firm serves
the entire Tidewater Virginia area. Its other of-
ficers are Roy J. Allen, president and manager;
James W. Powell, Jr., vice president; Henry J.
Wrigley, vice president; Peter K. Babalas, vice
president and attorney; and Bernard M. Dixon,
secretary.

The Powell-McClellan Lumber Company is a
member of the Virginia Building Materials Associa-
tion, Virginia Retail Lumber and Supply Dealers
Association and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Powell is an active member of the Kiwanis
Club of Norfolk, the Colonial Avenue Methodist
Church, which he serves as a member of the board
of stewards. He generously supports, both financial-
ly and through his personal efforts, every project
for civic betterment. He is a member of the Lake-
wood Civic Club and the Izaak Walton League of
Norfolk. His favorite outdoor sport is deep-sea
fishing.

On October 26, 1915, at Norfolk, James W. Pow-
ell, Sr., married Bernice Ruddick of Norfolk, daugh-
ter of the late Charles and Naomi (Mail) Ruddick
of that city. Airs. Powell is a graduate of Maury
High School, and is active in civic and religious
affairs. She is a member of the Colonial Avenue
Methodist Church and teaches in its Sunday school.
She is a member of the Lakewood Garden Club.
In the assistance she has rendered to her husband
in his career, Mr. Powell has called her his "great-
est asset." The couple are the parents of two chil-
dren: 1. James William, Jr., born November 18,
1917 in Norfolk. He graduated from Maury High
School and completed a two-year course in busi-
ness administration at Norfolk Business College.
He is now executive vice president of Powell-Mc-
Clellan Lumber Company, in charge of retail sales.
He married Christina Wood of Washington, D. C,
and they are the parents of a daughter, Patricia
Faye. James Powell, Jr., is a member of the Hoo-
Hoo Lumbermen's Association, the Loyal Order
of Moose, the Knights of Pythias and the Colonial
Avenue Methodist Church. 2. Jean Marie, born
October 18, 1926. She is a graduate of Maury High
School, and is married to Willis Allen of Norfolk.

The couple are the parents of two children: i. Rich-
ard Charles Allen, ii. Barbara Jean Allen. Mr. and
Mrs. James W. Powell, Sr., live at 1470 Sweetbriar
Avenue, Norfolk.

GEORGE RUST ABBOTT— A prominent fig-
ure in the insurance and real estate fields in Nor-
folk, George R. Abbott is head of the firm which
bears his name. He has been a member of the
City Council since December 1, 1942, and is now
serving his second term as vice mayor, having held
these offices during the most significant period
of the development of Greater Norfolk. His de-
votion to the city and its government is unques-
tioned, and his experience has been of great value
in helping carry out the important programs of
expansion, annexation, redevelopment, the build-
ing of the port, and the encouragement of the
region's economy. In addition, his human approach
has brought him a reputation of being "the little
man's friend."

George R. Abbott was born June 28, 1888, at
Brandy Station, Culpepper County, Virginia, son
of George Rust, Sr., and Mollie (Green) Abbott,
both of whom were likewise natives of that coun-
ty. His father was a carpenter by trade, and
brought his family to Charlottesville in 1893, and
later, in September 1900, to Newport News, where
he continued in his trade until his death, in Febru-
ary 1907. Mollie (Green) Abbott died at Newport
News in August 1906. The couple were the parents
of seven children, of whom George R. was the
fourth.

Orphaned at an early age, he attended the pub-
lic schools of Newport News, where as a young
lad he began his business career clerking in a
grocery store. There he learned the various phases
of food retailing. He came to Norfolk in 1907, the
year of his father's death, and there became clerk
of the Pure Food Store at Market Street and
Monticello Avenue. From September 1907, to Oc-
tober 1909, he was identified with the Machen
Grocery Company, 27th and Granby streets, and
later with Morris and Company, meat packers of
Chicago, as assistant bookkeeper in that firm's
Norfolk office. He was later transferred to this
firm's Newport News location, where he was in
charge of the office. In October 1913, he returned
to Norfolk, and took charge of the office opera-
tions of R. D. Holloway and Company, at its
wholesale feed and grain branch, continuing this
association until 1918.

In that year, Mr. Abbott founded his own firm,
the Abbott Gwaltney Company, Inc., doing a re-
tail and wholesale business in groceries, feed and
grain. From this original store, he ultimately de-
developed a chain of thirty-two outlets, operating
in Virginia and North Carolina, and he continued

'4-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

as president of the corporation and as manager
until October [931, when he sold the chain to
the David Pender Grocery Company, which still
later became a part of Colonial Stores, Inc.

It was in October 1031, that Mr. Abbott entered
the general insurance business as vice president
of the Old Dominion Corporation, which had its
offices in the National Bank of Commerce Build-
ing- He continued in his executive capacity with
this organization until October 1938, when he
left to form his own insurance business as George
R. Abbott, with offices at 2_'3-_'_>5 Monticello
Arcade. In the intervening years, he has met with
gratifying success as general agent for the Aetna
Fire Group, Pacific Fire Insurance Company, the
Agriculture Insurance Company, and the West-
chester Fire Insurance Company. Also active in
the real estate field, he is engaged in rentals and
sales transactions.

His interest in the principles of sound govern-
ment led to Mr. Abbott's being appointed a mem-
ber of the Norfolk City Council in December 1942,
to fill out an unexpired term. He was elected to
succeed himself in 1944, 1948, 1952 and 1956, and
is now serving his seccond term as vice mayor.
Adhering to the standards of a Christian gentle-
man, he has followed the precept of the Golden
Rule in business as w:ell as in the administration
of city affairs. He has taken a vital interest in the
welfare of people in all walks of life, and is one
of Tidewater Virginia's best-informed citizens on
economic trends and problems involving the wel-
fare of its citizens. He holds the devotion and
confidence of his fellows because of his capacity
for friendship and his loyalty. Long active in the
good work of the Park Place Methodist Church,
which lie helped to build, he is past chairman of
its board of stewards, past president of the men's
Bible class, and assistant church treasurer.

Mr. Abbott is active in the Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce, and is a member of Norfolk Lodge
No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Cava-
lier Lodge No. 80; Norfolk United Royal Arch
Chapter No. 1; Grice Commandery No. t6, Knights
Templar; and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also
a member of Norfolk Lodge No. 38, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, and the Lafayette
Yacht Club.

On June 28, 191 1, at Norfolk, George Rust Ab-
bott married Louise Nash Small, daughter of the
late Benjamin T. and Levaia (Whitehurst) Small
of that city. The couple are the parents of one
daughter, Louise Elizabeth, who married Dan-
dridge C. Payne of Norfolk, now associated with
the George R. Abbott Insurance and Real Estate
Agency. Mr. and Mrs. Payne have two children:
i. George Garland, ii. David Christopher. The

George R. Abbott residence is at 7323 Colony
Point Road, Norfolk.

CHARLES TODD WHITEHEAD— After
early beginnings in the seafood and lumber indus-
tries, Charles Todd Whitehead of Virginia Beach
effectively turned his attention to hotel manage-
ment, and he became one of the pioneer motel
owners of the Beach. A senior businessman uni-
versally respected in his area, he had held posts of
public trust in municipal government, and was ac-
tive in political affairs and in work on behalf of
his church and his community.

Born at Peoria. Illinois, on May 25, 1876, he
was a son of Virginius and Virginia (Belote") White-
head. His father was a bandmaster who had served
the Confederate cause. Charles T. Whitehead re-
reived his education in the schools of Portsmouth.
His first business interest was dealing in oysters
and fish, an occupation which he follow-ed until
1919. He then entered the lumber business, being
identified with the C. T. Whitehead Lumber Com-
pany until HJ44.

Mr. Whitehead first entered the hotel business
in 1932. He was one of the first men in the area
to recognize the importance of the motel in serv-
ing our increasingly mobile population. He estab-
lished his first hostelry of the kind, the Tourist
Haven Motel, at 15th Street, Virginia Beach, in
11132. and owned and operated it until his death.

Among his other business interests he served
as vice president and director of the Bank of Vir-
ginia Beach. He also engaged in construction work.
He built the first bridge and causeway over Long
Creek which connected the upper end of Great
Neck with Lynnhaven Inlet and Ocean Park section
in Princess Anne County, and several other bridges
in Princess Anne County. After the complete de-
struction by fire of the historic London Bridge
Baptist Church in 1946, he supervised the rebuild-
ing of the church without remuneration for his
time; the church was completed and dedicated in
the Fall of 1947.

Long active in public affairs, Mr. Whitehead
had served as a member of the Virginia Beach
Erosion Commission, and he was chairman of
the Princess Anne Zoning Board of Appeals. He
held these positions until the end of his life. Active
in Democratic politics, he was formerly chairman
of the Democratic Committee of Princess Anne
County. He was a loyal worker in his church,
the London Bridge Baptist, and in his later years
held office as chairman of its board of deacons.
A devout man and a firm believer in Christian
doctrine and ethics, he was ordained a lay minister
of the Gospel on July 14, 1935.

At Norfolk, on June 30, 1895, Charles Todd

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'43

Whitehead married Cenie Yarbrough Wade, daugh-
ter of John Yarbrough and Rebecca (Sterling)
Wade. The couple became the parents of four
children: i. Charles Clinton, who was born on
.May jo, 1896. 2. Margaret May, born January 17,
1898. She married George W. Lawrence of Oceana
in 1922. 3. Ruby Virginia, born on August 19,
1910. She married Sam Harris of Charlottesville,
Virginia. 4. Milford Clyde, born April 28, 1917. He
succeeded his father as president of Tourist Haven
Corporation, a family-owned business, consisting
of Prince Charles Hotel, Tourist Haven Motel,
and other real estate in Virginia Beach.

At the time of Mr. Whitehead's death he had
seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
His death occurred on August 1, 1954.

EUGENE PERKINS FITZHUGH— The New-
port News real estate and insurance firm of
Murray and Padgett, Inc., which has been oper-
ating successfully since 1918, is now capably
headed by Eugene Perkins Fitzhugh, who joined
the organization on his return from Air Corps
service in World War II.

Baltimore, Maryland, is Mr. Fitzhugh's native
city. He was born there on November 17, 1919,
son of Eugene P. and Corrinne (Perkins) Fitz-
hugh, both natives of Middlesex County, Virginia.
His father is deceased, but his mother is still
living. Eugene Perkins Fitzhugh received his edu-
cation in the schools of New York State, and
came to Newport News in 1941. He was first
employed by the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Drydock Company, but a short time after
this country had become involved in World War
II, he left to join the United States Army Air
Corps. Assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force as
gunner with a flight crew, he served in Italy,
and was overseas about ten months. He received
his honorable discharge in October 1945.

Mr. Fitzhugh then returned to Newport News,
and in 1946 began his career in the real estate
and general insurance field with the firm of
Murray and Padgett, Inc. He worked as a sales-
man, and in that capacity his leadership abilities
were quickly recognized. In 1948 he was named
vice president of the firm; and following the
death of founding partner A. A. Padgett in 195 1,
he was chosen to succeed him as president, a
position he has held since. Offices of Murray
and Padgett, Inc., are at 131 28th Street, New-
port News. The firm holds an organizational
membership in the Newport News-Warwick Real
Estate Board, and Mr. Fitzhugh himself is ac-
tive in the Newport News Real Estate and In-
surance Exchange, which he formerly served as
1 resident. He is a member of the board of the
Peninsula Association of Insurance Agents.

Interested in community life, he serves as a
director of the Peninsula Memorial Park Cor-
poration, and is a member and past president of
the Lions Club, and a member of the James
River Country Club. He attends the First Pres-
byterian Church, and serves on its board of dea-
cons. Golf and boating are Mr. Fitzhugh's favorite
outdoor sports.

In Newport News, on May 5, 1945, Eugene
Perkins Fitzhugh married Emma E. Padgett of
that city, daughter of Ambrose A. and Ellen
(Parker) Pad-ett. Her father was a realtor and
founder of the firm of Murray and Padgett, Inc.
He died in January 1951. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzhugh
have three children: 1. Anne Parker, born Janu-
ary 17, -J47. 2. Virginia Eaton, born December
29, 1948. 3. Eugene Perkins, Jr., born April 17,
1953-

BEVERLEY RHEA LAWLER— Virginia's
first public relations agency, the Public Relations
Institute, was founded in Norfolk by Beverley
Rhea Lawler. It has grown far beyond its ori-
ginal concept and its founder is now president
of both the Public Relations Institute and its
affiliate agency — the Atlantic National Advertis-
ing Agency.

The public relations organization has won a
number of awards, including international recog-
nition for its creation of "The Norfolk Plan."
This "Plan," so named in editorials in newspapers
and magazines, is a public relations program de-
signed to effect the smooth transition from coun-
ty to city government as a result of annexation.

The advertising agency has also won many
awards, both regional and national, and is recog-
nized by the various national media. It operates
primarily in Virginia and North Carolina.

Offices of these two organizations are in the
Prudential Building at 248 West Bute Street.

Mr. Lawler was born in Norfolk, the son of
Frank Porter and Virginia (Rhea') Lawler, both
also natives of that city. Frank Porter Lawler
is a senior vice president of the National Bank
of Commerce of Norfolk, an institution with
which he has served thirty-five years.

Reared in the Roman Catholic faith. Beverley
Rhea Lawler attended and in 1943 was graduated
from Holy Trinity High School, Norfolk. For a
short period thereafter, he was a student at the
University of Florida in Gainesville. He left the
university to enter the United States Army for
World War II service. Attached to the Infantry,
he was a sergeant in a platoon which saw much
action, having been a participant in various Euro-
pean engagements. He received a Bronze Star
for his part in one particular battle.

Subsequently, he served as an Army corres-

■44

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

pondent in the Philippines. In 1114(1, he was re-
leased to inactive status with a commission in
the United States Army Reserve. To continue his
education, Mr. Lawler now entered William and
Mar\ College, Norfolk. After receiving an As-
of Arts degree there, with honors, he
went to the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, where he was awarded the degree
of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 1950. While
at the University he won an Atlantic Monthly
award for his non-fiction writing.

Alter graduation he became a public informa-
tion specialist (Civil Service) on the staff of the
Chief of Army Field Forces. For four years he
served in all phases of the Army's public rela-
tion- activities and became the ranking civilian
in the Public Information Division.

In 1954 he founded the Public Relations In-
stitute, Incorporated, and that organization and
the Atlantic National Advertising Agency are
now regional agencies.

He is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce and the chairman of the Civic Affairs
Committee of the Chamber. He is a member
of the board of directors of Merchants Bakery,
[ncorporated, a Norfolk firm which produces
Holsum Bread and allied products. He is also
a member of the board of directors of United
Cerebral Palsy of Norfolk.

He is a member of the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club and the Lafayette Yacht Club. In
politics, he maintains an independent status.

Mr. Lawler married Ann Fitzpatrick in Nor-
folk on June 14, 1952. Like her parents, Andrew
and Mae (Forrest) Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Lawler is
a native of Norfolk. Her late father was a cotton
broker for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Lawler
have two daughters: Ann Lynn, who was born
in Norfolk on January 30. 1955- and Susan Rhea,
who m;is born in Norfolk July 26, 1957. Their
home is at 904 Spotswood Avenue. Norfolk.

JULIUS DIXON RAWLES recently com-
pleted a half-century in the banking profession,
and is now the president of Farmers Bank of
Holland, with which he has been identified since
1919. He has other interests as well, being active
in the management of the Holland Supply Com-
pany, and operating valuable farm properties. He
has taken a full part in political affairs, in the
work of his church, and in Masonic and other
groups.

A native of Nansemond County, he was born
on May 5, 1888, and is a son of Julius T. Rawles,
who was also born in that county, in 1853, and
who was a farmer. He later became a partner in
the Holland Supply Company. Julius T. Rawles
married Marx- Dixon, likewise a native of Nanse-

mond County. She died in 1933 and he five years
later.

Receiving bis entire education in the public
schools of Nansemond County, Julius D. Rawles
began his banking career in 1906, joining the
staff of the Bank of Holland. He was later with
the National Bank of Suffolk and Fanners Bank
of Nansemond, also at Suffolk. In 1919, he joined
Farmers Bank of Holland, and has been a member
of its board of directors since that year. In 1953
he was elected president of the bank. Mr. Rawles
is also a partner in the Holland Supply Company.
His considerable farm properties are in Nanse-
mond County.

A Democrat, he has served as secretary of the
Nansemond County electoral board since 1925. He-
is an earnest worker in the Holland Christian
Church, having been its treasurer since 1930, and
at the present time a deacon as well. In 1928 he
became a charter member of the Holland Ruritan
Club, and was its first treasurer. He is still a
member of that club, and of the Suffolk Lions
Club. Affiliated with the Free and Accepted
Masons, he is a member of McAlister Lodge at
Whaleyville.

Julius Dixon Rawles married Miss Louise Perry,
daughter of Edward and Mary (Goodwin) Perry,
in a ceremony at Elizabeth City, North Carolina,
on June 24, 1944. The couple are the parents of
one daughter, Mary Dixon Rawles, who was burn
on July 10, 1945.

ARTHUR KONIKOFF— As an architect, Ar-
thur Konikoff of Norfolk is a splendid craftsman
with an excellent background of training and ex-
perience. A native of Buffalo, New York, he was
horn on March 16, 1916, son of Solomon Louis
and Mary (Kalish) Konikoff. His parents still
reside in that city, where his father is the owner
and manager of apartment buildings.

Arthur Konikoff was educated in the public
schools of Buffalo, and graduated from Lafayette
High School there in 1934. He then entered New
York University, continuing his studies there from
September 1934, until January 1936. He then trans-
ferred to the University of Illinois to continue
his study of architecture, and was graduated from
that university with the degree of Bachelor of
Architecture in 1941.

In May 1942, Mr. Konikoff enlisted for duty
with the United States Army, and was assigned
to an Engineers Combat Group. He was later
transferred to the 2826th Engineer Combat Bat-
talion, and with this unit served in England,
France, and Germany. He participated in the
Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944, and other
major offensives against the Axis, including the

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'45

campaigns in northern France and the Ardennes,
and the battle of the Rhineland. He was separated
from active service on October 2, 1945, at Fort
Dix, New Jersey. At that time lie held the rank
of technical sergeant.

Resuming his civilian status, Mr. Konikoff be-
gan his professional career as a draftsman with
the firm of Foit and Baschnagel, architects, of
Buffalo. He was later associated with Paul Hyde
Harbach, also of Buffalo. In August 1951, he
came to Norfolk, Virginia, where he first joined
the firm of Alfred M. Lublin, architect.

In October 1952, he started his own practice
of architecture, with offices in both Portsmouth
and Norfolk. His offices are now in the Flatiron
Building in Norfolk. Eminently successful in the
general practice of architecture, he has designed
a variety of commercial and residential buildings
in the greater Norfolk and Portsmouth and New-
port News areas.

He is a member of the Virginia Chapter, Ameri-
can Institute of Architects, the Lions Club of
Portsmouth, and Beth El Temple in Norfolk.

On March 3, 1946, in Norfolk, Arthur Konikoff
married Hannah Robbins, daughter of A. Robbins
and Rose (Stein) Robbins of that city. Mr. and
Mrs. Konikoff are the parents of four children:
1. Albert Benjamin, born March 15, 1947. 2. Ste-
phen Earl, born February 24, 1950. 3. David B.,
born February 3. 1952. 4. Sharon Gail, born De-
cember 6, 1956. The family's residence is at 1123
Graydon Avenue, Norfolk.

ISAAC TALBOT WALKE, JR.— An insurance
executive whose career has been centered in Nor-
folk for many years, Isaac Talbot Walke, Jr., is
president and treasurer of Walke and Son, which
was established in 1869. The name of Walke has
long been honored in Norfolk and the state of
Virginia, and for several generations its bearers
have been prominent in the field of insurance.
Through his useful career, Isaac Talbot Walke,
Jr., has made his contribution to the family's long
and continuing record of achievement.

The Walkes are of English ancestry, and trace
their descent from Thomas Walke, who was born
in England and first went to the Barbados in
1622. He was among the early colonial settlers
when he came to Virginia shortly afterwards. He
settled at Fairfield in Princess Anne County. He
had held the rank of colonel of militia under
King Charles II, and was a vestryman in Lynn-
haven Parish Church. Thomas Walke married
Mary Lawson, whose father was one of the emi-
nent lawyers of the Virginia Colony. Their son,
Anthony Walke, married Anna Lee Armistead,
granddaughter of Captain Hancock Lee and Mary

(Kendell) Lee. Mary Kendell was a daughter of
Colonel William Kendell, who was collector of
revenues at Accomac, Virginia, in 1660. Captain
Hancock Lee was a son of Colonel Richard Lee,
ancestor of Richard Henry Lee, American states-
man (1732-1794). He was prominent in defending
the rights of the colonies against England and
was a delegate to the Continental Congress from
1774 to 1779. On June 7, 1776, he moved a resolu-
tion which ultimately gave rise to the Declaration
of Independence, of which he was later a signer.

In William Forest's "Sketches of Norfolk" the
statement is made that Anthony Walke purchased
one hundred and fifty acres of land on which,
at a later date, the city of Norfolk was laid out,
the first plat of the city being made in 1680.
Anthony and Anna (Armistead) Walke had as
one of their children Anthony Walke, who mar-
ried Jane Randolph. They became the parents of
William Walke, who married Mary Calvert. The
next generation was represented by William
Walke, who married Elizabeth Nash. They in
turn were the parents of Richard Walke, who
married Diana Talbot. Richard and Diana (Tal-
bot) Walke became the parents of William Tal-
bot Walke, who was a native of Norfolk, and
lived his entire life in that city. He served the
Confederate government during the Civil War,
and in 1869 formed the Walke insurance business,
which was the predecessor of the present firm of
Walke and Son. He continued active in insurance
sales until his death. He married Sally Gary, who
was born at Garysburg, North Carolina, and
among their children was a son, Isaac Talbot
Walke, Sr.

He was born in Norfolk and received his educa-
tion at Norfolk Academy and Eastman's Business
College at Poughkeepsie. He then became associa-
ted with his father in the insurance business, and
in later years became its owner and manager. He
remained active for many years in the civic and
social life of Norfolk, where he lived his entire
life. The elder Isaac Talbot Walke married Linda
Harrell, who was born at Murfreesboro, North
Carolina. They became the parents of three child-
ren: Isaac Talbot, Jr., Linda Harrell and Gertrude
Willoughby.

Born at Norfolk on August 27, 1901, Isaac Tal-
bot Walke, Jr., was educated in St. George's
School, a private institution, and Norfolk Academy,
Robert E. Lee Elementary School, and Maury
High School, all of Norfolk. He then transferred
to Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
In 1917. he became associated with his father in
the insurance business in Norfolk, as a member
of the firm of Walke and Son, General Insurance
and Surety Bonds. This has remained his major

146

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

business interest since that time. He succeeded
his father as managing head of the firm, at the
latter's death in 1952, and is now president and
treasurer with offices in the Royster Building.

Besides this major business connection. Mr.
Walke is vice president and treasurer of the Nor-
folk Taxicab Corporation. Active in civic and
social affairs, he is a member of the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk Yacht and Coun-
try Club and the Virginia Club. He serves on the
Virginia State Commission of Game and Inland
Fisheries, and has also been appointed to Gover-
nor Stanley's staff as aide-de-camp. He is a com-
municant of Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal
Church of Norfolk.

As a member of the United States Navy Of-
ficers' Reserve, Mr. Walke was called to active
duty in June 1941, and served with the rank of
commander, United States Navy Intelligence. He
was separated from active duty in 1945.

On February 20, 1934, Isaac Talbot Walke, Jr.,
married Dorothy Brooks of Williamsburg, Vir-
ginia. They make their home at 1100 Hampton
Boulevard, Lynnhaven.

FRANK A. DUSCH— A lifelong resident of the
Norfolk area, Frank A. Dusch has long been en-
gaged in the real estate business there. In fact, he
chose this occupation shortly after his return from
a World War I connection with the United States
Customs Service. Making his home at Virginia
Beach, he has served as mayor and member of the
city council there.

Born in Norfolk on February 10, 1898, he is a
son of Walter F. and Mamie (Amiss) Dusch. His
father, also a native of Norfolk and likewise a real
estate man, is now decceased, as is Mrs. Dusch,
a native of Cambridge, Maryland. Frank A. Dusch
completed his public school studies in Norfolk, and
his preparatory studies at Randolph-Macon Acade-
my at Bedford City. He went on to his advanced
studies at Randolph-Macon College at Ashland, but
later transferred from there to Washington and Lee
University at Lexington.

\\ hen this country became involved in World
War I. Mr. Dusch entered the United States Cus-
toms Service, in which he remained for a year and
one-half, as long as the United States was involved
in that conflict. In the course of the years since,
he has joined the United States Navy Reserve
Corps, in which he currently holds the rank of
commander.

Since 1930 Mr. Dusch has engaged in real estate,
handling his own holdings. He has played a promi-
nent part in property transfers and the development
of real estate in the greater Norfolk region.

Mr. Dusch was elected to the city council of

Virginia Beach in 1952. and became mayor in 1954.
He holds the latter office at the present time, and
has provided this oceanside Tidewater community
with a sound and clean municipal administration.

He is a member of Ruth Lodge No. 89, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, and belongs to the
higher bodies of the Masonic order including United
Chapter No. 1, Royal Arch Masons; Grice Com-
mandery No. 16, Knights Templar; Auld Consistory
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; and
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the
Princess Anne Country Club, Princess Anne Post
No. 113 of the American Legion, the Sojourners,
and the Heroes of '76. His religious affiliation is
with the Methodist Church of Virginia Beach.

Frank A. Dusch married Elizabeth P. Grow of
Maryland. Mr. Dusch is the father of two children:
I. Frank A., Jr., who is now associated with Cannon
Mills at Kannapolis, North Carolina. He married
Martha Hughes, and they have two sons, Frank
A., Ill, and William Coltrane. 2. Mary Winslow.
She is the wife of Charles A. Brewer, and they
make their home in Miami, Florida. They have two
daughters, Sandra and Debbie.

PAUL W. ACKISS — A lawyer practicing in his
native Princess Anne County, Paul W. Ackiss has
his offices at Virginia Beach. He has to his credit
a record of twenty-four years' service as common-
wealth's attorney, and has been a dynamic force
in the Democratic organization.

Born at Back Bay, Virginia, on August 17, 1901,
he is a son of Paul Whitehead and Josephine
(Sykes) Ackiss. His father was a farmer, and for
twenty years served as sheriff of Princess Anne
County. He is now deceased, as is Mrs. Ackiss.
The Ackiss family has lived in the county for many
generations. The commonwealth's former attorney
attended local public schools and graduated from
Creeds High School in 1918. He then entered the
College of William and Mary, where he was a
student until 1923, taking the degrees of Bachelor
of Arts and Bachelor of Laws there. He was ad-
mitted to the bar of his state in 1924. However, he
began his career as an educator, and was principal
of the Montross Agricultural High School for two
years.

At the end of that time he commenced his pri-
vate practice of law at Virginia Beach, and his
offices have been in that city ever since. He first
became commonwealth's attorney in 1932, and was
re-elected to that office, on the Democratic ticket,
serving continuously until 1955. He has long been
an influential leader in the councils of the Demo-
cratic party, and is currently chairman of the
Princess Anne Countv Democratic Executive Com-

TWVa. 15

•fr^-*~-^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

•47

mittee. He has been active in the Commonwealth's
Attorneys Association of Virginia, and served as
its president in 1949.

Apart from his professional and public service
connections, Mr. Ackiss is a member of the Sons
of the American Revolution, and was a charter
member and past president of the Virginia Beach
Rotary Club. He has been interested in welfare work
and particularly in programs for the benefit of
youth and of servicemen. He has served as counse-
loi of the Boy Scouts of America, and as co-chair-
man of the Princess Anne County United Service
Organizations. He is a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club, and the lodge of Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons.

On October 29, 1927, in Norfolk, Paul W. Ackiss
married Hazel Virginia Malbon of that city, daugh-
ter of R. J. and Virginia (Cromwell) Malbon. Mr.
and Mrs. Ackiss are the parents of two daughters:
1. Mary Paul, who was born on August II, 1933.
She is the wife of Lieutenant Blair M. Webb, M.
D., of the United States Medical Corps. 2. Ellen
Benson, born on June 9, 1940.

ROBERT L. HANCOCK, 3rd— The raising,
p-ocessing and distribution of peanuts constitute
a distinctive industry of the Lower Tidewater area
of Virginia. While the Hancock Peanut Company
of Courtland is one of the more recent entries in
this field, its progress has been rapid, and within a
few years of its formation, it was able to erect a
spacious and modern plant on Highway 58. Its
successful operations there have made the firm a
major competitor in the prosperous and growing
market for this product. It is a family enterprise,
in which Robert L. Hancock, 3rd, holds partner-
ship status. He is a capable young businessman
who is making a noteworthy contribution to the
industrial and community life of Courtland.

Born at Suffolk on December 21, 1915, he is
a son of Robert L., Jr., and the late Mary Ernie
(Johnson) Hancock. His father's entry into the
peanut industry was sparked by inventive as well
as managerial abilities, and he and his sons formed
the present organization in 1944. Robert L. Han-
cock, 3rd, had attended the public schools of Suf-
folk, and began his career in the trades of electri-
cian, millwright and machinist, gaining broad ex-
perience which has been useful to him in the in-
dustry in which he soon found his true life work.

He joined his father in the cleaning and pro-
cessing of peanuts for commercial and seed pur-
poses when the firm was established in 1944. It
was known from the first as Hancock Peanut
Company. In 1947, the partners completed their
present modern plant near Courtland, and now
have as many as seventy-five people on their pay-
roll. Also active in the family enterprise are the

other sons of Robert L., Jr.: Garth S. and H. L.
Hancock. The father gave impetus to the indus-
try, and to their own enterprise in particular, by-
inventing and building the first seed peanut shelter.
It forms an important basis for their firm's opera-
tions.

R. L. Hancock, 3rd, is a member of the Cy-
press Cove Country Club in Franklin, and attends
the Baptist Church. He is a Democrat in his poli-
tics.

At Suffolk, on October 13, 1934, Robert L.
Hancock, 3rd, married Lillian Elizabeth Pope of
Newsoms, Virginia, daughter of William Grove
Pope. To their marriage five children have been
born: 1. Mary Elizabeth, on January 11, 1936. 2.
Patricia Ann, born October 26, 1937. 3. Vivian
Leigh, born September 14, 1940. 4. Robert Larry,
born April 29, 1944. 5. Charles Eugene, born Au-
gust 29, IJ46.

ROBERT LAFAYETTE HANCOCK, Jr.,

has brought both inventive and management talents
to the Lower Tidewater's important industry, the
processing of peanuts. He is now a partner with
his sons in the Hai.cock Peanut Company at
Courtland.

Born near Sedley in Southampton County, Vir-
ginia, Mr. Hancock is a son of Robert Lemuel
and Mollie (Joynerj Hancock. He was born on
May 16, 1890. Rural public schools of the Vicks-
ville area provided him with his formal education.
Upcn completion of his education he began his
business career with the Surry Lumber Company
at Dendron, Virginia. He remained with that firm
for two years, then in 191 1 went to Suffolk, where he
joined the Benthall Machine Company. After near-
ly two decades in responsible posts with this firm,
he formed a connection with the Ramsey Pack-
ing Company, Inc., at Driver, Virginia, in 1930,
and was with that organization for six years. In
1936 he came to Courtland to build a peanut pro-
cersing pLnt for the Birdsong Storage Compam .
When that plant burned in 1939, he was sent by
the same company to Suffolk to build a larger
plant there.

He continued in his connection with Birdsong
Storage Company until 1944, and meantime, in
1943, he had invented and perfected a device of
considerable importance to the peanut industry.
This was the Hancock Seed Peanut Sheller. The
inventor and his sons have built a number of the
units, which they lease to firms in the Virginia-
Carolina peanut belt. With this invention to his
credit, Mr. Hancock was convinced that he might
best use it to his own benefit by entering the pea-
nut processing industry in his own right. Accord-
ingly, in December 1944, he formed the Hancock
Peanut Company, in which his sons, Robert L.,

'4s

LOWI.R TIDFWATFR VIRGINIA

3rd, Garth >-, and H. L. Hancock are partners.
The firm engages in the cleaning and processing
of peanuts for commercial and seed purposes. The
undertaking prospered from the first, and within
two years' time the need for more extensive pro-
cessing facilities was indicated. In 1947 a new-
plant was completed n.'ar Courtland, where seven-
ty-five people are now employed.

Mr. Hancock is an honorary member of the
Ruritan Club, in Courtland, and a member of the
Davis Ridley Hunt Club. He is a communicant of
the Courtland Baptist Church.

On February 4. 1912, Robert Lafayette Han-
cock, Jr., married Mary Ernie Johnson of South-
ampton Cour.ty, Virginia, daughter of John and
Mar\ Eliza (Branch) Johnson. )Irs Hancock died
or December 29, 1954. The couple became the
parents of the following children: 1. Mary Lucille,
who was born on January 4, 1913. She is the wife
of C. H. Dilday. 2. Robert L., 3rd. 3. Harry Lee.

4. Garth S. These three sons are subjects of sepa-
rate biographical sketches. 5. Muriel Jacqueline,
born on December 29, 1928. She married James

5. Johnson.

HARRY LEE HANCOCK— Partner in a pros-
perous family enterprise at Courtland, Harry Lee
Hancock is playing his part in the important Tide-
water industry of peanut processing. Since his re-
turn from military service in World War II, he
has been active in the management of the Han-
cock Peanut Company.

A native of Courtland, be was born on March
6, 1918, third child and second son of Robert
Lafayette, Jr., and Mary Ernie (Johnson) Han-
cock. His father, inventor of the Hancock Seed
Peanut Sheller, was also founder of the firm which
he and hi. son-, now manage. He is the subject
of an accompanying biographical sketch, as are
his other sons, Robert L., 3rd, and Garth S.

Harry Lee Hancock attended the public schools
of Suffolk. In the early years of his career he
was employed by the Blair Motor Company in
Suffolk and the Walters Peanut Company at Wal-
ters, and was later associated with his father in
building the Birdsong Storage Company's plant
at Suffolk.

He was one 01 the early contingent to enter
military service when world conditions dictated
preparedness for this country, and entered the
army in March 1940. He remained in uniform
until July 1945. He was at Pearl Harbor on Dec-
ember 7, 1 94 1, "the day which will live in infamy"
[sequence of the Japanese sneak attack which
drew this country into World War II. He con-
tinued with the army overseas during most of
the ensuing conflict.

Shortly before he had completed his tour of

military duty, his father formed the Hancock Pea-
nut Company, and when he returned to civilian
life, he became a partner in the enterprise, with
which he has been identified since, together with
his two brothers.

Mr. Hancock is interested in the program of
the Boy Scouts of America, and he is assistant
scoutmaster of Troop No. 11 at Courtland. As
a veteran of World War II, he is a member of
Courtland Post No. 275 of the American Legion,
and he also belongs to the Ruritan Club. He is
a communicant of the Courtland Baptist Church.

On July 19, 1947, Harry Lee Hancock married
Mary Margaret Magda of Cleveland, Ohio. They
are the parents of four children: 1. Harry Lee,
Jr., born on February 11, 1949. 2. James Calvin,
born March 30, 1950. 3. Margaret Rose, born
September 22, 1951. 4. Amana Magda, born Octo-
ber 7, 1953.

GARTH S. HANCOCK— Since his return from
military service in World War II, Garth S. Han-
cock has been associated with his father and
brothers in the Hancock Peanut Company at
Courtland. He has taken a leading role in com-
munity affairs there, has headed the Courtland
Community Center, Inc., and is currently presi-
dent of the city's Ruritan Club.

Born in Suffolk on April 19, 1921, he is the
fourth of the five children born to Robert Lafa-
yette, Jr., and Mary Ernie (Johnson) Hancock.
The father, as well as two older sons, Robert
L., 3rd, and Harry Lee, are partners in the pea-
nut processing firm, which was founded in 1944.

Beginning his education in the public schools
of Suffolk, Garth S. Hancock completed his se-
condary studies at Courtland High School. He
gained early business experience with the Bird-
song Storage Company- in Suffolk, at a plant
which his father had built for the firm at that
location. He was employed there until June 1942,
and then entered the wartime service of the Uni-
ted States Army. He remained in military service
for three years.

Returning to civilian life in 1945, he joined
his father and brothers in the Hancock Peanut
Company. They are partners in this enterprise.
In addition to processing and distributing pea-
nuts, as an important unit of a major industry
of the region, they have assembled a number of
units of the Hancock Seed Peanut Sheller, which
Robert L. Hancock, Jr., invented. These they
have leased to firms in the Virginia-Carolina
peanut belt.

Active in the Ruritan Club at Courtland for
some years, Garth S. Hancock was elected to
serve as its president during its 1957 term. A
past president of the Courtland Community Cen-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'49

ter, Inc., he continues to serve on its board of
directors. As a veteran of World War II, he be-
longs to Cojrtland's Post No. 275 of the Ameri-
can Legion, and he is also a member of the
Cypress Cove Country Club. He attends Court-
land Baptist Church, and serves as custodian
there.

On July 5, 1 94 1, Garth S. Hancock married
Josephine Estelle Hedgepeth of Handsom, Vir-
ginia, daughter of George Dewey and Annie Mary
(Porter) Hedgepeth. The couple are the parents
of five children: 1. June Jeanette, born June 10,
1942. 2. Martha Jean, who was born on May 21,
1943- 3- Garth S., Jr., born on July 29, 1947. 4.
Susan Brice, born December 18, 1950. 5. Jo Ann,
born February 27, 1954.

NELSON CHILCOAT OVERTON— A law-
yer who after more than a decade of practice
took over the management of an outstanding real-
ty and insurance firm, J. F. Tilghman, Inc., Nel-
son Chilcoat Overton of Newport News is today
well known not only in these two fields but also
in home financing and in veterans' and military
affairs. For many years lie has been an impor-
tant figure in the American Legion — on local,
state and national levels. At one time he was
in the top echelon in the Virginia State Guard
and he is a veteran of World War 1, with a
record on the home front in World War II.
His headquarters are at 122 Twenty-sixth Street,
Newport News.

Mr. Overton was born in Baltimore, Maryland,
on October 15, 1890, the son of Miles Nelson
and Flora Mae (Chilcoat) Overton. His father,
a native of South Mills, North Carolina, served
as cashier for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
in Newport News for many years. He died in
1941. The mother, born in Baltimore, died in

'939-

Nelson C. Overton received his early edu-
cation in Newport News. He was graduated from
high school there in 1910 and four years later
took the degree of Bachelor of Laws at the Uni-
versity of Virginia. Admitted to the bars of Vir-
ginia and Florida that year, 1914, he engaged in
a general practice in Jacksonville for the next
three years.

In May 1917, less than a month after the Uni-
ted States declared war on the Central Powers,
Mr. Overton enlisted in the Army and was first
attached to the 82nd Division as a first lieu-
tenant. He rose to captain. Transferred to the
20th Division, he served with that "outfit" until
August 1919. Later, he served as captain of the
Newport News Company of the Virginia Pro-
tective Force and in the World War II period.

I943~I946, was a lieutenant colonel and battalion
commander in the Virginia State Guard.

From 1919 to 1926, Mr. Overton practiced law
in Newport News. When his father-in-law. J. F.
Tilghman, died in the latter year, Mr. Overton
took over management of Mr. Tilghman's real
estate and insurance business, known as J. F.
Tilghman, Inc. This firm had been established
by Mr. Tilghman and Howard Bowen in 1917,
under the name of Tilghman and Bowen, Inc.
The first office was in the basement of the Finch
Building, at the corner of Thirtieth Street ana
Washington Avenue, Newport News. A few years
later the partners moved their headquarters to
138 Twenty-eighth Street, but soon afterward the
partnership was dissolved and the name was
changed to J. F. Tilghman, Inc., Mr. Bowen
having retired from the firm altogether. In 1926,
the year Mr. Overton joined the firm, the office
was moved to the Tilghman Building, 3023 Wash-
ington Avenue. In March 1939, the firm moved
to its new building on Twenty-sixth Street.

In addition to operating this business, Mr.
Overton serves as treasurer and a director of the
Mutual Home and Savings Association of New-
port News. Through the years he has been most
active in the American Legion. A past com-
mander of the Newport News Post, he served
as commander of the Department of Virginia in
1928 and 1929 and then was elected to the nation-
al executive committee for the years 1929 and
1930. He is also a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon
and Phi Alpha Delta fraternities and of the
Methodist Church.

Mr. Overton married Lucile Tilghman. who was
horn in Newport News, in that city on Febru-
ary 25, 1925. Her father was one of the city's
outstanding citizens. Her mother was the former
Christine Virginia Mitchell. Mr. and Mrs. Over-
ton have three children: Nelson, Lucile. and
James.

WILLIAM HENRY SHEFFIELD— It was

less than two decades ago that William Henry
Sheffield entered the lumber industry on a small
s ale in Suffolk. Under his capable management
the enterprise has grown into one of the city's
major industries. Mr. Sheffield has become an
influential figure in the organizational and civic
life of the community as well as in industrial
affairs.

He was born March 26, 1918, in Southampton
County, son of Henry T. and Rosa L. (Coun-
cill) Sheffield. His father, a native of Sussex
County, was a lumberman before him, and died
on March 28, 1947. Mrs. Sheffield is still living.
She is a native of Southampton County. Attend-
ing the public schools of Sussex County and the

i5o

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

city of Suffolk, William H. Sheffield graduated
from Suffolk High School in 1936. For three
years he was a student at the University of Vir-
ginia.

In 1939 he entered the lumber business in his
own name, beginning operations in a small way
by cutting rough timber with a portable sawmill,
and marketing it. The volume of production grew
steadily, and about 1945, he started his present
expansion program. Today, his plant and office
on Newport Street Extension occupies twenty-
three acres. His firm, operating under the name
of W. H. Sheffield, Lumber, gives employment
to about a hundred and twenty-five people. Its
primary product is finished lumber.

Mr. Sheffield is a Democrat in his politics.
He is a member of the lodges of the Knights
of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and the Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons. In Masonry, he is a member of
Hiram Lodge; the consistory of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite; and Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He is also a member of the Cosmopolitan
Club, and his fraternity is Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
He attend.; the Baptist Church at Suffolk. Hunt-
ing and fishing are his favorite outdoor sports.
Mr. Sheffield is unmarried.

CHARLES DOUGLAS PITT— With over thirty
years' experience in the insurance field in the
city of Newport News to his credit, Charles
Douglas Pitt heads his own organization, Douglas
Pitt, Inc., which also deals in real estate and
has its offices at 125 Twenty-sixth Street.

He is a native of Newport News, born there on
July 31, 1905, and is a son of Charles Faris and
Priscilla (Knowles) Pitt. His father, who was
born in Middlesex County, was an executive of
the Mason Body Company of Newport News,
advancing to the position of vice president and
general manager of that firm, which manufactures
truck bodies. He died on July 15, 1949, surviving
by three years his wife, the former Priscilla
Knowles.

Attending the public schools in his native city,
Douglas Pitt graduated from Newport News High
School in 1924. While attending high school, he
developed his long-time interest in athletics and
played on the baseball team. Following his gradua-
tion, he began his business career with the Granby
Manufacturing Company, at the corner of Virginia
Avenue and Twenty-seventh Street. A short time
afterwards he left to accept a position as sales-
man with the National Cash Register Company.

Soon realizing that such positions did not bring
him the satisfaction one feels on finding his true
career, he turned his attention to the insurance

business in 1925, joining the George C. Chapin In-
surance Company, which had its office in the one-
hundred block on Twenty-sixth Street. He re-
mained with that agency for two and one-half
years, and at the end of that time the oragnization
consolidated on a five-year plan with Murray
and Padgett, Inc., which operated a real estate in-
surance business. Shortly after the merger, Dou-
glas Pitt was named manager of the firm's in-
surance department, a position he held for sixteen
years. At the close of the "five-year plan," George
C. Chapin had resumed his private insurance busi-
ness, and Mr. Pitt spent the remaining eleven
years with Murray and Padgett. In the early
days of World War II, while still with this firm,
he accepted a temporary position with the United
States Government as housing expediter on the
Camp Patrick Henry project. This involved the
construction of a military base which was to serve
as a point of embarkation for millions of troops
going overseas. He afterwards accepted the man-
agership of the Newport News War Housing
Center under the National Housing Agency and
continued in that position for about a year and
one-half.

Also when the war was about at mid-course,
he purchased George C. Chapin's ageny, and this
formed the basis of his present general insurance
and real estate firm, Douglas Pitt, Inc. Offices
are in the Phillips Building. His firm is a member
of the Newport News Real Estate and Insurance
Exchange, the Virginia Association of Insurance
Agents, Inc., the National Association of Real
Estate Boards, and the National Association of
Insurance Agents.

Mr. Pitt has taken a consistent and vital in-
terest in civic affairs and every program for
community betterment. He is a member of Bre-
mond Lodge No. 241, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, and St. John's Chapter No. 57, Royal
Arch Masons. He attends the First Baptist Church
and is an independent in his politics. He retains
his interest in baseball and other sports and is
particulary fond of boating. Mr. Pitt served in
the United States Naval Reserve from 1923 to
1927.

At Williamsburg, on September 25, 1942, Dou-
glas Pitt married Violet Grubbs of Clifton Forge,
daughter of James R. and Agnes Leona (Morrison)
Grubbs. The couple are the parents of one son:
Douglas, Jr., who was born on February 20, 1944.

LOUIS BERNARD FINE— A native and life-
long resident of the Lower Tidewater, Louis Ber-
nard Fine has been practicing law in Norfolk
since completing his professional studies in 1925.
A student editor in his law school days, he is now
one of the editors for the National Association of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

>5»

Compensation Claimants' Attorneys, as well as
parliamentarian for that organization. He is a for-
mer teacher of Constitutional law and is currently
serving as commissioner in chancery for the Cir-
cuit Courts of the City of Norfolk and the County
of Norfolk. He is a stockholder, official or counsel
for twelve large business corporations, chiefly in
the realty field.

Born in Norfolk on October 3, 1904, Mr. Fine is
the son of Morris Fine, a hardware merchant, and
Mamie Fine. He is a graduate of a Norfolk elemen-
tary school and Maury High School and in 1925
took the degree of Bachelor of Laws at George-
town University Law School in Washington, D. C.
Admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1924, he has been
in practice in Norfolk, with offices at 1102-1113
National Bank of Commerce Building, since upon
obtaining his law degree in 1925.

He was appointed commissioner in chancery of
the Circuit Court of Norfolk in 1943 and of the
Circuit Court of the county in 1945. In 1946, he
taught Constitutional law at the Norfolk College of
Law. He served as an editor of the Georgetown
Law Journal in the year 1924-1925 and has been as-
sociate editor of the NACCA Law Journal since
1951. He was elected parlimentarian of the NACCA
in 1954. He is also a member of the American Bar
Association, Virginia State Bar Association and the
Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association.

Mr. Fine's business interests are in Marc Prop-
erties, Incorporated; Fine Investment Company,
Inc.; Mamie Properties, Inc.; F. Properties, Inc.:
LMM and A Company, Inc.; Alexander Properties,
Inc.; Morris Properties, Inc.; Snug Harbor Prop-
erties, Inc.; City and County Holding Company,
Inc.; Cook Realty Corporation; Dinner Key Manor,
Inc., and Selma Properties, Inc.

Besides his professional organizations, Mr. Fine
belongs to various Masonic bodies, including the
Consistory, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite,
and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; the Knights of
Pythias, Royal Arcanum, Loyal Order of Moose
and The Hague Club. He is a former national
officer of the Phi Alpha fraternity. He and his
family worship in Ohef Sholom Temple, Norfolk.

Mr. Fine married Minnie Snyder, daughter of
Louis and Kate Snyder, in Norfolk on November
12, 1929. They have two sons: 1. Morris Heller,
born on October 13, 1930. 2. Andrew Snyder, born
on December 7, 1936. The older son, Morris Heller
Fine, is now practicing law with his father.

JOHN MAURICE BRATTEN, president and
general manager of Ames and Webb, Inc., held
responsible executive posts with this Norfolk firm
of paving contractors before his recent elevation

to the presidency. He is also general manager of
the organization, which has its headquarters at
3145 Broad Creek Road.

Born December 14, 191 1, at Princess Anne, he
is a son of George Whittington and Marie (Ether-
edge) Bratten. His father was a native of Snow
Hill, Maryland, where he first engaged in the
lumber business. In 191 1, the year of his son's
birth, he established the G. W. Bratten Lumber
Company at Princess Anne. He continued as presi-
dent and manager of this firm until 1928 when
he retired, and his death occurred at his Princess
Anne home a quarter-century later, on August 3,
!953- He was a member of the Methodist Church,
and of the lodges of the Ancient Free and Accep-
ted Masons and the commandery of the Knights
Templar. George W. Bratten was a son of Joseph
Maurice Bratten, also a lumberman, first active
at Snow Hill and later at Princess Anne. The
Bratten family is of Scottish and Dutch descent.
Marie (Etheredge) Bratten, the mother of John
-Maurice Bratten, was born in Norfolk, a des-
cendant of early settlers in that city. She now
resides in Virginia Beach. She and her husband
were the parents of two sons: 1. John Maurice, of
whom further. 2. George Whittington, Jr., who
is president of the Bratten Pontiac Corporation
of Norfolk.

John M. Bratten received his early education
in the public schools of Princess Anne, but com-
pleted his secondary studies at Norfolk, graduating
from Maury High School in 1928. He continued
his education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
where he majored in agricultural engineering and
graduated with the Class of 1932.

He began his career with the United States
Department of Agriculture in Tidewater Virginia,
continuing in government service until 1936. There-
after until 1939 he was with the United States
Bureau of Public Roads, with headquarters at
Roanoke. From 1939 to 1941 he was a member
of the firm of Bratten Brothers, used car dealers
of Norfolk, leaving to become associated with the
Virginia Engineering Company of Newport News
for three years. He then became identified with
Ames and Webb of Norfolk at that time in the
capacity of field engineer. In that position he
superintended a number of important projects. He
became vice president of the firm in 1951, and
on the death of St. Clair Webb (one of the founders
of the firm and its president), on November 5,
1955. be succeeded him as president.

The firm of Ames and Webb had its beginning
at Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1933. The other
co-founder was the late Leslie R. Ames of Ral-
eigh, who died on November 3, 1947. It was in
1937 that headquarters of the contracting firm
were moved to Norfolk, although offices were re-

1^2

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

tained at Raleigh. Ames and Webb, Inc., lias been
growing continuously through the intervening
3'ears, and is now one of the largest firms in
Virginia devoted exclusively to paving contracting.
Among the major contracts it has completed in
recent years has been the paving of Virginia
Beach Boulevard, a dual-pavement highway eigh-
teen miles in length extending from Park Avenue
in Norfolk to the Virginia Beach city line. Another
major project is the Tidewater Drive in Norfolk,
extending from City Hall Avenue to Rugby Street.
The firm also paved the approaches to the Eliza-
beth River Tunnel, as well as the tube itself, and
Hampton Boulevard from the College of William
and Mary to the Naval Base; Granby Street from
the bridge to Taussig Boulevard; and a number
of Air Force, Army and Navy installations. In
io55. Ames and Webb, Inc., erected on its twenty-
acre site an electronically controlled asphalt manu-
facturing plant. Its cost was one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, but it will save many times
that figure, since it requires the attention of only
a single operator and turns out one hundred tons
of plant-mix asphalt per hour. Besides its contract-
ing, Ames and Webb now sells plant-mixed as-
phalt, concrete and macadam to other contractors,
and also operates an equipment rental service. In
its overall operations, the firm employs about two
hundred. Besides Mr. Bratten as president, the
officers are Harold N. Webb, vice president, and
George N. Turner, secretary and treasurer.

The firm holds membership in the American
Road Builders Association, the Association of
General Contractors of America, the Virginia As-
phalt Association, the Virginia Road Builders As-
sociation, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, Virginia
Beach Chamber of Commerce and the United
States Chamber of Commerce; and in each of
these organizations, Mr. Bratten also holds an
individual membership. Apart from his trade con-
nections, he is a member of the Princess Anne
Country Club, and is a communicant of the First
Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach. An oc-
casional round of golf comprises his outdoor rec-
reation.

At Princess Anne, on August 22, 1036, John M.
Bratten married Alma Georgia Darden of London
Bridge, Virginia, daughter of the late Louis C.
and Georgia (Bramble) Darden of that town.
Mr. and Mrs. Bratten are the parents of two
children: I. Eleanor Faye, born February 23, 1947.
2. Delmar Ray, born September 6, 1048. The fami-
ly resides at 104 Linkhorn Drive, Virginia Beach.

ALEXANDER LUTHER BIVINS— Since his
admittance to the Virginia bar four decades ago,
Alexander Luther Bivins has practiced at New-

port News and in the course of that time has
distinguished himself in public office as state sena-
tor and commonwealth attorney.

He is a native of Newport News and was born
on June 10, 1894, son of Frederic Canfield and
Margaret Matilda (MacKnight) Bivins. His father
had come to the state from New York, having been
born in Ontario County in the Empire State on
July 6, 1869. He was a foreman for some years in
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company. His wife, the former Margaret Matilda
MacKnight, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, on February 12, 1871. She died on March
30, 1924, and Mr. Bivins died on January 1, 1945-

Attending the public schools of Newport News,
Alexander L. Bivins graduated from high school
there in 1913. He then entered the University of
Virginia, where he prepared for his professional
career at the Law School. In 1917 he was admitted
to the bar of the state of Virginia, and conducted
a general practice of law at Newport News under
his own name, until January 1, 1957, when the
present law firm of Bivins, Jacobs and Bivins was
formed, the offices being located at 130 Twenty-
fifth Street. Associated with Mr. Bivins in this
firm are Ben Jacobs, former municipal judge of
the city of Newport News and Mr. Bivins' son,
A. Jeffery Bivins. He is a member of the Newport
News-Warwick Bar Association and the Virginia
State Bar Association.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Bivins was elected
state senator on his party's ticket, serving the
Thirty-third Senatorial District of the state in
I937"I938. When he concluded his term in 1938,
he began his tenure as commonwealth attorney at
Newport News, serving until 1943.

He is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity and of
the local Kiwanis Club, which he served as presi-
dent in 1927. In 1926 he was exalted ruler of the
local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks. He retains membership in this lodge and
is also a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 278
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Bivins
is also a member of the Virginia Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution. He and Mrs.
Bivins attend St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Mr.
Bivins has served on the Newport News school
board and as its chairman.

Mrs. Bivins, the former Miss Virginia Jefifery of
Newport News, is the daughter of Aaron and Mary
(Luck) Jefifery. She became the wife of Alexander
Luther Bivins in a ceremony at St. Paul's Church
in Newport News on September 11, 1918. Mrs.
Bivins is a member of the Society of Colonial
Dames. The couple are the parents of the follow-
ing children: I. Alexander Jeffery, who was born
on July 15, 1919. He married Mary Winston. 2.
Mary Jefifery, who is the wife of Wayne D. Hal-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'53

perty. 3. Virginia Spottswood. She is now Mrs.
Robert Douglas Clayton. 4. Anne Gardner, who is
the wife of John Drummond Chamblin. 5. Richard
Randolph, who is attending the College of William
and Mary, Norfolk Division. Mr. and Mrs. Bivins
also have ten grandchildren.

JOSEPH C. GREENE— A certified public ac-
countant with thirty-five years' experience in his
profession, Joseph C. Greene is new senior part-
ner in the firm of Frederick B. Hill and Company
of Norfolk. He was born in Halifax County on
June 29, 1899, son of the late Walter Granville
and Margaret (Mebane) Greene. Both parents
were natives of Halifax County, and of early Vir-
ginia ancestry. Walter Granville Greene, who died
in 1938, was chief special agent for the Southern
Railway Company. His wife, the former Margaret
Mebane, died in 1919 at the age of forty-one.

Receiving his education in the public schools
of Richmond, Joseph C. Greene then entered the
business world. His entire career since has been
identified with the accounting profession. He be-
gan in 1920 with the nationally known accounting
firm of Ernst and Ernst, at its Richmond office,
remaining in this connection until 1926. At the
time the Naval Air Station was built at Norfolk,
he was with the chief financial officer of the Vir-
ginia Engineering Company of Newport News,
a contractor on that project, engaged in compiling
a manual of cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. He work-
ed with the firm while it was engaged in govern-
ment work, 1940-1944. and it was awarded the
Navy "E" and the L'nited States Treasury Award
for outstanding service to the cause of defense
in the course of that time.

In 1930, Mr. Greene had passed his examination
for certification as a public accountant before the
North Carolina State Board of Accountancy, and
was licensed to practice both in that state ami in
Virginia. He was engaged in private practice at
Raleigh from 1930 to 1935, being associated with
the accounting firms of Dixon, Russ and Carter
and R. C. Carter & Co., at various times. From
IQ35 to 1940, he was district project auditor for
the Public Works Administrator of a region com-
prising seven Southern states, supervising seventy-
six projects. Among the other important positions
he has held has been that of comptroller for the
Marydand Sanitary Manufacturing Company of
Baltimore (1944-1946); and secretary and treas-
urer of the Gary Steel Products Corporation of
Richmond ( 1946-1948).

Since 1940 he has been active in the private
practice of accounting in Norfolk, and from 1950
to date, senior partner in the public accounting
firm of Frederick B. Hill and Company, with of-
fices in the Flatiron Building. He is licensed to

practice before the Treasury Department and the
Board of Tax Appeals (now the United States
Tax Court). He is a member of the American
Institute of Accountants, the Virginia Society of
Public Accountants, the American Institute of
Management and the Southern Institute of Man-
agement.

Active in civic and community affairs, Mr.
Greene is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Nor-
folk and the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club.
He attends the Episcopal Church.

On October 2, 1933, at Raleigh, North Carolina,
Joseph C. Greene married Lucille (Wilder) Gantt
of that city. By her previous marriage, Mrs. Greene
is the mother of a daughter, Betty Sue Gantt, who
was born on November 13, 1925. On July 5, 1952,
Miss Gantt became the wife of Robert B. Pond,
now a lieutenant commander in the United States
Navy and stationed at San Diego, California. The
Greene family residence is at 1042 Jamestown
Crescent, Norfolk.

CLARENCE H. LUMSDEN, SR., and CLAR-
ENCE H. LUMSDEN, JR., are co-founders and
partners in the Sheet Metal Specialty Company
of Norfolk. This firm of engineers, and manufac-
turers and distributors of sheet metal products
was founded in 1946, and has experienced continu-
ous growth since that time. It is now recognized
as the best-equipped light sheet metal plant in
the Tidewater area. It specializes in contracting
for and manufacturing sheet metal products, in
primary air-conditioning and heating work, and
in engineering assignments in which such instal-
lations are used. The firm supplies local dealers
in Norfolk, South Norfolk, Portsmouth and Vir-
ginia Beach, and throughout Norfolk and Prin-
cess Anne counties. Its plant is located at 3319
lait Terrace, Norfolk, and embraces about five
thousand square feet of floor space. It is more
than double in size with the erection of an annex
with six thousand square feet of floor space,
completed in the autumn of 195b. When it was
founded in 194b, the firm occupied a site at York
and Duke streets. It was later moved to 207
East Charlotte Street, and subsequently to 605
West 25th Street. Each move was part of an
expansion program necessitated by its growing
volume of business. When the two Clarence II.
Lumsdens tounded their enterprise, they did all
the work themselves. Today the plant has twenty-
three employees, highly trained in their respec-
tive lines of work, who share the management's
pride in a superior finished product. The com-
pany has enjoyed excellent employee relations.
Nine of its employees have been with the organi-
zation since shortly after its founding. Its growth

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

has been in large measure the outcome of a policy
of giving its customers the best of service and
workmanship, at an economical price.

The 'senior partner, Clarence H. Lumsden, Sr.,
has been in the sheet-metal business for more
than half a century, and followed in the footsteps
of his grandfather, James Lewis Steadman Lums-
den, a native of Scotland, who was among the
pioneer tinsmiths of Raleigh, North Carolina.
There he made canteens for soldiers of the Con-
federate States Army. He operated a tinsmith
shop and hardware store in Raleigh in the years
following the war, and lived out his life there.

Born in Raleigh on September 10, 1886, Clarence
H. Lumsden, Sr., was a son of Robert Edward
and Minnie (Horton) Lumsden. Both parents
were natives of Wake County, North Carolina,
who lived all their lives in Raleigh. The elder
Clarence Lumsden received his education in the
public schools of Raleigh and began his apprentice-
ship in the sheet metal trade at the age of nine,
working during after-school hours, Saturdays and
during vacation periods. At the age of nineteen
he entered the trade full-time, and in 191 2 came
to Norfolk. There he has followed the trade con-
tinuously since. From 1920 to 1927 he operated a
sheet-metal shop in his own name, at Virginia
Beach. Later he opened a shop in Norfolk, and
in 1946, joined his son, Clarence H., Jr., in found-
ing the Sheet Metal Specialty Company, in which
he continues as a partner. A fine craftsman in
the trade, he has worked with his son in manag-
ing the present enterprise, and directing it to its
present level of production and recognition.

On December 7, 1918, at Norfolk, Clarence H.
Lumsden, Sr., married Ruth Hall of that city,
who died in 1950. They were the parents of two
children: 1. Shirlie Margaret, who married George
W. Butcher of Norfolk. 2. Clarence Hall, Jr. He
was born on April 2, 1924, at Virginia Beach,
and graduated from Maury High School, Norfolk,
in 1940. From 1940 to 1942 he was employed by-
Norfolk Newspapers, Inc., and at the Norfolk
Naval Operating Base. On December 2, 1942, he
enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps for
duty in World War II, and was separated from
active service on November 30, 1945. His tour of
duty included two years overseas witli the Ninth
Air Force, based in England and later in France
and Germany, where he was in charge of a supply
and maintenance unit with the rank of staff ser-
geant.

Resuming civilian status, he first sought Lis
old job at Naval Operating Base, but when offered
a reduced rating, declined employment. It was at
this time that he made the decision to enter the
sheet-metal manufacturing business at Norfolk.
Greatly handicapped in securing the necessary

machinery for an expanded manufacturing opera-
tion with his father, he went to Richmond, and
there secured the indispensable minimum of equip-
ment, and a consignment of sheet metal. The com-
bination of his father's ability as a sheet-metal
craftsman, and the progressive spirit of the young-
er Lumsden soon had the enterprise progressing
rapidly. To keep pace with developments in his
industry, Clarence H. Lumsden, Jr., has taken
correspondence courses in engineering, and, under
the guidance of his father, he has become a fine
craftsman in his own right.

Clarence H. Lumsden, Jr., is a member of the
Hampton Roads Executives Club, the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, the National Warm Air
and Air Conditioning Association, and the Lafay-
ette Yacht Club. He is a member and past grand
of Lafayette Lodge No. 9, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. A communicant of Norview Baptist
Church, he is active on its building committee.
He enjoys boating and hunting.

On December 23, 1945, Clarence H. Lumsden,
Jr., married Ethelyn Butler Taylor of Bangor,
Maine, daughter of LeRoy F. and Mae (Butler)
Taylor. Mrs. Lumsden is active in civic and
church affairs, being a member of the Norview
Baptist Church. She is past noble grand of Re-
bekah Lodge No. 13, International Order of Odd
Fellows, and first vice president of the Norview
Elementary School's Parent-Teacher Association.
The couple are the parents of two children: 1.
Curtis Hall, born September 21, 1948. 2. Lois Mae,
born April 29, 1952. The family resides at 1324
Norview Avenue, Norfolk, and they have a sum-
mer home at Chesapeake Beach, Virginia.

RICHARD TWISDELL YATES— Practicing
law at Newport News since his return from service
in World War II, Richard Twisdell Yates is
a partner in the firm of Ferguson, Yates and
Stephens, which has its offices in the First Na-
tional Bank Building.

He is one of the city's younger professional
men, having been born on December 31, 1921, at
Buffalo, New York, son of Edward Sears and
Katherine (Basler) Yates. His father, who was
born in Fauquier County, Virginia, served as an
officer in the United States Marines, and was
also a professor of languages at preparatory
schools and colleges. He died on October 10,
1943. Katherine Basler, whom he married, was
born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and she is still
living. Beginning his public school education at
Staunton, Virginia, Richard T. Yates later at-
tended schools in Washington, D. C, and Char-
lottesville, Virginia, and he graduated from high
school in the latter city in 1940. He attended
the University of Virginia for two years. At the

(at^<F^K~

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'55

time of World War II, he served in the United
States Army. After receiving his honorable dis-
charge in 1943, he reentered the University of
Virginia, where he completed his requirements for
the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1946. He served
on the board of editors of the "University of
Virginia Law Review" in 1945-1946, and was a
member of Sigma Nu Phi fraternity and The
Raven.

Admitted to the bar of the State of Virginia
on June 28, 1945, Mr. Yates commenced his gen-
eral practice at Newport News as soon as he
had completed his courses in the University of
Virginia Law School. He joined the firm of Monta-
gue, Ferguson and Holt and later became a mem-
ber of this partnership. This partnership was later
dissolved and two firms emerged, one of which
is now known as Ferguson, Yates and Stephens.
The organization conducts a general practice in
all courts, taking admiralty, insurance, corporation
and probate law cases. Among the firms which it
represents are the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company, Virginia Electric and
Power Company, Home Federal Savings and Loan
Association of Norfolk, Prudential Insurance Com-
pany, Arkell Safety Bag Company, Hiden Storage
and Forwarding Company, Inc., Peninsula Broad-
casting Corporation, Railway Express Agency, The
Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United
States, Newport News Automobile Exchange,
and a number of nationally known insurance
firms.

Mr. Yates is a member of the Newport News -
Warwick Bar Association, the Virginia State
Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
He is a Democrat in his politics, and a member
of Sigma Nu Phi and Sigma Nu fraternities, the
Lions Club of Newport News, and Peninsula
Lodge No. 278, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
He attends the Episcopal Church. He is interested
in floriculture and in outdoor sports.

At the University of Virginia Chapel in Char-
lottesville, on February 20, 1946, Richard Twis-
dell Yates married Mary Jane Sneed, a native of
Charlottesville and a graduate of the LTniversity
of Virginia, who received her degree of Bachelor
of Science in Education in 1946. She is a
daughter of John L. T. and Margaret (Marshall)
Sneed. Mr. and Mrs. Yates have three children:
I. Edward Sears, 3rd, who was born on December
27, 1948. 2. Richard Marshall, born June 9, 1951.
3. William Stephen, born February 23, 1954.

WILLIAM HUNTER SCOTT— While his

business experience has been chiefly in the field
of highway contracting, W. Hunter Scott has
recently turned his attention most effectively to
residential community development. In fact, Hun-

terdale, his outstanding contribution in the build-
ing of suburbs, had its beginning eighteen years
ago, and it has continued to grow until it now re-
presents one of the most attractive communities of
fine homes to be found anywhere. It is located
near Franklin, where his firm, W. H. Scott, Inc.,
has its headquarters.

Mr. Scott was born in Southampton County,
near the present village of Hunterdale, on April
30, 1903, and is a son of Andrew Jackson and
Nellie Rebecca (Turner) Scott. His father too was
a native of Southampton County, and is now
deceased. He was a farmer. Nellie Rebecca Turner,
whom he married, survives her husband, and is
now seventy-five years of age. She was also born
in Southampton County. Reared on his father's
small farm, W. Hunter Scott attended the public
schools of his native county, including Bethel
School, and concluded his formal education with
two years at Richmond High School in Richmond,
Virginia.

The fact that he had an opportunity for work
in the construction industry, while most youth of
his age were still in the classroom, determined the
course of his future career. His first position was
in the capacity of "dinkey skinner" with the All-
port Construction Company, which was then
building a section of concrete road on Route
Thirty-five near Courtland. The temporary rail
lines for bringing up supplies were traversed by
small engines known as dinkeys, and Mr. Scott
derived his job classification from operating one
of these. He later advanced to master mechanic
with the same firm, and from this connection he
went with the engineering firm of Allen J. Saville,
Inc., of Richmond. While working in the old
Confederate capital he took evening courses at
John Marshall High School. With the Saville or-
ganization, he advanced to the position of super-
intendent in charge of heavy construction. He
became thoroughly familiar with the details of
bridge engineering and highway construction, valu-
able experience when he later entered business for
himself.

He began taking his own contracts in 1931, be-
ginning in a small way. The following year he
first contracted with the Virginia Department of
Highways and it was at that time that he estab-
lished his first permanent organization at Franklin.
During the late thirties, when the war clouds began
to gather, the type of construction in which he was
engaged became increasingly important. Not only
were there defense highways to be built, but also
airports and military bases. His larger-scale oper-
ations brought the need to incorporate his business.
In 1940 W. H. Scott, Inc., was formed and char-
tered. W. Hunter Scott was its president; a cousin,
E. M. Scott, vice president; and the founder's

TWVa. 16

,56

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

brother, Vernard H. Scott, secretary and general
manager of field operations. Descriptive of the
work his firm carried out is this passage from an
article in an early 1953 issue of the magazine
"Virginia Road Builder":

This fine firm of road builders has made a lasting con-
tribution to the highways of Virginia which are paved with
concrete. In almost every section of eastern Virginia, where
concrete is the usual type of paving for Class 1 roads,
there is a job which W. H. Scott, Inc., has built and
to which the firm can point with pride. . . In addition
to these highways, Hunter Scott and his firm, also con-
tributed a great deal to the defense effort. Airfield pav-
ing was one of the classes of construction on which they
worked. The U. S. Naval Air Station has a lot of con-
crete yardage which the Scott organization built. Airfield
pavements also were laid at Franklin, Emporia, and on
the municipal airport at Camp Patrick Henry which serves
Newport News and that section of the Virginia Peninsula.

Mr. Scott keeps in personal touch with his var-
ious projects by airplane and takes a close per-
sonal interest in all aspects of construction. He has
been a licensed pilot for many years,' and this
trait has won him the epithet, "the flying con-
tractor." His organization has on its payroll about
two hundred and sixty persons — engineers, ar-
chitects, clerical help, construction workers.

He began the development of the attractive
community at Hunterdale in 1938, purchasing
acreage adjacent to the farm on which he had been
reared, and where he had long envisioned a
burgeoning and pleasant residential area. He began
the concrete realization of this vision by building
his own home there, a rambling, one-story, ranch-
type house which remains a showplace. Other
homes were subsequently built on contract, set well
back from the paved road which connects the
village with Highway 58. The section is iso-
lated by a section of densely wooded land which
assures retention of its exclusive quality. The early
homes were built at amazingly reasonable prices
for an inflationary era, many for less than ten
thousand dollars; but present valuation of the
properties now is of course well in excess of that
figure. There are now well over seventy residen-
ces, spaciously laid out over an area of fifteen
acres, and part of the old Scott farm is included
in the town site, where Hunterdale Farms gives
a pleasant rural touch. This has become a major
dairying enterprise, with wide demand for its
products.

Mr. Scott held the rank of first lieutenant in
the militia during World War II. He has been
active in industrial groups and was president of
the Virginia Road Builders Association in 1955.
He is a member of the Ruritan Club and the
Lions Club, both of Franklin, the Cypress Cove
Country Club, Princess Anne Country Club, and

the Cavalier Ciub. Attending Hunterdale Chris-
tian Church, he serves on its board of trustees.
He is a Democrat in his politics.

At Virginia Beach on June 9, 1947, W. Hunter
Scott married Gertrude Whitley of Franklin,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher Whitley. Mr.
and Mrs. Scott have two children: I. Hunter Dale,
born October 9, 1950. 2. William Hunter, Jr.,
born September 18, 1952.

EARL R. HATTEN— As president of Handy
Oil Corporation, Earl R. Hatten heads an organi-
zation which operates twenty-three retail stations,
and a sizable fuel-oil business, in the Newport
Xews area. This firm was organized in July 1932,
by Mr. Handy in association with Charles K.
Hutchens and Latham B. Hewlett. Shortly after-
wards, it purchased the interests of Phillips, The
Oil Man, Inc.. at Small Boat Harbor. In March
1936, Mr. Hatten and the late Charles A. Parker,
purchased the entire stock of Handy Oil Corpo-
ration. At that time, its holdings consisted of two
retail gasoline filling stations, a small bulk plant,
and a few consumer fuel oil accounts served by one
truck and one driver. By the mid-i940s there
were twenty-two retail gasoline stations, a number
of commercial gasoline accounts, and over five
thousand fuel-oil accounts. The bulk plant has
greatly increased in size over the intervening
years. Although its volume of business has in-
creased with sufficient rapidity, without the con-
tinued acquisition of new filling stations, one more
has been added over the past decade, bringing the
total to twenty-three. Handy Oil Corporation is
distributor for Socony Mobil Oil products. Charles
A. Parker, partner in the firm until he end of his
life, died in May 1955. Since that time, Mr. Hatten
has been sole owner, and president of the corpo-
ration.

A native of Tyler, Texas, Earl R. Hatten was
born on October 27, 1893, son of Robert R. and
Erah (Sligh) Hatten. His father, who was a mer-
chant at Waco, Texas, is now deceased, although
Mrs. Hatten is still living. Attending the public
elementary and high schools of Waco, Earl R.
Hatten went east for his advanced studies, en-
rolling at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy,
New York, and later transferring to Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts. He trained as an engineer, and followed
that profession during the early years of his career.

He first came to Newport News in 1929 as
production manager for the H. E. Dodge Boat
and Plane Corporation. Several years later he
joined Mr. Parker and they purchased the Handy
Oil Corporation, as outlined above.

Mr. Hatten is a veteran of World War I, having

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'57

served in the United States Navy. In the course
of three years in the service, he attained the rank
of lieutenant. He is a director of the Citizen's
Marine Jefferson Bank, and a member of the
Rotary Club at Newport News, the Propeller
Club, the James River Country Club, and the
lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Be-
ing a member of the higher bodies of Masonry,
he belongs also to the Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He attends the
Methodist Church, and was formerly a member of
the church of that denomination at Waco, Texas.
Golf and gardening are Mr. Hatten's favorite out-
door pastimes.

At Schaghticoke, New York, on October 15,
1921, E=.rl R. Hatten married Leone Quackenbush,
daughter of John and Nellie (Newland) Quacken-
bush. Mr. and Mrs. Hatten have two children: 1.
John Q. Hatten, M.D., who was born on April
30, 1924. He practices in Newport News. Married,
he is the father of three children: Robert R.,
Mary Beth, and John Q., Jr. 2. Erah, who was
born on June 14, 1925. She became the wife of
Lawrence W. Kliewer of Warwick, and they have
two children: Lawrence \\\, Jr., and Linda Eliza-
beth.

Mr. and Mrs. Hatten reside at 1205 Chesapeake
Avenue, Newport News.

HENRY DUNCAN GARNETT— After his re-
turn from army service in World War II, Henry
Duncan Garnett was admitted to the bar, and be-
gan practice at Newport News. He is now at
Warwick, where he is serving as commonwealth
attorney.

Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on April 11,
1915, he is a son of Henry Garnett and Mary S.
(Merchant) Garnett. His father, a native of West-
moreland County, was a retail merchant in Freder-
icksburgh, and died April 11, 1954. Mrs. Garnett
was born in that city, and died on September 1,
!937- Receiving his public school education in
Fredericksburg, Henry D. Garnett graduated from
high school there in 1933. He was employed by
Sylvania Industrial Corporation in Fredericksburg
until he entered the University of Richmond in
1938. He volunteered for military service in Jan-
uary 1942. Enlisting in the United States Army,
he remained in uniform until March 10, 1946, and
served overseas for a considerable time, first in
the Mediterranean area and later in the Pacific.
He enlisted as a private, and at the time of his
discharge held a captain's commission.

On returning to civilian life, Mr. Garnett com-
pleted courses which he had begun before joining
the army. He had taken his undergraduate work
at the University of Richmond, and in 1946 he
completed his requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Laws there. Admitted to the bar of
the State of Virginia on July 9, 1946, he practiced
in Newport News, as an associate in law firms in
that city, until December 20, 1952. At that time
he was appointed commonwealth attorney for
Warwick City, and has held that position to the
present time, being re-elected in 1955. He has
offices for the private practice of law in the Court
House at Denbeigh, Virginia. Mr. Garnett is a
member of the Newport News-Warwick Bar Asso-
ciation, the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia
State Bar Association.

He is also a member of the McNeil Law Society,
Omicron Delta Kappa fraternity, the Kiwanis
Club at Warwick, the Warwick Ruritan Club,
and American Legion Post No. 255 in that city.
He is a Democrat in his politics, and attends the
Episcopal Church. Woodworking is his hobby.

At Richmond, on July 15, 1942, Henry Duncan
Garnett married Frances Susette Williams of that
city, daughter of Thomas J. and Minna (Ray) Wil-
liams. The couple are the parents of three children:
1. Henry Duncan, Jr., who was born on July 24,
1944. 2. Robert Jefferson, born October 25, [947.
3. Lloyd Moss, born January 24, 1952.

VIRGINIUS H. NUSBAUM, JR.— Three

generations of the Nusbaum family have been
serving the Lower Tidewater region through
operations in the real estate and insurance business.
Virginius H. Nusbaum, Jr., is a member of the
third generation and as executive vice president
of the old-established realty-insurance firm of
S. L. Nusbaum and Company, Inc., is virtually
the operating head of that business. Colleagues
in his field have recognized his place in it by
making him vice president of the Norfolk- Ports-
mouth Board of Realtors.

Mr. Nusbnum was born in Norfolk on Novem-
ber 21, 1927, the son of Virginius and Justine
(Lowenberg) Nusbaum. Both his parents are also
natives of Norfolk. The senior Virginius H. Nus-
baum, associated with S. L. Nusbaum and Company,
Inc., all of his working life, is president of that
concern, but is semi-retired. He served in the Uni-
ted States Navy in World War I and in one
of the fund-raising drives of the Norfolk Chap-
ter of the American National Red Cross served
as campaign chairman. He is also a member of
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the Nortolk-
Portsmouth Board of Realtors, and the Masonic
faternity. It was his father, Sidney L. Nusbaum,
who in 191 1 established S. L. Nusbaum and Com-
pany, Inc., and who remained as head of the
firm until 1937, two years before his death.

The younger Virginius H. Nusbaum received
his early education in Norfolk's public schools.

i58

I.OW'KR TIDEWATER \ IRC 1 IMA

Following his gaduation from Maury Higli School
in 1045, he spent two and one-hall years at the
University of Virginia. In 1947 he joined his
father in the family real estate and insurance busi-
ness and in 1953 became executive vice president.
Forty persons are employed under his supervision.
Besides his activity as an official of the Norfolk-
Portsmouth Board of Realtors. Mr. Nusbaum is
a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
the Saints and Sinners Club, and the Democratic
party. Like others of his family, he is prominent
in Jewish circles. In 1055 his mother received
the B'nai B'rith Distinguished Service Award for
her leadership in civic and charitable projects.
Mr. Nusbaum's favorite sports are boating and
fishing. His home is at 1026 Manchester Avenue,
Norfolk. His business headquarters are at 148
Granby Street.

Mr. Nusbaum married Nancy Nordlinger in
Norfolk on April 23, 1949. She is the daughter
of Alan and Rose (Kan) Nordlinger. the former
a native of Washington, D. C, the latter of Nor-
folk. Mr. Nordlinger, who died in 1955, was in
charge of the ladies' ready-to-wear department
at Rice's Department Store, Norfolk. He also
served with the armed forces in World War I.
Mr. and Mrs. Nusbaum have one son: Alan Bee.
who was born in Norfolk on November 11, 1950.

CLARENCE DAY— A certified public accoun-
tant, Clarence Day heads his own firm which
has offices in the Helena Building in Norfolk.

He was born October 28, 1896, at New Bern,
North Carolina, son of David John and Mary
F. (Day) Day. both natives of North Carolina
and both now deceased. His father was an elec-
trical engineer for the city of New Bern, where
he lived out his life, and where he died in 1950
at the age of seventy-five. Mrs. Day died in 1910
at the age of thirty-three.

Clarence Day received his elementary education
in the public schools of New Bern, and graduated
from Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, in the Class of 1914. He then attended
Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New
York, and Pace and Pace Institute in New York
City.

In 1917 he enlisted in the United States Coast
Guard for duty in World War 1 and was honor-
ably discharged at the end of the war as chief
radio electrician, leaving the service in February
1919. In May of that year, he enlisted in the
United States Navy and was stationed at Norfolk,
Virginia, until his honorable discharge from that
branch of the service on February 2, 1920.

Thereafter until September 1924, Mr. Day was
engaged in the private practice of accounting in

the city of New Bern, North Carolina, and he
then entered the employ of the Farmer's Manu-
facturing Company. Inc., in Norfolk, Virginia, in
the capacity of chief accountant. He became a
Certified Public Accountant in 1931, having passed
the examination given by the Virginia State Board
of Accountancy.

From 1931 until the fall of 1936, Mr. Day was
again in private practice as a certified Public Ac-
countant in Norfolk. In the fall of 1936, he was
engaged as an auditor with the State Auditor of
Public Accounts at Richmond, Virginia, investi-
gating the now abolished fee system under which
certain state employees were compensated. Later
leaving state employ to re-enter private business,
he accepted a position as senior accountant with
A. Lee Rawlings and Company in Norfolk, with
which he continued until the spring of 1940.

In that year Mr. Day established his accounting
firm, as Clarence Day, Certified Public Account-
ant, with offices in the Portlock Building, where
be remained until January 1, 1957, at which time
he organized a partnership, along with one of his
sons, under the firm name of Clarence Day and
Son, moving their office to 200-12 Helena Build-
ing. He is licensed to practice before the United
States Treasury Department and the United States
Tax Court. He has an excellent professional re-
putation throughout the Tidewater area. His firm
serves a large clientele, with numerous commer-
cial and industrial accounts throughout that region.

Mr. Day is a member of the American Institute
of Accountants, Virginia Society of Public Ac-
countants and other professional organizations. He
is a member of the Masonic bodies, including
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine, at Norfolk, and Dare Coun-
ty Shrine Club at Nags Head, North Carolina.
He is also a member of the Cavalier Beach Club
and the Cabana Club of Virginia Beach.

On March 17, 191 7, at New Bern, North Caro-
lina, Clarence Day married Sarah Emma Morton,
daughter of William J. and Charlotte Morton of
New Bern. The couple are the parents of five
children: 1. Clarence, Jr., of Virginia Beach. 2.
Robert Lee, who is a member of his father's ac-
counting firm. 3. John Lewis, who is with the
Curtis Publishing Company of Philadelphia. 4. Day
James Day, who is a partner of his father's ac-
counting firm. 5. Walter Bryant, who is with the
Harris Music Company at Virginia Beach. The
family residence is at 211 Oriole Drive, Bird Neck
Point. Virginia Beach.

JEROME PENDLETON CARR, 2nd— Ports-
mouth's attorney-at-law and civic leader Jerome
Pendleton Carr was born in that city on March

LOWER TIDKWATER VIRGINIA

'59

14, 1912, son of the late Dr. George Hopkins Carr,
prominent physician of Portsmouth, who died Oc-
tober 10, 1954, and Lucille (Allen) Carr, also of
that city.

Receiving his early education in the public
schools of his native city, Jerome P. Carr gradu-
ated from Woodrow Wilson High School in the
Class of 1928. He received his degree of Bachelor
of Arts from the College of William and Mary
in Williamsburg, where he graduated in 193 1, and
his degree of Bachelor of Laws from the Law
School of the University of Virginia in 1934.

Following his graduation from law school, he
began his professional career as an attorney on
the staff of the Tax Division of the United States
Department of Justice. He continued with this
government agency until February 1939, and from
that time until November 1943, was an associate
in the law firm of Brown, Jackson, and Knight, of
Charleston, West Virginia.

He left this connection to enter the United
States Army as a private for service in World
War II, and, after receiving training in several
army schools, was sent overseas and assigned to
criminal investigation as liaison agent with the
French Police, stationed in Paris. He was separa-
ted from active service at Fort Dix, New Jersey,
in April 1946, holding at that time the rank of
staff sergeant.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Carr began the
private practice of law in Portsmouth, in Septem-
ber 1946. In September 1947, lie became associa-
ted in practice with H. W. MacKenzie, who is
now serving as associate judge of the Twenty-
eighth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, and with John
A. MacKenzie, in the law firm of Mackenzie, Carr,
and MacKenzie. This was the predecessor of the
present firm of MacKenzie and Carr. Engaged in
the general practice of law, the firm is one of the
more prominent in the Portsmouth and Tidewater
Virginia areas.

In professional affiliation, Mr. Carr is a mem-
ber of the Portsmouth-Norfolk County Bar As-
sociation. He is also a member of the Virginia
State Bar Association; the American Bar Associa-
tion; Phi Beta Kappa, national scholastic honor
society: and Kappa Alpha, social fraternity.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Carr has serv-
ed as president of the Portsmouth Council of
Social Agencies and since January 1955, as
chairman of the board of the Portsmouth Area
Counselling and Guidance Clinic.

Since 1948 he has served as president of the
board of trustees of the Portsmouth Public Lib-
rary. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club of
Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Chamber of Com-
merce, the Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country

Club, and American Legion Post No. 37 of Ports-
mouth. His favorite sport is tennis.

On June 22, 1938, in Warrenton, North Caro-
lina, Jerome Pendleton Carr, 2nd, married Caroline
Ward, daughter of V. F. and Carrie (Chalmers)
Ward of Warrenton. The couple reside at 402
Acres Road, Portsmouth.

GEORGE F. WILKINSON and LAMAR S.
WILKINSON — As president and treasurer of G.
F. Wilkinson Company, Inc., Lamar S. Wilkinson
guides the operations of a real estate and insurance
firm which has been serving the Lower Tidewater
region for six decades. It was founded by his
father George F. Wilkinson, whose name it bears,
and whose biography is also a part of this record.
From his headquarters in Suite 309-310 Monticello
Arcade in Norfolk, the firm's present head over-
sees activities which extend into many parts of the
Old Dominion. He has many interests outside of
his field of business, and is a veteran of both World
War II and the Korean conflict.

George F. Wilkinson was born at Norfolk on
July 10, 1871, son of William S. and Elizabeth
(Farant) Wilkinson. He completed his education
at Davis Military Academy and 1888 began his
career in the real estate field, thereafter winning
recognition as an appraiser. He founded the G.
F. Wilkinson Company, Inc., in 1898, and served as
its president until his death on July 20, 1938. He
was prominent in many other affairs in the Lower
Tidewater area. He was a director of the Seaboard
Citizens National Bank; was secretary-treasurer
of the Farant Investment Company of Norfolk; and
was vice president of the Norfolk Federal Savings
and Loan Association. For a time he served on
the Norfolk board of aldermen. Active in the Nor-
folk-Portsmouth Board of Realtors, he was elected
its vice president in 1924 and its president in 1927.
He served on the vestry of Christ and St. Luke's
Church; was for twenty-five years secretary of the
Norfolk German Club; and served for a like period
as secretary of the Chesapeake Club. He was also
active in the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

On November 19, 1908, George F. Wilkinson
married Loulie Sharp, a native of Baltimore, Mary-
land, who was born in 1877. She survives him,
and is one of Norfolk's most highly regarded citi-
zens. The couple became the parents of three chil-
dren: 1. George F., Jr., who was born in Norfolk
on January 4, 1911. He owns and operates Dixie-
land Products Company, Inc., in that city. Married
to the former Miss Margaret Guy of Norfolk, he
is the father of one son: George F., III. 2. Lamar
S., of whom further. 3. Elizabeth, born on May 18,
1917. She is the wife of James E. Hendry, III,

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and they make their home in Fort Myers, Florida.
They are the parents of three children: Susan,
Peggy and Molly Hendry.

Mrs. Loulie (Sharp) Wilkinson is a charter mem-
ber of the Norfolk Country Club, and a longtime
member of the Garden Club of Norfolk. A mem-
ber of the Norfolk Society of the Arts, she for-
merly served as its treasurer; and she also holds
membership in the Norfolk Museum of Arts and
Sciences. She is a communicant of Christ and St.
Luke's Church.

In his early years, Lamar S. Wilkinson attended
Virginia Episcopal School and Norfolk Academy,
and entered Maury High School to complete his
secondary studies, graduating there in 103.2. In
that year he went to Washington, D. C, where he
joined the staff of the United States Geological
Survey, but he returned to Norfolk in 1935 to
become associated with his father in the operation
of the G. F. Wilkinson Company, Inc. Their as-
sociation ended with his father's death in 1938.
As Lamar Wilkinson's uncle then took over the
business, the founder's son entered the employ of
the Department of Water Supply of the City of
Norfolk.

In February 1941, he enlisted in the Virginia
National Guard and was attached to Battery B
of the tilth Field Artillery Regiment. In October
1942, he transferred to the United States Army,
and after training at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsyl-
vania, was commissioned a second lieutenant in
the Medical Service Corps. The date of his com-
mission was December 23, 1942. His service in the
corps kept Mr. Wilkinson in the states, chiefly at
Camp Polk, Louisiana, until February 1945, when
he was sent overseas with the 93rd Field Hospital.
He arrived in the Philippines on April 13, and
until December 1945, was stationed outside Manila.
He then returned to the United States and was re-
leased to Active Reserve status as a captain.

Until 1948, Mr. Wilkinson was associated with
the Fidelity and Guarantee Insurance Company at
Baltimore. For the next three years he was in the
real estate business in Norfolk. In March 1951, the
army recalled him to active duty, assigning him
to Fort Lewis, Washington. After a year there,
he was sent to Japan, where he spent an equal
period of time. He later spent seven months in
Korea, where he participated in battle action with
the Seventh Division. In January 1954, Mr. Wil-
kinson resigned from the service, and he and Mrs.
Wilkinson went to Europe for a vacation.

Upon his return in March 1954, he became presi-
dent and treasurer of the firm which had been
founded by his father fifty-six years before. He
has since managed the affairs of G. F. Wilkinson
Company, Inc., and has continued to build its

volume of business and its favorable reputation.
An active member of the Norfolk- Portsmouth
Board of Realtors, Mr. Wilkinson has served on
various of its committees. He is a member of the
Norfolk Assembly and the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce, and he attends Christ and St. Luke's
Church. In politics he is a Democrat.

Lamar S. Wilkinson has been married and is
the father of one child: Lamar Hollyday, born in
Baltimore on July 1, 1947. He makes his home at
616 Boissevain Avenue, Norfolk.

CLIFFORD E. CRAVER— After experience
in agriculture, government service and private in-
dustry, Clifford E. Craver put his specialized
training in accounting to effective use as senior
partner in the firm of Craver, Green and Com-
pany, Certified Public Accountants, which has its
offices in the National Bank of Commerce Build-
ing in Norfolk.

A native of Lexington, North Carolina. Mr.
Craver was born on November 26, 1909, son of
William L. and Lelia (Craver) Craver, both na-
tives of North Carolina. His father was born in
Lexington, on July 20, 1879, and died there on
August 8, 1928. He was a prominent dairy farmer.
His wife, the- former Lelia Craver, was born on
April 5, 1889, at Lexington, where she continues
to reside.

Clifford E. Craver graduated from Arcadia High
School in Lexington, North Carolina, in 1925, and
attended North Carolina State College at Raleigh
from 1925 to 1929. Thereafter until 193 1 he was
engaged by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Ex-
tension Service, with headquarters at Warrenton,
Virginia. In 1931-1932, he did graduate work at
North Carolina State College, studying statistics,
and during 1932-1933 he was associated with his
father's farming interests at Lexington.

In 1933 Mr. Craver joined the United States
Department of Agriculture, working as an auditor,
engaged in both office and field w-ork, with the Agri-
cultural Adjustment Administration. From 194 1 to
1943 he was employed as assistant plant manager
in charge of records for the Pepsi-Cola Bottling
Company of Norfolk.

Air. Craver then entered the United States Ar-
my, and served as a technical sergeant at Camp
Grant, Illinois. He was later transferred to Walter
Reed Hospital in Washington, D. C, after which
he was assigned to overseas service in the Italian
theater.

Following his separation from army service in
1946, Mr. Craver became staff accountant with
J. A. D. Parrish, Certified Public Accountant of
Norfolk. Following the death of Mr. Parrish in
November 195 1, he purchased the accounting bust-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

161

ness from the Parrish estate, and conducted the
business as his own enterprise until July I, 1954.
It was at that time that he formed his present
partnership with Melvin R. Green, in the firm
now known as Craver, Green and Company, Cer-
tified Public Accountants.

Mr. Craver completed his professional training
in accounting through correspondence courses with
the International Accounting Society of Chicago,
and the LaSalle Extension University in that city.
On July 25, 195 1, he became a Certified Public
Accountant, having passed the examination given
by the Virginia State Board of Accountancy. He
is licensed to practice before the United States
Treasury Department.

Professionally he is affiliated with the Virginia
Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Ameri-
can Institute of Accountants, the National Associa-
tion of Cost Accountants. Apart from these con-
tacts with his colleagues, he is a member of the
Lions Club of Norfolk and the Norfolk Executives
Club. He attends the First Lutheran Church of
Norfolk, which he serves as deacon and treasurer.

On July 12, 1939, Clifford E. Craver married
Mrs. Kathryn (Holmes) Smith of Lexington,
daughter of E. H. and Corinna Holmes. Mr. and
Mrs. Craver are the parents of a son, Clifford E.,
Jr. The family resides at 7430 Muirfield Road,
Norfolk.

CHARLES ARMISTEAD BAYNE— The re-
putation of Charles Armistead Bayne lies in two
fields — the business world and the cultural affairs
of the Lower Tidewater. As a business man, he
is president and treasurer of C. M. Bayne and
Company, Inc., dealers in building materials. One
of his major roles in cultural activities is that of
chairman of the Norfolk Public Library Board.

Mr. Bayne was born in Norfolk on June 29,
1902, the son of Charles Meredith and Harriet
Emory (Beazley) Bayne. His father, born in Es-
sex County, Virginia, died in 1933, was a promi-
nent business man and founded C. M. Bayne and
Company, Inc. From 1896 to 1902 he was a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. Charles
A. Bayne began his education in Norfolk's public
schools. Later he attended the University of Vir-
ginia and finally Columbia University in New
York City. From the latter he received, in 1928,
the degree of Bachelor of Literature.

He has been associated with the building ma-
terials concern, one of the largest in its field in
the Lower Tidewater, his entire working life. The
firm's plant and offices are along the Norfolk and
Western Railway right-of-way at Llewellyn Street.
Active in civic affairs, Mr. Bayne became chair-
man of the Norfolk Public Library Board in 1953.

He is also active in the Church of the Good Shep-
herd (Episcopal). At college (University of Vir-
ginia), he was elected to Zeta Psi fraternity.

On October 21, 1931, at Scarsdale, New York,
Mr. Bayne married Margaret Henry Williams,
daughter of Oscar and Loula (Wood) Williams.
They have two children: 1. Charles Armistead,
Jr., born on June 1, 1934. 2. Margaret Cotten, born
on November 22, 1936. Mr. and Mrs. Bayne and
their two children live at 7901 North Shore Road,
Norfolk.

WILLIAM HENRY RAWLS— The name of
Rawls has been synonymous with fine furniture in
South Norfolk for many years. As manager of
the South Norfolk Furniture Company, William
Henry Rawls is carrying on a tradition established
by his father, Lennie Dean Rawls, who founded
the firm in 1910. Mrs. Virginia Ethel Rawls, wife
of the founder, also remains active in its man-
agement.

Lennie Dean Rawls was born October 27, 1877,
in Arapahoe, Pamlico County, North Carolina,
descended from Scotch-Irish colonial settlers in
Virginia and North Carolina. His parents were
William Henry and Sarah Elizabeth (Jordan)
Rawls, residents of Pamlico County wdiere Wil-
liam H. Rawls was a planter. Lennie Dean Rawls
passed his boyhood in the vicinity of his birth and
attended country schools, walking five miles each
way to attend classes. This was the extent of his
formal education. He served in the Spanish-Amer-
ican War in Cuba, and in his early youth came to
South Norfolk, where he worked for a time for
the Ambrose Feed and Coal Company and later
with the E. H. Barnes Company. In 1910 he entered
the furniture business in a small way, in that
city, first dealing in second-hand furniture with two
partners. Later he bought out their interests, and
formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, J.
B. Flora, who continued as a partner in the firm
until 1927. At that time Lennie D. Rawls acquired
sole ownership of the business. Since 1915, the
South Norfolk Furniture Company has been locat-
ed at 519 Liberty Street, and with the years it has
grown to one of the largest in the Tidewater
region. Lennie D. Rawls continued active in its
management, with his wife, Virginia Ethel Rawls,
until his death on January 1, 1946. She is a capable
business woman, and takes her share of the man-
agement responsibilities along with her son, Wil-
liam Henry Rawls, who became active in executive
capacities in 1936. In keeping with the policies laid
down by the founder, the South Norfolk Furniture
Company emphasizes friendly dealings, fair prices
and quality merchandise. It carries a complete line

i6i

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of home furnishings and household appliances pro-
duced by nationally known manufacturers.

Lennie D. Rawls was active in the civic and fra-
ternal as well as the business life of his city. He
was a member of the Better Business and Profes-
sional Club, and for twenty-six years served as
financial secretary of Woodmen of the World,
Berkley Camp No. 46. He was also for some time
auditor of the Woodmen of the World's Jurisdic-
tion of Virginia. A member of the Chesapeake
Wenue Methodist Church, he served on the board
of stewards at the time the present church was
built, and for a time was president of the Bible
class. He found a profitable avocation in dealing in
livestock and was particularly iuteresed in horses.
In Norfolk County, on August 20, 1904, Lennie
Dean Rawls married Virginia Ethel Flora, daugh-
ter of John and Martha Flora, both natives of
North Carolina. In addition to her role in the
management of the company, Mrs. Rawls is active
in community affairs. She is a member of the
Chesapeake Avenue Methodist Church and of its
Women's Society of Christian Service, and also a
member of the Woodmen Circle Grove Xo. 37,
National Council, Daughters of America, and the
Women's Benefit Society. Mr. and Mrs. Rawls
became the parents of nine children: 1. Flora Vir-
ginia, who married Chester Garland Leggette of
South Norfolk. 2. William Henry, of whom
further. 3. Leonard Dean, who died at Marysville,
California, on March 15, 1956. He was married to
Bessie Sue Foster of Norfolk County. 4. Sarah
Elizabeth (Rawls I Birch of Hampton. 5. Ashburn
LeRoy, who married Mildred Wilder. They reside
in New-port News. 6. Eleanor Lucile, who married
Willoughby H. Black. They reside at Little Cedar
Lane, Princes> Anne County. 7. Alfred Junior,
who died in childhood on August 30, 1931. 8. Shir-
ley Hope, who married Harold E. Sayles, Jr., of
Norfolk County. 9. Raymond Leigh, unmarried,
who lives in Jackson Heights, a community of
greater Xew York City.

William Henry Rawls was born in South Nor-
folk on March 31, 1907. He graduated from the
South Norfolk High School in 1928. For a year and
a half, early in his career, he was associated with
his iather in the operation of the furniture com-
pany, and from 1930 to 1936, was in the insurance
business as an employee of Pilot Life Insurance
Company, which has its headquarters at Norfolk.
Since 1936, he has been actively associated with
the management of the South Norfolk Furniture
Company and that continues to be his major busi-
ness activity. A progressive executive, he has
greatly expanded the business to include the re-
tailing of representative top brands of furniture
and household appliances. The firm markets its

goods throughout the South Norfolk trade area,
and has accounts in Norfolk and Princess Anne
counties as far south as the North Carolina state
line. The company holds organizational member-
ship in the Southern Retail Furniture Association.

A veteran of naval service in World War II,
William Henry Rawls entered the navy in April
1943, and held a rating of pharmacist's mate, sec-
ond class, at the time of his separation from active
service in September 1945. Active in the Woodmen
of the World, he is a member of Berkley Camp
No. 40 and is currently serving as its secretary. He
has held every office of the lodge in the Jurisdic-
tion of Virginia, and attended the Woodmen's
national convention in Washington, D. C, in 1953,
and the convention in Los Angeles, California, in
1955- He is also a member of the Willie Lee Lodge
No. 119, Knights of Pythias, and of Berkley Lodge
No. 167, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He
serves on the board of stewards of the Memorial
Methodist Church, and is also a member of its
finance committee. His favorite outdoor sport is
fishing.

At Norfolk, on February 20, 1929, William Henry
Rawls married Margaret Eugenia Coffield, daugh-
ter of William Capart and Sudie Beaslie (Cooper)
Coffield. both of Norfolk and both now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Rawls are the parents of two chil-
dren: I. Margaret Eugenia, a graduate of Maury
High School and of Mary Watson College. Major-
ing in mathematics there, she graduated with the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. She is now a member
of the faculty- of Granby High School. She mar-
ried William E. Bachtell, who is with the Standard
Oil Company at Norfolk. 2. William Henry, Jr., a
graduate of Maury High School who received his
degree of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engi-
neering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is
now serving in the United States Air Force and
is stationed at Dayton, Ohio. He holds the rank of
lieutenant. He is married to the former Miss Mira
Bassa, a native of Pennsylvania.

CARL MOORE JORDAN— So closely is the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Bridge linked with the name
of Carl Moore Jordan, in the minds of area resi-
dent-, that it is in fact more familiarly known as
the Jordan Bridge. When recently Mr. Jordan's
distinguished career came to a close, his official
position was that of executive vice president and
general manager of the South Norfolk Bridge
Commission, Inc. But he will be primarily known,
throughout the years to come, as the man whose
faith and business abilities made possible the main-
tenance and successful operation of the structure
which, more than any other, has changed the face
of this section of Tidewater Virginia.

<f*-X TY\

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

163

His work is commemorated, along with that of
W. P. Jordan and other associates, on a bronze
tablet conspicuously placed on the bridge. The
span is located just south of the Norfolk Navy
Yard, and connects with Virginia Route 337 across
the southern branch of the Elizabeth River. It was
C. M. and W. 1'. Jordan who were leaders in secur-
ing permission of Congress to build the bridge,
which was granted in Public Bill No. 272, ap-
proved by the 69th Congress on May 23, 1926.
They also took the lead in its financing, the original
cost being one million, one hundred and twenty-
five thousand dollars. Bonds were sold through
Wall Street brokers. The bridge was opened for
traffic on August 24, 1928, and was dedicated by
Harry F. Byrd. C. M. Jordan was the first presi-
dent of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bridge Corpora-
tion responsible for its operation, but he and his
brother sold their entire holdings to New York in-
terests in June 1929, severing all connections with
the project. The adverse economic conditions which
followed forced the bridge into receivership in 1931,
and Charles R. Welton was named receiver. An
appeal was made to C. M. Jordan to return and
show his faith in the importance of the project by
buying bonds and casting his lot with the bond-
holders in an effort to put the bridge back on its
feet. So successful was the effort that a basis for
reorganization was reached in December 1932, and
refinancing arranged on a second mortgage basis
with Philadelphia and Baltimore bankers. The
bridge was taken out of receivership on August
l> 1933. and Charles R. Welton was made president
of a new corporation. In July 1938, following the
deatli of Mr. Welton, C. M. Jordan was requested
by the bankers representing the security holders
to take charge of the bridge and try to extricate
it from its difficulties. To promote increased usage,
a slogan was adopted: "Don't Fool Yourself — Save
Seven Miles," and as the truth of this slogan
gained acceptance, traffic across the span increased.
When gas rationing was put into effect at the time
of World War II, the public came to realize fully
the importance of the miles saved.

The significance of the Norfolk-Portsmouth
Bridge lies in the fact that Norfolk, being virtually
on an island, had been connected with Portsmouth
only by ferries since colonial days. Its construction
made possible the first direct route between the
cities, and from Richmond to the sea. Since 1938
the span has been operated by the South Norfolk
Bridge Commission, Inc., with C. M. Jordan as
executive vice president and general manager until
his death. Jesse J. Parkerson, whose biography is
in this volume, was made president. Capably man-
aged, the bridge is now as sound a structure from
the financial as from the engineering viewpoint,

and has become an indispensable asset to the people
of Tidewater Virginia.

Carl Moore Jordan, whose vision and courage
were the prime forces in making it possible, was
born near Sussex Court House, Virginia, on Jan-
uary 22, 1880, son of the Rev. William P. and
Alice (Moore) Jordan. His paternal grandparents
were the Rev. Costen and Ann (Pell) Jordan of
Gates County, North Carolina, while His maternal
grandparents, John Holt and Elizabeth (Parsons)
Moore, lived in Sussex County, Virginia. The son
of a Methodist clergyman, the Rev. William P.
Jordan was licensed to preach at the age of twenty
years. He married Miss Alice Moore of Sussex
County in 1876, and for many years they labored
together side by side for their church, he preaching
and attending to parish duties, and she leading the
choir and teaching Sunday school. After retirement
they lived in Chase City, Virginia, but in 1901 they
moved to Norfolk to make their home with their
sons. For many years the Rev. William P. Jordan
was a teacher of a men's Bible class in the Park
Place Methodist Church, and he was a member
of the Virginia Conference for over fifty years,
at the time of his death in Norfolk on December
5, 1919. His wife died in that city in 1942, at the
age of ninety-six.

The couple were the parents of two sons, Wal-
lace Pell and Carl Moore Jordan. The former
came to Norfolk in 1897, and was soon joined by
his brother. When C. M. Jordan arrived, about
1900, he first took a traveling position with the
Richmond Cedar Works, in which he continued
until 1907, when lie and his brother organized the
Jordan Brothers Lumber Company of South Nor-
folk. The business started in a small way, and
was organized under the above name in 1907. It
carried on a successful lumbering operation in the
Dismal Swamp. In the years which followed, the
brothers constructed over two hundred miles of
logging railroad on the south end of the George
Washington Grant in Dismal Swamp, totaling
about forty-six thousand acres. From this region
they took out vast amounts of cedar timber. With
peak operations during World War I, Jordan
Brothers Lumber Company sold millions of feet
of lumber to the United States government. In
the course of making frequent trips into the Dis-
mal Swamp area, Carl Moore Jordan came to real-
ize the need for a bridge to replace the ferry con-
necting Norfolk and Portsmouth. He immediately
went to work to bring this plan to reality, but
about five years were required to get the consent
of Congress to bridge the river. In September 1930,
Carl M. Jordan lost the companionship of a brother
to whom he was deeply devoted, with the death of
Wallace Pell Jordan. The Jordan Brothers Lum-

164

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ber Company was continued by C. M. Jordan as
owner. He operated it until 1937, at which time it
was liquidated.

The bridge which is most often called the Jor-
dan Bridge is not the only distinctive contribution
made by Mr. Jordan to the Tidewater area. He
had long realized the need for a tunnel also to
connect Norfolk with Portsmouth, and this too
became a reality in 1952. He also long advocated
a tunnel to connect the Ocean View section of
Norfolk with Old Point Comfort, advocating a
bridge to extend from the end of Willoughby Beach
to Old Rip Raps Fort, and a tunnel down the fort
to the Old Point Comfort area. The state of Vir-
ginia finally came through with a bond issue of
eighty million dollars to carry out this project
and other obligations, and the bridge and tunnel
are now rapidly nearing completion. The Virginia
Legislature has also authorized construction of a
second tunnel from Old Fort Norfolk under the
river to Hospital Point on the Portsmouth side,
and a fourteen-mile tunnel-and-bridge are planned
between Cape Henry and Cape Charles.

Mr. Jordan was always a devoted church worker.
From 1900 he was a member of the Epworth Metho-
dist Church of Norfolk, where he placed the Jor-
dan Memorial windows in memory of his brother,
his parents, and grandparents. He was a member
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

On June 30, 1930, at South Norfolk, Carl Moore
Jordan married Mary Louise Baker, who was born
on the Ravenswood Plantation, Assumption Parish,
Louisiana, daughter of Robert Lee and Mary
Louise (Whittington) Baker. Her father was a
prominent sugar planter. Mrs. Jordan is active in
cultural affairs, and is a member of the Great
Bridge Chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. She attends Epworth Methodist Church.
She and Mr. Jordan were the parents of four
children: 1. Alice Louise, born July 25, 1934. She
graduated from the College of William and Mary,
Williamsburg, in 1956, taking the degree of Bache-
lor of Arts, and is a member of Chi Omega sorority.
She married June 15, 1957, Ensign Bruce Hanson
Purvis of Vale, Oregon. 2. Frances Ivy, born
December 10, 1937. She was a member of the
Class of 1956 at Maury High School. 3. Carl Moore,
Jr., born February 20, 1941; attending Maury High
School. 4. Robert Lucius, born January 18, 1944.
All the children are members of the Old Cannon
Ball Society, Children of the American Revolution,
and Frances Ivy Jordan is Virginia State Presi-
dent of the Children of the American Revolution.
The Jordan family residence is at 301 West 29th
Street, one of the fine old homes of Norfolk.

In the death of Carl Moore Jordan, on May 7,
1957, the Tidewater area lost the leader who had

been the most responsible for the many changes in
its physical aspect. His influence as a community-
builder will continue throughout the coming years.

EARLE ASHLAND CADMUS— Portsmouth
attorney-at-law Earle Ashland Cadmus has to his
credit a noteworthy record of service as member
of the Virginia House of Delegates and is cur-
rently serving as secretary of the Portsmouth-Nor-
folk County Bar Association. In his private prac-
tice as well as in public service, he has proved
himself an outstanding member of the legal pro-
fession.

A native of Portsmouth, he was born on Decem-
ber 12, 1901, son of Charles Linwood and Rose
Virginia (CalverO Cadmus. His father was long
active in the public affairs of Portsmouth, where
for a number of years he was lieutenant of police.
The Portsmouth attorney is descended from early
colonial families of Maryland and Virginia. In
the maternal line, the Calvert family, of English
descent, played a historic part in the colonization
of Maryland.

Earle A. Cadmus received his early education
in the public schools of Portsmouth and graduated
from that city's Woodrow Wilson High School in
1921. He attended the College of William and
Mary for one year, then entered Washington and
Lee University, Lexington, where he received his
degree of Bachelor of Laws in the Class of 1926.
Admitted to the Virginia State Bar in that year,
he began his general practice of law in Portsmouth,
where he has continued to enjoy a successful
practice since. He established offices in the New-
Kirn Building.

In addition to his private practice, Earle A.
Cadmus serves as substitute judge for the Norfolk
County Circuit Court, having been appointed in
1953. Since his young manhood, he has taken a
deep interest in public affairs. Following his gradu-
ation from law school in 1926, he became a candi-
date from Portsmouth for the Virginia House of
Delegates and was elected. He served the three
terms beginning in the years 1928, 1930, and 1932
and in the special session of 1933, and in the course
of his tenure of office, he has made a distinguished
record as legislator. A member of the Portsmouth-
Norfolk Bar Association, Mr. Cadmus served as
its secretary in 1956-1957. He is also a member of
the Virginia State Bar Association and has been
elected to a three year term as a member of the
Council of the integrated bar of Virginia. Apart
from his profssional connections, he is a member
of the Portsmouth Lions Club. His fraternity is
Sigma Delta Kappa (legal), and he attends the
Broad Street Methodist Church.

At Portsmouth, on July 8, 1941, Earle A. Cad-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

165

mus married Elsie Mayson Hinman, daughter of
the late John J. and Lili Mason (Baughen) Hin-
man of Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Cadmus re-
side at 103 Colony Road, in that city.

parents of three children: 1. William Ruffin, III,
who was born on January 2, 1943. 2. Martha
Gay, born January 19, 1946. 3. Donald Winthrop,
born April 26, 1953. Mr. Carpenter's home address
is 26 Jacobs Lane, Warwick.

WILLIAM RUFFIN CARPENTER, Jr.— A
short time after he had returned from wartime
service in the army, William Ruffin Carpenter,
Jr., returned to Newport News from Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, and entered the real estate and in-
surance business with his brother. They operate
an agency under the name of Carpenter Brothers.

A native Virginian, William R. Carpenter, Jr.,
was born at Cochran on November 23, 1915, son
of William Ruffin, Sr., and Henrietta (Elliott)
Carpenter. His father was born in Brunswick
County, Virginia, in 1859, while his mother was
a native of York County. The elder William R.
Carpenter dealt in large property holdings, such
as timberlands and farms. His death occurred on
April 1, 1944, and his wife, the former Henrietta
Elliott, survived him until May 23, 1954.

William R. Carpenter, Jr., attended public
schools in Alberta and graduated from Newport
News High School in June 1933. Attracted to the
shipbuilding industry, he served his apprenticeship
in the trade and for four years was on the pay-
roll of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company. He left to serve in World War
II — in fact, his entry into military service pre-
dated this country's participation in the conflict,
for he enlisted on February 3, 1941. Commissioned
a second lieutenant, he had risen to the rank of
lieutenant colonel by the time of his separation
from the service on February 9, 1946. He served
with the 176th Infantry Regiment, a component
of the 29th Division.

When he returned to civilian life, Mr. Car-
penter located at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where
he operated a retail and wholesale hobby and
handicraft supplies business under the name of
Veterans Handicraft Company. In September 1947,
he disposed of this business and returned to
Virginia, joining his brother Joseph E. Carpenter
in the insurance and real estate business in New-
port News. Their address is Carpenter Building,
105 Thirtieth Street, Newport News. His brother
is also the subject of a biographical sketch in
this volume.

William R. Carpenter, Jr., is a member of the
James River Country Club. He is a Democrat in
his politics and attends Hidenwood Presbyterian
Church in Warwick. A charter member of this
congregation, he serves on its board of deacons.

In Newport News, on December 20, 1941, Wil-
liam Ruffin Carpenter, Jr., married Millicent Gay
of that city, daughter of Donald and Martha
(Land) Gay. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are the

LOUIS LESLIE WASSERMAN— A certified
public accountant whose offices are in the Royster
Building, Norfolk, Louis L. Wasserman has con-
tinuously practiced in that city since he passed the
examination of the Virginia State Board of Account-
ancy in 1942. He has consistently adhered to a
high standard in his profession.

He is a native of Norfolk and was born on
September 4, 1914, son of Samuel Louis and Mary
Vivian (King) Wasserman of Norfolk. His father,
who died in 1920, was for a number of years the
proprietor of a retail meat market in Norfolk. Re-
ceiving his early education in the public schools
of that city, Louis L. Wasserman attended the
Walter H. Taylor Elementary School, Blair Junior
High School, and Maury High School where he
graduated in 1932.

He began his career in the accounting profession
with the firm of Waller and Woodhouse, and con-
tinued his studies by attending evening classes at
the College of William and Mary (Norfolk Divi-
sion), where he majored in business administration
and accounting. In 1942 he became a Certified
Public Accountant, and from 1943 to 1947, was a
partner in the firm of Walker Rogers and Com-
pany, a Norfolk public accounting firm.

In the latter year he left to organize his own
accounting firm. As Louis L. Wasserman, Certified
Public Accountant, he now occupies quarters in
the Royster Building. The firm has prospered, and
has attracted a large clientele among the com-
mercial and industrial organizations of Norfolk
and Tidewater Virginia.

Mr. Wasserman is a member of the American
Institute of Accountants, the Virginia Society of
Certified Public Accountants, and is licensed to
practice before the United States Treasury Depart-
ment.

Active in civic and community affairs, he is
a member of the Wards Corner Business and Pro-
fessional Association, and is currently serving as
its secretary-treasurer. He is a member of the
Wards Corner Lions Club of Norfolk, the Nor-
folk Torch Club and the Knights of Pythias lodge.
A communicant of Royster Memorial Presbyterian
Church, he serves his congregation as an elder and
is also superintendent of the Sunday school.

On April 18, 1938, in Norfolk, Louis L. Was-
serman married Edith Verena Cole of Norfolk. The
couple are the parents of three children: 1. Louis
Leslie, Jr., born in that city on October 28, 1939.

1 66

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

2. Jessie Cole, born in Norfolk on January 18, 1942.

3. Susan Anne, born in Norfolk on March 9. 1947.
The family resides at 209 Carlisle Way, Norfolk.

FRANK W. KELLAM— In the city of Princess
Anne, Frank W. Kellam lias a creditable record of
over a quarter of a century of executive leader-
ship in the building supply industry. He is one of
the original founders of Kellam and Eaton, Inc.,
and is now president, treasurer, and manager. In
addition he is treasurer of two other corporations
in the city; and he has been very active in com-
munity and organizational affairs.

A native of Princess Anne, he was born on Oc-
tober 11, 1905, son of Abel E. and Clara O.
(Eaton) Kellam, and has been a resident of the
city practically his entire life. He received his public
school education there, and graduated from its high
school in 1925. His first employment was in the
city's post office, where he worked until a few years
ago, carrying along many other enterprises during
these years.

During this time Kellam & Eaton Inc. was
formed as a general merchandise business, finally
leading into the present building supply business,
which at this time carries everything necessary for
construction of a building. Besides this major busi-
ness connection, Mr. Kellam is treasurer of Princess
Anne Plumbing and Electrical Suppliers. Inc., and
treasurer of Court House Service Station, Inc. As
a leader in his chosen field of commerce, in this
region, he serves on the board of directors of the
Virginia Building Materials Dealers.

In the course of his community activities, he
has served as president of the Boy Scouts of
America's organization in Princess Anne, and is
past chairman of the Blood Bank there. Since 1941,
he has been a member of the Virginia Beach Ro-
tary Club, and has served as its president. He is
also past district governor of District 277, Rotary
International. A member of the Princess Anne
Ruritan Club since 1936, he has likewise served
as its president. He has been governor of Holland
District of Ruritan National: and national president
of the nationwide organization, and now serves as
a member of its board of directors.

Affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, Mr. Kellam is a member and past master of
Princess Anne Lodge No. 25. He is also past district
deputy grand master. He belongs to the Consistory
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, and the Princess Anne Shrine Club,
serving as its president during the year of 1956-

1957-

A communicant of the Nimmo Methodist Church,

Mr. Kellam has served about twenty years as a
teacher and superintendent of its Sunday school,
and is also a member of its board of stewards.

In 1928, Frank W. Kellam married Mary Bate-
man of Princess Anne, daughter of Lorenzo D.
and Annie L. (Miller) Bateman. The couple are
the parents of the following children: 1. Frank
W., Jr. He is a graduate of Duke University,
from which he received his degree of Bachelor of
Arts; serving four years in the United States Navy's
Air Force, he won a lieutenant's commission. He
is now an executive of Princess Anne Plumbing
and Electrical Suppliers, Inc. He married Bessie
L. Salmons of Princess Anne, and they have one
daughter, Mary Susan. 2. Jacqueline C. a graduate
of William and Mary College, and now a teacher
at Oceana, Virginia. 3. David E.

FITZ ORMON CLARKE— As an executive
of Farmers Nut Corporation at Suffolk over the
past decade, Fitz Ormon Clarke is now in charge
of plant operations of this peanut processing firm,
which is owned by the Atlantic and Pacific Tea
Company. He has also taken an active part in the
political life of Nansemond County, and is cur-
rently serving on the board of supervisors.

He was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, on
July 8, 1905, son of Thomas Percy and Lula (Ro-
bertson) Clarke. His father, also a native of that
county, has spent most of his life in the insurance
business at Church Road. Mrs. Clarke is also still
living. Their son attended the public schools of
Dinwiddie County, and in 1922 graduated from
Midway High School. He later entered the College
of William and Mary, and graduated there in 1928
with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

For ten years, Mr. Clarke taught school at
Whaleyville, being a member of the high school
faculty and athletic director. He has made his
home in that city since, although for the past
decade his business interests have been centered
in Suffolk. He became associated with the Farmers
Nut Corporation in that city in 1946, and served
for eight years as secretary and treasurer under
the former management. In 1954, the peanut process-
ing plant, its holdings and facilities were sold to
the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. Mr. Clarke
has remained with the new management as per-
sonnel director and plant superintendent, both of
which positions he holds at the present time. The
plant of Farmers Nut Corporation is located on
Newport Street in Suffolk.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Clarke is now
serving his third term as a member of the Nanse-
mond County Board of Supervisors. A Kiwanian,
he is a member of the club at Suffolk, and in his
home city of Whaleyville, belongs to the Ruritan

TWYa. 17

(jfac>4t U) l%ld&*~^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

167

Club. He attends the Methodist Church in that
city, and serves on its board of stewards.

It was there, on June 29, 1933, that Fitz Ormon
Clarke married Patty Riddick Hunter, a resident
of Whaleyville and daughter of Dr. H. H. and
Brownley (Odoni) Hunter. Her father, for many
years a physician there, is now deceased. Mr. and
Mrs. Clarke have two children: 1. Henry Holmes
Hunter, wdio was born on May 15, 1937- 2. Fitz
Ormon, Jr., born February 28, 1941.

He married Willie Virginia Tyree of Newport
News in that city on November 4, 1927, Mrs.

Williams is the daughter of Willie and Carrie
Virginia (Hicks) Tyree.

WALTER BERNARD WILLIAMS— The
eletrical contracting business operated by Walter
Bernard Williams, the Perry Electric Company,
maintains offices and plant at 247 Twenty-eighth
Street, Newport News. Once an employee of this
concern, Mr. Williams is now its president. He
has developed a statewide reputation among his
colleagues in this field of business and in church
and fraternal circles on the Virginia Peninsula.

Mr. Williams was born in Newport News on
October 13, 1904, the son of Walter T. and
Margaret Ada (Gwynn) Williams. His father, who
was born in Eagle Rock, North Carolina, on
December 22, 1881, was a shipfitters' foreman
at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company for many years until his death on Feb-
ruary 22, 1914. Margaret Gwynn Williams, born
in Norfolk County on January 7, 1880, survives
her husband. She is living in Newport News.

Walter B. Williams is a graduate of one of
the Newport News' elementary schools. He at-
tended Newport News High School for two years.
When he left school, he apprenticed himself in
the electricians' trade at the Perry Electric Com-
pany, which was founded in 1918 by W. B.
Perry. In 1938 Mr. Williams became vice presi-
dent of the company and in 1953, after Mr.
Perry's death, succeeded him in the presidency.
The company specializes in electrical contract-
ing, but also deals in electrical supplies on both
a wholesale and retail basis. It employs forty
persons.

Mr. Williams is a director of the Virginia Chap-
ter of the National Electrical Contractors Associa-
tion, being active also in the national organiza-
tion. In addition, he is a member of the Penin-
sula Engineers Club, the Cosmopolitan Club of
Newport News, and such Masonic bodies as Pe-
ninsula Lodge No. 278, Ancient Free and Accept-
ed Masons; St. John's Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons; Hampton Commandery, Knights Tem-
plar; and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Norfolk. He serves
on the Official Board of the First Congregational
Church of Newport News. In politics he is an
independent. For a hobby, Mr. Williams likes
to take and show motion pictures.

ROY G. BROWN — An appropriate and con-
vincing advertisement for the business of The
Brown and Grist Company, Inc., is its attractive
all-aluminum plant at 25 Tyler Avenue, in War-
wick. This company, of which Roy G. Brown
is president, manufactures aluminum windows and
panels widely used in the construction industry.
Besides heading Brown and Grist, Mr. Brown
is president of the Technical Service Corporation
of Newport News and is a leading figure in the
Peninsula Association of Commerce and other
groups.

He was born in Portageville, Missouri, on
June 20, 1914, the son of Howard E. and Mar-
tha (Gerber) Brown. His father, an electrical en-
gineer, was a native of Kincardine, Ontario, Can-
ada, his mother of Mount Olive, Illinois. How-
ard E. Brown set up and operated electric
power stations in various Midwestern cities.

Roy G. Brown began his education in the
public schools of his native Portageville. He con-
tinued in those of Mount Olive, Illinois, and in
1932 was graduated from the Mount Olive High
School. In 1939, he was awarded the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy,
University of Missouri, at Rolla. After taking
the degree, Mr. Brown came to the Lower Tide-
water and from 1939 to 1946 was a supervisor
with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company.

In 1946 he and Arthur W. Grist founded their
present firm as a partnership. They incorporated
the business in 1953, with Mr. Brown as presi-
dent; R. F. Flaxington as secretary-treasurer;
L. E. Woldridge, R. A. Cassidy and B. J. Utley,
Sr., as vice presidents. About one hundred-fifty
persons are employed in various phases of office,
sales, distribution and production operations. Un-
der Mr. Brown's supervision, the company erect-
ed its all-aluminum plant in 1954. As president
of the Technical Service Corporation of Newport
News, Air. Brown has further opportunity to
serve the Lower Tidewater region. He is a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the Peninsula
Association of Commerce and also is active in
the James River Country Club and the Metho-
dist Church. For diversion he likes fishing and
golf.

On June 9, 1940, in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr.
Brown married Marjorie M. Felchlin of that city,
the daughter of Jess and Irene Felchlin. They

[68

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

have two daughters: l. Janice Irene, born on Au-
gust .; i . 1942. 2. Pamela Martha, horn on August
i". 1949-

GEORGE WILLIAM COLEMAN— A- the
head of a lumber, millwork and building supply
business which has been active in the Lower Tide-
water for a third of a century, George William
Coleman is participating in the present-day expan-
sion and prosperity of Newport New--. His linn is
the Peninsula Supply Company, with main plant
and offices at Thirty-fourth Street and Virginia
\ venue.

Born in Newport News on October 14, 1902, Mr.
Coleman is the son of the founder of the Peninsula
Supply Company, the late Henry Dick Coleman,
and of Katherine (Moore) Coleman. The father
was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the mother
in Fairfax County, Virginia. Henry D. Coleman
came to the Lower Tidewater with a fellow Mary-
lander, Tom Peddicord, in 1882 and they engaged
in the building and contracting business in New-
port News, erecting many homes and other struc-
tures in the city and surrounding territory for the
next ten years.

In 1802 Henry D. Coleman became manager of
the old Acme Supply Company. Late in 1902 or
early in 1903 he resigned that position to become
purchasing agent for the Jamestown Exposition.
He was working in that capacity until just before
the Exposition opened. At that time his health
failed and he was obliged to leave Newport News.
With his family he went to Charlottesville, where
he was engaged in the building supply business
for several years. Later, he went into contracting
again, this time for the Federal Government, as a
builder of post offices in various states

In 1923 Mr. Coleman returned to Newport News,
where he established the Peninsula Supply Com-
pany. Four years later he bought the firm he had
once worked for, Acme Supply Company, and
merged it with Peninsula. He actively managed
the business until his death in 1938. Throughout
the many years he was in business, Henry Cole-
man was active in civic affairs. He was a member
of the Methodist Church and particularly inter-
ested in the work of the Young Men's Christian
Association. Mrs. Coleman died in 1957.

George William Coleman was five years old when
the family moved from his native city to the uni-
versity community. He went through elementary
school in Charlottesville but attended high school
in Newport News. In 1918 he was graduated from
the Randolph-Macon Academy. For about a decade
he operated as a building contractor in Baltimore.
Then he returned to Newport News to join his
father in the management of the Peninsula Supply
Company. When the elder Mr. Coleman died in

1938, the son succeeded to the presidency and he
has since guided the business to its present im-
portant place in the commerce and industry of the
Lower Tidewater. He is also chairman of the board
of the Duncan and Dale Appliance Corporation.

In World War 1, Mr. Coleman worked in the
New sport .Wws Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com-
pany's yards and afterward was associated with
F. F Piland, contractor, in the construction of
several buildings in Newport News and on the
Peninsula. He is a member of the Newport News
Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks;
the Kiwanis Club of Newport News, the James
River Country Club and Chestnut Avenue Method-
ist Church. He is a Democrat. His chief diversions
are hunting and fishing.

In February 1930, in Newport News. Mr. Cole-
man married Eleanor Eames, also a native of that
city. She is the daughter of William Wendell and
Anne (Christian) Eames. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman
have two children: 1. George William, Jr., born
in 1032, who is associated witli his father in the
business. 2. Anne Christian, horn in August 1936,
a student at Mary Baldwin College.

WILLIAM GAINES WOMACK— Active in the
public transportation field at Norfolk for a number
of years, William Gaines Womack lias advanced
to executive posts with the Virginia Transit Com-
pany, as vice president and manager of its Norfolk
Division, and vice president and general manager
of its Portsmouth Division. He is eminently quali-
fied for the responsible positions he holds, and is
a recognized business and civic leader of the Nor-
folk-Portsmouth area. He combines the traits of
thorough technical training, a talent for the ef-
ficient conduct of business, and the happy faculty
of getting along well with people.

He was born May 11, 1010. in Keysville, Vir-
ginia, son of William T. and Maude (McGehee)
Womack. His boyhood was passed in the com-
munity of his birth, where he received his public
elementary and high school education. He went
on to the Randolph-Macon College, where he gradu-
ated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1932.
While at college, he was a member of Sigma Phi
Epsilon fraternity.

He began his career in the transit field working
in the bus garage of the Virginia Electric and
Power Company, but later transferred to its elec-
trical department, in which he served as a meter
reader and later as meter tester. In 1944 he was
promoted to the position of secretary to the general
manager of the Virginia Electric and Power Com-
pany's transit operations, and this position he still
held when the Virginia Transit Company took
over the other corporation's transit properties in
Richmond and Norfolk.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

169

In April 1945, Mr. Womack was named assistant
to the vice president and general manager of the
Virginia Transit Company, and in April 1951, he
was promoted to assistant manager of its Rich-
mond Division. He left this post to assume the
duties of vice prseident and manager of the Nor-
folk Division, and vice president and general man-
ager of the Portsmouth Division, in February 1952.
In the course of the steady advancement which
has identified his career, he has won wide respect
for his co-operative and progressive attitudes, and
his sense of civic responsibility. His contributions
to community improvement have been varied. He
has worked diligently in various solicitation jobs
for both the Richmond Community Fund (while
he was in that city) and the American Red Cross.
Formerly active in the Richmond Chamber of
Commerce, he is now a valued member of the
Norfolk Chamber, and serves on several of its com-
mittees. He is also a member of the Portsmouth
Chamber of Commerce, and of the Rotary Club,
the Virginia Club, and Princess Anne Country Club.
He has frequently appeared as a speaker on trans-
portation and traffic problems, and recently filled
a request to appear before the Virginia Citizens
Planning Association Conference at Lynchburg.

On December 14, 1935, at Richmond, William
Gaines Womack married Miss Nellie Hudson of
Richmond. The couple are the parents of one
daughter, Susan Gaines Womack. They reside at
10 Surry Lane, Virginia Beach, and Mr. Womack's
business address is 509 East 18th Street, Norfolk.

J. CLIFTON COUNCILL— As president and
manager of J. C. Councill, Inc., Real Estate,
Rental and Insurance Agents, of Norfolk, J. Clif-
ton Councill has built up a successful business,
and his reputation is widely known in the Tide-
water region. His agency has its offices in the
Monticello Arcade, 208 East Plume Street.

A native of Nansemond County, he was born
on August 16, 1888, son of Catullus and Rosa Matil-
da (Holland) Councill. Among his forebears were
early settlers in colonial Virginia. One of these,
Hodges Frank Councill, came to the colony in
1640, and the real estate and insurance executive
represents the ninth generation of the family in
this country. John Yates Councill, his grandfather,
gave his life defending the Southern cause with
the Confederate States Army, which he joined
from Nansemond County. Catullus Councill was
born in that county, and farmed there until 1907,
when he settled in Portsmouth. There he entered
the insurance business in which he continued for
a number of years. He died in that city in 1933, at
the age of seventy-three. His wife, the former Rosa

Matilda Holland, was born on July 11, 1866, in
Nansemond County. She has now reached the age
of ninety and continues to reside in Portsmouth.
Her father was Dixon Holland, a farmer in Nan-
semond County, and a veteran of service in the
Confederate States Army.

One of eleven children born to his parents, J.
Clifton Councill passed his boyhood on the home
farm in Nansemond County, and attended the one-
room school nearby. From 1905 to 1909 he was
employed by Ellenor and Armentrout, ship's chand-
lers, of Portsmouth, working days and attending
Snaps Business College evenings to advance his
education. From 1909 to 1917 he was engaged in
business in Portsmouth as J. C. Councill, Fancy
Groceries, and he closed out this business to enter
military service at the time of World War I. En-
tering the United States Army, he was assigned
to the 29th Division, and later transferred to the
Supply Depot at Camp Lee, Virginia. Following
his honorable discharge, he located in Norfolk, and
in April 1919, entered the real estate and insurance
business in his own name.

This organization was the predecessor of the
present firm of J. C. Councill and Company, Inc.,
which was incorporated in 1950 with Mr. Councill
as president and manager and his son, J. Clifton
Councill, Jr., as secretary and treasurer, and also
as head of the firm's insurance department.

Through his outstanding position in the realty,
rental and insurance field, Mr. Councill has made
a conspicuous contribution to the development of
his city over the past forty years. His firm has
bought and remodeled thousands of homes, and
has sponsored the platting of a number of sub-
divisions, including the Hardy Tract on Virginia
Beach Boulevard in 1938: the Chesapeake Beach
development; the Tucker Tract on Engleside Road;
Suburban Acres at Ward's Corner in 1943; the
Maple Hill subdivision on Virginia Beach Boule-
vard; and other such developments. Recognized as
a foremost realtor, Mr. Councill has exercised a
wholesome and constructive influence in promoting
the growth of pleasant home areas. For many years
his firm has maintained its offices on the second
floor of the Monticello Arcade Building in the
center of Norfolk's downtown business area.

A member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Real Es-
tate Board, Mr. Councill served as its president in
!943-i944- His firm is a member of the Norfolk
Real Estate Board, the Virginia Real Estate As-
sociation, the National Association of Real Estate
Boards and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

Aside from professional connections, the real-
tor is a member of the Cosmopolitan Club of Nor-
folk, of which he served as president in 1954, and
of the Norfolk Yacht and Countrv Club and Cava-

'"<

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Her Beach Club. His favorite outdoor pastime is
deep-sea fishing.

Twice married, J. Clifton Councill chose as his
first wife, Miss Lucile Hoggard of Norfolk. They
were married on April 16. 1912, and she died in
1916. They were the parents of one daughter. Ruth
Hoggard Councill. She is married to Carl Miller
of Norfolk, and they are the parents of two chil-
dren: Randolph and Joan Miller. On September
27, 1919. Mr. Councill married, second. Ethleen
Hoggard, a M>ter of his first wife. They are the
parents of a son, John Clifton Councill, Jr., born
January 11, 1921. He is now associated with his
father as secretary and treasurer of J. C. Councill
and Company, Inc.. in which he is also in charge
of tlie insurance department. He served in the
United States Navy in World War II. being in
the Pacific. Xow active in the civic affairs of Nor-
folk, he is a charter member and past president of
the Exchange Club, and was recipient of it-, annual
plaque for outstanding service in 1956. John Clif-
ton Councill, Jr.. married Louise Daughtrey of
Norfolk and they have two children: John Clifton,
II I, and Loretta.

WESLEY RANDOLPH COFER, JR— En-
gaged in the general practice of law at Phoebus,
Wesley Randolph Cofer. Jr., completed his pro-
fessional training after his return from service
in Air Transport Command in World War II.
He has taken a leading role in American Legion
activities, and is currently department commander
of the Department of Virginia.

A native of Newport News, he was born on
October 10, 1920, son of Wesley Randolph, Sr.,
and Glenna Wyatt (Williams) Cofer. His father,
who was born in Smithfield on March 6, 1895,
owned and operated Cofer Motor Sales in New-
port News from 1919 to 195 1, when he retired.
This is a DeSoto and Plymouth agency, and its
present management still operate it under the same
name. Mrs. Cofer, the former Glenna W. Williams,
is a native of Gloucester.

The younger Wesley R. Cofer received his early
education in the public schools of Newport News.
and graduated from high school there. His ad-
vanced education in engineering was interrupted
by wartime service. Volunteering for service in
the United States Army Air Corps as a private
on February 7. 1942, he wa> assigned to the 26th
Special Air Transport Group, in which he won his
rating of first lieutenant as a navigator. He re-
ceived his training at Pan American World Air-
ways Aviation School at the University of Miami,
and served until November 18, 1945, when he re-
ceived his honorable discharge. He then resumed
his studies in preparation for a civilian career,

entering the College of Willam and Mary. There-
he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1947, having majored in government. He received
his degree of Bachelor of Civil Law there in 1949,
and also holds the Master of Arts degree, which
lie received after completing a course in taxation
at the same university. Prior to entering practice
Mr. Cofer taught a course in constitutional law
at the College of William and Mary's Law School.

In 1950 he began his general practice at Phoebus,
and is now senior member of the firm of Kearney,
Cofer and Jordan, with offices at 1 Mellen Street.
Mr. Cofer is a member of the Hampton Bar Asso-
ciation, the Virginia State Bar and Virginia State
Bar Association, and the American Bar Associa-
tion. He serves as attorney for the Old Point
National Bank of Phoebus.

Municipal service receives its share of his at-
tention. A member of the Hampton Planning
Commission, he is currently serving as its vice
chairman, and he is also a member of the Hampton
Zoning Commission. He is a member of the Hamp-
ton Rotary Club, The Chesapeake Club, Hampton
Yacht Club, and the lodge of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. He is a past president
of tin- William and Mary Law Alumni Association,
and is currently the president of the Phoebus
Civic Association. Mr. Cofer has served on the
board of directors of the Hampton Bar Asso-
ciation, the Community Chest, and the Junior
Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Cofer, as chairman
of the Hampton Jamestown Festival Committee,
a committee appointed by the Council of the City
of Hampton, furthered Hampton's participation
in the event.

After his return from World War II he became
active in the American Legion, and held offices
at the local, district, and department levels. In
addition he has served as vice chairman of the
Membership Committee and as chairman of a
special committee to study convention reorgani-
zation. He played a useful part in a recent mem-
bership drive throughout the state and lie served as
director of the department fund campaign for the
election of Dan Daniel for National Commander,
which campaign concluded on September 7, 1956,
with the election of Mr. Daniel as National Com-
mander. Mr. Cofer is also serving on the Gov-
ernor's Committee on Employment of the Physi-
cally Handicapped.

Mr. Cofer is a communicant of the Baptist
Church.

At St. Joseph. Missouri, on February 7, 104.?.
Wesley R. Cofer, Jr.. married Mary Jane Wright
of that city, daughter of Dr. Gordon D. and Ida
J. (Nelson) Wright. Her father, a physician, is
now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Cofer have two chil-
dren: 1. Wesley Randolph. 3rd, who was born on

UsdsU^i

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'7'

November 18, 1943. 2. Glemia Jo, born October
1, 1948.

WILLIAM PIERCE BALLARD— The sea-
food industry has played an important part in the
history of the Lower Tidewater; and with the
development of this industry the name of Ballard
has long been prominently identified. As president
of Ballard Fish and Oyster Company, Inc., at Nor-
folk. William Pierce Ballard has brought to his
office extensive practical experience and a spirit of
service, and he continues to make a significant in-
dividual contribution to the business.

The region's seafood industry has been in ex-
istence since early colonial days, for its pioneer
settlers depended largely on seafood for their sus-
tenance. However, the Ballard Fish and Oyster
Company is one of the oldest in continuous ex-
istence at the present time, and it had its begin-
nings in 1896, when J. T. White established a plant
at the west end of Southampton Avenue in Nor-
folk. In 1909, I. T. Ballard, who had come from
the vicinity of Champ, Maryland, bought an inter-
est in the business, which within a few years
amounted to a half ownership. In 1924 the com-
pany was incorporated as the Ballard Fish and
Oyster Company, and following the death of Mr.
White, five of Mr. Ballard's brothers, who had
had long experience in the seafood industry at
Willis Wharf, Virginia, as Ballard Brothers, ac-
quired the deceased founder's interest, making it a
family-owned enterprise. Indeed, the first president
of the business as at present organized was one
of the brothers, Warren, who served until his
death in 1933. He was succeeded in the presidency
by Isaac T. Ballard, who held the office until he
too died in 1949. At that time, William P. Ballard,
who had been serving as vice president, was elected
to the presidency, taking office in April 1950. He
continues as directing head of the enterprise today.
As oyster packers, the Ballard Fish and Oyster
Company plants, produces, shucks, packs and ships
oysters in very large quantities, as wholesale dis-
tributors, to all parts of the United States and
Canada, with major outlets east of the Mississippi
River. In October 1954, the company moved into a
new plant, modern and completely mechanized,
with the latest equipment for the processing of
seafoods under the most rigid standards of sanita-
tion. The firm also engages in fish packing, and
as wholesalers distributes to outlets all along the
Atlantic seaboard. It has between four and five
hundred employees on its payroll at the time of the
seasonal peak of operations. Its reputation is that
of a firm which keeps abreast of the times, and in
many instances, pioneers in new developments.

Besides William P. Ballard, the president, its of-
ficers are Charles M. Ballard, vice president, Carroll
C. Ballard, treasurer, James S. Barnhardt, secre-
tary, and James A. Ballard, assistant secretary.

William P. Ballard was born October 21, 1909, in
Baltimore, Maryland, son of William Walter and
Mary Elizabeth (Curley) Ballard. His father was
long active in the seafood industry at Willis Wharf.
His wife, the former Mary Elizabeth Curley, died
at Willis Wharf in 1940.

It was in that community that William P. Ballard
passed his boyhood, and he graduated from high
school there in 1929. He then entered Washington
and Lee University in Lexington, taking his degree
of Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business
Administration in 1931. In that year he began his
connection with Ballard Fish and Oyster Company,
Inc., at Norfolk, and familiarized himself with all
aspects of operations. He served as vice president
for some time before his election to the presidency.
Apart from this major business connection, he is
a member of the board of directors of the Southern
Bank of Norfolk.

A loyal and progressive citizen, he has taken a
vital interest in civic matters. Since October 1952,
he has served on the Norfolk school board, and he
is also a member of the board of directors of the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, a member of the
board of Leigh Memorial Hospital, and a member
of the Tidewater Council of Boy Scouts of Amer-
ica. He is a recognized leader in his industry, and,
in the year 1956, was serving as president of the
Oyster Institute of North America. He is a mem-
ber of the board of administration of the Virginia
Fisheries Laboratory.

As regards local organization, he is a Kiwanian,
and served as president of the Norfolk Club in
IQ53- He is also a past president of the Toast-
masters Club of that city, the Downtown Club,
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, and Ruth Lodge
No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In
Masonry, he belongs to the higher bodies, in-
cluding the Royal Arch chapter, Grice Command-
ery No. 16 of the Knights Templar, and Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. His favorite outdoor pastimes are
hunting and fishing. An earnest advocate of the
conservation of natural resources, he serves on the
Legislative Advisory Committee on Seafoods. He is
a communicant of Ghent Methodist Church, is vice
chairman of its board of stewards, and formerly
served as president of the Ghentmen's Bible Class.

On September 7, 1940, at Norfolk, William P.
Ballard married Helen Caulfield of that city, daugh-
ter of the late Robert and Christine (Amory) Caul-
field. Mrs. Ballard is a graduate of Westhampton
College (University of Virginia") and taught in the

"72

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

public schools of Norfolk prior to her marriage. Slit-
is active in civic and church circles, taking a part-
icular interest in the program of the Parent-Teacher
Association. She was the president of the Norfolk
Chapter of the American Association of University
Women, and is a teacher at the Ghent Methodist
Church's Sunday school. Mr. and Mrs. Ballard
are the parents of three children: I. Ann Caulfield,
l>orn March 8. 1943. 2. Elizabeth Alan, born Sep-
tember 1, 1946. 3. William Pierce, Jr.. born Febru-
ary 23, 1949. The family resides at 4002 Columbus
Avenue. Norfolk.

JOHN EARLE WHITE, JR.— As president of
White and Dashiell, Inc., of Norfolk, John Earle
White, Jr., heads one of Tidewater Virginia's oldest
and largest retail fuel dealers. It is situated at
East Berkley Avenue and Appomattox Street, in
the Berkley section of Norfolk, its seat of oper-
ations for many years. This business was organized
by Harry W. Dashiell, who was joined in partner-
ship by Harry T. White in 1901. Later this partner-
ship was dissolved, and for a time was continued
as the Dashiell Fuel Company. In 1915, John Earle
White, Sr.. who had been a partner in the retail
fuel firm of C. B. White and Brother, joined H.
W. Dashiell in forming the present corporation of
White and Dashiell, Inc. Of this firm. Mr. White
was the president, and H. W. Dashiell secretary
and treasurer. With the outbreak of World War I,
Mr. Dashiell entered the army, selling his interest
in the firm to Mr. White, who continued as the
directing head of the corporation until his death
on April 7, 1941. He was succeeded in the presi-
dency by his son, John Earle, Jr., who still holds
that office. The firm has grown steadily into one
of the major distributorships of the region. It re-
tails coal, Mobilheat fuel oil. kerosene, and Ferti-
lene liquid fertilizer throughout a territory com-
prising Tidewater Virginia and eastern North Caro-
lina. Conducting its business on a friendly and
highly ethical basis, in the tradition of its founders,
it can pride itself on excellent customer relation-
ships. Its officers, in addition to Mr. White, are
John Earle White, III. vice president; R. G.
Dashiell, manager; Walker A. Nesbitt, asistant
manager; and Bessie D. White, secretary and treas-
urer.

Identified with the management of White and
Dashiell, Inc., since 1924, John Earle White, Jr..
was born in Norfolk on July 18, 1001, son of John
Earle, Sr., and Rebecca Frances (Dashiell) White.
His father was born in Maryland, and came to
Norfolk as a young man. As mentioned, he was
formerly associated with his brother, C. B. White,
in the Norfolk fuel firm of C. B. White and Brother.
For a time he was engaged in the grocery business

as a partner in the firm of White and Horton of
Norfolk. The two also operated a livery stable in
Norfolk for a time. From 1915, when the present
firm of White and Dashiell was incorporated, he
became its president and served until his death in
1941. Rebecca Frances Dashiell, whom he married,
was the daughter of George V. and Ella (Graves)
Dashiell of Norfolk. She died on December 5,
1954. To this union six children were born: I.
John Earle. Jr. 2. Grace Armistead, who married
J. Paul Smith, executive vice president and cashier
of the Merchants and Planters Bank of Norfolk,
and in charge of its South Norfolk branch. 3. Fran-
ces Dashiell. who married William C. Everett, a
businessman of Virginia Beach. 4. Claude B., M.D.,
who took his degree from Medical College of Vir-
ginia. As a career officer in the United States Air
Force Medical Corps, he now holds the rank of
colonel. He married Margaret Ferratt of Norfolk,
and they live at Greenville, South Carolina, where
he is now stationed. 5. George Corbin, who holds
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy
from the Medical College of Virginia. He is now
owner of Preston's Pharmacy, South Norfolk. He
married Rita Price Jones of Richmond. 6. Fred
Dashiell, M.D., who took his medical courses at the
University of Virginia. He is now a specialist in
treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and
throat at Bluefield. West Virginia. He married
Eloise Colonna of Norfolk.

John Earle White, Jr., attended Maury High
School and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic
Institute in 1922 with the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Mechanical Engineering. He began hi~
career as a teacher of mathematics in Norfolk city
schools and in 1924 entered the firm of White and
Dashiell, Inc., becoming general manager, later
vice president, and. since his father's death a decade
and half ago, president. Prominent in retail coal
associations, he is vice president of the Coal Mer-
chants Service Bureau; a member and past director
of the Virginia State Coal Merchants Association;
and a member of the National Coal Dealer- Asso-
ciation.

A Kiwanian, Mr. White served as president of
the Southside Club in 193 1. He is a member and
past master (1927) of Doric Lodge No. 44, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons; and a member of Ionic
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Grice Commandery
No. 16, Knights Templar; and Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. He is a
member of the lodges of the Knights of Pythias,
the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Improved Order
of Red Men, and the Charles H. Consolvo Tent,
Circus Saints and Sinners, the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, the Downtown Club, the Engineers

&^-rZ-£^<L

^j^O-^cX—

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'73

Club of Hampton Roads, the Virginia Polytechnic
Institute Alumni Association, the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce and the Norfolk Sports Club.

Mr. White has one other major business connec-
tion besides White and Dashiell, Inc. Since 1936
he has served on the board of directors of the
Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, and
is an associate member of the Society of Residential
Appraisers. A communicant of St. Bride's Epis-
copal Church, he formerly served on its vestry.

For recreation, he enjoys swimming, fishing and
bridge. He has consistently cooperated with pro-
jects for civic betterment. From 1922 through 1932,
he was in the United States Army Engineers Re-
serve Corps.

At Washington, D.C., on October 16, 1926, John
Earle White, Jr., married Bessie Virginia Dodson
of Portsmouth, Virginia, daughter of John A. and
Nellie Mae Dodson of that city. She is active in
St. Bride's Episcopal Church and a member of the
King's Daughters. Mr. and Mrs. White are the
parents of one son, John Earle, III. Born March
28, 1928, in Norfolk, he graduated from Maury
High School in 1946. He attended Hampden-
Sydney College, where he majored in business
administration, and is now vice president of White
and Dashiell, Inc. He is a member of Doric Lodge
No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Ionic
Chapter No. 46, Royal Arch Masons; Grice Com-
mandery No. 16, Knights Templar; the Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the South
Norfolk Junior Chamber of Commerce, and is fond
of fishing and golf. On June 18, 1949, in Washing-
ton, D.C., John Earle White, III, married Mar-
garet Lee Greene of Norfolk, daughter of Winfield
Scott and Grace (Church) Greene. Mrs. White is
a graduate of Granby High School, attended the
College of William and Mary, Norfolk Division,
and graduated from Mary Washington College of
the University of Virginia. The couple have two
children: i. Laura Lee, born June 22, 1951. ii.
Deborah Ann, born October 7, 1952. This family
attends St. Bride's Episcopal Church, where John
Earle White, III, is a member of the vestry.

PAUL R. BICKFORD— In addition to his
long-time connection with the well-known Hamp-
ton building supplies firm which bears the Bick-
ford name, Paul R. Bickford has taken a role
of leadership in home construction in his area
of the Lower Tidewater. He has distinguished
himself in civic posts, and is a veteran of service
with the Army Engineers in World War II.

Born at Baltimore, Maryland, on March 31,
1919, Mr. Bickford is a son of a former mayor
of Hampton, the late James V. Bickford. It

was also he who founded J. V. Bickford, Inc.,
He was born at Hampton on December 31, 1876,
son of Selwyn E. and Carrie (Van Allen) Bick-
ford. He attended local private schools and the
College of William and" Mary, and graduated in
1896 from Virginia Military Institute. The same
year James V. Bickford entered the sand and
gravel business in Hampton, and left to serve
in the Spanish-American War, in the course of
which he was adjutant on Colonel Vaughan's
staff. On his return from military service, he
married Miss Katherine West Tabb, who died
in 1904. In 1906 he married her first cousin,
Miss Helen West Rutherford. In the World War
I period, Mr. Bickford was active in the con-
struction of Langley Field, and he served on the
Selective Service Board of Appeals for the Hamp-
ton Roads area in World War II. Active in the
Virginia League of Municipalities, he served as
its president and in other offices; and he was
a charter member of the Rotary Club, a mem-
ber of the Chamber of Commerce and a mem-
ber and past director of the Peninsula Association
of Commerce. James V. Bickford was a member
of the city council at Hampton before his elec-
tion as mayor in 1919; and he continued to fill
the city's chief executive office most capably and
with distinction until 1945. About 1918, he foun-
ded the Bickford Sand and Gravel Company, and
the name of this firm was later changed to J. V.
Bickford, Inc. He remained at its head until
his death on April 14, 1947.

His son, Paul R., who has succeeded him as
head of that organization, was reared in Hamp-
ton and received his public school education there.
He attended the Symes Eaton School, was a
student at the Hampton High School for three
years, then went to St. Paul's School in Balti-
more, Maryland, to complete his preparatory stud-
ies. From there he entered Virginia Military
Institute, where he graduated in 1939 with the
degree of Bachelor of Science, being only twenty
years old at the time.

He immediately began his connection with his
father's organization, and was well qualified to
assume management at the time of the elder
man's death in 1947. He has since been the presi-
dent of the corporation, and is also president of
Hampton Homes, Inc., a firm which constructs
prefabricated houses in the Hampton area, and
president of Tidewater Homes, Inc., which also
contracts for the building of residences. In addi-
tion, he is an official in other construction firms.

Mr. Bickford was absent at the time of World
War II, serving in the Corps of Engineers, Uni-
ted States Army. He entered with a second lieu-
tenant's commission and advanced to the rank
of major. He has been a member of the Penin-

I_4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

sula Airport Commission ever since it was foun-
ded. Active in the Virginia Peninsula Cham-
ber of Commerce, he serves on its board of di-
rectors, and he is currently the president of the
Hampton Fire Company. As a prominent figure
in the Lower Tidewater's construction industry,
Mr. Bickford is president of the Home Builders
Association of the Peninsula, and a director of
the Virginia Building Materials Dealers Associa-
tion.

He is a Rotarian, and a member of Post No.
3, of the American Legion at Hampton and of
St. John's Episcopal Church. In his political af-
filiation, he is a Democrat.

At Newport News on January 3, 1942, Paul
R. Bickford married Betty Lee Downing of
Hampton, (laughter of Dorsey L. and Gladys
(Kcrnegay) Downing. The couple are the parents
of three children: 1. Betty Lee, who was born
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 9, 1943. 2.
Carolyn Rutherford, horn August 10, 1947. 3. Paul
Rutherford, J.\, born September 28, 1950.

GEORGE GARLINGTON PHILLIPS was
born in Dallas, Texas, on November 13, 1903,
the son of Alexander Roy and Anna (Garlington)
Phillips. His father, who died on November 6,
1945, was president of the Great American Group
of Insurance Companies, with headquarters in
New York City.

George G. Phillips began his education in the
public schools of Dallas, but at an early age
when the family moved into the New York City
area, he transferred to an elementary school in
Montclair, New Jersey. He was graduated from the
Montclair High School. He then returned to the
South to matriculate at Virginia Military Insti-
tute, where he received his degree in Electrical
Engineering in 1925.

In 1925 Mr. Phillips followed his father into
the insurance business. His first post was with
the Niagara Insurance Company in New York
City. From 1926 to 1928 he was with the Home
Insurance Company, also in New York. In 1928
he transferred to the branch office at Raleigh,
North Carolina, of the Great American Insurance
Company of New York and remained there until
he was made the company's State Agent for Vir-
ginia, with headquarters in Richmond, in 1929.
In 1945 he resigned that office to become a part-
ner in Dobie, Bell & Henderson, Inc. Some few
years later the firm's name was changed to Hen-
derson & Phillips, Inc. In January 1955, Mr. Phil-
lips was elected president, the position which he
now holds. This firm has specialized in insurance
since 1896, writing all forms and thereby con-
tributing to economic and community progress.
Henderson & Phillips, Inc. has headquarters in

Suite 1220, National Bank of Commerce Budd-
ing, Norfolk.

Mr. Phillips is also active in banking, being
a director of the Bank of Cradock at Portsmouth,
in fraternal life, in college alumni work, in the
civic and cultural growth of Norfolk, and is a
member of numerous social and recreational clubs.
Mr. Phillips has served as the president of the
Norfolk Symphony and Choral Association. At
the present time he is national president of the
Virginia Military Institute Sportsman's Club and
a member of the executive committee of the Alumni
Association.

From 1925 to 1930 Mr. Phillips served in the
LInited States Army Reserve, having been com-
missioned at the time of his graduation from
Virginia Military Institute. He also served with
the Essex Troop of the New Jersey National
Guard from 1926 to 1929. He is a member of
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons Corinthian
Lodge No. 266; Auld Consistory of the Scottish
Rite; Khedive Temple Shrine and Royal Order
of Jesters. His clubs are: Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, Downtown Club, Virginia Club,
Norfolk; Princess Anne Country Club, Cavalier
Beach and Cabana Club, Virginia Beach; Rotunda
Club. Richmond; and the Farmington Country
Club, Charlottesville, Virginia. Hi' is a member
of the First Presbyterian Church of Virginia
Beach.

George Garlington Phillips is married to Thel-
ma M. Richardson, daughter of Charles Lewis
and Bertha Elizabeth (Landrum) Richardson, and
is the father of one son, George Garlington
Phillips, Jr., wdio was born on December 14, 1937,
in Richmond, Virginia. The Phillips home is
"Garlington" at London Bridge, Virginia.

HYMAN BERNARD SWARTZ— Since his
admittance to practice as a certified public ac-
countant, nearly a decade ago, Hyman Bernard
Swartz has centered his professional activities in
the Lower Tidewater area, and is now engaged in
private practice with offices in the Western Union
Building at Norfolk.

He is a prominent representative of the younger
generation of professional men in Norfolk, where
he was born on July 4, 1913, son of Abraham Isaac
and Fannie (Postove) Swartz. Both parents were
natives of Russia who came to the United States
in early youth, and from that time made their home
in Norfolk. Abraham Isaac Swartz, who died in
1954, conducted a retail grocery business at 800
East Princess Anne Road. Mrs. Swartz died in
Norfolk in 1936, at the age of forty-four.

Beginning his education at Henry Clay Element-
ary School, Hyman Bernard Swartz later attended
Ruffner Junior High School, and graduated from

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

•75

Maury High School in June 1931. He continued his
education at the College of William and Mary,
where he graduated in 1935 with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

He began his business career with the Southern
Packing Company in the capacity of office man-
ager, and remained with that firm from June 1935,
until January 1938. For a decade thereafter, until
March 1948, he served as internal revenue agent for
the United States Department of the Treasury. In
November 1947, Mr. Swartz passed his examination
as Certified Public Accountant, before the Virginia
State Board of Accountancy, and the following
March, became associated in practice with Joseph
Morris of Suffolk. They continued their association
until March 1950, and at that time Mr. Swartz
left to form his own accounting firm. He practices
under the firm name of H. B. Swartz, Certified
Public Accountant and Tax Adviser. His organiza-
tion has built up a large clientele among the region's
manufacturers and merchants. Mr. Swartz is licens-
ed to practice before the United States Tax Court
and the United States Department of the Treasury.
He is a member of the American Institute of Ac-
countants, the Virginia Society of Public Account-
ants, the National Association of Cost Accountants
and the International Accountants Society.

Active in civic affairs, he is a member of the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the Lodge
No. 38 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. His fraternity is Beta Alpha Psi. His religious
affiliation is with Temple Israel Congregation of
Norfolk, which he served as president from 1953
to 1956. He is a member of the local chapter of
B'nai Brith.

On March 9, 1938, at Norfolk, Hyman Bernard
Swartz married Miss Beulah Virginia Tonelson of
that city. The couple are the parents of two chil-
dren: 1. Franklin Alex, who was born on Decem-
ber 11, 1938. 2. Bette Lou, born February 19, 1945.
The family residence is at 208 Burleigh Avenue,
Norfolk.

WALTER WORTH MARTIN— Since a decade
ago, when he centered his law practice in New-
port News, Walter Worth Martin has been a
partner in the firm of Hall, Martin and Smith,
and predecessor firms. He has been active in
the Elks and other local organizations.

Born at Cresskill, New Jersey, on July 18,
1907, he is a son of Frederick W. E. and Mary
Louise (Zentz) Martin. Both of his parents were
natives of Baltimore, Maryland. His father be-
came vice president of Aspegren and Company
in New York City, and died in September 1928.
Mrs. Martin is still living. While his father was
identified with the cotton-seed oil firm in New

York City, the family lived at Sodus, New York,
and there W. Worth Martin received his public
school education and graduated from high school
in 1925. He then entered Colgate University, which
is in New York State, and was a student there
for three years. He completed his professional
studies at the University of Maryland Law School
in Baltimore, where he graduated in 1932 with
the degree of Bachelor of Laws.

Admitted to the bar of the State of Maryland
i" 1933. Mr. Martin first joined the staff of the
Home Owners Loan Corporation and worked with
this government agency for one year. He left to
accept a position in the claim department of the
Employers Liability Assurance Corporation, Ltd.,
and worked in that firm's various branch offices
until 1946.

In that year Mr. Martin came to Newport News
and began his private practice of law. Ho had
been admitted to the bar of the State of Virginia
in 1940. He became a member of the firm of
Hall and Martin, which recently became Hall,
Martin and Smith and has its offices in the Law
Building. The. firm conducts a general practice in
all courts, with especial emphasis on insurance
and admiralty law. Among its clients are Public
Service Mutual, American-Association Insurance
Companies, Employers Mutuals of Wausau, Wis-
consin, Ohio Casualty Insurance Company, State
Farm Mutual Companies, Hartford Accident and
Indemnity Company, London and Lancashire In-
demni*y Company, Bruce Dodson and Company
and T. H. Mastin and Company. Mr. Martin's
partners are Lewis H. Hall, Jr., and Douglas H.
Smith.

He is a member and president of the Newport
News Bar Association, a member of the Virginia
State and the American bar associations, and the
Virginia State Bar. In his politics he is a Demo-
crat. His fraternity is Sigma Nu, and he is also
a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 72, Knights of
Pythias, and Newport News Lodge No. 315, Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks. He is past
exalted ruler of this lodge, is now a member of
the board of trustees, is state chairman of the
Elks National Foundation Committee, and is Dis-
trict Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler, Virginia South-
east. He is past chancellor commander of his
lodge of the Knights of Pythias. Fond of golf,
Mr. Martin is a member of the James River
Country Club, and he also finds a refreshing out-
door pastime in boating. He is of Protestant faith.
Mr. Martin serves on the Fort Eustis Army Ad-
visory Council, and is a member of the Newport
News Planning Commission.

At Baltimore, on July 4, 1936, W. Worth Martin
married Frances Louise Keech of Hughesville,
Maryland, daughter of William W. and Anne

i-6

LOWF.R TIDKWATl R VIRGINIA

(Dyer) Ketch. The couple are the parents of one
son, Terrence Keech, who was horn on April 21,
MM'), at Lynchburg, Virginia

HUBARD STANLEY CULPEPPER— Asso-
ciated with the management of Acme Photo Com-
pany, Inc., of Norfolk, since 1942, Hubard Stanley
Culpepper is now president and manager of this
firm, which has its offices and plant at 248 W.
Tozewell Street.

He was born in Norfolk on March 27, 1906, son
of the late Claude E. and Bertie Irene (Roper)
Culpepper, both deceased, who spent their entire
lives in that city. There Hubard S. Culpepper
passed his boyhood, and attended private schools,
Monroe Elementary School, and Maury High
School.

In 1922 he began his career as a draftsman with
the Makenson Marble Works of Norfolk, and was
later associated with the Morrie Company of that
city, working in its various departments, and gain-
ing experience in blueprint manufacture, drafting
and commercial art. He remained with the organ-
ization until 1928. He left to enter business for
himself as a designer and builder of homes, and
continued in this occupation until 1930, when he
entered the employ of the City of Norfolk as a
draftsman. There he continued until 1952.

Meantime, in 1942, Mr. Culpepper had accepted
a position as manager of the Acme Photo Company,
Inc., of Norfolk. Following the death of its founder
and owner, Henry W. Gillen, in 1952. he assumed
duties as president of the firm, to which he has
since devoted his full time. Mr. Gillen founded the
Acme Photo Company in 1918. A man of wide ex-
perience in business, he did much through his work-
to advertise and publicize the Norfolk area. Before
establishing his own organization, he had been
a motion-picture machine operator in the early days
of the "flickers," working for Pathe, Paramount
and other theatrical interests.

With thorough experience in the business, and
a firm grasp of business management procedures,
Mr. Culpepper is carrying on the work of this long-
established Norfolk firm with gratifying success.
The company has the most modern equipment, and
well-trained personnel with a responsible attitude
toward their work. Acme Photo Company. Inc.,
engages in a wide variety of work, including the
produc'ion of blueprints, photostating, offset print-
ing, aerial photography, and conducting advertising
campaigns under contract with some of the region's
foremost industrial and commercial firms.

Mr. Culpepper is a member of the International
Association of Blueprint Manufacturers and Allied
Industries, and in his own city, belongs to the
Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Club of

Norfolk. He and his family attend the Church of
the Advent at Oceanview.

On June 5. 1926, Hubard S. Culpepper married
Gladys Lucille McTague of Norfolk. They are the
parents of two children: 1. Carol Lynn, who was
born on June 5, 1938. Graduating from Maury
High School in the Class of 1956, she is now attend-
ing Mary Washington College at Fredericksburg.
2. Claudia Lea, born on March 27, 1945; a student
at Bayvievv Elementary School. The family's home
is at 1 61 1 East Ocean View Avenue, Norfolk.

ALEXANDER PINKHAM GRICE— A pro-
minent figure in the real estate business in Nor-
folk and Tidewater Virginia, Alexander P. Grice,
is senior partner of the well-known firm of A. P.
Grice and Son, with offices at 20 Selden Arcade,
Norfolk. His activities have embraced a wide range
of interests, and through them he has made a vital
contribution to his home area.

Mr. Grice was born at Portsmouth on July 5,
1886, son of Alexander Pinkham and Susan Thoro-
good (Brooks) Grice. In both paternal and maternal
lines, the Norfolk realtor is descended from early
settlers in Portsmouth or Norfolk County. His
father was an accountant and businessman at Ports-
mouth until his death in 1890. Mrs. Grice survived
her husband by a half-century, and died in 1940
at the age of ninety-two.

After completing his formal education at Ports-
mouth Academy and Norfolk Academy, Alexander
P. Grice began his career as a runner with the
Citizens National Bank of Norfolk, where he con-
tinued for two years. From 1906 to 191 5 he was
employed by the Virginia Bank and Trust Com-
pany of that city, which was nationalized in 1907 as
the Virginia National Bank, working in various
departments, and advancing from bookkeeper to
paying teller.

In 1915 he became president and general man-
ager of the Guaranty Title and Trust Corporation
of Norfolk, remaining in that office until 1929. He
formerly served as president of the Virginia- Caro-
lina Joint Stock Land Bank, and was a director of
the Citizens Bank of Norfolk.

Since 1930 Mr. Grice has devoted his business
career to the real estate field. His firm, known for
many years as A. P. Grice and Company, became
A. 1'. Grice and Son in January 1953. when he was
joined by his son, .Alexander Pinkham, III. The
firm is particularly prominent in commercial and
industrial property transactions, and acts as ap-
praisers and real estate consultants. Its founder's
long experience with real estate values in Norfolk
and the greater Norfolk area has brought him wide
recognition as an authority on commercial and
industrial property appraisal. His firm is a member

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'77

of the National Association of Real Estate Boards,
the Norfolk-Portsmouth Real Estate Board, and
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

A conspicuous influence in the civic affairs of
Norfolk, Mr. Grice has been honored upon many
occasions for his contributions to the progress of
his city. He served as a member of the Norfolk
City Council from 1920 to 1925. A member of the
Rotary Club of that city, he formerly served as its
president. He helped to organize the Virginia Beach
Chamber of Commerce and served as it first presi-
dent. Throughout his career he has given freely of
his time and talents in supporting many worth-
while projects, and his efforts have extended over
the period coincident with Tidewater Virginia's
most rapid development, in which he has had a
prominent part.

Mr. Grice is a member of the Virginia Club.
For recreation, he is fond of gardening and fishing.
A former communicant of St. John's Episcopal
Church in Portsmouth, he formerly served on its
vestry, and is now a member of Christ and St.
Lukes Episcopal Church in Norfolk.

In Richmond, on April 26, 1913, Alexander Pink-
ham Grice married Louie Brown Crenshaw, daugh-
ter of the late Merritt W. and Louie (Brown) Cren-
shaw of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Grice became the
parents of three children: I. Louie Brown, a daugh-
ter, who was born on August 27, 1915, and died
May 22, 1923. 2. Mary Hart, born June 7, 1920;
graduated from Maury High School in the Class
of 1938. 3. Alexander Pinkham, III, born January
17, 1925. He graduated from Woodbury High
School in 1943, after which he attended the Col-
lege of William and Mary for two years, majoring
in engineering. From 1945 to 1953, he was a civilian
employee at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk,
working in the Aviation Division as radar and
electronics specialist. In January 1953, he joined
his father in the real estate firm of A. P. Grice and
Son, which adopted its present name at that time.
As a progressive young business leader of Norfolk,
he is a member of the American Society of Real
Estate Appraisers, the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce and the Lions Club, Owens Lodge No.
164, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, United
Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, and Grice
Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar. That com-
mandery was named in honor of his great-grand-
father, Charles Alexander Grice. He is also a mem-
ber of the Virginia Club, the Princess Anne Coun-
try Club, and Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
and is currently serving as senior warden of Christ
and St. Luke's Episcopal Church, where he be-
came a member of the vestry at the age of twenty-
two.

On September 14, 1947, Alexander Pinkham

Grice, III, married Barbara Ann Speace of Beverly,
New Jersey. They are the parents of three children:
i. Alexander Pinkham, IV, born November 2, 1949.
ii. Joseph Gardner, born November 2, 1953. iii.
Dudley Colkett, born December 8, 1955.

JOHN ROGER NEAL— Over the past decade,
John Roger Neal has headed his own real estate
firm in Suffolk. He has taken a constructive role
in the commercial and organizational life of his
city, and is currently serving on the Suffolk-
Nansemond Real Estate Board and Suffolk In-
dustrial Committee.

A native of New Jersey, Mr. Neal was born
in the town of Lakewood on January 15, 1904,
son of Henry Joseph and Grace (Schuchman)
Neal. His father, a native of Lincoln, Pennsyl-
vania, who died in 1922, was superintendent of
schools in New Jersey. Mrs. Neal survived her
husband and died in 1951. She was a native of
Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Receiving his public school education in New
Jersey, John R. Neal completed his secondary
studies at Collingswood and graduated from
high school there in 1922. For one year he was
a student at Wharton School of Finance of the
University of Pennsylvania. At the outset of his
career, he joined the S. S. Kresge organization,
and held responsible positions in its stores for
about five years. He entered the insurance busi-
ness as a salesman, working in several Virginia
cities.

With this background of experience, he came
to Suffolk in 1946, and has since engaged in the
real estate business there under his own name.
His offce is in the Andrews Building.

Mr. Neal is a member of the National Associa-
tion of Real Estate Boards and the Virginia Real
Estate Association. He serves on the Suffolk-
Nansemond Real Estate Board. Through his work
with the Suffolk Industrial Committee, he took
a constructive part in stimulating the commercial
and economic life of the community, and holds
membership in the Suffolk and Nansemond Cham-
ber of Commerce. Mr. Neal also serves on the
board of directors of the Salvation Army.

He is a member of the Kiwanis Club, and the
lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
A member of the higher bodies of the Masonic
order, he belongs to Mi unt Nebo Chapter of
the Royal Arch Masons, the Portsmouth Com-
mandery of the Knights Templar, Khedive Tem-
ple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mys-
tic Shrine, in Norfolk, and the Suffolk Shrine
Club. He is fond of the outdoor sports of fish-
ing and hunting and is a member of the Izaak
Walton League. He and his family attend the
West End Baptist Church.

i78

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

On October ->8. 1929, at Norfolk, John Roger
Neal married Louise Epps of Surry Court House,
Virginia, daughter of Robert and Irene (Hunni-
cutt) Epps. Her parents are both living; her father
is now retired from his occupation of farming.
Mr. and Mrs. Neal are the parents of two chil-
dren: 1. Donald Allen, born September 8, 1930.
2. Robert Joseph, born February 12, 1933.

THOMAS BUTT JOHNSON, JR.— Prominent
in the general insurance field at Norfolk for over
ten years, Thomas Butt Johnson is owner and
directing head of the W. \\ . Johnson Company.
With offices in the Royster Building, this firm
has built up a large volume of business in the
sale of fire, liability and other types of general
insurance and of surety bonds. It represents the
Aetna Casualty and Surety Company of Hartford,
Connecticut, Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance and
Inspection Company (the largest in its field),
South Carolina Fire Insurance Company of Colum-
bia, the Jersey Fire Insurance Company of New
York, the American Liberty Fire Insurance Com-
pany of Birmingham, Alabama, and the Union
Assurance Society, Ltd., of London, England.

A native of Norfolk County, Mr. Johnson was
born at Gilmerton on September 6, 1907, son of
the late Thomas Butt, Sr., and Emma Maehew
(Higgins) Johnson. His father, who died on March
13. '935. was a general merchant and farmer, who
also served for twenty-five years as postmaster
of Gilmerton. His wife died September 21, 1908.
The younger Thomas B. Johnson attended the
public schools of Elizabeth City, North Carolina,
and graduated from high school there in 1924.
He attended the College of William and Mary,
majoring in education, history and English, and
began his career as a teacher and athletic coach.
He taught and coached at Wytheville, Virginia,
Higli School, after which he served as principal
of the Oriskany Junior High School in Botetourt
County, Virginia. In 1930 he returned to the Col-
lege of William and Mary to continue his educa-
tion. Specializing in the same subjects as before,
he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1931, and also received the Collegiate Professional
Teacher's Certificate.

Resuming bis career as educator, Mr. Johnson
accepted appointment as principal of the Burrows-
ville Junior High School, where he remained until
1936. He left to join the faculty of Windsor High
School as teacher and coach, and held that posi-
tion until he entered the service of the United
States Army in December 1942. He trained at
Camp Lee, Virginia, but on October 5, 1943, re-
ceived a medical discharge.

On resuming civilian life, Mr. Johnson entered

the employ of the Virginia State Division of Motor
Vehicles at Richmond, but remained in this public
service post only until 1944. It was at this time
that he came to Norfolk and joined his brother,
W. W. Johnson, in acquiring the insurance agency
which had been owned by W. L. Pierce, Jr. On
July 13, 1944. the agency became known as the
W, W. Johnson Company. In September 1946,
Thomas B. Johnson acquired his brother's interest
in the firm, but has continued to operate it under its
original name.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Johnson is a
member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. He
attends the Baptist Church, where he is superin-
tendent of the Sunday school. He holds member-
ship in two fraternities, Kappa Alpha and Kappa
Phi Kappa.

On December 21, 1946, Thomas Butt Johnson,
Jr., married Hilda Faith Shelton, daughter of
Grover C. and Nancy (Crawley) Shelton of Chat-
ham. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have a son, Cleve-
land Thomas, born November 3, 1955. The family
resides at 6243 Sedgefield Drive, Norfolk.

DAVID RAYMOND LEVIN— Lawyer and

civic leader David Raymond Levin is engaged in
a general practice, with offices in the New Kirn
Building in Portsmouth. A past president of the
Portsmouth-Norfolk County Bar Association, Mr.
Levin possesses a background of experience and
ability which has won him a prominent place at
the Portsmouth and Tidewater Virginia bar. His
career has been distinguished by a fine public
spirit and progressive attitudes, combined with
humanitarian interests — traits evidenced in his ef-
fective cooperation with community projects and
organizations.

A native of Portsmouth. Mr. Levin was born
on June 4, 1910, son of Louis Levin, a retired
businessman of Portsmouth and his wife, the for-
mer Mary Stein, who died in 1936. The lawyer
obtained his early education in the public schools
of Portsmouth, graduating from Woodrow Wilson
High School in 1927. He continued his studies at
the University of Virginia and took his profes-
sional courses at the University of Richmond,
where he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws
in 1932. Prior to his graduation, on December 15,
193 1, he had passed his examination for admittance
to the Virginia State Bar.

Mr. Levin began his general practice of law
in Portsmouth in 1932 and continues to carry on
an extensive individual practice with offices in the
New Kirn Building. A member of the Portsmouth-
Norfolk County Bar Association, he served as
secretary of the organization in 1954 and was its
president for 1955-1956. He is also a member of

LOWER TIDFWATER VIRGINIA

'79

the Virginia State Bar Association and, while a
student at the University of Virginia, joined Alpha
Epsilon Pi fraternity.

Central among his civic activities is his mem-
bership in the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.
He serves on the board of directors of the Ports-
mouth Travelers Aid Society. In 1954 he served
as chairman of the fund raising campaign of the
Norfolk County Cerebral Palsy organization. He
is a member of Portsmouth Naval Lodge No. 100,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. His religious
affiliation is with Gomley Chesed Synagogue of
Portsmouth, and he is a member of its Men's Club.

On January 30, 1938, at Uniontown, Pennsyl-
vania, David Raymond Levin married Rachel Sher
of that city. They are the parents of two children:
I. Linda Mary, born July 5, 1939. 2. Richard Na-
than, born May 6, 1943. The family resides at
208 East Road, Glenshellah, Portsmouth.

SEAB EDGAR DuVALL, JR.— One of the
younger leaders in his profession in the city of
Norfolk, Seal) Edgar DuVall is a member of the
accounting firm of Frederick B. Hill and Com-
pany which lias its offices in the Flatiron Building.

He was born on July 15, 1924, at Van Buren,
Arkansas, son of the late Seab Edgar and Nora
Lee (Leathers) DuYall. She is now a resident of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The elder S. E. DuVall,
who was identified for many years with the St.
Louis and San Francisco Railroad Company, died

in 1933-

After beginning his education in the public
schools of Van Buren, S. E. DuVall, Jr., graduated
from high school at Fort Smith, Arkansas, in
1942. In that year he enlisted in the LTnitcd States
Naval Air Corps, and was later commissioned an
ensign following his cadet training as a pilot. His
tour of duty, 1944-1945, included operations with
the U. S. S. "Bunker Hill," U. S. S. "Essex," and
LI. S. S. "Wasp," in the South Pacific. He was
separated from the service at Norfolk in 1940. His
present status is lieutenant commander, LInited
States Naval Air Corps Reserve, Operations Offi-
cer. VF-Jet-861 Squadron, U. S. Naval Air Corps
Reserve Training Unit, Naval Air Station, Norfolk.

Following his separation from active service in
1946, Mr. DuVall began his preparations for his
career in accounting. He took business adminis-
tration courses through St. Helena Extension Di-
vision of the College of William and Mary in
Norfolk, and then entered the College of William
and Mary at Williamsburg, where he graduated
with the degree of Bachelor of Science, in Busi-
ness Administration, in February 1950.

In that year he became associated with the ac-
counting firm of Frederick B. Hill and Company

of Norfolk, and since August 1953, has been a
partner in this well-established firm. He became
a Certified Public Accountant on passing his ex-
amination given by the Virginia State Board of
Accountancy in May 1952.

Mr. DuVall is a member of the American Insti-
tute of Accountants and the Virginia Society of
Public Accountants. He is a communicant of the
Talbot Park Baptist Church.

On September 9, 1947, in Norfolk, Seab Edgar
DuVall, Jr., married Doris Elizabeth Raper,
daughter of Paul Spence and Mary (Leyburn)
Raper. The couple are the parents of a son, Ran-
dolph Courtland DuVall, who was born June 18,
1953.

CHARLES MELVILLE RAMSEY— Farming
has been Charles M. Ramsey's major occupation,
although he also has banking and other commer-
cial interests, centered in his home city of Ivor.
He has acquired considerable real estate hold-
ings there and at Smithfield, the most impor-
tant single unit being the Ramsey Block.

Born at McClelland Post Office in Isle of Wight
County, on February 15, 1907, he is a son of
John Albert and Edna Roxie (White) Ramsey.
Both of his parents were also natives of Isle
of Wight County. His father, who was born there
in January 1870, owned extensive acreage known
as the McClelland Farm, and he also operated a
general store under his own name. He died in
January 1926. His wife, the former Edna R.
White, survived him until April 13, 1953.

Charles M. Ramsey attended the public schools
of Isle of Wight County and graduated from
Smithfield High School in 1925. He then began
farming on the Ramsey property and, following
his father's death in 1926, was in charge of opera-
tions there until 1939, capably managing the more
than four hundred acres, on which he also made
his home. In 1939 he purchased five farms which
had previously been owned by his paternal grand-
father, J. F. Ramsey, and later by his uncle, Dr.
E. B. Ramsey. They comprised a total of eleven
hundred and twenty acres, which he continued
to manage profitably in addition to his own ori-
ginal holdings. He later acquired still another
property known as the Cook i-arm. The major
crops raised on his farmlands are peanuts and
corn, and he also devotes some attention to live-
stock production, particularly hogs.

Since January 1946, Mr. Ramsey has lived at
Ivor, where he had built an attractive brick
home for his mother. After her death in 1953
he moved into this home. In the course of the
past decade he has exerted a constructive influ-
ence in the affairs of Ivor. In 1946-1947 he erec-
ted the row of modern commercial buildings

i8o

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

known as the Ramsey Block, situated on Route
460 in the center of town. Among the tenants
there are eleven stores, a number of offices, and
a service station. Mr. Ramsey "s own office is
located in the block. He also owns and operates
rental property — stores, homes, and apartments — at
Smithfield. He serves on the boards of directors
of the Bank of Sussex, Ivor Branch, and the Tide-
water Mutual Insurance Company. Mr. Ramsey
also served on the Tidewater Industrial Develop-
ment Commission, representing the Ivor-Berlin
District of Southampton County.

He is interested in all civic activities at Ivor
and throughout Isle of Wight County, and is
a member of the Federal Farm Bureau, the Far-
mers Union, and the Ruritan Club. He is a Bap-
tist in his religious faith, currently a communi-
cant of Ivor Baptist Church where he serves as
a deacon. Previously, for a period of eleven years,
he served as deacon and superintendent of the
Sunday school at the Mills Swamp Baptist Church
in Isle of Wight County, from which lie trans-
ferred membership when he moved to Ivor. Mr.
Ramsey's favorite sport is baseball.

At Richmond, on September 7, 1929, Charles
Melville Ramsey married Nellie Breu Hearn of
Smithfield, daughter of John T. and Plummie
Novella (Whitley) Hearn. Her father operated
a retail furniture store in Smithfield for a num-
ber of years and is now deceased. His wife sur-
vives him. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey have two chil-
dren: I. Nancy, who married Joseph M. Boush.
They have a daughter, Katherine. 2. Marjorie
Lee, a student in Ivor schools.

GROVER LEE WHITE, JR.— As president
and manager of Grover L. White, Inc., with head-
quarters at 730 Boush Street in Norfolk, Grover
Lee White, Jr., heads an organization which has
been "serving Tidewater since 1915." It is Nor-
folk's oldest firm contracting for the installation
of ceramic wall and floor tile, and also specializes
in lighting fixtures, medicine cabinets, fireplace
furnishings, linoleum, and tile products of cork,
vinyl, rubber and asphalt. Besides serving home-
owners and commercial interests, the firm has
completed many major projects for the govern-
ment, including the United States Marine Hos-
pital, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Building, and
the six-hundred-man barracks at Little Creek.
Other important contracts completed through the
years, have included the Leigh Memorial Hospital,
the Cavalier Hotel, the Muscle Shoals Power
Plant in Alabama, and the new Virginia Electric
Power Company building, besides many schools
and churches in the Tidewater area. The firm was
founded in 1915 by Grover Lee White, Sr., and

its first location was in the Withers Building at
207 Granby Street. There it remained until Mr.
White, Sr., acquired the Vicks Tile Corporation
at 121 College Place. He made this plant its
headquarters until 1940. At that time the firm
moved to its present location at 730 Boush Street.
There its retail store, display rooms, warehouse
and offices are maintained. Grover Lee White,
Sr., continued active in the management of the
firm until ill health forced his retirement in 1950.
He died on January 10, 1952, and was succeeded
by his son, Grover Lee White, Jr., who capably
directs the operations of the firm today. Other
officers are Mrs. Grover L. White, Sr., vice presi-
dent, and Mrs. Grover L. White, Jr., secretary.

The founder of the firm was born December
22, 1885, at Winfall, North Carolina, son of Joseph
and Sarah (White) White, both natives of North
Carolina, who lived for many years in Portsmouth,
Virginia. There Joseph White died on December
7, 1939, and his wife had died on December 5,
1910. Josiah H. White, grandfather of Joseph, was
a planter in Perquimans County, North Carolina,
and served in the Confederate States Army. He
married Elizabeth Saunders of Nansemond Coun-
ty, Virginia.

The elder Grover L. White was educated in
the public schools of Portsmouth, and early in
his career was employed by the Seaboard Air
Line Railroad, and later by the Norfolk Building
Supplies Company. He left the latter firm to es-
tablish, in 1915, the firm which is now known as
Grover L. White, Inc., and which was incorpora-
ted in 1932. He was active in the civic and fra-
ternal affairs of Norfolk, being a member of Nor-
folk Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, the Scottish Rite bodies including the
consistory, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was
also a member of the lodge of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, the Virginia Club,
the Lions Club and the Methodist Church. In
Norfolk, on October 20, 1908, he married Myra
Virginia Jordan, daughter of Charles Wesley and
Emma Alice (Milan) Jordan, both natives of Nor-
folk County. Mrs. White was active in the cul-
tural and civic affairs of Norfolk, being a mem-
ber of the Women's Club and the Larchmont
Garden Club, and participating in the program of
the Young Women's Christian Association. She
continues active membership in the Ghent Metho-
dist Church, and has proved herself a capable
business woman as vice president of Grover L.
White, Inc.

Mr. and Mrs. Grover L. White, Sr., had only
one son, Grover Lee, Jr., who was born in Nor-
folk on November 16, 1909. He received his early
education in that city and graduated from Maury

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1S1

High School in 1927. From the University of Vir-
ginia, he received his degree of Bachelor of Science
in Electrical Engineering at his graduation in
1931. With the exception of time spent in naval
service in World War II, he has since been active
in the management of the contracting firm, in
which he has succeeded his father as president.

Mr. White was commissioned a lieutenant, jun-
ior grade, in 1942, and was assigned to the Uni-
ted States Naval Air Force. He was first stationed
at the Naval Base in Norfolk. Following special
work in radar at Princeton University and Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology, he was assigned
to duty in the Panama Canal Zone in anti-sub-
marine work. He won promotion to lieutenant
commander, and was separated from active serv-
ice following the close of the war. With the
outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, he was re-
called to active duty and assigned to radar and
electronics work at Port Lyautey, French Moroc-
co. He again resumed civilian life in December
1951, and now holds the rank of commander in
the Inactive Reserve.

He is a Rotarian, and a member of Ruth Lodge
No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the
consistory of the Scottish Rite, and Khedive Tem-
ple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He is also a member of the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce and the Lafayette Yacht Club.
He attends the Methodist Church.

On April 6, 1940, Grover Lee White, Jr., mar-
ried Ellen Walston Griffin, daughter of the late
D. J. and Stella (Duke) Griffin of Norfolk. Her
father was superintendent of Smith and Welton,
Inc., for many years. Mrs. Grover L. White, Jr.,
is a member of the Epworth Methodist Church,
a member of The Woman's Club, and active in
Parent-Teacher Association and social service
work. The couple have two children: 1. Donald
Lee. 2. Grover Lee, III.

CHARLES BAILEY POND— In the early
years of the century, Charles Bailey Pond came
to Suffolk, and after gaining ample experience in
the peanut industry there and elsewhere, joined
his brothers, Wayland T. Pond, Sr., and L. L.
Pond, in the purchase of the Pope Peanut Company.
From this they formed their own successful or-
ganization, still known as the Pond Brothers
Peanut Company. C. B. Pond is president of this
organization, and of the Producers Peanut Com-
pany, which he founded with Wayland T. Pond
in 1924. He has held other corporate connections,
and has distinguished himself in the service of
his city as councilman.

The son of Thomas Richard Pond, a Southamp-
ton farmer, and his wife, the former Anna Finch

Bailey, who was born in Sussex County, Charles
B. Pond was reared on the Southampton County
farm where he was born on August 8, 1882. He
received his early education under the tutelage
of his mother, who was a school teacher in the
county's public schools for twenty-one years, and
he completed his formal studies at Massey Busi-
ness College in Richmond.

In the fall of 1902, at the age of twenty, he
came to Suffolk, where he first joined the Pope
Peanut Company, and worked for that firm as a
bookkeeper for six years. He moved to Woodland,
North Carolina, late in 1909, and there occupied
himself with the purchase of farmers' stocks of
peanuts for a number of the large peanut-shelling
plants in Virginia. He returned to Suffolk in the
fall of 1914, and was placed in charge of the oper-
ation of the shelling plant of the Suffolk Peanut
Company, a position in which he continued for
eleven months.

In October 1915, he and his brothers entered
business for themselves, as described above. A
record of the career of the elder Wayland T. Pond,
and of the second-generation members of the
family interested in the business, accompany this
sketch. Besides heading Pond Brothers Peanut
Company and later the Producers Peanut Com-
pany, Charles B. Pond also became president of
the Ferguson Manufacturing Company, which
produces farm machinery. He still holds the posi-
tion of president of all three companies, located
in Suffolk.

He was for twelve years a member of the Suf-
folk City Council, and as a loyal and active Dem-
ocrat, served for sixteen years on the city Dem-
ocratic committee of Suffolk. He is a member of
the local lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, Mount Nebo Chapter of the Royal Arch
Masons, Portsmouth Commandery of the Knights
Templar, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in Norfolk.
He is also a member of the lodge of the Benev-
olent and Protective Order of Elks at Suffolk.
He was a charter member of the Lions Club
there, where he still holds a membership.

In 1928, a group of devoted communicants of
the Baptist Church met at Mr. Pond's home to
decide on steps to fill the need for another church
of their denomination in the city. The result of
their efforts was the West End Baptist Church,
which was organized on March 11, 1929, in the
auditorium of the First Baptist Church. With a
list of one hundred and thirty-eight charter mem-
bers, the congregation erected its own church
building in 1937, and Mr. Pond served as chairman
of the building committee.

At Woodland, North Carolina, on June 15,
1909, Charles Bailey Pond, Sr., married Clara

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Esther Outland of that city, daughter of Dr. John
Lewter and Delia (.Copeland) Outland. Her
father was a physician. Mr. and Mrs. Pond be-
came the parents of four sons: I. Richard L., whose
sketch accompanies. 2. Charles Bailey, Jr., whose
sketch accompanies. 3. Frederick Outland, gen-
eral manager of Producers Peanut Company. 4.
James R., secretary and treasurer of Producers
Peanut Company.

WAYLAND THOMAS POND, SR.— A leader
in Suffolk's industrial life, the late Wayland
Thomas Pond, Sr., devoted his attention primari-
ly to the peanut industry, on which the economic
welfare of the city so heavily depends. He was a
founder of Pond Brothers Peanut Company, Inc.,
and Producers Peanut Company of Suffolk, and
of an affiliated firm in Georgia, and he was active
in banking connections as well.

Born and reared in a farm family in Southamp-
ton County, he was a son of Thomas R. and
Anna F. (Bailey) Pond. His birth date was Sep-
tember 5, 1875. He received his education in the
public schools of this region, and early in his
career, entered the lumber business at Freeman,
Virginia, where he remained for seventeen years.
In 191 5 he came to Suffolk, where he and his two
brothers, C. B. and L. L. Pond, purchased the
Pope Peanut Company. From this the Pond Bro-
thers Peanut Company Inc. was later organized.
In 1924, he and C. B. Pond founded the Producers
Peanut Company; and two years later all three
brothers joined forces again to bring the Pond
Brothers Peanut Company of Georgia into exist-
ence. This affiliate had its headquarters at Cordele.
Georgia. Besides retaining executive positions in
the management of these three companies, W. T.
Pond, Sr., was also president of the Suffolk Insur-
ance and Finance Corporation, and a director of
the National Bank of Suffolk.

He was a leader in the civic and religious as
well as the business life of his city. A charter
member of the West End Baptist Church, he
served on its board of deacons. He had been one
of the founders of this church, and was most
generous in its support. He did not belong to
many other organizations, but placed his support
squarely behind every movement for the better-
ment of his community.

On November 14, 1906, Wayland T. Pond mar-
ried Nonie Lee Hammond, who was born in Bruns-
wick County on June 14, 1883, and died April 7,
1930. The couple were the parents of a daughter,
Ethel Lee, who married Alton L. Brinkley, and a
son, W. T., Jr., who is the subject of an accom-
panying sketch. Mr. Pond's death occurred on
October 11, 1943. Commenting on the loss of this

community leader, an editorial writer on the staff
of the Suffolk "News-Herald" wrote:

The death of Wayland Thomas Pond, Sr., was a distinct
loss, not only to Suffolk but to the entire Tidewater Region
of Virginia and Xorth Carolina and to the peanut industry as
a whole. Unlike some who gain much of this world's goods
he did not become a hoarder of his wealth, but was free
in spending his earnings in the religious and charitable work
of his community and state . . . When a citizen thus unselfishly
puts himself and his means at the service of his community
his influence lives on and on although his physical presence is
immeasurably missed.

RICHARD L. POND— Identified with Pond
Brothers Peanut Company of Suffolk for over
twenty years, Richard L. Pond is now treasurer
of the corporation, and a member of its board of
directors. He is also an official of Producers
Peanut Corporation and of Ferguson Manufac-
turing Company, and he is active in lodge and
church affairs.

Born at Woodland, North Carolina, on July
10, 191 1, he is a son of Charles Bailey, Sr., and
Clara Esther (Outland) Pond. His father, one of
the founders of Pond Brothers Peanut Company
and its president, is the subject of an individual
biographical sketch in this work. In Richard L.
Pond's earlj- childhood, the family moved to Suf-
folk, and he attended the schools of that city,
graduating from its high school in 1930. For
three years he was a student at Randolph-Macon
College, and he then began his business career with
Pond Brothers Peanut Company, Inc., with which
he has since remained. He became treasurer in
I94T. Mr. Pond holds the offices of vice president
and director of Ferguson Manufacturing Company
of Suffolk, and serves on the board of directors of
Producers Peanut Corporation of that city.

Like other members of his family, he has been
a consistent and devoted worker for West End
Baptist Church. A charter member of the congre-
gation, he has served on its board of trustees and
as chairman of its finance committee. He is a
member of Hiram Lodge No. 340, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, at Suffolk, Mount Nebo
Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, and Ports-
mouth Commandery No. 5, Knights Templar. He
is also a member of Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and
is a member and past president of the Suffolk Shrine
Club. His fraternity is Phi Kappa Sigma. Mr.
Pond's avocation is flying, and he holds a private
pilot's license.

In Suffolk, on June 15, 1935, Richard L. Pond
married Margaret Elizabeth Parker of that city,
daughter of Bauldie Edward and Julia (Brett)
Parker. Mr. and Mrs. Pond have three children: 1.
Richard L., Jr., who was born on December 25,

TWVa. 19

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

183

1937. 2. Julia Margaret, born May II, 1941. 3
Jeft're}' Genin, born June 28, 1947.

WAYLAND THOMAS POND, JR.— During
two generations, and two score years, the name
of Pond has been consistently identified with
Suffolk's important peanut industry. Wayland T.
Pond, Jr., joined Pond Brothers Peanut Company
at the ouset of his career, and during most of his
connection, has been its secretary and sales man-
ager. He also holds office in other corporations.

Born at Freeman, Virginia, on February 17, 1912,
he is a son of Wayland T., Sr., and Nonie Lee
(Hammond) Pond. His father is the subject ol
an accompanying sketch. When he was about three
years old, the family moved to Suffolk, where the
father joined in the purchase of the Pope Peanut
Company, from which the present Pond Brothers
Peanut Company was formed. Reared in Suffolk,
the younger Wayland T. Pond attended its public
schools and graduated from Suffolk High School
in 1930. He then entered Randolph-Macon Col-
lege at Ashland, was a student there for one year,
and at the end of that time, transferred to Georgia
School of Technology, where he remained for two
years.

In June 1933, he formed his connection with
Pond Brothers Peanut Company, and became
secretary of the corporation, and sales manager
in 1935. He has held both positions to date, and
is also a member of the board of directors. In ad-
dition, he is president and director of the Suffolk
Gas Corporation, secretary and director of the
Ferguson Manufacturing Company, and director
of the Farm Chemical Company, Inc., of Lynch-
burg, Virginia. He was formerly president of the
Suffolk Insurance and Finance Corporation.

A recognized leader in his industry, Mr. Pond
served as chairman of the board of the National
Peanut Council in 1951-1952, and is still a director.
He is president and director of the Virginia-Caro-
lina Peanut Association. He at one time served as
secretary and director of the Producers Peanut
Company of Suffolk. Mr. Pond is currently a
member of the recreation board in his city. For-
merly active in the Lions Club, he was its presi-
dent in 1942-1943. He is a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club at Virginia Beach, and his
college fraternity is Kappa Phi Sigma. He is
fond of golf and fishing, and floriculture is a hob-
by. Attending the West End Baptist Church, he
has been one of its devoted and consistent lay
workers. He is a charter member of the church,
is serving on its board of deacons and has served
as Sunday school superintendent. At various times
he has been chairman of the finance committee,
the temple committee, and the planning and build-

ing committee in charge of the construction of
the church's educational building.

At the Presbyterian Church in Wilson, North
Carolina, on October 5, 1940, Wayland Thomas
Pond, Jr., married Mary Ernestine Herring of
that city. She is the daughter of Dr. L. J. and the
late Mary (Carter) Herring. The couple have
four children: 1. Mary Lawrence, born May 30,
1942. 2. Katherine Carter, and 3. Wayland Thomas,
twins, born September 4, 1943. 4. Eliza Lee, born
July 14, 1947.

CHARLES BAILEY POND, JR., has been with
Pond Brothers Peanut Company for two decades,
and is now its vice president. He has other inter-
ests as well, holding offices in corporations, and
engaging in farming and in real estate transactions.

He was born at Woodland, North Carolina, on
May 12, 1914, son of Charles Bailey, Sr., and Clara
Esther (Outland) Pond, his father being presi-
dent of Pond Brothers Peanut Corporation which
he and his brothers formed in 1915. The family
moved to Suffolk when the younger Charles B.
Pond was only a few months old. He was reared
in the city and attended its public schools. Gradu-
ating from Suffolk High School, he entered the
University of Richmond, where he was a student
for three years.

In 1936 he began his connection with Pond
Brothers Peanut Company, and became vice presi-
dent in 1941. He is a member of its board of
directors, and also serves on the boards of the
Ferguson Manufacturing Company, and of Pro-
ducers Peanut Company of which he is vice presi-
dent. He conducts a real estate business, and has
farming interests in Nansemond and Suffolk
counties.

Air. Pond was formerly a member of the Lions
Club. He is a charter member of the West End
Baptist Church. His favorite sport is fishing.

On March 13, 1937, in Suffolk, Charles Bailey
Pond, Jr., married Sarah Gresham Parker, daugh-
ter of Bauldie Edward and Julia (Brett) Parker.
Mr. and Mrs. Pond have three children: 1. Charles
Bailey, 3rd, who was born on October 26, 1941.
2. Sara Caroline, born May 5, 1944. 3. Frances
Anne, born August 20, 1948.

ARTHUR WILLIAM SEELEY, JR.— As Nor-
folk's largest grower of cut flowers and potted
plants, Arthur William Seeley, Jr., is sole owner
of the business which bears his name, situated in
the 2600 block of Tidewater Drive. He is follow-
ing in a family tradition established by his grand-
father, the late John S. Seeley, and continued by
his father, Arthur William, Sr., who retired in
1946. John Seeley was a native of New Jersey who

■ 84

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

came to the Norfolk area as a young man in the
late 1870s. He acquired farming land at Lambert's
Point, which now borders on the great Lambert's
Point Coal Piers, and where a commercial and
residential section of Norfolk is now located. On
this -ite he continued farming until 1890 when he
acquired a tract of land known as the Gowrie Farm,
bordering on Cottage Toll Road (now Tidewater
Drive) and extending from Hancock Avenue to
Tanner's Creek (now Lafayette River), ft was
on this site that John S. Seeley launched an experi-
ment, insofar as the Xorfolk area was concerned —
hotbed cultivation under glass. He built two green-
houses, and raised vegetables, and vegetable-pro-
ducing plants, which were later set out on his
farmlands. His son, A. W. Seeley, Sr., became
associated with him in these operations and suc-
ceeded to the business in 1918. He continued in
hotbed farming for a time, and early in his ca-
reer he was especially successful in raising beet
plants, which he transplanted to his regular acreage.
With changing conditions and markets, A. W.
Seeley, Sr., gradually devoted more and more at-
tention to the growing of cut flowers, and con-
tinued to expand this business until he had seven-
teen greenhouses, with approximately thirty-seven
thousand square feet under glass before his retire-
ment.

In January 1946. A. W. Seeley, Jr., who from
his early boyhood had been associated with his
father in the operation of the greenhouses, bought
the site and the greenhouses from the elder man.
and since 1947 has conducted the enterprise as A.
W. Seeley, Jr. In the course of the intervening
years he has expanded the business until it is now
Norfolk's largest grower of cut flowers and potted
plants.

Born in Xorfolk on December 6, 1009, A. W.
Seeley, Jr.. is a son of A. \\\, Sr., and Florence C.
(Schmitt) Seeley. He was educated in the public
schools of Xorfolk. Having been fascinated by plant
life and flowers since early childhood and taking
a practical interest in floriculture and botany at
the age of twelve, he learned the business under
the guidance of his father and at the age of six-
teen became associated with him on a full-time
basis. Since acquiring the business in 1946, he has
increased the number of greenhouses to twenty-six,
with approximately sixty-five thousand square feet
under glass. He is considered by members of his
profession to be the largest producer of cut flowers
and potted plants in the entire state of Virginia.
He excells in quality as well as in quantity of
production, and puts or. the market a wide variety
of species. Wholesale outlets in Xorfolk and the
rest of the Tidewater area, and in eastern North
Carolina, take about ninety per cent of his output,

and the balance is sold through the firm's retail
outlet at 1809 Hancock Avenue. In the past decade,
A. W. Seeley's delivery equipment has increased
from one panel truck to five, and employs from
seven to twenty-three. The greenhouses and of-
fices are located on the original three-and-one-
half-acre site at Hancock Avenue and Tidewater
Drive, about a ten-minute drive from the central
business section of Norfolk.

In 1955 A. W. Seeley, Jr., acquired a homesite
on the old Adam Thorogood Farm. Another prop-
erty consisting of seventy-three acres located in the
Washington district of Norfolk County is uti-
lized for soil supply, and for extensive growing of
azaleas. A number of acres are also devoted to
growing peonies, and a series of other floricultural
operations are planned for this farm in the near
future.

Mr. Seeley is a charter member of Allied Flor-
ists and has served on its board of directors. He
is a member of the Society of American Florists
and an associate member of the Florist Telegraph
Delivery Association, Inc. He is a member of
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the Lafa-
yette Yacht Club.

As a member of the Tidewater Motor Boat and
Racing Association, he served as commodore in
1954, and as an outstanding boat owner and driver
he has won many honors in the sport of boat
racing. He won the WNOR Grand Championship
'n 1953: the Jamestown-to-Richmond Marathon in
the same year; the WNOR Trophy again in 1954;
and the Division Championship for the Eastern
United States in 1955. During the past six years
he has won fifty trophies in all. He has also con-
ferred an award: the A. W. Seeley, Jr.. Perpetual
< (utboard High Point Trophy, which is awarded
annually by the Tidewater Motor Boat and Racing
Association.

On April 20, 1934, at Norfolk, Arthur William
Seeley, Jr., married Bessie Anderson of Norfolk,
and they are the parents of two daughters: 1.
Brenda Kay, born on April 22, 10,41. 2. Dorothy
Ann, born on September 28, 1945.

HARRY SILAS SEELEY— Member of Nor-
folk's prominent family of florists, Harry Silas
Seeley is owner and operator of A. W. Seeley
and Son, Florists, Designers and Decorators, at
1910 Colley Avenue. In past years he has been
associated both with his father, the elder A. W.
Seeley, now retired, and with A. W. Seeley, Jr.,
whose sketch accompanies. Harry S. Seeley has
concerned himself with the retail operations, and
in this connection manages his own organization.

Much of the history of the family, which has
been identified with floriculture in the Norfolk area

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1 8,"

since the 1890s, is to be found in the record of A.
W. Seeley, Jr. Their father was horn in Norfolk
on March 10, 1887, son of John S. and Eliza J.
(Wood) Seeley. He joined his father in floriculture
in his early years, and carried on in building up a
larger establishment, taking over management when
John Seeley retired in 1018. He continued hotbed
farming, and was especially successful in raising
beets and a variety of other vegetables, until the
demand for plants and flowers made it worthwhile
to engage exclusively in their production. To the
first greenhouse which John Seeley had built, A.
W. Seeley, Sr., added seventeen more, giving his
establishment a total of thirty-seven thousand square
feet under glass. This was located on the same
site on which operations had been begun by his fa-
ther, wdio died in 1923. Retired for the past decade,
A. W. Seeley, Sr., now enjoys his leisure in a com-
fortable home at the corner of Tidewater Drive
and Hancock Avenue, with his wife, the former
Florence C. Schmitt, of Baltimore, Maryland. They
were married on November 25, 1908. They became
the parents of five children: 1. Arthur William. Jr.
(q.v.). 2. Bessie, and 3. Jessie, twins. Bessie is
married to LeRoy Hogshire of Norfolk, and their
two children are Milton and Edna Hogshire. Jessie
Seeley married Barney Lee Donison of Norfolk,
and they too have two children: William and Lee
Donison. 4. Harry Silas, of whom further. 5. Mar-
garet, who married George P. Miller of Norfolk.
They have two children: Caroline and Philip Mil-
ler.

Harry Silas Seeley was born in Norfolk on May
25, 1913. He received his education in the Lafayette
Elementary School, Ruffner Junior High School
and Maury High School. In his vacation periods
from his early youth, he worked witli his father
and brother in greenhouse operations. As the sons
entered the business on a full-time basis, the firm
was named A. W. Seeley and Sons: and it con-
tinued to be operated with the father and two sons
as partners until January 15, 1946, when A. W.
Seeley, Sr., retired. At this time, A. W., Jr., who
had worked closely with his father in greenhouse
management, took over their direction under his
own name; and Harry S. Seeley, whose experience
had been more closely tied with retailing operations,
acquired that part of the business, which he has
continued to operate under the old name of A. W.
Seeley and Son, Florist. He has devoted his at-
tention to the retail sale of flowers since he was
eighteen years old. and for a time managed the
firm's retail outlet at the Norfolk Farm Market at
Tazewell, Monticello and Brewer streets, and later
at the City Market, wdiere he continued operations
until January 1954. In the meantime, in August
1953. the beautiful A. W. Seeley and Son florist

shop was opened at 1910 Colley Avenue, and this
he and Mrs. Seeley, the former Ellen M. Goodwin,
have expanded into one of the largest retail florist
establishments in the city. Supplying greenhouse-
fresh flowers for every need, and acting as designers
and decorators as well, they are continuing in the
fine tradition long associated with the family name.

A veteran of World War II, Harry Silas Seeley
served with the United States Army amphibious
forces in the South Pacific Theater of Operations
from 1943 and with eighteen months' overseas
service in his military record, was separated from
the service with the rank of corporal. Throughout
his period in uniform, Mrs. Seeley carried on the
business in a very capable maimer, and remains
closely associated with her husband in the work
at the present time. They were married at Norfolk
on September 10, 1938. She is a daughter of the
late James A. Goodwin, a native of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, who for many years prior to his
death in 1931, owned and operated the Arcade
Restaurant in Norfolk. Her mother, now the wife
of Dr. Radford Royal, resides in Norfolk.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Seeley are active in the work
of the Epworth Methodist Church, where he serves
as a member of the board of stewards. She is a
member of Soroptimist International of Norfolk
and Virginia Beach.

Mr. Seeley is a charter member of Allied Flor-
ists, Inc., and he served as it> president in 1953.
He is a member of the Florist Telegraph Delivery
Association. In his own city he belongs to the
Chamber of Commerce, is a charter member of
the Exchange Club, and a member of Lodge No.
38, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
the Lafayette Yacht and Country Club. His hob-
bies are golf, deep-sea fishing, and boating.

JAMES ALLEN CARNEY— A general con-
tractor in the building construction field, James
Allen Carney formed his own organization at
Norfolk nearly a decade ago, and since that time
has erected a large number of the Tidewater
area's important new buildings. His headquarters
are at 522 West Twenty-fifth Street.

Born at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on
April 2, 1907, lie is a son of the late Judge A. B.
Carney, who married Miss Nan Allen. Judge
Carney was born at Churchland, Norfolk County,
son of Wright Bruce Carney, a planter at that
place, and a descendant of forebears settled in
the county since colonial times. The original Car-
ney land grant remained in the family until re-
cent years. Reared on the ancestral farm, Judge
Carney graduated from the University of Virginia
and practiced law at Norfolk from 1900 to 1940.
From 1940 to 1945 he served as judge of the

1 86

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

First Judicial District of Virginia. Throughout
his life he was a member of the Churchland Bap-
tist Church. He died in 1950 at the age of seventy-
two years. His wife, the former Nan Allen, con-
tinues to reside at 940 Gates Avenue, Norfolk.
She is a daughter of Charles C. Allen, who was
a prominent grain merchant of Elizabeth City,
North Carolina, and whose wife was the former
Ada Summer. Both are now deceased.

The only child of his parents, James A. Carney
graduated from Lawrenceville School in New
Jersey in 1926. While there he was captain of
the track team. He went on to Yale University,
where he graduated in 1930 with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.

From 1930 to 1932 he was employed in the
engineering department of the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and for
several years following was with the Virginia
State Highway Department. From 1936 to 1947
he was associated with the R. R. Richardson and
Company, general contracting firm of Norfolk,
and during that period worked on a number of
important projects in the Tidewater area, includ-
ing the Norfolk Museum of Arts, the Science
Building, the Naval Hospital at Portsmouth, and
the Leigh Memorial Hospital.

In 1947 Mr. Carney formed his own organiza-
tion, the construction firm known as James A.
Carney, General Contractor. In recent years it
has played a large part in the physical upbuilding
of the Tidewater area, and among its major pro-
jects have been the United States Post Office
Building at South Norfolk, the Epworth Metho-
dist Church, the Green-Gifford Chrysler-Plymouth
automobile agency building, the Virginia Beverage
Company building, the Baker Drug Corporation
warehouse and office building, the Watters and
Martin, Inc., wholesale hardware building, and
other commercial and industrial projects.

Active in civic affairs, Mr. Carney formerly
served on the Norfolk school board and as a
member of the board of directors of the Boys
Club of Norfolk. He is a member of the Chamber
of Commerce, the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club, and the First Presbyterian Church. Fond
of all outdoor sports, he has special preference
for track events and also enjoys riding horses.
At Yale University, he was a member of Theta
Ni fraternity and Franklin Hall.

On July 7, 1937, at Norfolk, James A. Carney
married Frances Ferguson of Norfolk, daughter
of the late Finlay F. and Helen (Evans) Ferguson.
Her father, a prominent Norfolk architect, died
in 1936. Mrs. Carney, a graduate of Vassar Col-
lege, is active in civic and cultural affairs. She
is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, is
a member and past president of the Norfolk Jun-

ior League, and takes a constructive part in hu-
manitarian work. Mr. and Mrs. Carney are the
parents of three children: 1. James Allen, Jr.,
born July 15, 1938. He is a member of the Class
of 1956 at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey
and has been awarded the English-Speaking Union
Exchange Scholarship for one year's study in an
English school, Stowe. Before entering Lawrence-
ville, he attended Walter Herron Taylor School
and Norfolk Academy. At Lawrenceville he was
captain of the track team, a member of the stu-
dent council, and active in dramatics. 2. Jane Fer-
guson, born March 6, 1943. 3. Frances Ferguson,
born March 14, 1946. The family resides at 1344
Mallorv Court. Norfolk.

THOMAS NELMS DOWNING— Coming to
Newport News to practice law in the late 1940s,
Thomas Nelms Downing is a member of the
firm of Downing and Andrews, with offices in
Warwick and Hampton. He has served on the
bench of Warwick's municipal court and on the
board of public welfare and has held a number
of other offices in posts of public trust or in
welfare and civic connections.

A native of Newport News, Mr. Downing was
born on February 1, 1919, and is a son of Samuel
and Lucille (Nelms) Downing. His father, who
held the degree of Doctor of Medicine, practiced
in Newport News, where he died on August 4,
1937. He was a native of Lancaster County,
while the subject's mother, the former Lucille
Nelms, was born in Isle of Wight County.

Attending the public schools of Newport News,
Thomas N. Downing graduated from high school
in that city in 1936. He then enrolled at Vir-
ginia Military Institute, where he received his
degree of Bachelor of Science in 1940. He did
not complete his law courses until after his par-
ticipation in World War II. Entering the army
in February 1942, he was assigned to the Third
Cavalry and served overseas from July 1944, to
November 1945, holding the rank of major at
that time.

After the war Mr. Downing completed his pro-
fessional studies at the University of Virginia,
which conferred on him the degree of Bachelor
of Laws in 1947. Meantime, in 1946, he had been
admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia.
For one year after completing his law courses,
he practiced in Lancaster County, in association
with R. O. Norris, Jr. In 1948 he came to the
Peninsula, where he has since made his home
and centered his practice. He was formerly a
member of the firm of Newman, Allaun and
Downing and now is the senior member of the
firm of Downing and Andrews. This firm, en-

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

187

gaged in the general practice of law, has its
offices in the Warwick National Bank Building
in Warwick and the Citizens National Bank
Building in Hampton.

A member of the Newport News-Warwick Bar
Association, Mr. Downing served as its president
during the 1956-1957 term. He is also a member of
the Virginia State Bar Association and the
American Bar Association. He has served capa-
bly on the bench as a substitute judge of the
municipal court at Warwick, in addition to serv-
ing on that municipality's board of public wel-
fare. He is a member of a study committee for
the overall consolidation of the Peninsula's in-
dustrial and commercial life. He also serves
0.1 Selective Service Board Number 122 in the
Peninsula area.

Mr. Downing is interested in the program
of the Girl Scouts of America and serves on
its local board of directors at Newport News.
He is also a member of the board of that city's
chapter of the American Red Cross. As a law-
yer, he is a member of Sigma Nu Phi fraternity
and, as a veteran of World War II, a member
of Braxton Perkins Post Number 225, American
Legion. His other memberships include the Lions
Club at Wrrwick and the James River Country
Club. He is fond of golf and aquatic sports. He
and his family attend St. Stephen's Episcopal
Church in Warwick, where he serves as a trus-
tee and vestryman.

Mrs. Downing is the former Miss Virginia
Dickerson Martin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
daughter of J. Dickerson and Florence (Raney)
Martin. She became the wife of Thomas Nelms
Downing in a ceremony in Philadelphia on
February 18, 1947. The couple have two chil-
dren: 1. Susan Nelms, who was born on May
1, 1948. 2. Samuel Dickerson Martin, born on
June 6, 1952.

CALVIN H. DALBY— For the past decade
Calvin H. Dalby has served as Norfolk's Director
of Public Safety. He was previously a Coast Guard
Reserve officer, after which he held a responsible
post with a steamship company. He is active in
a number of local groups.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on April 15,
1899, son of John Calvin and Georgie G. (Holmes)
Dalby. His father, who was born in Northampton
County, was a commission merchant at Norfolk
throughout his active career, having arrived in the
city at the age of sixteen. He remained active in
business there until his death in 1948 at the age of
eighty-four. Miss Holmes, whom he married, was
a native of Norfolk. She was seventy-eight years
of age when she died in 1942.

Reared and educated in his native city, Calvin

H. Dalby graduated from Maury High School in
1916, and entered the University of Virginia, where
he was a student at the time of his enlistment in
the United States Army in 1918. He served in
World War I, and received his honorable discharge
in 1919. He spent the years between the two world
wars with the Merchants and Miners Steamship
Company, and in 1942 took military leave and was
commissioned lieutenant commander, serving in
that rank throughout the conflict. He holds the
permanent rank of captain in the United States
Coast Guard Reserve Corps.

On first returning to civilian life, Mr. Dalby
resumed his connection with the Merchants and
Miners Steamship Company, but remained only a
short time, holding the position of general agent
when he left in December 1946, to assume the
duties of his present position, that of Director of
Public Safety for the City of Norfolk.

Mr. Dalby is a member of the National Defense
Transportation Association, the International As-
sociation of Fire Chiefs, the International Associa-
tion of Chiefs of Police, and the Norfolk Police-
Fire Square Club, Inc. He is also a member of
the American Society for Public Administration,
and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.
Besides these groups, whose field of interest is
related to his work, he holds membership in the
posts of the Forty and Eight and the American
Legion, the Rotary Club, the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, and Atlantic Lodge No. 2, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Dalby's hobby
is gardening. He is a Democrat in his politics, and
attends the Baptist Church.

On October 7, 1925, Calvin H. Dalby married
Alice Bass Vicar, daughter of Willis W. and Alice
(Bass) Vicar. Her father, who was born in Nor-
folk County, was for many years vice president
of the Norfolk Bank for Savings and Trusts. He
died in 1919 and Mrs. Vicar in 1922. She was a
native of Danville, Virginia. Mrs. Dalby died June
5. 3956, at the age of fifty-five. The couple were
the parents of one child: Anne Vicar, born in Nor-
folk on July 30, 1930. Mr. Dalby makes his home
at 1516 Trouville Avenue.

WILLIAM JOSEPH LEWIS— Most of Wil-
liam Joseph Lewis' career has been spent with the
Norfolk Fire Department, of which he is now the
chief. This capable public official is also active in
business affairs, and takes a prominent role in or-
ganizational activities.

Born at Annapolis, Maryland, on May 28, 1896,
he is a son of James A. and Jessie C. (Saboury)
Lewis, both of whom were also natives of that
city. His father was an officer in the LTnited States
Navy throughout his career. He served in the

1 88

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Spanish-American War, and at the time of the
difficulty with Mexico in 1916, and thereafter
throughout World War I. He later retired, but
was recalled to service at the time of World War
II, serving as boatswain on shore duty at Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. He left the service permanent-
ly in 1946, and died the following year, at the
age of seventy-two. Mrs. Lewis had died in 1928, in
her fifty-third year.

From his early boyhood, William J. Lewis lived
in Norfolk. He attended elementary school there,
and later attended Punahon Preparatory School
in Honolulu, Hawaii. Returning to Annapolis, he
graduated from high school there, and began his
career as an apprentice machinist in the Navy Yard
School at Norfolk Navy Yard, where he remained
for six years. He left to enter the employ of the
Old Dominion Railway, and remained with that line
and with Norfolk and Southern Railway for about
five and one-half years.

On January 1, 1923, he joined the Norfolk Fire
Department as a fireman witli the rank of private
in No. 1 Truck Company. He was promoted to
captain on January 1, 1929, and to deputy chief
on January 27, 1942. He became chief deputy on
January 1. 1950. and assumed his present duties
as chief of the Norfolk Fire Department on Octo-
ber 1. 1953. Mr. Lewis is half owner of the L. and
M. Auto and Furniture Upholstery Company, and
he serves on the board of directors of the City
Employment Retirement System of Norfolk.

Mr. Lewis has taken a vital interest in welfare
work in his home city. He serves on the board of
the Norfolk Chapter of the American Red Cross,
the Salvation Army, and the Norfolk Chapter of
the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. He
is chairman of the Safety Service for the Red Cross.
A member of the local lodge of the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, he also belongs to the high-
er bodies of the order, including the chapter of the
Royal Arch Masons, the Grice Commandery of
the Knights Templar, and Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He is also a member of the Shrine Club and the
Sports Club, and he attends the Congregational
Christian Church. Mr. Lewis is a Democrat in
his politics. He is fond of fishing and golf.

On June 20, 1916, William Joseph Lewis mar-
ried Margaret Lena Morgan, daughter of the late
Benjamin F. and Emma Jane (Ruggles) Morgan.
Her mother still lives in Norfolk. Her father, who
was a grocer in that city for many years and at
one time president of the Retail Grocers Associa-
tion, died in September 1953, at the age of eighty-
two. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis became the parents of
three children: 1. Margaret Morgan, who was born
on April 9, 1918. She is now the wife of Ernest

Jordan, who is with the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Com-
pany. 2. Josephine Esterbrook, born on August
11, 1920. She married L. C. Melchor, who is the
head of the L. and M. Auto and Furniture Up-
holstery Company. 3. Barbara Jane, born on Jan-
uary 12, 1922. She married Walter Elton Trafton.
There are six grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis
make their home at 1315 Colonial Avenue, Norfolk.

WILLIAM GLOVER SAUNDERS, JR.— Two

decades ago, William Glover Saunders, Jr., founded
his lumber and building supplies firm at Chucka-
tuck, which he operated for twelve years. Since
1947 it has been a partnership in which Mr.
Saunders holds the controlling interest. He is an
effective and devoted worker for his community
and his church.

The son of farming people of the Lower Tide-
water region, Mr. Saunders was born at Everett,
near Chuckatuck, on September 30, 1905. His
father, William Glover Saunders, Sr., was a native
of Nansemond County, and was a merchant as
well as a farmer. He died in February 1946. He
was the son of Thomas Jefferson Saunders, a
native and life-long resident of Nansemond County,
and one of the men who organized what is now
Oakland Christian Church of Chuckatuck. Young
Mr. Saunders' mother was the former Alice Chap-
man, a native of Isle of Wight County and a
daughter of George D. Chapman, who served as
a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and
was with the forces of General Robert E. Lee at
the time of the surrender of Appomattox.

The young William G. Saunders attended the
public schools of Chuckatuck. He began his career
in the employ of a lumber company at Everett,
remaining with that organization for one year.
At the end of that time, he began contracting for
the hauling of lumber in his own name, and he
also engaged in transactions in two of the region's
foremost agricultural crops, peanuts and cotton.
In 1936, he established his present firm as W.
G. Saunders, Jr., and in 1947 founded the Saunders
Supply Company, of which he has since been
the president. It deals in lumber at retail, and also
stocks a complete line of supplies required by
builders. Its yard and offices are at Chuckatuck.

Mr. Saunders has retained his interest in farm-
ing. Today he devotes his considerable acreage
chiefly to raising peanuts, corn, beans and flowers
on a commercial basis. He also has a dairy and a
considerable herd of beef cows. His business connec-
tions, apart from his own firm, include membership
on the Board of Directors of the Home Telephone
Company of Smithfield, and the First Federal
Building and Loan Association in Suffolk, of
which he is vice president. He serves as a board

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

.89

member of the Suffolk-Nansemond County Cham-
ber of Commerce. In local politics, Mr. Saunders
is a Democrat, and he is a member and past
president of the Ruritan Club of Chuckatuck and
the Executives Club of Portsmouth. Floriculture
and building are his avocational interests.

Mr. Saunders is particularly active in the work
of the Methodst Church. He is a communicant of
Wesley Chapel at Chuckatuck, a member of its
official board, and one of its trustees. He is the
district lay leader of the Portsmouth District, and
is chairman of the Town and Country Commis-
sion of the Virginia Conference. He was a dele-
gate to the General Conference of the Methodist
Church, and member and delegate to the World
Council of Methodist Churches held at Minnea-
polis. At the present time he serves the Board of
Lay Activities of the Virginia Conference as its
treasurer. He also serves on the board of trustees
and executive committee of Ferrum College, a
Methodist-controlled institution.

For the past twenty years, Mr. Saunders has
been active in Boy Scout work. He is a member
of the executive committee of the Old Dominion
Area Council and for a number of years served
as its chairman. He is now serving his second
year as president of his Council and is the National
Council representative. He served as sectional
commissary officer at the Boy Scout Jamborees
at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and at the Irvine
Ranch in California. He was the recipient of the
Silver Beaver award in 1950. He is a charter
member in the Order of the Arrow in his Council.
For many years, Mr. Saunders served as his Com-
munity Representative on the Suffolk-Nansemond
County American Red Cross Board. During World
War II, he served his County as a member of
the Rationing Board, and Committee for War
Fund and War Bond drives.

In Bruton Parish Church at Williamsburg, on
June 18, 1936, William Glover Saunders, Jr., mar-
ried Edna Earl Brooks of Norfolk, formerly of
Mathews, Virginia, daughter of Captain James
Landon and Lillie (Davis) Brooks. Her father died
in April 1943, but her mother still survives and
lives in Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders are the
parents of four children: 1. Jaira Randolph, born
July 24, 1939. 2. William Glover, 3rd, born June
29, 1942. 3. Edna Brooks, born December 31, 1944.
4. Alice Davis, born September 10, 1948.

EUGENE KELSEY WILSON, SR-— Operat-
ing throughout the Tidewater area, E. K. Wilson
and Sons, Inc., of Norfolk, is now one of the
largest firms in its field in Virginia, handling
numerous major contracts of an industrial, com-
mercial, and residental character in plumbing, heat-

ing, and air conditioniing and serving as an auth-
orized dealer of General Electric air-conditioning
equipment. Founded in 1903 by Eugene Kelsey
Wilson, Sr., it is now largely managed by his
sons, Eugene Kelsey, Jr., Everette Knapp and
Guy Rathbone, who, like their father, are promi-
nent both in their field of business and in
civic and social circles in the Lower Tidewater.
The senior Mr. Wilson, who retains the presidency
of the company he founded, gives his sons coun-
sel in its management, while at the same time he
looks after his extensive realty holdings. He has
held high office in the organizations of his trade
and is influential in those organizations and in
other circles.

Eugene Kelsey Wilson, Sr., was born at Suf-
folk on March 10, 1884, the son of Henry and
Elizabeth (Kelsey) Wilson. His father, a native
of New York State, settled in Suffolk in the early
1880s. There he became a successful farmer, mer-
chant, and real estate operator. He died at Suffolk
in 1890. Elizabeth Kelsey Wilson was also born
in New York State. Following the death of Hen-
ry Wilson, she became the wife of Edward Byrd
of Suffolk, now deceased. She died in 1935, at
the age of eighty-two.

The youngest of the five children born to his
parents, Eugene Kelsey Wilson, Sr., grew up in
Suffolk. He received his education in that city's
elementary and high schools. He was only nine-
teen when, in 1903, he moved to Norfolk and foun-
ded what has became E. K. Wilson and Sons,
Inc. He had learned the plumber's trade, but he
soon expanded his business into the related trades.
However, it was not until 1947 that his firm be-
gan including air conditioning in the scope of its
operations. The activities of Mr. Wilson and the
growth of his firm have closely paralleled the
growth of Norfolk and the entire Tidewater in
the more than half century that has elapsed since
he went into business on his own.

Mr. Wilson first established the firm on Church
Street, near Holt, with five employees and a
horse and wagon used to haul equipment. The
firm moved often in its early years in its constant
search for larger quarters as required by the de-
mand for its services. The second location was 450
Granby Street. Other locations included 710 Boush
Street and a site on Olney Road, where temporary
quarters were occupied until in 1933 the present
plant at 3314 DeBree Avenue was completed and
occupied. Even this plant has undergone many
changes and additions since those days. The
growth of the Wilson firm must be attributed to
the quality of its service and the economy of its
prices, as well as to the personal characters first
of its founder and then of the three sons who are

i go

LOWER TIDF.WATER VIRGINIA

managing the business for him. Each phase of
the firm's work is handled by experts, and more
than seventy-five trained mechanics are constantly
engaged. The firm has a long list of completed
projects in plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and
mechanical engineering. Besides the numerous
corporations and individuals whom it has served
through the years, it has handled a variety of
government contracts.

E. K. Wilson, Sr., continued active in the man-
agement of the business until 1942, when he dele-
gated responsibility to his three sons, all of whom
grew up in the business. Since then Mr. Wilson
has given most of his time to the management of
his realty holdings. He is a charter member and
past president of the Norfolk Chapter of the Na-
tional Association of Master Plumbers. He also
belongs to the Izaak Walton League of America
and as a hunter and fisherman maintains a lodge
on Back Bay. His religious affiliation is with the
Park Place Methodist Church of Norfolk.

In 1907 Mr. Wilson married Nellie Elizabeth
Price of Norfolk, who died in 1918. To this mar-
riage were born two sons: 1. Eugene Kelsey Wil-
son, Jr. 2. Everette Knapp Wilson. In 1920 Mr.
Wilson married Martha Valleau Rathbone of
Parksburg, West Virginia, and to them were born
two children: 3. Guy Rathbone. 4. Martha Valleau,
now Mrs. William T. Linderman and living in
Norfolk. Her husband is a graduate in mechanical
engineering and is a member of the engineering
staff of the Tidewater Construction Company of
Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Linderman are the parents
of Martha Valleau, Mary Ann, and Susie Ann.

The oldest of Mr. Wilson's sons, Eugene Kelsey
Wilson, Jr., is secretary and manager of E. K.
Wilson and Sons, Inc. He was born in Norfolk
on April 1, 191 1, and was graduated from Maury
High School in 1929. He began his experience in
his father's business in his school vacation periods,
entering on a full-time basis after his graduation
from high school. He served his apprenticeship
under the guidance of his father and eacli year
assumed more and more responsibility. In 1956 he
served as president of the Norfolk Chapter of the
National Association of Master Plumbers. He is
also a member of the Lambert's Point Lodge No.
106, Knights of Pythias, and of the Masonic order.
He worships in the Episcopal Church. Hunting
and fishing arc his favorite sports.

E. K. Wilson, Jr., married, in 1935, Marie Eve-
lyn Solomon of Norfolk. They have two sons: i.
Eugene Kelsey, III. ii. Timothy Barry.

The second of the founder's sons, Everette
Knapp Wilson, is treasurer of the company. Born
in Norfolk on July 31, 191 7, he was graduated
from Maury High School in 1935 and then entered

the firm on a full-time basis, but he, too, had a
good acquaintanceship with operations through
apprenticeships served in vacation periods. He is
active in the National Plumbing and Heating Con-
tractors Association; the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce; Ocean View Lodge No. 335, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, and Lambert's Point
Lodge No. 106, Knights of Pythias. A charter
member of Norfolk Chapter of Sertoma Interna-
tional, he was the chapter's vice president in 1956.
He worships in the Congregational Christian Tem-
ple of Norfolk. Through his favorite sports, boat-
ing, fishing, and hunting, he belongs to the Lafay-
ette Yacht Club and the Cavalier Beach Club.

Everette Knapp Wilson married, in Norfolk
on August 5, 1938, Virginia W. Whitehurst, daugh-
ter of the late William C. and Ada (Curling)
Whitehurst of Norfolk. His wife is president of
the Norfolk Chapter of La Sertoma International
and a director of the Chesapeake District of the
Girl Scouts of America and also active in the
Cape Henry Woman's Club. Mr. and Mrs. Ever-
ette K. Wilson have one daughter, Claudia Nellie,
born on April 15, 1940.

The youngest of the sons is Guy Rathbone Wil-
son, vice president of the company. Born in Nor-
folk in 1924, he was graduated from Maury High
School in 1943. He began learning the business
"from the ground up" in boyhood and by the
time he assumed a full-time place in it, was well
versed in all phases of operation.

Guy R. Wilson married Marian Kea of Norfolk
and is the father of two boys: i. Guy Rathbone,
Jr. ii. Raymond Eugene.

ROBERT RIDDICK HARRELL— Since the

beginning of his business career, Robert Riddick
Harrell has been identified with the same firm.
Suffolk Iron Works, and is now its owner and
executive head. He has also been a loyal and
effective worker in civic causes, and holds mem-
bership in a large number of worthwhile organ-
izations.

He is a native of Suffolk, where he was born
011 April 11, 1899, son of Riddick R. and Eugenia
(Vertley) Harrell. His father was born in Nanse-
111. in 1 1 County as was his mother. Both are now
deceased. Riddick R. Harrell founded the machine
shop now known as Suffolk Iron Works. After
he had completed his studies in Suffolk's public
schools and at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
where he took his degree of Bachelor of Science
in Mechanical Engineering in 1921, Robert R.
Harrell joined his father, and thoroughly learned
the techniques of machine shop management before
the elder man's death. When the founder died
March 1929, he succeeded him as owner of the

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

191

business, which he has capably managed since.
The shop is located at 418 East Washington Street.

Mr. Harrell interrupted his studies at the time
of World War I to serve in the United States
Army. He was in uniform only a few months.
Since the World War II period he has served on
the local draft board, and is now its chairman.
Formerly a member of the Chamber of Commerce,
he served for six years on its board of directors.
He has taken a constructive role in the programs
of the Red Cross and the Boy Scouts of America.
Apart from his major buisness interest, Mr. Har-
rell serves on the board of directors of the Amer-
ican Bank and Trust Company at Suffolk.

He is secretary and treasurer of the Birdsong
Trust Fund, a past president of the Lions Club,
in which he still retains membership, and is af-
filiated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons. He is a member and past master of Hiram
Lodge No. 340; member and past high priest of •
Mount Nebo Chapter No. 20 of the Royal Arch
Masons; member of Portsmouth Commandery No.
5, Knights Templar; and member of Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine in Norfolk. He is also vice president
of the Suffolk Shrine Club.

A communicant of the Baptist Church, Mr. Har-
rell served for a decade as chairman of its finance
committee. He is a Democrat in his politics.

At Suffolk, on December 16, 1923, Robert Rid-
dick Harrell married Virgie Adeline Eley of that
city, who is a daughter of John Mills and Addle
Clifton (Lewis) Eley, both natives of Southamp-
ton County and both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Harrell are the parents of three children: 1. Betty
Anne, born September 1, 1927. She married A.
S. Kyle, 3rd, and they have two children: i. A.
S. Kyle, 4th. ii. Virginia Margaret. 2. Robert
Riddick, born August 29, 1937. 3. John Clifton,
born December 21, 1938.

GEORGE CARTER COLEMAN— The presi-
dent of Birtcherd Dairy, Inc., George Carter Cole-
man has, in the course of his thirty-five years
as its executive head, built this concern from
modest beginnings into the leading dairy of Nor-
folk. It is in a very real sense his personal crea-
tion; and his achievement is reflected in his posi-
tion in the business and civic life of the Lower
Tidewater region.

Born May 23, 1883, near Danville in Pittsyl-
vania County, Mr. Coleman is one of six children
born to James Augustus and Mary (Shackelford)
Coleman. Both of his parents were also natives
of Pittsylvania County. His paternal grandfather
was a substantial planter in antebellum days; and
although he opposed war with the North, sup-

ported the Southern cause when the conflict came.
Of English descent, George C. Coleman can claim
among his ancestors colonial settlers in Virginia,
who have taken a prominent part in the state's
affairs down to the present time. His father was
a successful tobacco planter in Pittsylvania Coun-
ty, and at the age of seventy-five, he and his wife
moved to Danville, where they spent the rest
of their lives. He died in his ninetieth year. His
wife, the former Mary Shackelford, died at Dan-
ville at the age of eighty-two. She was a daughter
of Robert Shackelford, a planter and Confederate
veteran.

The youngest but one of the six children born
to his parents, George C. Coleman passed his
boyhood on the family farm, and received his
early education in the one-room schoolhouse near-
by. As a boy he worked on the farm and learned
about tobacco planting. At the age of sixteen,
however, he learned from sad experience that
tobacco raising can be a precarious business. On
the farm of a brother-in-law, Thomas Wills, who
had died, he raised a tobacco crop totaling about
thirty thousand pounds of leaf, cured it with the
assistance of his father — and after paying the
fertilizer bill, netted sixty dollars for his season's
work. This was his last try at tobacco farming.

Deciding he needed more education, he enrolled
at the Commercial College of Danville, and after
completing two years' study there, worked for
about nine months in the office of W. D. Hill,
a South Boston lawyer. Finding office work too
confining, he returned home and at the age of
twenty, began his career in the dairy business at
Danville. For a time he was associated with Hen-
ry Millner, and later with W. H. Hallenbeck,
who came from Syracuse, New York, and who
was to become Mr. Coleman's father-in-law. Their
firm was known as the Banner Dairy, and was
located in Danville. Mr. Coleman later acquired
Mr. Hallenbeck's interests, and continued to oper-
ate the Banner Dairy for several years. He sold
it to come to Norfolk, where he saw better op-
portunities.

He arrived in that city in 1915, and first be-
came a milk producer for Edward J. Birtcherd,
who had founded the Birtcherd Dairy a few years
before. The founder had little interest in the re-
tailing aspect of his business, and on August 1,
1921, sold to Mr. Coleman the small dairy to-
gether with about two hundred head of dairy
cattle producing certified milk for the Norfolk
trade. This marked the beginning of the present
organization, which has, however, retained the
Birtcherd name. In consequence of the growth
and development of the dairy, it became necessary
in 1929 to move into larger quarters. Mr. Coleman
leased the property at the corner of 12th and

TWVa. 20

192

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Monticello Avenue. By this time, Birtcherd Dairy
was serving customers throughout Norfolk, Ports-
mouth and the surrounding area. Continued
growth made still larger quarters imperative by
193". a"d at that time the firm bought the pro-
perty between i6th and 17th streets on Mon-
ticello Avenue, and there erected one of the most
modern plants of its kind in the Norfolk area.
It was stocked with the best equipment for pro-
cessing and handling milk, and throughout the
years since, has enjoyed continued growth and
success. It draws its quality raw milk from farms
in adjacent counties, some of which have dealt
with the dairy for many years. When World War
II brought a considerable shortage of milk pro-
duced locally, together with an increased public
demand for the product, the company built a new
plant at Amelia, in the rolling Piedmont section.
One of the finest and most complete in its re-
gion for the collection, refrigeration and handling
of milk, it developed the supply potentialities of
that area. The milk is cooled at the Amelia plant,
and transported by tank trucks to Norfolk. The
company uses the most modern sanitary methods
yet devised to assure Birtcherd dairy products a
place of supremacy.

In 1947, a complete renovation was made of the
plant which had been occupied since 1937, the
most modern and efficient equipment being in-
stalled. The preceding year, additional facilities
for the manufacture of ice cream had been in-
corporated into the plant. Birtcherd Quality Ice
Cream has become as popular as the other
products.

When Mr. Coleman acquired the Birtcherd in-
terests in 1921, about fifteen men were employed
in the business. Today there are three hundred
names on the payroll. Retail home milk delivery
is confined to Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia
Beach; but wholesale outlets comprise these areas
and Newport News and the Hampton and War-
wick trade areas as well.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Coleman has for many
years taken a deep interest in fine dairy cattle.
Until about five years ago, he maintained a herd
numbering between four and five hundred head
of Holstein and Guernsey cows on the Coleman
Dairy Farms in Princess Anne County. He re-
tains membership in the Virginia Dairymen's As-
sociation and the National Dairy Association, and
is a 7iiember and past president of the Dairy
Products Association.

Over the years he has taken a constructive
interest in civic and public affairs. He served on
the Norfolk County Board of Supervisors from
1924 to 1940, and was chairman of the board for
eight years. A member of the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce, he is a past director of the organi-

zation. He was formerly a member of the Nor-
folk Rotary Club, and still belongs to Owens
Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of
Norfolk. Identified with the higher bodies of the
York Rite, he is a member of Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. His favorite pastime is deep-sea fishing,
and he has extensively fished the waters of both
the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

On October 10, 1910, at Danville, George Car-
ter Coleman married Eleanor Margaret Hallen-
beck, daughter of W. H. Hallenbeck, Mr. Cole-
man's early partner. She has always maintained
an interest in the family business. The couple
were the parents of six children: 1. Ruth Mar-
garet, who married Herbert Denny of Norfolk.
He is with the Birtcherd Dairy. 2. James A., who
attended Fork Union Military Academy and Vir-
ginia Polytechnic Institute. He was closely as-
sociated with his father in the operation of the
dairy, and was vice president and general manager
at his untimely death on December 27, 1948. A
capable young business man, he is greatly missed
within the organization, but contributed much of
lasting value to it. He was married to the former
Margaret Colonna of Norfolk. 3. Rachel, who
married George Miller, a Norfolk business man.
4. Emily, who married Sidney Jordan of Norfolk-
County. 5. George Carter, Jr., who attended Sweet-
water Military Academy, from which he entered
the Army Air Corps for service in World War
II. He trained as a pilot; and while on a B-29
mission between Saipan and Japan, in the closing
days of the war, his plane was lost. A young
man of promise, known for his amiable qualities
as well as his manly virtues, he leaves the re-
cord of an exemplary life, for the encouragement
of those shocked and saddened by his death. 6.
Robert Henry, who attended the public schools
of Norfolk, and is now with Birtcherd Dairy, Inc.
He married Patricia Pillar of Norfolk. Mr. and
Mrs. George C. Coleman now have nine grand-
children.

JOHN T. NIX— Head of the John Nix Realty
Company, with offices at 54 Afton Parkway, Crad-
ock, Portsmouth, John T. Nix has also used his
leadership effectively in civic causes. Among other
posts, he holds membership on the Portsmouth
Port Authority and is one of the commissioners
of the Portsmouth Planning Commission.

Born January 29, 1912, at Williston, Florida,
he is a son of Claude Elmore and Julia (Todd-
ings) Nix of Portsmouth. His father is directing
head of C. E. Nix and Son, a fuel oil distributor
for the Sinclair Refining Company, with head-
quarters in Portsmouth. John T. Nix received his
early education in the public elementary and high

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'93

schools of West Palm Beach, Florida, and later
took a business course at Norfolk College. Before
completing this business course he was offered a
position with the Sunshine Biscuit Company's
branch at Norfolk as junior bookkeeper. He took
this offer and filled the position for five years.
At the end of that time he accepted a position
with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as
credit manager of its Portsmouth branch. The
company later transferred him to its Richmond
branch as retail credit manager there, a position
lie continued to hold until 1938.

At that time, Mr. Nix resigned to enter busi-
ness in his own name, forming the Tidewater
Fuel Oil Company, which he headed as president
and manager. He entered the real estate field in
June 1953, forming the John Nix Realty Company
of Cradock. In addition, he is real estate appraiser
for the Mutual Federal Savings and Loan As-
sociation of Portsmouth and is a recognized au-
thority on real estate values.

Aside from his business activities, John T. Nix
is perhaps best known for the active part he has
played in civic affairs and particularly for his role
in developing the potentialities of the ports of the
Hampton Roads area. He is a committee chair-
man on the development of the Portsmouth water-
front in association with the Portsmouth Chamber
of Commerce and serves on the Portsmouth Port
Authority as a commissioner. He is an effective
advocate and leader in the movement to merge
the Portsmouth Port Authority, the Norfolk Port
Authority, and the Elizabeth River Tunnel Com-
mission. Under the plan proposed by this group,
profits from the Tunnel Commission's operations
would be used to support needed port improve-
ments in the area.

Mr. Nix is also a member of the Hampton
Roads Foreign Commerce Club, the Portsmouth
Executives Club, and the Portsmouth Assembly
Club. He is an associate member of the American
Building & Loan Institute. Attending the Monu-
mental Methodist Church of Portsmouth, he has
served on its board of stewards.

On April 20, 1940, at Portsmouth, John T. Nix
married Ruth Porter, daughter of Amos E. and
Alie (Garris) Porter. They are the parents of two
children: 1. John T., Jr., born June 28, 1941- He
is attending Woodrow Wilson High School. 2.
Margaret Edwards, born February 18, 1945. She is
attending John Marshall Elementary School. The
family resides at 1044 Naval Avenue, Portsmouth.

capacities from his early years with the organ-
ization, he is now its president.

A native of Suffolk, he was born on September
25, 1899, son of Luther Wellons, Sr., and Stella
Carlysle (Frawner) Caulk. Both parents are now
deceased. His father too was born in Suffolk, and
his mother in Richmond, Virginia. The younger
Luther W. Caulk attended the public schools of
his native city and graduated from Suffolk High
School in 19 17. He entered Virginia Polytechnic
Institute in the Class of 1922, but was a student
there for only one year. This being the period of
World War I, he was a member of the Student
Army Training Corps.

Mr. Caulk first worked at Suffolk Oil Mill in
1917, and he has been identified with the firm
without interruption since 1921. His advancement
to executive rank was rapid, and he was made
secretary in 1925. In 1945 he was promoted to
the presidency. The company is engaged in the
crushing of peanuts for the extraction of oil, which
is refined for the salad oil sold under the brand
name of "Somillo." The plant and offices of the
firm are on Bank Street in Suffolk.

During the World War II period, Mr. Caulk
served his community as a member of the draft
board. As an industrialist, he is a member of the
American Chemical Society. His hobby is flori-
culture, and he is a member of the Virginia Camel-
lia Society and the Southern California Camellia
Society. As a golfer he is a member of the Virginia
Senior Golf Association, Princess Anne Country
Club, and Farmington Country Club at Charlottes-
ville. He is also affiliated with the Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, a member of Hiram Lodge No. .
340, of which he is also a past master. He is a
member of the chapter of the Royal Arch Masons
at Suffolk. He is also a Rotarian and attends the
Congregational Christian Church. Besides his
camellia-growing and golf, Mr. Caulk is also fond
of fishing.

In Suffolk, on June 8, 1934, Luther Wellons Caulk,
Jr., married Louise Epps Brinkley of that city,
daughter of Preston Sydney and Addie Hester
(Mitchell) Brinkley. Her father, who is deceased,
was in the lumber business at Suffolk.

LUTHER WELLONS CAULK, JR.— Since the

beginning of his career, Luther Wellons Caulk, Jr.,
has been engaged in the peanut oil production in-
dustry. Serving the Suffolk Oil Mill in executive

THEODORE BAKER is president and man-
ager of Twin City Tobacco Company. Inc., of Nor-
folk. This firm, which was organized September 1.
1919, with two salesmen, one truck to carry out
its distribution schedule, and the city of Norfolk
as its territory, is today one of the longest-estab-
lished and most favorably known wholesale tobacco
houses in Tidewater Virginia. In addition to
quality brands of cigars— Garcia y Vega, Admira-
tion, Florida Queen, Red Dot, Lord Clinton — it

'94

LOWKR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

also acts as distributor for Lowney's box candies,
fountain supplies, paper products, and sundries. It
now serves the entire Tidewater area, and also acts
as government suppliers, its products reaching
numerous ships' stores and post exchanges in the
Fifth Naval District. R. D. Gornto, who founded
the Twin City Tobacco Company, died in 1939. His
widow continued to operate the business until Sep-
tember 19, 1941, when Theodore Baker purchased
the firm. He remains its president and manager;
his wife, Grace C. Baker, is vice president; and
John Andrew Baker is secretary and treasurer. The
first location at which the Twin City Tobacco
Company operated was at 902 Main Street. When
larger quarters were required, it moved to 211
Bank Street, and there conducted business until
1944. In 1943 Mr. Baker had purchased from John
I. Clark the three-story building at 916-918 Main
Street. This new structure, with fifteen thousand
square feet of floor space, was occupied on January
1. 1944, and continued as the headquarters of the
firm until the disastrous fire of March 15, 1952.
This tire, which originated in an adjoining building,
destroyed the Twin City Tobacco Company Build-
ing, its contents, and delivery equipment. Mr.
Baker pays tribute to assistance from his com-
petitors in enabling him to re-establish business
within fifteen days. Since April 1, 1952, the firm
has successfully operated from headquarters at 605-
607 Botetourt Street.

Since acquiring the business in 1941, Theodore
Baker has greatly expanded its volume of business.
In today's operations, he uses seven salesmen and
five trucks, serving the Tidewater area. Its reward-
ing growth has been the result of excellent cus-
tomer relationships and longstanding friendships,
coupled with the traditions of service established
by the founders and carried on by the present man-
agement. As government suppliers, the Twin City
Tobacco Company has extended the same capable
and efficient service to Uncle Sam as it has to
civilian customers. The company takes especial
pride in the fact that so many employees have been
with the organization throughout the majority of its
existence. It would be fitting, if space permitted, to
name these people, whose long service, efforts, and
loyalty have made the company's progress possible.

Theodore Baker, head of the firm for over a
decade and a half, was born August 15, 1903, on
the Island of Crete, off the Grecian coast, and is a
son of Andrew and Christine Baker. His parents,
of Greek descent, w'ere both natives of Crete, where
they lived their entire lives. Andrew Baker, who
died in 1953 at the age of eighty-two, was a mer-
chant who supplied coal to ships in Suda Bay
harbor. Mrs. Baker survived him by one year, and
died at the age of eighty. The couple were the

parents of four sons: Emanuel and Nicholas, who
remained in their native land, and Theodore and
John Andrew, both of whom came to the United
States and settled in Norfolk.

It was on January 3, 1917, that Theodore Baker
arrived in this country, coming to Norfolk to make
his home with his mother's sister, Catherine Chris-
told. As a lad of fourteen, Theodore Baker first
became acquainted with the English language and
the customs of his adopted country. He soon over-
came the many obstacles faced by an immigrant
boy, and shortly after his arrival went to New
Brunswick, New Jersey, where from March 1917,
until late in 1919, he was employed by the phar-
maceutical firm of Johnson and Johnson.

Mr. Baker then returned to Norfolk, where he
entered the employ of the Cummings Confectionery
Store at Granby and Charlotte streets, working at
the soda fountain. There he continued for nine
months, and during that time enrolled in evening
classes at Maury High School, where he completed
a four-year course. The first business venture which
lie undertook in his own right was the acquisition
of a half-interest in a shoe-shine parlor which he
helped establish at 116 Granby Street. He managed
this business for fifteen months, then sold his in-
terest. In the meantime he had acquired a half-
interest in the California Confectionery Company
at 601 Botetourt Street. In 1933 he became sole
owner of this business, and until 1941 devoted his
full time to its management. At that time he pur-
chased the Twin City Tobacco Company; but he
still retains ownership of the California Confection-
ery Company. It is managed, however, by his
brother John Andrew Baker, who came to Amer-
ica in 1937 and is a veteran of World War II.

Mr. Baker was widely known for the excellent
line of imported wines and champagnes sold
through the California Confectionery Company. He
came to be considered a conoisseur of fine wines,
and operator of one of the most reliable distributor-
ships in the state.

Through his own efforts, Theodore Baker has
achieved a high position in the business and civic
life of Norfolk and the Lower Tidewater area. A
member of the Norfolk Tidewater Wholesale
Credit Association, Inc., he is currently serving as
its treasurer, and he is member of the board of
directors of the Norfolk Wholesalers Association,
Inc. He is also a member of the National Candy
Wholesalers Association, Inc., and the National
Association of Wholesale Tobacco Dealers. In his
own city he is active in the Chamber of Commerce,
and he is a member of the American-Hellenic Edu-
cational and Progressive Association and a com-
municant of the Greek Orthodox Church. Mr.
Baker keeps himself well informed on a variety of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'95

subjects and takes a vital interest in governmental
affairs. He gives his support to the Democratic
party. He is fond of reading, particularly bio-
graphical works, and is widely traveled. In 1937
he, Mrs. Baker, and their son, then twenty months
old, left on a tour of Europe which continued for
six months. They visited Mr. Baker's birthplace on
the Island of Crete.

Mr. and Mrs. Baker were married on March 3,
J935, at Norfolk. She is the former Miss Grace
Canias, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
daughter of the late George and Sophia (Orphan)
Canias, now of Norfolk. Mrs. Baker is a member
of the Daughters of Penelope and of the Greek
Orthodox Church. The couple are the parents of
four children: I. Theodore, Jr., born on December
ln. i<>35. He attended Norfolk Academy, graduated
from Maury High School, and is now a student at
the University of Virginia, where he is majoring
in business administration. 2. George Andrew, born
October 13, 1938. He attended Norfolk Academy,
graduated from Maury High School, and is now
attending the College of William and Mary in
Williamsburg. 3. Byron Alexander, born March 21,
1945. He is attending Walter Taylor Elementary
School. 4. Paul Christopher, born December 14,
1949. The family residence is at 919 Redgate
Avenue, and they have a summer home at Sixty-
fourth and Ocean Front, Virginia Beach.

JOHN ARAGONA— As president of Norfolk
United Builders, Inc., John Aragona has been the
developer of several major subdivisions in his city
and is a builder of fine homes. He is a man of
dynamic force and creative ability, as well as
courage and persistence.

A native of Calabria, Italy, he was born on
January 6, 1906, son of Savario and Filomena
(Mauro) Aragona. His father has remained in Ca-
labria and is a retired businessman. He has made
several trips to America, but has never planned to
settle in this country. John Aragona is one of seven
children — four sons and three daughters — born to
his parents. He received his education in the schools
of his native province and learned the cabinet-
maker's and carpenter's trades in his home city.
He was eighteen years old when, in 1924, he came
to the United States. He located first at Jamaica,
Long Island, New York, and there followed the
carpenter's trade, in the course of time becoming
a contractor and builder of homes. Not content to
confine his efforts to the construction of residences
alone, he turned his attention to the development
of subdivisions, carrying on this development work
in several localities.

By the early years of World War II, he was in
Norfolk, and there, as head of the Arade Con-

struction Company, he erected three hundred houses
in 1942-1943. He was active in other cities as well
during the war period. At Baltimore, Maryland, he
erected the Edgewater Apartments, comprising six
hundred units, and at Lorain, Ohio, built about
two hundred homes. In the years immediately fol-
lowing the war, his activities included the erection
of several thousand houses on Long Island and the
Argo Village project at Elmont, New York, with
one thousand, six hundred homes and a shopping
center.

In 1952 Mr. Aragona returned to Norfolk, where
he concentrated his attention on residential con-
struction and subdivision development. Outstanding
among the projects on which he has worked in the
greater Norfolk area in recent years have been
Diamond Springs, where he erected about five
hundred and fifty homes in 1952-1953, and Crest-
wood, a South Norfolk development where he
erected two hundred and fifty homes in 1954. His
most recent project is Aragona Village, compris-
ing about eight hundred acres bordering on Vir-
ginia Beach Boulevard, six miles from the heart of
the Norfolk business district, and eight miles from
Virginia Beach. Opened in 1955, Aragona Village
is made up of home sites eight thousand square
feet in area, costing between eleven thousand and
fifteen thousand dollars. Every effort has been
taken to make a complete and perfected community
of this development. It already has paved streets,
city* water supply and sewer system, and a modern
elementary school, and the beautiful Princess Anne
County High School is nearby. There are some
three thousand homes, and the Aragona Village
shopping center comprises fifty stores.

A liberal contributor to many worthwhile pro-
jects in Princess Anne County and greater Norfolk,
Mr. Aragona possesses vision and civic spirit which
have meant much to this region of Virginia. He
is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club, Cavalier Yacht and
Country Club (all of his home area), North Hills
Country Club of New York, and Huntington Cres-
cent Club of Huntington, Long Island, New York.
He and his family are members of the Star of the
Sea Roman Catholic Church at Virginia Beach. Mr.
Aragona is fond of the outdoor sports of golf,
boating, fishing, and hunting.

On July 24, 1929, in New York City, John Ara-
gona married Virginia Farino, a native of that
city. They are the parents of five children: 1.
Rachel, a graduate of Marymount College at
Tarrytown, New York. She married Lawrence
Anthony Sancilio of New York, a graduate of Holy
Cross College, who is now associated with Nor-
folk United Builders, Inc. They are the parents of
a son, Anthony. 2. Rose, also a graduate of Mary-

196

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

mount College. She married Emil Mohut of New
York, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania
and now an electrical contractor in New York
City. They are the parents of two children: Emil
and Richard. 3. Joan, who is attending Florida
Southern College. 4. John, Jr. 5. Eugene. These two
young sons are attending Augusta Military Aca-
demy. The family's residence is "Linlier," in Prin-
cess Anne County.

Newport News. His fraternity is Delta Kappa
Epsilon. He attends the Central Methodist
Church.

Mr. Wilson is unmarried. He makes his home
in Hampton.

VICTOR P. WILSON has practiced law at
Hampton since he was admitted to the har over
a quarter-century ago. He is now senior partner
in the firm of Wilson and Wilson, with offices
at in North King Street, Hampton. Since 1950,
he has been serving in the Yirginia State Legis-
lature.

Born in Hampton on September 24, 1902, he
is a son of the late Thomas H. and Bettie A.
(Hogg) Wilson. His father, who was burn in
York County in 1869, had spent most of his life
as a merchant in Hampton and is now deceased.
Mrs. Wilson, also a native of York County, died
on July 4, 1935. Victor P. Wilson received his
early education in Hampton public schools, and
graduated from high school there in 1920. He
began his advanced courses at Yirginia Poly-
technic Institute, where he was a student for
three years. Later he attended the University
of Virginia, graduated there in 1928, and took
the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and his Bache-
lor of Laws degree as well.

Admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia
in 1927, Mr. Wilson began his practice at Hamp-
ton as soon as he had graduated from law school.
For some years be conducted a general practice
under his own name, an 1 in 1954, took into
partnership his nephew, T. H. Wilson, 2nd. They
remain partners in the firm of Wilson and Wil-
son. Victor P. Wilson is active in the Virginia
State Bar Association and the Hampton Bar As-
sociation.

A Democrat and a loyal party man, Mr. Wil-
son has served as chairman of the Democratic
Executive Committee of Hampton and as secre-
tary of the First Congressional District Demo-
cratic Association. Mr. Wilson was a delegate
from the first Congressional District to the
Democratic National Convention in 1956. He was
first elected to the Yirginia General Assembly
in 1950, and in 1952 he was elected State Sena-
tor, an office he held until 1957.

Lodge activities constitute Mr. Wilson's major
social interests. He is a member and past dis-
trict deputy of Hampton Lodge No. 366 of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
the lodge of Fraternal Order of Eagles, also at
Hampton, the Loyal Order of Moose lodge at

CHARLES CLIFFORD GRANT, JR.— In the

lite of Norfolk, Charles Clifford Grant, Jr., exer-
cised a vital and constructive force. Although his
span of years was brief, they were years of ac-
complishment, and he rose to a position of promi-
nence in civic and fraternal as well as business
affairs. From the beginning of his career, he headed
his own business, the Grant Electric Company,
but this well-managed enterprise was only one
channel through which he served his fellow citi-
zens, and he became a major influence in the af-
fairs of his native city. He gave much to the
groups in which he took part, and his death at
the age of forty-six brought to a close a career
filled with useful endeavor.

Born on December 15, 1901, in Norfolk, he was
a son of Charles Clifford, Sr., and Martha Mel-
vina (Fisher) Grant of that city. His paternal
grandparents were George Washington and Kath-
erine (Corbell) Grant. His father was for twenty
years a meteorologist with the United States
Weather Bureau in Norfolk and spent a similar
period of time as secretary of the Norfolk Cotton
Exchange.

Charlie Grant, as he was best known among
friends and business associates, received his edu-
cation in the public schools of Norfolk and gradu-
ated from Maury High School. He began his
business career with George Tait and Sons of
Norfolk. When he was hardly past his majority,
he decided to cast his lot with the infant radio
industry, which then, in 1922, was still in the
crystal-set era. It was in that year that, in associa-
tion with his brother George N. Grant, he founded
the Grant Electric Company. He served as presi-
dent and general manager of this firm until his
death.

From modest beginnings, the organization a-
chieved a gratifying success in a highly competi-
tive merchandising field, in which integrity, intel-
ligence, and practical business sense were essen-
tial factors. The Grant brothers opened their store
at 3516 Colley Avenue and, after ten years at that
location, moved to 120 West Freemason Street.
Two years later, the steadily increasing volume
of trade brought a need for larger quarters, and
the firm then relocated at 430 Boush Street, where
Grant Electric Company conducted the only ex-
clusively electrical retailing business in downtown
Norfolk. As a progressive and capable business-
man, Charles C. Grant's career was characterized

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

'97

by vision and courage, and he advanced each step
with a clean record of accomplishment, a high
standard of business ethics, and faith in the possi-
bilities of his trade.

His achievements brought him recognition in
his city and in trade circles. An organizer of the
Electric League of Norfolk, he served as presi-
dent of that organization and was also president
of the Retail Merchants Association during 1944-
1945, when in addition to the usual duties of the
office, he took the lead in promoting war bond
sales among the city's merchants. He was a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce, served on the board of directors
of the Norfolk Savings and Loan Association, and
was a member of its loan committee, and was also
a member of the advisory board of the Salvation
Army. In 1937 he served as president of the Cos-
mopolitan Club and also held a number of im-
portant committee posts in that organization. A
member of Ruth Lodge No. 89 and Cavalier
Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and of
Auld Consistory of the Scottish Rite, he belonged
to the higher bodies of Masonry and held the
Thirty-second degree. In 1946 he was elected il-
lustrious potentate of Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, dur-
ing which time the Shrine sponsored the first Oys-
ter Bowl game which was played for the benefit
of the Crippled Childreus Hospital. These games
have been continued through the years. He was
a member of the Izaak Walton League and the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
His church was the First Presbyterian of Norfolk.

Mr. Grant left an excellent record of civic
service. Into the performance of each of his many
activities, he brought the enlivening quality of a
delightful personality, a fine sense of humor, and
a spirit of companionship.

On October 14, 1943, in Norfolk, Charles Clifford
Grant, Jr., married Marie Snyder, a native of
Baltimore, Maryland, and daughter of Gustave
and Mary (Yost) Snyder. Her father, who died
in 1936, was a marine engineer. Mrs. Grant has
been active in community affairs. She is a mem-
ber of the First Presbyterian Church. The couple
were the parents of one son, Charles Clifford, III,
born June 14, 1945.

Mr. Grant's death came suddenly, in consequence
of a heart attack, on February 2, 1948. The news
of his passing brought sorrow wherever he was
known, proportionate to his contribution to the
life of his city and to the service of his fellows.
A tribute paid him by the board of the Norfolk
Savings and Loan Association, on which he served,
expressed the sentiments of all who knew him.
It read in part:

. . . His years on earth were not many, as men's lives are
measured ; and yet he accomplished much. The time during
which we were privileged to have him with us in guiding the
destinies of this organization was all too short. His warm
personality, wise counsel, breadth of experience, and high
character were assets we can ill afford to lose . . .

ALLEN BYNUM, JR.— One of Portsmouth's
younger business leaders, Allen Bynum, Jr., is
president and manager of the Bynum Finance
Corporation, with offices in its new building at
430 County Street, at the corner of Dinwiddie and
County streets.

Born February 4, 1928, in Norfolk, Allen By-
num is the youngest of four children born to
Allen, Sr., and Bessie M. (Fisher) Bynum. His
father, a native of Wilson, North Carolina, came
to Portsmouth in 1924 as manager of the Sea-
board Finance Corporation. He remained active
in the financing field for twenty-five years. On
March 3, 1947, the Bynum Finance Corporation
in Portsmouth was organized and Allen Bynum,
Sr., later became president and head of the organi-
zation. He died May 19, 1949. He was a member
of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, the
Lions Club, and the Parkview Methodist Church.

Allen Bynum, Jr., has followed in his father's
footsteps professionally and began his connection
with the Bynum organization as a runner. He
was educated in the public schools of Portsmouth,
graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School
in 1947. He then joined the Bynum firm which
was organized in that year. While still a young
man, he received sound training in his chosen
field of endeavor from his father and was well
prepared to succeed him at the head of Bynum
Finance Corporation, although he had reached his
twenty-first birthday only a short time before. He
successfully directs an organization with ten peo-
ple on its payroll, which serves people throughout
the Tidewater area, as well as in Portsmouth.
Known as "a friendly organization," it engages
in various types of financing, making loans up to
six hundred dollars. The officers, in addition to
Mr. Bynum as president and manager, are Bessie
M. Bynum, vice president, Effie Dey Holcomb,
secretary and treasurer. B. E. Beale is chairman
of the board. The directors are Allen Bynum, Jr..
L. Dow LedBetter, B. E. Beale, Effie Day Hol-
comb, and Bessie M. Bynum.

Mr. Bynum is a member of the Portsmouth
Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Association
of Small Loan Companies, the National Consumer
Finance Association, the Portsmouth Retail Mer-
chants Association, the Exchange Bureau (a fi-
nance clearing house), and the Portsmouth Lions
Club. He attends Parkview Methodist Church.

Besides his major business connection he is

i98

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

also owner of Bynum Motor Sales, at 707 Airline
Boulevard, on the corner of Hamilton Avenue by-
pass and Airline Boulevard, which is known as
Bynum's corner, Portsmouth. He and his sister,
Mrs. Doris (Bynum) Cassell. are also partners
in Bynum Florist, at 344 Broad Street in the
same city.

On June 20, 1953, Allen Bynum, Jr., married
Ethel Ann McNair of Portsmouth. They are the
parents of three children: I. Belinda Ann, born
April 18, 1954. 2. Allen, 3rd, born October 29,
1955- 3- Virginia Marion, born November 24, 1956.
The family lives on Courtney Road, Onelia Acres,
Portsmouth.

JOHN TWOHY, II, has been active in organ-
izing a number of firms in the construction in-
dustry over the years. His major interest has been
the Commonwealth Sand and Gravel Corporation,
with headquarters in Richmond, which he founded
nearly thirty years ago, and has since served as
president. It has a division at Norfolk, headed by
his son, John Twohy, IV (q.v.). He has established
the family in a very substantial way as leaders in
the construction and supply field; has held office
in a number of corporations in other spheres of
commerce; and has found time for leadership in
civic and organizational affairs.

Mr. Twohy is a native of Norfolk, born on June
II, 1900, in the house in which he still resides. He
is a son of John and Katherine (Dugan) Twohy.
His father, who was born near Waterford, Ireland,
came to the United States at the age of thirty-one,
and his first position here was with the Standard
Oil Company at YVeehawken, New Jersey. He
came to Norfolk in 1882, and became a stevedoring
contractor in the city, remaining active in that work
until his death on February 3, 1914. He was presi-
dent of Lamberts Point Towboat Company, and
owner or part-owner of about seventy-five schoon-
ers. He had other business interests as well, in-
cluding the Citizens Bank of Norfolk, of which he
was a director. His wife was born in Portsmouth.

Reared in Norfolk, John Twohy, II, received his
early education in St. George's Private School,
and he later attended Norfolk Academy and George-
town Preparatory School in Washington, D.C. He
went on from there to advanced studies at the
University of Virginia.

He was attracted to the construction field in ear-
ly manhood, and in 1925 purchased the Aberdeen
Sand Company at Aberdeen. North Carolina. This
firm he continued to operate until 1951, and as it
had by then become a relatively minor part of his
management interests, he sold it to a number of
his employees. Meantime, in 1928, he had purchased
the land presently occupied by the plant of the

Commonwealth Sand and Gravel Corporation, in
Henrico County. Shortly afterwards, he organized
this company, of which he has remained the ex-
ecutive head to the present time.

It was also in 1928 that Mr. Twohy purchased
the Ready-Mixed Concrete Company at Richmond,
Virginia, and this firm was merged in 1954 with
Commonwealth Sand and Gravel Corporation. In
1932 he purchased the Transit Mixed Concrete
Company in Norfolk, and has operated the business
under that name to the present time. Ready-Mixed
Concrete is operated as a division of the parent firm,
and is headed by his son. In 1933, John Twohy,
II, formed the Interstate Sand and Gravel Corpo-
ration, but this was later merged with Common-
wealth. It was also in 1933 that he and associates
purchased the local operation of the Shearman Con-
crete Pipe Company, wdiich had a plant at Nor-
folk. This the industrial executive operated until
1946. At that time it was sold to other interests, and
its name was changed to The Mid-Atlantic Con-
crete Pipe and Products Corporation. However,
Mr. Twohy has held the office of vice president
in the emergent organization since it has operated
under that name.

At the present time, Commonwealth Sand and
Gravel Corporation has its main office on Darby-
town Road in Richmond, and a branch office and
plant at Norfolk. Employing over two hundred
people in its overall operations, it has grown to one
of the largest concerns of its kind in the state. In
addition to the Ready-Mixed Concrete Division, it
has an Interstate Sand and Gravel Division, with a
plant on the southern branch of the Elizabeth
River at South Norfolk.

In addition to his executive leadership in the
firms mentioned above, John Twohy. II, has served
as vice president and a member of the board of
Norfolk Federal Savings and Loan Association,
and he has been for many years a director of Col-
onial Stores. For four years he held the office of
president of the Norfolk Advertising Board.

Over the years, he has performed many valuable
services on behalf of his community. During the
depression years, he served on the Mayor's Ad-
visory Committee for the Works Progress Admin-
istration. He has served, in more recent years, as
chairman of the campaign fund of the Norfolk
Community Chest, and was for many years a mem-
ber of its board. He has also held positions as
treasurer and member of the board of directors of
the Norfolk Hospital Association.

A Catholic in his religious faith, Mr. Twohy
has also been a devoted worker for Sacred Heart
Church. For many years he served on the board of
the Bureau of Catholic Charities, and he has been
a member of the lay boards of St. Vincent de Paul

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

199

Hospital. He is a member of the Knights of
Columbus.

Mr. Twohy is a member of the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, and since his college days at
the University of Virginia, has been a member of
Delta Phi fraternity and the Skull and Keys. As an
undergraduate, he was for two years business man-
ager of Corks and Curls, the university's yearbook.

An independent in his politics, Mr. Twohy has
nonetheless won the political backing to play an
important role in his city's public life. He was a
member of the Norfolk City Council from 1946 to
1950. He is a veteran of service in the United States
Navy in World War I, his period of service total-
ing four years. He held the rating of chief boat-
swain's mate. He has been active in the affairs of
the American Legion, as a member of Post No. 35.
He has served as vice chairman of the Norfolk
Council of the Legion; and in 1940 was chairman
of its Department of Virginia's membership com-
mittee.

In Cleveland, Ohio, on September 10, 1924, John
Twohy, II. married Grace Elizabeth Merrick,
daughter of Frederick Chapman and Grace Eliza-
beth (Gilman) Merrick. To their marriage three
children have been born: I. John, IV, who is the
subject of an accompanying biographical sketch. 2.
Patricia Ann, who was born on March 18, 1930.
She is the wife of Dr. George H. B. Rector. 3.
Edward Merrick, who was born on October 20,
1934, and is now a student at the University of
Virginia. Mrs. Twohy, like her husband, has taken
a constructive part in community and civic activi-
ties. She is a member of the lay boards of St.
Vincent de Paul Hospital and Leigh Memorial
Hospital. She was one of the organizers of the
Children's Entertainment Bureau, and also a
founder of the Town and Country Garden Club.
She has served as president of the Garden Club of
Norfolk, and is a member of the Garden Club of
America. Active in the Junior League of America,
she formerly served as a regional director.

JOHN TWOHY, IV— The career of John
Twohy, IV, is closely linked with the construction
industry at Norfolk. He is vice president of the
Commonwealth Sand and Gravel Corporation, and
manager of the Ready-Mixed Concrete Division
of that company, the latter having its plant and
general offices at Norview Avenue and Virginian
Railway. Main offices of Commonwealth Sand and
Gravel Corporation are at Richmond, Virginia. The
firm was founded by his father, John Twohy, II,
who remains its president, and is also general man-
ager of its overall operations. Its extensive oper-
ations make it one of the largest firms of its kind

in Virginia. In addition to its Ready-Mixed Con-
crete Division, its operations include the Interstate
Sand and Gravel Division, with plant on the south-
ern branch of the Elizabeth River at South Nor-
folk, and the Richmond office, located on Darby-
town Road in that city. As distributors of sand,
gravel, concrete, and fill, the corporation has had
an important part in construction operations in the
greater Norfolk area, Tidewater Virginia, and the
state as a whole.

Born January 7, 1926, in Norfolk, John Twohy,
IV, is a son of John Twohy, II, and Grace Eliza-
beth (Merrick) Twohy. His father is likewise a
native of Norfolk, while his mother was born in
Cleveland, Ohio. Of Irish descent, the Twohy
family has long been identified with community
life in Norfolk. The record of John Twohy, II,
founder of Commonwealth Sand and Gravel Corpo-
ration, is to be found in an accompanying sketch.
Mrs. Twohy, the former Grace Elizabeth Merrick,
is a daughter of Frederick C. and Grace (Gilman)
Merrick of Cleveland, Ohio, where both the Mer-
rick and Gilman families have long been prominent.
John, II, and Grace Elizabeth (Merrick) Twohy
became the parents of three children: 1. John, IV,
whose career we consider in this sketch. 2. Pat-
ricia Ann, now the wife of Dr. George H. B. Rector.
IK- i*. now practicing medicine in Norfolk. 3. Ed-
ward Merrick, who is completing his courses at
the University of Virginia.

Receiving his early education in public and pri-
vate schools in Norfolk, John Twohy, IV, later
attended Lawrenceville School in New Jersey,
where he graduated in 1944. He then entered naval
service, being assigned to the V-12 program at the
University of Richmond. He was later in the Naval
Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University
of North Carolina, also taking regular courses there
and receiving his degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1946 after only two years' study. He was commis-
sioned an ensign in the United States Naval Re-
serve in 1946, and entered active service with the
general task force on the West Coast as radio-
logical safety officer. He concluded his active duty
in June 1947, and retains the rank of lieutenant,
junior grade, in the United States Navy Inactive
Reserve.

Immediately following his release from active
naval duty, Mr. Twohy entered the Commonwealth
Sand and Gravel Corporation on a full-time basis.
As vice president of the corporation, and man-
ager of its Ready-Mixed Concrete Division, he has
contributed much to the expansion of the business.
Its plant and facilities are among the most modern
in the Norfolk area, and it produces the highest
quality of concrete. In this operation, twenty-three
skilled workers are employed, and the product is

TWVa. 21

2O0

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

distributed by fifteen radio-dispatched concrete-
mixing trucks.

John Twohy, IV, is a director of the Virginia
Ready-Mixed Concrete Association. In his home
city he serves on the junior board of the Central
Young Men's Christian Association, and is a mem-
ber of the Norview Lions Club and the Lafayette
Yacht and Country Club. His social fraternity is
Beta Theta Pi. He and his family attend Sacred
Heart Roman Catholic Church, and he is a member
of its Holy Name Society. He is fond of the out-of-
doors and his favorite sports are hunting, fishing,
and boating.

On July 10, 1948, at Norfolk, John Twohy, IV,
married Margaret Addington, daughter of Joseph
Clark and Helen (Murphy) Addington. Her father
is a wholesale lumberman in Norfolk, being presi-
dent of Addington-Beamon Lumber Company. Mrs.
Twohy was born in that city on October 3, 1926.
She is a graduate of Maury High School and Sweet
Briar College in Virginia. She is active in com-
munity and social affairs, being a member of the
Junior League of Norfolk, the Junior Garden Club,
Leigh Memorial Hospital Women's Auxiliary, and
the Norfolk Society of Arts and Sciences. Mr. and
Mrs. Twohy are the parents of four children: I.
Margaret Merrick, born June 25, 1949. 2. Jane
Clark, born September 29, 1950. 3. Elizabeth Ad-
dington, born December 8, 1952. 4. Anne Dabney,
born March 19, 1956.

DARLING DEVINE JONES— Sound training
and experience in the transfer and warehousing
business has formed the background on which
Darling Devine Jones has built his successful firm,
D. D. Jones Transfer and Warehouse Company,
Inc., at Norfolk. This firm, which has a record of
nearly three decades of service to customers in
Virginia and the Carolinas, has two locations in
the city — at 209-225 West Main Street, and 630
Poindexter Street.

Mr. Jones was born on April 1, 1893, in Harnett
County, North Carolina, son of Edgar A. and
Louise Elizabeth (Jones) Jones. Both parents were
natives of North Carolina and both are now de-
ceased. His father, a lumberman and a farmer,
died in 1920. The oldest of five children born to his
parents, D. D. Jones passed his boyhood in Har-
nett County, where he received his early education.
He later attended business college in Raleigh, after
which he began his career in the retail grocery
business.

In 1918 he sold his interest in his store and came
to Norfolk, which has been the scene of his ac-
tivities since. His first position there was with the
David Pender Grocery Company, but not seeing
a future in a clerk's job at twelve dollars per week,

he left later the same year to accept a position as
supervisor of warehouse operations at the Lam-
bert's Point Docks for the United States Engi-
neers. He continued in this connection until 1920,
and for several years following, he was employed
by the Southgate Storage Company as superin-
tendent of piers in warehousing merchandise. Mr.
Jones's next association was with Libby McNeill
and Libby Company, which placed him in charge
of its Norfolk warehouse operations. He later be-
came sales representative for Virginia with this
firm, and had his headquarters at Roanoke.

In 1928, Mr. Jones resigned his position with
Libby, McNeill and Libby to organize his own
business. He had had sufficient experience in trans-
fering and warehousing, and likewise sufficient con-
fidence in his own abilities, to promise a likelihood
of success. As it was first founded, the firm was
known as the D. D. Jones Transfer Company, of
which Mr. Jones was sole owner. The first location
of the concern was at the Bay Line Docks at the
foot of Main Street. From a modest start in three
thousand square feet of warehouse space and two
trucks in operation, he continued to expand and
to build, over the years which followed, the ex-
tensive facilities of the D. D. Jones Transfer and
Warehouse Company, Inc. The firm was incor-
porated under that name in 1937, and Mr. Jones
has been its president ever since.

The company has grown into one of the largest
of its kind in the entire Tidewater area, with modern
warehouse space of fifty thousand square feet
located at 209-225 West Main Street, purchased
in 1943, occupying an entire block bounded by
Jackson, Mathews, Kelly and Main streets, which
includes the Norfolk and Western Railway siding
and the gasoline station. In the course of further
expanding its operations in 1954, the company pur-
chased a three-and-one-half-acre site at 630 Poin-
dexter, and there erected one of the most modern
warehouses in the greater Norfolk area. This too
has fifty thousand square feet of floor space and
every facility for the storage and distribution of
merchandise. The truck terminal is the Norfolk
center of operations for the Davidson Transfer
and Storage Company of Baltimore, Maryland,
operating north, the Hennis Freight Line of Win-
ston-Salem, North Carolina, operating west; and
the Bruce Johnson Freight Line operating south
to Atlanta. The D. D. Jones Transfer and Ware-
house Company operates a freight line to Carolina
and to Virginia points as far north as Richmond.
It specializes in daily freight service, in all types
of merchandise storage, and acts as pool car dis-
tributors. The company's success and growth have
been made possible by its ability to offer a prompt
and dependable service.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

It has prospered by efficient management and
by obtaining and utilizing the most efficient equip-
ment, and employing practices in handling and
storage that are conducive to safety and economy.

In its overall operations, the D. D. Jones Trans-
fer and Warehouse Company, Inc., has seventy-
five employees on its payroll, and fifty-seven trucks
or trailer-trucks with radio communications for
contacting the home office over a twenty-five-mile
area. Plans are now being completed to add seventy
thousand square feet of storage space to its ware-
house facilities, to keep pace with customer de-
mand. The present officers of the firm are D. D.
Jones, president; T. H. Jones, executive vice presi-
dent; Edna E. Ricks, secretary; and L. G. Bur-
roughs, general manager. The firm is a member of
the American Trucking Association, the Southern
Motor Carriers Rate Conference, the D. H. Over-
myer Warehouse Association and the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Jones himself belongs to the Norfolk Traf-
fic Club, and Owens Lodge No. 164, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons. A member of the higher
bodies of Masonry, he holds membership in Auld
Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a mem-
ber of Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and the Knights of Pythias. He is
a communicant of the Larchmont Baptist Church.

Fond of outdoor life, Mr. Jones acquired in re-
cent years a fine farm property at Como, in Hertford
County, North Carolina. There he and Mrs. Jones
now reside. He commutes daily to Norfolk to
supervise the operation of his business. On his
farm he raises peanuts and cotton, Hereford and
Black Angus cattle. His favorite sports are fishing
and hunting.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1914, Darling
Devine Jones married Letitia Harris of Williams-
burg, Virginia, daughter of the late T. H. and
Letitia (Warburton) Harris. Mr. and Mrs. Jones
are the parents of four children: 1. Elizabeth, who
is a graduate of the College of William and Mary,
and is married to Dr. Leslie H. Pierce, on the
staff at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Mary-
land. Dr. and Mrs. Pierce are the parents of three
children: Letitia, Beverley, and Leslie H., Jr. 2.
Thomas Harris. He is a graduate of Virginia Poly-
technic Institute, where he majored in chemical en-
gineering. During World War II, he served as a
captain in the United States Army Air Corps and
was in the Pacific Theater of Operations. On his
return to civilian life, he joined D. D. Jones Trans-
fer and Warehouse Company, and is now executive
vice president. Thomas H. Jones married Dorothy
Butler of Norfolk, and they are the parents of

three children: William, Robert and Letitia Jones.
3. Letitia Gregory. She is a graduate of William
and Mary College, and is married to John Henry
Walker, Jr., an architect practicing in Richmond.
They are the parents of four children: Letitia Greg-
ory, Virginia. Henly Mary, and John Henry
Walker, III. 4. Robert Warburton.. He graduated
from the University of North Carolina with the
degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Ad-
ministration. During the Korean War he served
in the United States Army Corps of Engineers as
a second lieutenant. He is now with the D. D.
Jones Transfer and Warehouse Company. Robert
W. Jones married Josephine Gaither of Charlotte,
North Carolina, and they are the parents of one
son, Robert Warburton Jones, Jr.

ROBERT RAMSEY MARQUIS— With an ex-
cellent background in various phases of engineer-
ing and construction work, Robert R. Marquis
founded the general building contracting firm which
bears his name at Portsmouth in November 1945.
He has remained owner and president of the or-
ganization, which has its headquarters at 2229 Coun-
ty Street. In the intervening years, it has become
an important factor in commercial, industrial, and
institutional construction in Tidewater Virginia.
Its steady growth is soundly based on quality of
workmanship, integrity, and fair dealing. Robert
R. Marquis, Builder, employs about fifty men year-
round. Office staff includes William Armistead,
office manager and estimator; Mrs. Viola Vance,
bookkeeper; and William Vandiver, timekeeper.

As one of the major commercial, industrial, and
institutional construction firms in Portsmouth and
the Tidewater region, the company has erected
five new F. W. Woolworth Company stores and
has remodelled and enlarged the two Woolworth
stores at Portsmouth in the past three years. It
has built the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, an
addition to Ohef Sholom Temple, and such com-
mercial buildings as the Wards Corner Hofheimer
Store. Under Mr. Marquis' capable direction, it
has also erected the Oakwood School, Norview
School, Ingleside School, Southwestern School and
Ocean Air School and additions to Churchland Ele-
mentary School, the Ann Street School, and the
Emily Spong School in Portsmouth.

A native of Ellwood, Pennsylvania, Robert R.
Marquis was born August 16, 1906. Following his
education in public schools, he attended Chicago
Technical College, taking evening courses in con-
struction engineering and graduating in 1928. Early
in his youth he began his career in the construc-
tion field and worked for various builders through-
out the Eastern states. In 1940 he came to Ports-
mouth, where he joined the construction depart-

202

LOWKR TID1 WATER VIRGINIA

ment of the F. W. Woolwot'th Company. Follow-
ing the completion of this company's project in
Portsmouth, he entered the employ of the Rust
Engineering Company of Pittsburgh, as construc-
tion superintendent on projects at the Norfolk
Navy Yard. He continued in this connection, of
value to the defense program of the United States,
until the end of World War II.

In November 1945, he left to organize his own
firm, Marquis Construction Company, at Ports-
mouth, and the organization has operated with
gratifying success under his management. Mr. Mar-
quis is a member of the board of directors of the
Virginia Branch of Associated General Contractors
of America and is a member of the board of direc-
tors of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. He
is a member of the Portsmouth Lions Club. Af-
filiated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
he is a member of Seaboard Lodge; the Royal
Arch Masons; the Scottish Rite bodies; and Khedive
Temple. Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Portsmouth
Shrine Club and served as its president in 1948-
1949. A communicant of the Green Acres Pres-
byterian Church, he now serves as a deacon.

At Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on August 16, 1929,
Robert R. Marquis married Lilly Ann Edge, daugh-
ter of Samuel and Lilly (Malcomb) Edge. Mr.
and Mrs. Marquis are the parents of two daughters:
1. Ann J., born September 9, 1930. She attended
Mary Washington College and in 1953 graduated
as a registered nurse from Norfolk General Hospital.
She is now a registered anesthetist. She married L.
E. Potts, Jr., of Virginia Beach, and they are
the parents of a daughter, Shirley Ann Potts. 2.
Gloria Jane, born September 21, 1937. She is now
attending Richmond Professional Institute, where
she is majoring in business administration. She
married Norman Goodloe, Jr., of Portsmouth, who
is majoring in the same subject at the University
of Richmond. Mr. and Mrs. Marquis make their
home at 722 Sterling Point Drive, Portsmouth.

JOHN THORNTON WITHERS— Suffolk's

veteran insurance executive, John Thornton With-
ers, gained experience in his field through posi-
tions of leadership in several organizations, be-
fore forming his own firm. West and Withers.
This was the predecessor of the Suffolk Insurance
Corporation, which was formed a short time be-
fore his death, and which remains one of the major
firms of its kind in the region. Mr. Withers' varied
interests included banking, and civic service through
the medium of local organizations.

The Withers line has been traced from Edward
I of England, through the two succeeding English

monarchs of that name, through Edmund, Duke
of York, and his son, Richard, Earl of Cambridge.
Alice, daughter of Richard, married Thomas Mus-
grave; and a descendant, Eleanor Musgrave, mar-
ried Christopher Lancaster. A daughter of this line,
Eleanor Lancaster, married Richard Claiborne;
and this couple were the grandparents of John
T. Withers' first forebear to locate in Virginia.
William Claiborne, who died in the Commonwealth
in 1676. From him the line descends through Wil-
liam (2) Claiborne, who died in 1683; his daughter,
Frances, who married John Withers in 1714; Enoch
Keene Withers, born October 4, 1716, and his wife
Janet Chinn; Robert Walter Withers, who was
born February 22, 1795, and married Susan Dabney
Anderson; and Austin Chinn and Missouri Taylor
(Riddick) Withers, who were the parents of John
Thornton Withers. This couple were also the
parents of other children: 1. Nathaniel Riddick,
who was horn in 1872 and died in 1920, and who
married Rosa Etheridge. 2. Missouri Kilby, born
in 1873; married Arthur Woolford. 3. Robert
Walter, born in 1875; married Louise B. McAdams.
4. John Thornton Withers was the next born, and
he is the subject of the following sketch. 5. Janet
Alexander, born in 1879; married William Herbert
Darden. 6. Anna Chinn Withers, who died un-
married.

Born at Suffolk on June 15, 1877, John Thornton
Withers attended public and private schools there,
and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. After service
in the Spanish-American War, he began his career
in the insurance field about the turn of the century,
working in the office of the firm of Woodward
ami Elam in Suffolk for a few years. He later left
to join Harper and West, likewise an insurance
agency. When he later bought an interest in this
firm, he joined Mr. West as a partner in operating
it under the new name of West and Withers. Mr.
Withers continued in his managerial duties with
this steadily growing general insurance business
until very nearly the end of his career. Just prior to
his death, which occurred in September 1948, it was
incorporated under its present name, Suffolk In-
surance Corporation.

Mr. Withers was also a director of the Farmers
Bank of Nansemond, and had served as vice presi-
dent and chairman of its board for some time
before his death. A communicant of St. Paul's
Episcopal Church in Suffolk, he was a member of
its vestry. He was a member of the lodges of the
Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks and was a Rotarian. He
also belonged to the Princess Anne Country Club
at Virginia Beach, and enjoyed golf and fishing
as his favorite outdoor sports. He was a Dem-
ocrat in his politics.

WfccWo

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

203

On October 25, 1905, John Thornton Withers
married Miss Phoebe Jones, daughter of prominent
banker William H. Jones, Jr., whose biographical
record accompanies this. Mr. and Mrs. Withers
had the following children: 1. Sarah Virginia. She
married Walter W. Shelley of Minnesota, who is
in the real estate business in Jacksonville, Florida.
They have one son, Walter Davis, Jr. 2. Mary
Taylor. She married Harvard R. Birdsong, whose
biography is to be found in this work, and they
have three children: Sally, Susan and Mary Har-
vard Birdsong. 3. William Jones. 4. Doris Emmie.
She married Horace Phillips McNeal of Norfolk,
who now holds the rank of commander in the
United States Navy. Commander and Mrs. McNeal
are the parents of three sons: Joseph Ross McNeal,
2nd, Thornton Withers, and Horace Phillips, Jr.
5. Phoebe, who married Henry Callender Field,
Jr., of Seattle, also a commander in the United
States Navy. They have four children: Henry Cal-
lender, 3rd, Thornton Withers, Peter Jones and
Phoebe Withers Field.

Mr. Withers' death occurred at Suffolk on Sep-
tember 9, 1948.

WILLIAM H. JONES, JR.— A banker who
took a leading role in the development of the
Farmers Bank of Nansemond, William H. Jones,
Jr., came to the Lower Tidewater area from
Georgia, having been born in Charlton County,
that state, on October 13, 1861. He was a son of
William H., Sr., and Emma (Copeland) Jones,
and his father was a native of Nansemond Count),
who had gone to Georgia to engage in the naval
stores business. Attending local schools and Rich-
mond College, the younger William H. Jones
completed commercial training at Eastman Busi-
ness College in Poughkeepsie, New York, then
joined his father in the Georgia enterprise.

Shortly afterwards, however, they returned to
the Tidewater region, and at the age of twenty,
Williams H. Jones, Jr., became a clerk in the
Farmers Bank of Nansemond. In January 1883,
shortly after he had come of age, he was appoint-
ed cashier of this bank, a position he held until
his death. Commenting on his career, a local
journalist wrote:

During his almost thirty-four years' administration of the
affairs of the bank he saw it grow from a small business to
one of the foremost ranking banks in the country, and its
phenomenal success was largely due to his great ability and
efficiency as a banker.

An editorial in the "Evening Mail," at the time
of his death, gives us this fuller picture of his
achievements, and of his character as a banking
executive:

. . . William Henry Jones, Jr., in his way, was a genius, for
he probably was the greatest country banker in America.

When he became cashier the bank had a capital of $20,000
and a modest business. When he died it still had a capital
of $20,000, but its undivided profits were far in excess of
$1,000,000, and it stood at the head of American banks in
point of capital to surplus . . . Mr. Jones was the bank. He
was its heart and its soul. He had been raised on a farm
and he loved the soil. The development of the country, the
well-being of the people, were of deepest interest to him.
Farmers came to him with their problems and their troubles.
He was their friend. He knew their children by their first
names.

Mr. Jones took a helpful part in every program
for community betterment. He was also an earnest
worker in the Suffolk Christian Church, and served
for some years as chairman of its finance com-
mittee. He was a member of the lodges of the
Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.

On January 23, 1884, William Henry Jones, Jr.,
married Miss Sallie Virginia Jones. They became
the parents of three daughters: Mrs. John Thorn-
ton Withers (whose late husband is the subject
of an accompanying biography) ; Mrs. Horace W.
Phillips; and Miss Dorris Jones.

Mr. Jones' death occurred on August 5, 1916.
One of the more fully expressed tributes to the
man and his work is found in a resolution passed
by his fellow directors of the Farmers Bank of
Nansemond. This reads in part:

... A frank ami genial disposition, a mind well-trained and
directed by a strong will and a high character, a broad vision
in commercial affairs and the rare ability to properly measure
men and quickly grasp and fairly judge the merit of any
proposition submitted to him, peculiarly qualified him For his
work. With the success of the Bank as the sole object of his
business ambition, he dedicated his splendid energies to its
service and determined to make it one of the noted financial
institutions of the country . . . His worth, his charm of associa-
tion, his friendship and affection will lie perpetuated in the
hearts of each one of us. His high character and lofty ideals
have been interwoven into all the policies of the institution.
Ili> death is a distinct loss to this community. Its growth is
due in no small measure to his business sagacity and wise
foresight. As a central figure in its business and financial life,
his advice was frequently sought and freely given, and to
such advice many business interests in this section can, and.
we have no doubt, do attribute their success.

JAMES THOMAS MORELAND— One of

Norfolk's senior business leaders, James Thomas
Moreland has played a large part in the upbuild-
ing of the city's long-established seed store. George
Tait and Sons, Inc.

This firm was founded by George Tait, who
was among the ablest seedsmen of the past cen-
tury when the seed trade, and the science of .yer-
minology itself, were young. He was born in Had-
dington, east of Edinburgh, Scotland, and in his
vouth had crossed the English border. In England

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

he gained his first knowledge of the seed business,
and had entered the field commercially when an
older brother, Robert L. Tait, who had come to
the United States in 1859, suggested that George
cross the ocean and join him in the turpentine
works he had established at Wilmington, North
Carolina. It was a time of mounting political tur-
moil, and the brothers' partnership had not long
been established when the war broke out. Both
were commissioned as officers in the 18th Regi-
ment of North Carolina Infantry, Robert being
captain of Company B and George captain of
Company K, a command he held until March 1862.
He resigned then with the rank of major, to be
commissioned a lieutenant colonel and placed in
command of the 40th Regiment of North Caro-
lina (Third Artillery). His military career came
to an end in 1865, while he was serving as colonel
of the 79th Regiment (Eighth Cavalry I.

When he returned to peacetime pursuits, a bleak
prospect faced George Tait, as it did the other
Confederate veterans. The turpentine works had
been destroyed when Wilmington was captured
by Federal troops in January 1865. He decided to
return to the seed business, and in 1869, opened
his store in Norfolk under the name of George
Tait, Seedsman. This business has been in continu-
ous existence ever since, although as the years
brought changes in management, size, and cor-
porate structure, it became known as George Tait
and Sons, Inc. It was in 1885 that the founder
first took into the business with him his oldest
son, James C. Tait, and in 1887 another son, Wil-
liam L., joined the firm. The style of George Tait
and Sons was adopted at that time. At about the
same period, a new building was erected at 55
Commercial Street, which was described as the
tallest and most ornate in Norfolk — five and one-
half stories in height. The company located in this
building, which in later years was enlarged by an
annex at the rear. In addition, two warehouses,
with a siding on the Norfolk and Western Rail-
road, were acquired to accommodate the firm's
expanding operations and were maintained by the
company until 1956. In 1889 a young man named
Tom Moreland began his work in the store. His
career, as present head of the company, will re-
ceive our attention shortly. Another son of the
founder, Robert Tait, came to work in 1895. Under
the leadership of Colonel Tait, the organization
grew and prospered, and Tait's Thoroughbred
seeds won a wide reputation and public confidence.
Colonel Tait died in 1898, and his son, James C,
succeeded him as head of the firm.

In 1912 William L. and Robert Tait retired
from the business, and their interests were bought
by James Thomas Moreland and David B. Black-

wood. Air. Blackwood had come into the business
in 1899. James C. Tait died in 1919, and his interest
was purchased by Mr. Moreland, Mr. Blackwood,
and Frank W. Beach. At that time, Mr. More-
land became president; D. B. Blackwood, vice
president and treasurer, and Mr. Beach, who had
joined the organization in 1910, was made secre-
tary. The three were associated for many years
in the management of the company, and their
long relationship was terminated in 1938 by the
death of Mr. Blackwood, whose interest was pur-
chased by Mr. Moreland and Mr. Beach. These
two head the company at the present time. Mr.
Beach is the subject of an accompanying sketch.

The firm of George Tait and Sons, Inc., has
kept apace with the times, and its progressive and
thoroughly trained management have developed
an ever-wider market for Tait's Thoroughbred
Seeds, as its products continue to be known. They
are sold throughout Maryland and North Caro-
lina as well as Virginia, and on this superior and
reliable merchandise the firm has built an excel-
lent customer relationship. In addition to produc-
ing and distributing Tait's Thoroughbred Seeds,
the firm acts as wholesale and retail headquarters
for seeds of other producers, and for plants, bulbs,
fertilizers, sprayers, insecticides, lawn grasses, and
all types of gardening equipment. The organization
carries on an extensive mail-order business over
a wide territory, and annually issues about thirty
thousand catalogs. On its staff are experts in
each field it serves. Enjoying good employee re-
lationships, George Tait and Sons, Inc., has a
high percentage of employees who have been with
the firm for many years. Its offices and warehouse
facilities are most modern, and insure pleasant
conditions for efficient work. In keeping apace
with the times and with the demand for its pro-
ducts, the Tait Realty Corporation has been or-
ganized, which has purchased a two-and-one-half-
acre site at the southeast corner of Tidewater
Drive and Virginia Beach Boulevard. In 1956
a new retail store, general offices, and warehouse,
comprising fifty thousand square feet of floor
space, were erected — considered to be one of the
most modern plants of its kind in the United States.
The new building, which has ample parking space
and its own railroad siding, was erected at a cost
of a quarter of a million dollars, and was first
occupied by the firm in September 1956. Here
the long-established firm will take care of its con-
stantly expanding business, and be able to serve
its many old and new customers in a more effi-
cient manner.

The present officers of George Tait and Sons,
Inc., are James T. Moreland, president; Frank
W. Beach, executive vice president and treasurer;

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

205

John R. Herrick, vice president; and Mary L.
Butler, secretary.

James Thomas Moreland, familiarly known as
Tom since his early days in the organization, is
a native of Norfolk, born on October 18, 1872,
the son of Richard Rogers and Agnes (Bready)
Moreland. His father was also a Norfolk native,
who died in 1879 at the age of thirty-six. He was
a retail dry goods merchant, whose store and
home were both located at 286 Bute Street. He
was a veteran of service in the Confederate States
Army. His wife, the former Agnes Bready, was
born in Ireland, daughter of James Bready who
had brought his family to this country and to
Norfolk before the war. One of four children born
to his parents, Tom Moreland received his educa-
tion in the public schools of Norfolk, but his for-
mal education was limited by the fact that he had
to assist his widowed mother in the support of
the family. At the age of thirteen he entered the
employ of the Mapp Company, manufacturers of
tin ware, coffee pots, buckets, and other kitchen-
wares, in Norfolk. He continued there for twenty-
two months, and for a like period was employed
by the Reynolds Brothers, cotton brokers of Nor-
folk.

On July 1, 1889, he began his employment under
Colonel George Tait, founder of George Tait and
Sons, Inc. He clerked in the store and gradually
assumed additional responsibilities in its various
phases of operations. With the incorporation of
the firm, he became vice president, and as pre-
viously noted had from time to time acquired a
considerable financial interest in the firm. With
the death of James C. Tait in 1919 he became
president. His nearly four decades at the head of
the Lower Tidewater's major industrial and com-
mercial firms, and more particularly his record of
well over threescore years with the same organi-
zation, have few parallels in the history of the
region. Throughout the years he has had a major
part in promoting the prosperity and expansion
of the business, and with his cumulative experience,
has been able to lead George Tait and Sons, Inc.,
to a place as one of the most widely recognized
seed houses in the trade.

Mr. Moreland has had a prominent part in the
growth and development of Norfolk throughout
the most active period of its history, and is re-
garded as one of its leading citizens. For thirty-
five years he has been a member of the Norfolk
Rotary, and through his firm, also holds member-
ship in the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the
American Seed Trade Association, and the South-
ern Seedsmen's Association. A communicant of
the First Presbyterian Church, he has long been
active in its work and has served on its board

of elders for thirty-five years. For recreation he
enjoys gardening and floriculture.

In Norfolk, on October 20, 1908, James Thomas
Moreland married Mary Virginia Fiveash of that
city, daughter of Joseph G. and Mary Virginia
(Staylor) Fiveash. Her father was prominently
identified with the newspaper business as co-owner
of the Public Ledger in Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs.
Moreland reside at 731 Maury Place, Norfolk.

FRANK WHITFIELD BEACH— The exec-
tive vice president and treasurer of George Tait
and Sons, Inc., Norfolk's long-established seed
firm, Frank Whitfield Beach has played a signi-
ficant role in the firm's development over a long
period of time. The history of this organization
is to be found in the career record of James
Thomas Moreland, its president, who has been
Mr. Beach's associate throughout the latter's con-
nection with the firm. While they are senior mem-
bers of Norfolk's business fraternity, their progres-
sive management and ready adaptation to the
changing needs of the times have kept their firm
in the forefront and assured its steady progress.
It occupies one of the most modern plants of its
type, on Tidewater Drive, completed in 1956. Mr.
Beach's leadership has emerged in organizational
and civic connections as well.

Born December 12, 1892, in Norfolk, Mr. Beach
is a son of George Frank and Nina Armstrong
(Ewell) Beach. His grandfather. Captain George
W. Beach, was a native of Boston who served in
the Union Army. Stationed for a time in Norfolk
during the war, he was impressed by the possibili-
ties of the "enemy" city, and despite the bitter
and conflicting spirit which existed generally, he
made a number of friends there. He returned to
Boston with the close of the war, but shortly after-
wards moved with his family to Norfolk, where he
made his home for many years. His son George
F. Beach received his education there, and he
married a native of the city, Nina Armstrong
Ewell, who died in 1950 at the age of eighty-two.
Frank Whitfield Beach was the oldest of the four
children born to them.

Educated in the public schools of Norfolk, lie
graduated from Maury High School in 1910, and
immediately entered the employ of George Tait
and Sons, Inc. He began his connection as an
office boy, and familiarized himself with the vari-
ous departments. Showing a marked aptitude for
management, he was named secretary of the firm,
of which Mr. Moreland became president and D.
B. Blackwood vice president. The three men con-
tinued their close association in the executive di-
rection of the firm until 1938, when Mr. Black-
wood died. His interest was purchased by Mr.

206

LOWER TIDEWATKR VIRGINIA

Moreland and Mr. Beach, who have since retained
control of the business,

In 1910 Mr. Beach became secretary of the
company and as executive vice president and treas-
urer since 1946, Mr. Beach has had a conspicuous
role in the promotion of the company and of its
sales volume. It sells its Tait's Thoroughbred
Seeds directly, through its wholesalers and repre-
sentatives, to customers in all parts of Maryland,
Virginia, and North Carolina, and in addition has
built up such an extensive mail-order business
that it has an annual printing of about thirty thou-
sand copies of its catalog. Besides its own seeds
and those of other producers, George Tait and Sons,
Inc., distributes fertilizers and insecticides, plant
bulbs and lawn grasses, and a variety of equip-
ment for gardeners. It has become a large organi-
zation with a staff of experts in each of its depart-
ments. With the purchase of a two-and-one-half-
acre site on Tidewater Drive at Virginia Beach
the firm began its program of expansion which led,
in 1956, to the completion of a new building cost-
ing two hundred fifty thousand dollars. This houses
the new retail store, general offices, and ware-
house; and with its spacious fifty thousand square
feet of floor space, its ample parking area, and its
private railroad siding, it compares favorably with
any such plant of its kind anywhere. Besides Mr.
Moreland and Mr. Beach, the management roster
of the corporation contains the names of John R.
Herrick, vice president, and Mary L. Butler, secre-
tary.

Through his firm, Mr. Beach holds membership
in the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and serves
on its agricultural committee. A member of the
Southern Seedsmen's Association, he serves on
its executive committee; and in 1950 he served as
president of the Virginia Seedsmen's Association.
He is a member of the American Seed Trade As-
sociation.

Since 1922 Mr. Beach has been a member of the
Kiwanis Club of Norfolk. He is a member of the
Lafayette Yacht Club, and for recreation he en-
joys gardening and floriculture, his hobbies con-
firming his genuine interest in the seeds, bulbs,
and growing things which have been the focus
of attention in his business career.

A communicant of the Knox Presbyterian
Church of Norfolk, Mr. Beach has long been one
of its devoted workers. Since 1935 he has served
as an elder, and he was formerly superintendent
of the Sunday school. He is now vice moderator
of the church. He is also president of the Presby-
terian League of the Norfolk Presbytery, Inc.,
and he serves on the committee of the Norfolk
Presbytery Home Mission.

On October 14, 1914, in Norfolk, Frank Whit-

field Beach married Sarah Catherine Feuerstein
of that city, daughter of Louis and Sarah Cather-
ine (Riggin) Feuerstein. Like her husband, Mrs.
Beach is very active in the program of the Knox
Presbyterian Church. The couple are the parents
of three children: I. Dorothy Lois, who was born
on May 30, 1916. She married Grayson Vaden and
their two children are Catherine Lee and Robert
Grayson Vaden. 2. Frank Whitfield, Jr., born on
January 7, 1921. He is a career officer in the
United States Air Force, and is stationed at Barks-
dale Field in Louisiana. He is a veteran of both
World War II, during which he was in the
European theater, and the Korean War. 3. Robert
Randolph, born on August 2, 1923. He is a gradu-
ate of Virginia Military Institute, holds the degree
of Master of Arts, and is now associated with
George Tait and Sons, Inc. Robert R. Beach mar-
ried Elizabeth Beil of Norfolk, and they are the
parents of three sons: i. Robert Randolph, Jr. ii.
John Richard, iii. James. Mr. and Mrs. Frank W.
Beach make their home at 9319 Inlet Road,
Norfolk.

VERNON ASBURY BROOKS, M.D.— In a
career of exceptional achievement, Dr. Vernon As-
bury Brooks of Portsmouth occupied a place of
eminence as a physician for fifty years, yet found
time for much constructive work as community
builder and public official. He served as mayor;
and his sponsorship of the Elizabeth River Tunnel
plan identified him as a man of progressive vision.
He was born on July 31, 1882, in Mathews County,
son of George Gamaliel and Evelyn Marshall
(Brownley) Brooks. His mother, now approach-
ing the century mark in years, still resides in Ports-
mouth. Dr. Brooks was descended from colonial
ancestors who settled in Mathews County. His fa-
ther had been a resident of Portsmouth most of
his life, and died in 1936, He was a son of James
D. and Lucy (Lilly) Brooks of Mathews County.
Evelyn M. Brownley, whom he married, was a
daughter of Jefferson Lafayette and Keturah Ann
(Forrest) Brownley, of the same county. Jefferson
L. Brownley served as a soldier in the Confederate
States Army, and after the war became a master
ship's carpenter under Commodore Maury of Con-
federate fame. Miss Forrest, whom he married,
was a daughter of John Forrest, a farmer and
veteran of the War of 1812, and of Elizabeth
(Knight) Forrest.

Dr. Brooks was a small child when his parents
moved to Portsmouth in the early 1890s. He re-
ceived his early education there, and graduated
from the old Portsmouth High School. Attracted
to a career in medicine, he first studied pharmacy,

£*

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

207

and received two diplomas as Graduate in Phar-
macy before completing his medical courses. At
the Medical College of Virginia, he graduated with
honors when he received his degree of Doctor of
Medicine in 1904. In 1907, following his internship
at Richmond, he began his private practice of
general medicine in Portsmouth, where he re-
mained as a leader in his profession for half a
century. At the outset of his practice, the town
numbered about twelve thousand population, and
the condition of transportation was such that a
ride to Westhaven was a considerable undertaking.
Throughout his career, Dr. Brooks had an extensive
practice of general medicine, attracted by his re-
markable qualities as a family physician. Love,
pride and zeal marked his attitude toward his
calling, and he ranked among the foremost diag-
nosticians. In several branches of medicine he could
easily have qualified as a specialist, but he prefer-
red general practice, which he felt enabled him to
better serve humanity. He drew his practice from
all ranks and classes, and performed much charit-
able work without prospect of remuneration. In
his long years of practice, he never sent a bill to
a patient, and no thought of comfort or conveni-
ence ever caused him to ignore a call from the
sick. For many years he was associated in joint
practice with Dr. Joseph D. Collins, dean of Ports-
mouth surgeons, who had been his classmate at
the Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Brooks served
as examining physician for many years for the
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company in
Portsmouth.

Dr. Brooks was a member and past president of
the staff of King's Daughters' Hospital, and a
member of the Norfolk County Medical Society.
For many years he served as surgeon for the Sea-
board Air Line Railroad. For services rendered as
a medical examiner for the selective service boards
in World War I, he was commended by the As-
sistant Secretary of War. From 1912 he served
for a number of years as public health officer of
Portsmouth.

While maintaining his position as one of the
city's most respected physicians, Dr. Brooks was
long a political and civic leader of Porthmouth, and
a powerful and colorful one. He was first elected
to the city council in 1920. He resumed that office
in 1928 and served continuously until 1938. He was
elected by the city council to two terms as mayor,
one beginning in 1928 and the second in 1934. His
tenure was marked by notable improvement in
long-range planning and extension of all facilities
in keeping with the phenomenal growth of Ports-
mouth. For a number of years he served as chair-
man of the joint Norfolk County-Portsmouth Ferry-
Committee. Perhaps his greatest public service was

the leading part he played in bringing about the
construction of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bridge-
Tunnel. In 1928, when he became mayor, he joined
the late Major Seth Heath Tyler in sponsoring a
bill before the General Assembly to build a com-
bination bridge and tunnel between Norfolk and
Portsmouth. The bill passed and prospects seemed
so bright for the projects that the "Virginia Pilot"
in that year published an editorial titled "Is a
Ferry Boat Necessary?" The original plan failed,
however, partly because the two cities and Norfolk
County couldn't agree on remuneration for the loss
of ferry profits, and partly because of the depres-
sion, which began shortly after the plan was ad-
vanced. In 1948, Dr. Brooks made an appeal which,
had it been heeded, might have made the transition
from ferry to tunnel service less costly. He urged
Porthmouth to support the project to create the
Elizabeth River Bridge-Tunnel at a time when the
Tunnel Commision had requested Norfolk County
and Portsmouth officials to negotiate for the sale
of ferries. The plea went unheeded. Although Dr.
Brooks fought valiantly for Portsmouth's interests
as a member of the Tunnel Commission, he was
unable to overcome the effects of the city govern-
ment's failure to negotiate at the opportune time.
But he lived to see the tube between the two cities
become a reality, and when the Elizabeth River
Tunnel Commission was authorized by the State
Legislature, he was immediately named to mem-
bership and served until his death. His progressive
attitude toward public works was thus >et forth by
columnist Pete Glazer:

It is Dr. Brooks' belief that America's unemployment
problem, such as it is, would be solved for a hundred years
by a massive program of road and bridge building. He says
the bridges of America are generally in terrible shape, and
the roads were built for horse and buggy era.

In 1938, Dr. Brooks was voted out of public
office in a political upheaval which re-established
the ward system in Portsmouth. He favored the
"at-large" system of electing the city council, to
which Portsmouth returned in 1956, and he thus
received posthumous vindication of his views. He
left a magnificent record of public service to
challenge and inspire those who follow him. Few
others have ever devoted the time and energy to the
city's progress that Dr. Brooks did. It has become
a well-recognized fact that he was often ahead of
his time, and he has also received his due as a
far-seeing, versatile and energetic leader.

Besides his status as physician and public ser-
vant, Dr. Brooks was a successful businessman. He
served on the board of directors of the American
National Bank and the Citizens Trust Company,
and was extensively engaged in real estate oper-

208

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ations. A man of remarkable vitality, he possessed
an exceptional intellect. He was an eloquent public
speaker and a master of humor. Fond of all sports,
he was especially partial to volleyball, which he
played with a group of "regulars" until age took
away this form of exercise. He enjoyed attending
baseball, football and basketball games, and prize
fights. His hobby was antiques, and he was known
as an expert collector.

A charter member of the Portsmouth Kiwanis
Club, Dr. Brooks had served as its president. He
was also a member of Lodge No. 82, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, and attended the
Monumental Methodist Church, serving on its
board of stewards.

On January 31, 1920, in Portsmouth, Dr. Vernon
Asbury Brooks married Miss Lillian Griffin of that
city, who created for him a charming and hospit-
able home, and shared his life's work and interests.
Mrs. Brooks is a daughter of the late William A.
and Agnes (Ingles) Griffin. A capable business-
woman in her own right, Mrs. Brooks is vice presi-
dent of Southern Candy Company, Inc., of Ports-
mouth. She is active in religious and civic affairs.
A member of the Monumental Methodist Church,
she was president of its Women's Society of
Christian Service in 1956. She is past president of
the Women's Club of Portsmouth; past president
of the Women's Auxiliary of the Portsmouth Gen-
eral Hospital; and a member of the Women's
Auxiliary of the Norfolk County Medical Society.
Dr. and Mrs. Brooks became the parents of two
children: 1. Vernon Asbury, Jr., born January 27,
1922. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Ins-
titute in 1942 with the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Agronomy, and then entered the armed
forces for wartime service. While serving as first
lieutenant in the Artillery Corps, he was killed in
action on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, on
March 10, 1944. 2. Lillian Ann, born August 31,
1932. She attended the College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg, and married James Watson
Hall of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hall is a
graduate of the College of William and Mary, with
a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. This
couple reside in Portsmouth, where Mr. Hall is
president and manager of the Southern Candy
Company. They are the parents of two children:
Ann Griffin and Brooks Watson Hall.

He is also survived by two sisters, Mrs. Olive
Dorin and Miss Evelyn B. Brooks.

Dr. Brooks' death ocurred on October 18, 1955.
He had lived a full, active and constructive life,
and his contributions to the city of Portsmouth will
be remembered. He possessed a happy faculty of
friendliness, and a deep devotion to his family.
Commenting on his place in the life of the city, a

local newspaper carried this appraisal in its editor-
ial columns:

Dr. Vernon A. Brooks . . . possessed remarkable vitality and
was truly a man of parts. He could talk about antique furni-
ture and baseball with equal ease and authority. He was in-
formed on almost any subject. He enjoyed a wide general
practice of medicine and at the same time knew when and
where to make a wise business investment. Overlaying all these
personal interests was a concern for public affairs which
associated Dr. Brooks with virtually every event of political
and community importance for three decades . . . Not many
men are as far-seeing, as versatile, and as energetic as Dr.
Brooks was. Portsmouth won't be quite the same without
him-

JUDGE WILLIAM WADSWORTH DEY—

Citizens of Norfolk will remember William Wads-
worth Dey as the first judge of the city's Juvenile
Court. He first took the bench in 1919, presiding
over the Domestic Relations Court as well, at
a time when such judicial units had been but little
explored in the country at large. Judge Dey helped
rewrite the laws dealing with children. He was
prominent in law practice and a constructive work-
er in civic and church affairs.

Born at Norfolk on August 9, 1882, he was a
son of the late Wadsworth and Josephine (White-
hurst) Dey. He attended the public schools of
Norfolk and prepared for his career in the law at
the University of Virginia. He later took summer
school courses at that university. Admitted to the
bar of the state of Virginia, he began his practice
in Norfolk, and that city was the scene of his
professional career for over forty years. He re-
tired in December 1952, a few months before his
death.

When in 1919 he was chosen judge of Norfolk's
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, William
W. Dey became the first man to fill that post.
He served on its bench for six years and made
an important contribution to the life of the city,
establishing the precedents on which this court
was to continue its successful record of service
to the people. Concerning this phase of his career,
an editorial writer in a local newspaper com-
mented:

With another of the pioneers in this field, Judge James Hoge
Ricks, of Richmond, Judge Dey rewrote the Virginia statutes
relating to the conduct of children's cases in the courts of the
state. He manifested an intense interest in the problems of
juveniles, and in the opportunities in this field for enlightened
counseling. His conduct of the court attracted national atten-
tion, and made its contribution to the development of the
idea of separate courts for the consideration of juvenile pro-
blems throughout the country . . . He will have an important
place in the record for his able service as the first head of
the Juvenile Court, and for the impetus he gave to the work
of that court for the future . . .

In 1925 Judge Dey was succeeded by Herbert
G. Cochran and returned to private practice, in

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

209

which he continued for twenty-seven more years.
He was active in the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar As-
sociation and other bar groups. He won his place
of eminence in the legal profession through school-
ing himself in every detail of law, being a man
of studious nature. He was well informed in near-
ly every topic of general interest and was an avid
reader, particularly of news magazines. Although
he never sought public office, he was deeply in-
terested in politics and was a man of considerable
influence in the public affairs of his community.
He was active in the work of the Church of the
Good Shepherd, which he served for many years
as a member of the vestry and as chief usher.

Judge Dey's hobby interest was dogs, and he
had a fine kennel of Great Danes. This was an'
interest which Mrs. Dey shared. They made their
home at 1045 North Shore Road. Built in 1921,
this is one of the most attractive residences of
Tidewater Virginia.

The couple were married on October 18, 1911,
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Dey, who sur-
vives her husband, is the former Miss Marie Ken-
sett Whiting. She was born in Bridgeport, Connec-
ticut, daughter of the late Frank Hitchcock and
Frances (Kensett) Whiting. Her father was like-
wise a native of Bridgeport, while her mother was
born in Baltimore, Maryland. Both are deceased.
Mrs. Dey received her education at Miss Hill's
School in Philadelphia and since her marriage has
resided in Norfolk. The couple became the parents
of three children: 1. William Wadsworth, Jr..
born November 15, 1915 ; died April 21, 1928. 2.
Frances Kensett, born October 15, 1917: she is
now with Capital Air Lines at Norfolk. 3. Armis-
tead Wheeler, born August 26, 1924. Following
his graduation from Maury High School, he served
in World War II, in the United States Navy.
Graduating from the University of Virginia in
1950, lie took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He
is now with the National Bank of Commerce at
Norfolk. On June 26, 1948, Armistead Wheeler
Dey married Marjorie Batty of Baltimore, Mary-
land. She is a graduate of Mary Washington Col-
lege at Fredericksburg, Virginia, which conferred
on her the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1948.
The couple are the parents of three children: i.
William Wadsworth, 3rd, who was born on August
20, 1952. ii. Armistead Wheeler, Jr., born Decem-
ber 11, 1954. iii. Joseph Boiling, born February 17,

1957-

Judge Dey's death occurred at Norfolk on Sep-
tember 24, 1953.

the distinction of having been connected with that
institution for more than sixty years.

Born in Vance County, North Carolina, on Oc-
tober 10, 1874, he was a son of Henry Falkener
and Lucy (Henderson) Plummer. He went to
Newport News as a youth. It was on October
10, 1892, his eighteenth birthday, when he was
just out of secondary school, that he procured a
position as runner for the bank of which he later
became the head. Subsequently he worked in every
department of the bank and filled every post,
advancing in due course to the position of cashier
and, in 1936, to the presidency, and later to chair-
man of the board. During the period of his set vice
the bank's resources increased from two hundred
thousand dollars to over forty million dollars.

Mr. Plummer at one time served as president
of the Virginia Bankers Association, and was a
member of the executive council of the American
Bankers Association. At the time of his death he
was president and director of The Mutual Home
and Savings Association of Newport News. He
served on the board of directors of the James
River Bridge System until it was disposed of
to the state a few years ago. He was a director
of the Newport News Theatre Corporation, and
served for twenty-six years on the Water Works
Commission of the City of Newport News, and
several years as chairman of this Commission.

He was chairman of the Newport News-War-
wick County Bond Committee during the period of
World War II, and past president of the Newport
News-Warwick County Community Chest. He
was active too in the work of many civic organiza-
tions. He served as vestryman of St. Paul's Epis-
copal Church of Newport News for twenty-five
years. He was a charter member and director of
the James River Country Club.

On April 22, 1908 Samuel Harriss Plummer
married Beatrice Daughtrey, daughter of William
Lamb and Beatrice Josephine (Hines) Daughtrey.
They became the parents of daughter, Beatrice
Glass, who is now Mrs. William S. Stradford of
Newport News.

SAMUEL HARRISS PLUMMER, until his
recent death, was chairman of the board of The
First National Bank of Newport News. He has

LEWIS CLIFTON WARREN— In Portsmouth
the name of Lewis Clifton Warren has long been
identified as that of a capable and devoted law-
enforcement officer. A member of the city's police
department since 1927, he has held every post
from patrolman to chief. He has served as chief
of the Portsmouth police force since his appoint-
ment by city manager I. G. Vass on January I.
1950. His organization has become recognized as
one of the most efficient in the nation. Besides
his police duties, Mr. Warren has won consider-
able acclaim through his work with youth.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Born September 14, 1905, in Portsmouth, he is
the oldest of six children born to Clifton Earl
and Lenora (Calvert) Warren of that city. His
father, now retired, was for many years employed
by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad as foreman of
the pipe and tin shop at Portsmouth. Active in
public affairs, lie served as a member of the city
council for twenty years. He was a son of Cary
W'arren, a veteran of service with the Confederate
States Army, who had served with the Grimes
Battery of Portsmouth. Chief Warren's maternal
grandfather, Lewis Cass Calvert, became a mem-
ber of the Portsmouth Police Department on
February 7, 1884. and served many years until
his death, being affectionately known in the force
as its "Grand Old Man."

Named for this grandfather and attracted to the
same career as he, Chief Lewis C. Warren re-
ceived his education in the public schools of Ports-
mouth. He began his career as an apprentice ma-
chinist with the old Dominion Marine Railway.
After four years with that organization, he en-
tered the employ of the Seaboard Air Line Rail-
road, which his father also served. The younger
man took a position as machinist with the railway,
but after one year in that position, he left to be-
come a machinist at the Norfolk Navy Yard.

On January 19, 1927, he began his long connec-
tion with the Portsmouth Police Department. A
rather full review of his accomplishments as a
law-enforcement officer was given when, in 1952,
Portsmouth Lodge of the Loyal Order of Moose
cited Mr. Warren for the annual First Citizen
Award. We quote this citation for its clear state-
ment of this phase of his career:

. . . He has served the City of Portsmouth as a member
of the Police Department for twenty-five years, working his
way up from patrolman to his present position as Chief of
Police. Under his leadership as chief, the Department has grown
both in number of personnel and in efficiency, adding a Youth
Bureau and an around-the-clock Detective Bureau, as well as
enlarging the Record Bureau. His has been a kind and
thoughtful yet positive administration. He has never shirked
his duty to the people of Portsmouth in spite of possible
political or physical injury. His men have never been directed
to undertake any mission that he himself would not participate
in personally, many times being the first man to enter places
of extreme danger. For many years he has devoted every
possible minute of his time for the betterment of younger
people, exemplifying this spirit by personally coaching, man-
aging and directing various athletic and social activities of
the younger generation. In addition, he has encouraged other
members of the Police Department to participate and assist
in the furtherance of such programs for the development of our
future citizens. He has gained nationwide acclaim as one of
the best police chiefs in the country as attested by the pr.vse
received from state and national law enforcement agencies
for his splendid cooperation in assisting them in the adminis-
traton of law and order. He has likewise been accorded special
recognition by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The
extremely low crime rate in Portsmouth is a testimonial to
the very efficient manner in which the local Police Depart-

ment operates under his able leadership. It is also noted that
Portsmouth was among the first cities to inaugurate women
policemen for school traffic duty.

His work with youth is given passing reference
in this statement, but it has long been a major
interest, and he regards it as an important phase
in the work of assuring law-abiding citizens in
future years. He has coached the American Legion
basketball team for the past six years, leading
them to victory in three of five district contests
and to receipt of the Citation Award in 1952. As
manager of the Moose Softball team, he has
brought two championships to the local lodge. In
1950 he received the Civic Award from the local
lodge of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. His lead-
ership in the field of competitive athletics resulted
in his selection as Sportsman of the Year in 1948.
Mr. Warren has served as president of the Po-
lice Association of Virginia, having been elected
to that office in 1952, and in the same year he
became president of Portsmouth Local No. 442
of that organization. Active in police organiza-
tions at the national level, he serves currently on
the Model New Building Committee of the Inter-
national Association of Police Chiefs. He is a
member of the executive committee of the Virginia
Association of Police Chiefs.

In the course of his advancement to police chief,
Lewis C. Warren served in the Traffic Bureau
as sergeant from February 1, 1933, to January 1,
J937. then as captain until January 1, 1945, when
he was promoted to inspector. He was appointed
chief of police on January 1, 1950. In his own
area he belongs to the Tidewater Police Associa-
tion and served as its president in 1953. He is
also a member and past president of Portsmouth
Police Local No. 442 and a member of the Ports-
mouth-Norfolk Police and Fire Square Club.

Chief Warren serves on the board of directors
of the Beazley Foundation. He is a member and
director of the Municipal Executives Club of
Portsmouth, a member of the Lions Club, and a
member of the Portsmouth Sports Club, which he
served as president in 1954-1955. He is an honor-
ary life member of Post No. 37 of the American
Legion at Portsmouth and a life member of Lodge
No. S98, Loyal Order of Moose. He also has fra-
ternal affiliations with the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks, and Lodge No. 558, Fraternal
Order of Eagles. He is a member of America
Lodge No. 330, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons; and also Midday Lodge Chapter of the Royal
Arch Masons; Portsmouth Consistory of the An-
cient and Accepted Scottish Rite; and Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He is a communicant of the Fourth
Street Baptist Church and a member of the Men's

TWVa. 22

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

21 1

Bible Class at the Young Men's Christian Associa-
tion.

On November 23, 1928, at Portsmouth, Chief
Lewis Clifton Warren married Margaret Grimes,
daughter of Joseph L. and Betty (Hartung)
Grimes. The couple are the parents of two child-
ren: 1. Clifton Lanier, born March 31, 1932. A
graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in the
Class of 1949, he received his degree of Bachelor
of Arts at the University of Richmond in 1952
and two years later took his Master of Arts de-
gree at the same institution, having majored in
history and English. He was awarded a fellow-
ship in these subjects and is a member of Phi
Alpha Theta national honorary fraternity. After
teaching English for one year at Great Bridge
High School, he enlisted in the United States Mar-
ine Corps and was sent to Officers' Candidate
School at Quantico. There he was seriously in-
jured in an automobile accident. He has recovered,
has been honorably discharged from the Marine
Corps, and is now completing work toward his
degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University
of Indiana, studying comparative literature. 2. Bet-
ty Lewis, born September 27, 1935. She attended
Westhampton College of the University of Rich-
mond, where she majored in speech and political
science and received her Bachelor of Arts degree
in 1957. She is very active in dramatics and a
member of the debating team. The Warren home
is at 2125 Lincoln Street, Portsmouth.

JAMES JUSTIN JOYCE— As one of the or-
ganizers of the Reliance Fertilizer and Lime Cor-
poration of Norfolk, and currently its president and
treasurer, James Justin Joyce has played an im-
portant role in the industrial affairs of the city.
His organization has its sales offices and factory
on Barnes Road, South Norfolk, and is both
manufacturer and distributor of fertilizers, fertili-
zer materials and limes. The firm had its begin-
nings in December 1933, when the late Walter
B. Mann and his associates acquired the plant
and site of A. S. Lee Sous and Company, which
had been established in Norfolk in 1917. This
firm had been founded by Arthur S. Lee of Rich-
mond, and it specialized in the processing of oyster
shells for agricultural purposes. The present cor-
poration still applies the Lee name to its limes.
In January 1934, Reliance Fertilizer and Lime
Corporation began operations, and has been pros-
pering, growing and increasing its volume of trade
since that time. As manufacturers of quality fer-
tilizers, fertilizer materials, and Lee's limes for
agricultural purposes, the production and sale of
its products has more than tripled since its found-
ing. The modern plant facilities, which have under-
gone expansion several times, now have a capacity

of twenty-five thousand tons of fertilizer, and fif-
teen thousand tons of Lee's limes. In its overall
operations the firm has about fifty employees on
its payroll. The manufactured products have a wide
distribution throughout Virginia and North Caro-
lina and are shipped by rail and trucks to dealers
and agents in the territory it serves. Reliance Fer-
tilizer and Lime Corporation is staffed with ex-
perts in each field that it serves.

Walter B. Mann continued as directing head of
the company until his death in March 1947. James
Justin Joyce succeeded him in office and is now
president. C. Guy Lawrence of Berkley served as
vice president until his death in July 1956, and
R. Scott Hill of Courtland, who came with the
firm in 1949, was vice president and sales manager
at the time of his death in July 1956. The present
officers of the corporation are: James Justin Joyce,
president and treasurer; Earl I. Greene of Church-
land, vice president; and Mrs. Marguerite Joyce
Mann of South Norfolk, vice president.

Mr. Joyce was born January 30, 1903, in Nash-
ville, Tennessee, son of the late Joseph Francis
and Mary Ellen (Flanary) Joyce. His father, a
native of Pennsylvania, was a railroad man. and
died in Nashville. Mrs. Joyce survives her hus-
band and now resides at 541 Spotswood Avenue,
Norfolk. The couple became the parents of two
children: 1. Marguerite, who married Walter B.
Mann, co-founder and first president of Reliance
Fertilizer and Lime Corporation. 2. James Justin,
of whom further.

Passing his boyhood years in Nashville, Mr.
Joyce received his public school education there.
In 1920 he came to Norfolk and began his career
with the Empire Machinery and Supply Corpora-
tion of that city, continuing with that organiza-
tion for about a year. His next employment was
with Shulman and Company, Inc., well-known
men's furnishings store of Norfolk. He worked in
various sales departments of this store until 1929.
Thereafter until 1934, Mr. Joyce was traveling
sales representative in Virginia and North Caro-
lina for the Eastern Cotton Oil Company, a sub-
sidiary of the Davidson Chemical Company of
Baltimore, Maryland.

In January 1934, Mr. Joyce, as one of the or-
ganizers of the Reliance Fertilizer and Lime Cor-
poration, of South Norfolk, began his long associa-
tion with the management of this firm. He was
at first vice president, and traveled in the Virginia
and North Carolina territory in sales promotion
work. In the succeeding years he became active
in all phases of the firm's expanding operations.
He has served as president and treasurer of the
firm since March 1947.

Mr. Joyce is a member of the National Plant
Food Institute, and he serves on the board of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

directors of the Plant Food Institute of North
Carolina and Virginia, Inc. Through his firm he
is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce
and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He
is a member of the board of directors of Merchants
and Planters Bank of Norfolk, and is a member
of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. He is a
communicant of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic
Church in Norfolk.

On October 24, 103 1, in South Norfolk, James
Justin Joyce married Eugenia Herbert Portlock,
daughter of the late Franklin L. and Marion Hun-
ter (West) Portlock. Her father, a farmer and
agriculture agent of Norfolk County, died in 1932.
Mrs. Joyce is descended from early settlers in
Norfolk County. They gave their name to the
community of Portlock, which lias now been in-
corporated into the city of South Norfolk. Mrs.
Joyce attended Hollins College and the College
of William and Mary at Williamsburg. Prior to
her marriage she taught in the South Norfolk
High School. She is a communicant of St. Paul's
Episcopal Church of Norfolk and the Edgewater
Garden Club. Mr. and Mrs. Joyce are the parents
of three children: 1. Mary Neale, born August 16,
'933- She is a graduate of Hollins College, where
she took her degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1955.
She is now engaged in educational work with the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
2. Eugenia Portlock, born January 15, 1939. 3.
Marion Hunter, born November 5. 1944. The Joyce
family home is 5332 Studley Avenue, Edgewater.

AUSTIN TAYLOR DARDEN— After a num-
ber of years in other executive posts with the Suf-
folk Insurance Corporation of Suffolk, Virginia,
Austin Taylor Darden was elevated to the presi-
dency of the firm about a decade ago. He is also
a building and loan official, and takes a lively
interest in community and organizational affairs.

A native of Suffolk, he was born on June 15,
1905, son of William Herbert and Janet (Withers)
Darden. His father, who was born in Isle of Wight
County on April 22, 1876, devoted his career to
merchandising, engaging in the retail grocery busi-
ness at Suffolk. He is now retired, and survives his
wife, the former Janet Withers. She was a native
of Suffolk.

After attending the public schools of Suffolk
and graduating from high school there in 192 1,
A. Taylor Darden entered the College of William
and Mary, where he was a student for two years.
He began his career with the National Bank of
Suffolk, and remained on its staff for three years.
In 1927 he joined the Suffolk Insurance Corporation.
His advancement within the organization was rapid,

and he became secretary and treasurer in 1928,
serving in those executive posts until 1948, when
he was promoted to the presidency. He has also
been a member of the board of directors for some
years. The company, which is engaged in the
general insurance business, was founded in 1923.
Its office is located at 165 North Main Street.

Mr. Darden is also branch manager of the Home
Federal Savings and Loan Association of Norfolk.
He is a Democrat in his politics, and a communi-
cant of the Episcopal Church, where he has served
on the vestry. Affiliated with the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, he is a member of Hiram Lodge
No. 340; the Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons;
the Commandery of the Knights Templar; and
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine at Norfolk. He is a member
of Princess Anne Country Club at Virginia Beach,
and former president of the Suffolk Lions Club.

On November 1, 1930, in Suffolk, Austin Taylor
Darden married Frances Birdsong of that city,
born February 25, 1905, daughter of T. H., Sr., and
Martha (McLemore) Birdsong, both of whom are
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Darden have two children:
1. Nancy Lewis, born March 18, 1934. 2. Austin
T., Jr., born May 27, 1936.

HENRY MacRAE PINNER— A farmer in the
Suffolk area from the early years of his career,
Henry MacRae Pinner has combined a variety of
other occupational activities with his agricultural
pursuits. He has been the owner of a hatchery, a
merchant and a lumber manufacturer. He has also
taken a lively interest in civic affairs and organiza-
tional activities.

He is a native of Suffolk, and was born on May
14, 1889, son of Millard Fillmore and Mary (Mac-
Rae) Pinner. Beginning his education in local
private schools, he completed his studies at Bing-
ham School in Asheville, North Carolina, where
he graduated in 1910. Mr. Pinner then turned his
attention to farming. This has been a major oc-
cupational interest.

Active in the Suffolk Rotary Club, Mr. Pinner
formerly served as its president. He is a communi-
cant of the Episcopal Church.

In Baltimore, Maryland, on August 30, 1917,
Henry MacRae Pinner married Lucy Ellen Wood-
land, daughter of Samuel Houston and Ellen Ridge-
ley (Burneston) Woodland. The couple are the
parents of one daughter, Nellie Woodland Pinner,
who was born on July 7, 1918. She is now the
wife of Dr. Lee G. Sannella.

SAMUEL I. WHITE— Practicing law at Nor-
folk for the past eight years, Samuel I. White is
a partner in the firm of Russo and White, which

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

2I3

has its offices in the Board of Trade Building on
East Plume Street. He completed his law training
after his return from military service in World
War II.

A native of South Boston, Virginia, he was
born on December 21, 1921, son of Abe L. and
Edith L. (Schulman) White. Both parents were
born in Vilna. Russia. Abe L. White, who came to
this country in 1907, is a merchant who has oper-
ated a store in South Boston since that time.
He was born about 1882. Mrs. White died in 1930
at the age of fifty.

After receiving his early education in South
Boston's public schools and graduating from high
school there in 1938, Samuel I. White remained
at home, engaged in various occupations, until he
entered the army in 1942. He served in the Euro-
pean Theater and received his honorable discharge
on October 5, 1945. On returning home he en-
tered Washington and Lee University, where he
received his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1950.
Admitted to the bar of his state, he started practice
at Norfolk on March 1 of that year. His partner-
ship with Philip L. Russo (q.v.) was formed in
1954. As a lawyer, Mr. White belongs to the Nor-
folk-Portsmouth Bar Association, the Virginia State
Bar. the Virginia State Bar Association, and Ameri-
can Bar Association.

Of Jewish faith, Mr. White is a member of the
congregation of Temple Israel and serves on its
board of directors. He is a member and past presi-
dent of B'nai B'rith, and is a member of John
Walters Chapter No. 68 of the Royal Arch Masons,
as well as Norfolk Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He is a member of Phi Epsilon
Pi social fraternity and Phi Alpha Delta legal fra-
ternity. In his politics, he is a Democrat. Mr.
White is fond of the out-of-doors and his favorite
sport is fishing.

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel I. White make their home
at 6424 Garland Circle, Norfolk. She is the for-
mer Harriet Shukow of New York City, daughter
of Irving and Gertrude Shukow. Both of her par-
ents are natives of New York State. Her father
was formerly in the jewelry business in New York
City and now operates a laundry there. It was in
New York City that Mr. and Mrs. White were
married on January 20, 1952. They are the parents
of two children: 1. Eric David, who was born on
May 9, 1953. 2. Phyllis Marline, born November
25, 1955-

PHILIP L. RUSSO— Member of the firm of
Russo and White, Attorneys and Counselors at
Law, with offices in the Board of Trade Building
in Norfolk, Philip L. Russo is a veteran of World

War II, who participated in the European cam-
paign.

Born in Norfolk on May 19, 1922, he is a son
of Augustine Joseph and Josephine ( Rossano)
Russo. His father, who was born in Baltimore,
Maryland, was a civil engineer, working at the
Norfolk Navy Yard for many years. He subsequent-
ly retired from that work and became an agent
for the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company,
continuing in that work until his death, which took
place on November 9, 1955, at the age of sixty-
two. Mrs. Russo survives her husband and resides
in Norfolk. She is a native of that city.

It was there that Philip L. Russo was reared
and received his public school education, grad-
uating from Maury High School in June of 1941.
He then entered William and Mary College, Nor-
folk Division, studied there for one year, then trans-
ferred to the University of Notre Dame. Before
he had completed his courses there, he entered the
service of the United States Army in June 1943.
Serving in Europe as a machine gunner with the
Ninety-fourth Division, he became a sergeant, and
was awarded four battle stars for his participation
in major campaigns. He was with General Patton's
army at the time it ran into the last stiff Nazi
resistance, known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Receiving his honorable discharge from the army
in January 1946, Mr. Russo resumed his education.
He completed requirements for both his Bachelor
of Arts and his Bachelor of Laws degrees at the
University of Notre Dame, where he graduated in
June 1949.

Admitted to the bar of his native state, Mr.
Russo began practice in Norfolk in 1950. A short
time later he left for Washington, D.C., where
he served as attorney with the Federal Trade Com-
mission for one year. He then returned to Norfolk,
and in January 1954, formed his partnership with
Samuel I. White, whose biographical sketch ac-
companies.

Mr. Russo is a member of the Virginia State
Bar and Virginia State Bar Association, and the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association. He is presi-
dent of Roma Lodge, an Italian-American organi-
zation, has served as advocate of the Knights of
Columbus, and is secretary of the Ryan Club and
also a member of the Kiwanis Club. He is of
Roman Catholic faith, and is a Democrat in his
politics. He takes a vital interest in all kinds of
sports.

On October 6, 1951, Philip L. Russo married
Mary Caligari, daughter of Eugene and Cecilia
(Sansone) Caligari. Her father, a native of Italy,
came to this country as a boy of twelve, and be-
came one of the largest painting and decorating
contractors in the South. His father, who brought

;|4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the family to this country, followed the same trade
in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Cecilia (San-
sone) Caligari was horn in Norfolk. Mrs. Russo is
active in the Junior Women's Cluh and the Sorop-
timist Club. She is trained as an interior decorator
and works part-time with her father. Mr. and Mrs.
Russo make their home at 8107 Wedgewood Drive.
They are the parents of three children: I. Mary
C, born July 2, 1953. 2. Lee Ann, born October
9. '955- 3- Philip Lee, Jr., born March 20, 1958.

PAUL KOTARIDES— As producer of the
popular Mary Jane Bread and its companion pro-
ducts, the Kotarides Baking Company, Inc., of
Norfolk, has become a well-known Tidewater in-
dustry. It was founded in 1913 by Alexander Paul
Kotarides, and has grown continuously from small
beginnings until today, under the presidency of
his son, Paul Kotarides, it is one of the largest
independently owned baking concerns in Virginia.

Its founder was a native of Tripolis which is
a suburb of Athens, Greece. Having learned the
baker's trade in his native land, and seeking better
career opportunities, he came to America in 1906,
and settled in Norfolk. Only seven years later he
established his own business. The Kotarides Bak-
ing Company was first located at 439 Church
Street. With ten employees in his organization,
he catered to the restaurant trade during the com-
pany's early years. Deliveries were made by horse
and wagon, which became a familiar sight on
the streets of the city. When a dozen years of
successful business had carried Mr. Kotarides well
into the era of automotive deliveries, he decided,
for reasons of health, to return to his native land.
There he remained from 1925 until his death in
1955. Before leaving, to perpetuate the business
which he had founded and effectively guided, he
had established a partnership with his son Paul,
and with Paul Yeonas. His son, who had grown
up in the business, took charge of sales promotion
on his father's departure, while Mr. Yeonas was
responsible for baking operations. The Kotarides
Baking Company continued on a partnership basis
until February 25, 1935, when it was incorporated,
with Paul Kotarides as president and Mr. Yeonas
as secretary and treasurer.

The company has kept pace with the times, em-
ploying the latest type of bread-making and bak-
ing facilities in its operations. Its steadily expand-
ing volume of business is the natural outcome
of progressive policies. In enlarging its operations
beyond the restaurant trade to include wholesale
outlets and distribution to groceries, the company
in 1939 acquired its present location at Sixteenth
and Granby streets, extending to Monticello Ave-

nue. Its products are distributed over a wide area
which includes Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia
Beach, Suffolk, Newport News, and extends as
far as Williamsburg, taking in most communities
in Norfolk and Princess Anne counties. While its
most famous product is Mary Jane Bread, it also
places on the market a full line of rolls and ice-
box cookies. Its present productive capacity is
well over a million pounds per month. Following
World War II, the number of routes was increased
to over fifty and the number of employees to one
hundred and seventy. In addition to wholesale
outlets, restaurants, and grocery stores, the com-
pany serves army and navy installations under
government contract. The present officers of the
Kotarides Baking Company, Inc., are Paul Kotar-
ides, president, Paul Yeonas, secretary and treas-
urer, Alex P. Kotarides, vice president and general
manager, and George Paul Kotarides, who is as-
sistant manager in charge of sales.

Paul Kotarides was born February 22, 1899, and
like his father, is a native of Tripolis, near Athens,
Greece. He accompanied his father to the United
States and to Norfolk in 1906, received his educa-
tion in the public schools there, and served his
apprenticeship in the baker's trade under his fa-
ther. In 1925, when the elder man returned to his
native land, he joined Mr. Yeonas as a partner
in the management of the company, as noted
above. Over the years, his sound judgment, vision
and acumen have been constructive influences in
the success of the business. Through his own ef-
forts, he has achieved a respected position in the
business and civic life of Norfolk and Tidewater
Virginia.

He is a member of the American Bakers As-
sociation, the Virginia Bakers Council and the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. Apart from his
trade connections, he holds membership in the
Cavalier Golf Club, and he is a Scottish Rite Ma-
son, a member of the higher bodies of the order
and of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs
to the lodges of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. His
favorite sports are golf and hunting. He and his
family attend the Greek Orthodox Church.

Mrs. Kotarides is the former Miss Areta Balas-
co of Tarpon Springs, Florida, whom Paul Kotar-
ides married in 1919. She was born in Tarpon
Springs on December 25, 1901. The couple are
the parents of four children: 1. Alexander Paul,
born April 27, 1920, in Norfolk. He graduated
from Maury High School in 1938, and from the
American Institute of Baking in Chicago in 1941.
From 1943 to 1946 he served in the United States
Navy as a baker assigned to the U.S.S. "Sarita"

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

2'5

in the Pacific, after serving at the Central Food
Processing Plant for the armed forces. In his
spare time during his student years he became
acquainted with operations at Kotarides Baking
Company, and following his naval service, entered
the firm on a full-time basis. He is now vice presi-
dent and general manager. Alex Kotarides, as he
is best known, is a member of the American
Bakers Association, and also a member of the
Virginia Bakers Council which he served as vice
president in the 1956-1957 term. He is a member
of the American Society of Bakery Engineers,
the Izaak Walton League, the American-Hellenic
Educational and Protective Association, and the
Greek Orthodox Church. Fond of hunting and
fishing, he has become owner of the Gull Island
Hunting Club, an excellent hunting and fishing
preserve of one hundred acres on Pamlico Sound
in North Carolina. On June 30, 1949, in Lincoln,
Nebraska, Alex Kotarides married Helen Chris-
topoulos, daughter of Angelos Chris and Patricia
(Isaguris) Christopoulos. Her father is engaged
in the real estate business at Lincoln, and both of
her parents were born in Tripolis, Greece, as was
Mr. Kotarides' father. Mrs. Alex Kotarides is a
graduate of the University of Nebraska, from
which she received her degree of Bachelor of
Science in 1940. Prior to her marriage she taught
in the Granby Elementary School in Norfolk. She
is a member of the Lakewood Garden Club, the
King's Daughter of Norfolk, the Hellenic Women's
Club, and the Greek Orthodox Church. The couple
have two children: i. Sandra, born April 8, 1950.
ii. Paul Alexander, born September 3, 1955. 2.
Christopher Paul, born on May 1, 1922. He gradu-
ated from Maury High School in 1940, and served
five years in the United States Navy, being as-
signed to a destroyer tender force in the Pacific.
After the war he attended the University of Miami,
where he majored in business administration. Af-
ter a time in the employ of the Tidewater Con-
struction Corporation, in 1954 he entered the Ko-
tarides Baking Company. After learning the var-
ious phases of the business, he assumed the duties
of office manager. Christopher P. Kotarides mar-
ried Doris Davis of Mathews County, Virginia.
3. George Paul, born October 24, 1923. He gradu-
ated from Granby High School in 1941. He was
physically disqualified for military service in World
War II, but aided the war effort by working as
a first-class shipfitter in the welding department
of the Norfolk Shipyard. He joined the Kotarides
Baking Company after the war, and is now as-
sistant manager in charge of sales. He is a mem-
ber of the American Bakers Association, the Vir-
ginia Bakers Council, and the Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce. A Mason, he is a member of the

Auld Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite and Khedive Temple. He is also a
member of the American-Hellenic Educational and
Protective Association, Norfolk Sports Club, and
the Izaak Walton League. His hobbies are hunt-
ing, fishing, golf, and landscape painting. George
P. Kotarides attends the Greek Orthodox Church.
He is unmarried. 4. Helen, born November 14,
1928. She is a graduate of Maury High School and
attended the University of Chicago. She married
Andrew Anninos of Norfolk, a career officer in
the United States Air Force, and they are the
parents of two children: i. Paul Jay, born October
5, 1954. ii. Elaine, born February 8, 1956.

JOSEPH M. TUSING— President and manager
of the Tusing Finance Company, Inc., of Ports-
mouth, Joseph M. Tusing brings a wide back-
ground of experience to his present position, and
his civic accomplishments mark him as an out-
standing citizen of his community. From his early
boyhood, he was taught the fundamentals of good
government by his father, the late Joseph F. Tus-
ing of New Market. The elder man, who died in
1927, was a hardware merchant, who had served
as treasurer of the town council, chairman of the
Democratic Committee, and president of the Ro-
tary Club. His wife, the former Mary C. Schwein-
furt. still resides in New Market.

This couple were the parents of four boys and
two girls: 1. Joseph M., of whom further. 2. Hen-
ry, a merchant in New Market. 3. Charles, a Lu-
theran minister at Pulaski. 4. Thomas, a physi-
cian practicing at Falls Church. The two daugh-
ters are married and live in Washington, D. C.

Born in the historic town of New Market on
October 19, 190", Joseph M. Tusing was reared
in this Shenandoah County community. His fore-
bears had lived in the Valley of Virginia for five
generations. He worked in his father's hardware
store during grammar school years and through-
out high school, and graduated when he was only
fifteen years of age. He then entered Virginia
Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg, and grad-
uated there with the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration at the age of nineteen.

Shortly after graduation, he began his business
career. His father died on June 6, 1929. He en-
tered the consumer finance business in Baltimore
at a salary of ninety dollars per month, and after
a year, the firm transferred him to Augusta, Geor-
gia, where he became manager when he was only
twenty-one years old. He later served as manager
in Baltimore, Maryland; Augusta and Columbus,
Georgia; Jacksonville and St. Petersburg, Florida;
and Richmond, Virginia, before coming to Ports-

2l6

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

mouth early in 1935. He remained manager in
that city for the New Jersey firm until 1939.

In that year, with the help of local people, Mr.
Tusing organized his own firm, Tusing Finance
Company, Inc., which he has successfully operated
since that time. Serving the people of Portsmouth
and Norfolk County, it has its office at 603 High
Street in downtown Portsmouth. A large part of
its business is in automobile and note loans, and
it is favorably known for its friendly, courteous,
and speedy service.

Out of the experience of his own career, Mr.
Tusing has developed a vital interest in young
men starting out in business for themselves. Long
active in the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce,
he was elected its president in April 1954. During
his presidency, the membership increased from
seven hundred to over one thousand, and several
new industries were encouraged to locate in Ports-
mouth. He is also a director on the Portsmouth
Industrial Foundation and the Portsmouth In-
dustrial Commission. He helped organize the city's
Junior Chamber of Commerce and was a charter
member. He was a member of the Portsmouth
school board for six years, resigning in October
1956. He has taken an outstanding part in wel-
fare and civic programs. During World War II,
he was manager of the Service Sendoff Organiza-
tion. He has been a member of the Tidewater
Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and has
served on the boards of directors of the Young
Men's Christian Association and the Portsmouth
Orphanage. He was for several years president of
the Norfolk-Portsmouth Virginia Polytechnic In-
stitute Alumni Association. For a number of years
he has served on the board of directors of the
Portsmouth Kiwanis Club, and was its president
in 1948. One of the original organizers of the
Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club, he has
served as president of the parent corporation since
the club was opened in 1951. He performed a
service of great value to his community when, at
the request of labor, he arranged a meeting with
congressmen in Washington in April 1954, with
the purpose of keeping the Navy Yard payroll
from being reduced.

Mr. Tusing's abilities in business management
have been recognized in the national trade associa-
tion in his business, and for the past seven years
he has been a member of the board of directors
of the National Consumer Finance Association,
which is the parent trade association covering
about eight thousand finance companies in the
United States, Canada, and Hawaii. He was elected
to the presidency of the Virginia Association of
Small Loan Companies in 1943, and served four
years.

A lifelong Democrat, Mr. Tusing has been a

member of the City Democratic Executive Com-
mittee for fifteen years, and has served as its
secretary and chairman. He resigned in December
'955, to become a candidate for State Senator
from Portsmouth. For five years, Mr. Tusing has
been a member of the Second District Democra-
tic Executive Committee.

He is also a devoted worker in his church, the
First Lutheran of Portsmouth. He has served on
the church council for about two decades, and was
a member of the building committee when the
present church edifice was erected in 1939. He
has taken part in its fund-raising activities, and
has been chairman of the finance committee.

Mr. Tusing also has a military record to his
credit. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the
Infantry Reserve by General Douglas MacArthur
in 1926, and remained in the Army Reserve until
1937-

On November 1, 1930, Joseph M. Tusing mar-
ried Mary Elizabeth Richards of Claiborne, Mary-
land. They are the parents of one daughter, Mary
Jo, who was born on January 25, 1943. She is now
a student at Woodrow Wilson High School in
Portsmouth.

ROBERT FOSTER RIPLEY— A real estate
and insurance executive who is a partner in his
own organization which he founded at Norfolk,
Robert Foster Ripley occupies a position of promi-
nence in that city and in Tidewater Virginia. Pro-
gressive and highly successful, his name is known
through his development of subdivision projects,
as well as the sale of insurance. The firm of Robert
F. Ripley was founded in May 1945, and has its
headquarters at 6523 Tidewater Drive. Although
one of the city's younger business leaders, he has
already become active in its affairs, and is a for-
mer member of the city council.

Born January 22, 1917, in Mathews County, he
is a son of Captain Carroll and Amye Coles
(Hudgins) Ripley. The families are both of Eng-
lish descent, and his forebears have been influen-
tial since early days in Mathews County, where
his parents continue to reside. Captain Carroll Rip-
ley is identified with the commercial fishing indus-
try. He is a son of Wesley S. Ripley, who was
also born in Mathews County and likewise fol-
lowed commercial fishing for a livelihood. Amye
Coles (Hudgins) Ripley was also born in Mathews
County, daughter of Coles Diggs and Charlotte
(Hudgins) Hudgins. Robert F. Ripley is one of
two sons born to his parents. His brother, Arnold
Carroll, resides in Mathews County, and continues
in the traditional family industry of commercial
fishing.

In that county, Robert F. Ripley too passed

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

217

his boyhood. He attended the public schools, and
was graduated from New Point High School in
1933- Coming to Norfolk in that year, he attended
Norfolk Business College, and in November 1934,
entered the employ of the Colonial Oil Company,
with which he continued until September 1936.
He resigned to further his education at the Uni-
versity of Richmond, where he majored in business
administration for two years. At the end of that
time, he resumed his business career in Norfolk,
and in January 1939, entered the employ of the
city of Norfolk as an office worker in the fire de-
partment, in which he continued until October 1941.

At that time, Mr. Ripley entered the insurance
field. At the same time, he further prepared him-
self for his career by attending evening courses
at the College of William and Mary, Norfolk Di-
vision. In October 1941, he became an agent for
the Sun Life Insurance Company of Canada, and
continued until July 1942, leaving to enter the
service of the Untied States Navy as an enlisted
man. Assigned to the antisubmarine service on off-
shore patrol duty, he was stationed at Little Creek,
Norfolk, for eighteen months, and during that
time was commissioned an ensign. He was there-
after assigned to the destroyer force in the Paci-
fic Theater of Operations.

In October 1945, Mr. Ripley was separated from
active duty with the rank of lieutenant, junior
grade. He now holds the rank of lieutenant in the
Linked States Navy Inactive Reserve.

On his return to civilian life late in 1945, Mr.
Ripley established his own firm, known as Robert
F. Ripley, Real Estate and General Insurance,
with offices at 148 Granby Street in Norfolk. On
April 1, 1953, H. Singleton Garrett joined him as
a partner in the firm. With headquarters now lo-
cated at 6523 Tidewater Drive, the agency engages
in real estate transactions in all parts of the great-
er Norfolk area. It arranges the sale of better resi-
dential properties, and commercial and industrial
sites, and deals in rentals and property manage-
ment as well as selling general insurance policies.
It has also developed several fine residential sub-
divisions in the Norfolk area, including Pinetta on
Providence Road, Norfolk County, and Edgewood
Park in Kempsville.

A member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Real Es-
tate Board, Mr. Ripley serves on its board of
directors, and he is also a member of the National
Association of Real Estate Boards, the Norfolk
Association of Insurance Agents, the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia State
Chamber of Commerce. For two terms, covering
the years from 1952 through 1956, he served as a
member of the Norfolk city council. He is a mem-
ber of the board of commissioners of the Hampton

Roads Sanitation District Commission, and also
belongs to the Tidewater Virginia Development
Council. Formerly, Mr. Ripley served on the
board of directors of the Central Young Men's
Christian Association, and was active in the Nor-
folk Junior Chamber of Commerce, serving on its
board of directors.

He is a member of the Virginia Club, and a
member and past worshipful master of Atlantic
Lodge No. 2, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
serving as master in 1954-1955, during the one
hundredth anniversary of that lodge. He is also
a member of John Walter Chapter No. 68, Royal
Arch Masons; Grice Commandery No. 16 of the
Knights Templar; and Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
is a member and past commander of Post No.
300 of the American Legion, and also belongs to
the post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is
a member of the Sertoma Club. As a communicant
of the Talbot Park Baptist Church, Mr. Ripley
takes the part of a devoted layman, serving as
the teacher of a young men's Bible class. Fond
of the outdoors, he enjoys boating and bird hunt-
ing, and a hobby is raising English setters.

On October 28, 1938, at Norfolk, Robert F.
Ripley married Frances Rosalind James, daughter
of Marcus G. and Mattie S. (Gurganus) James
of that city. Her father was formerly president of
Norfolk Business College. Mrs. Ripley is a gradu-
ate of Maury High School, Class of 1934, and
attended the College of William and Mary, Nor-
folk Division. Mr. and Mrs. Ripley are the parents
of four children: 1. Robert Foster, Jr., who was
born on February 21, 1944. 2. William James,
born October 11, 1946. 3. Ronald Carroll, born
March 21, 1949. 4. Francis Scott, who was born
on December 4, 1951. The family's residence is
at 121 Blake Road, Norfolk.

BARLOW K. McEACHERN— Norfolk's well-
known Universal Products Company, distributing
fine gift merchandise, household equipment, and
electrical appliances, is operated as a corporation,
with B. K. McEachern as president and J. B.
Fishburne as vice president. These two men joined
forces nearly a decade and one-half ago to build
up a wholesale distributing organization which
supplies retailers in Tidewater and North Carolina
areas within a radius of fifty miles of Norfolk.
Mr. McEachern has proved his business abilities
in this connection, and he has also demonstrated
his leadership in a number of civic and fraternal
groups.

A native of Portsmouth, he was born on Sep-
tember 12, 1907, son of John White and Carrie

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

(Herndon) McEachern. His father was born in
South Carolina and his mother, in North Carolina.
John \Y. McEachern is now retired after many
years spent in the employ of the Railway Express
Company. Mrs. McEachern died in 1946 at the
age of sixty-nine. Reared in Portsmouth and edu-
cated in its public schools, Barlow K. McEachern
attended Woodrow Wilson High School and be-
gan his career in the employ of the government,
as a clerk at the Norfolk Naval Base. He remained
there for fifteen months, then joined the Seaboard
Air Line Railway, continuing for four years in
that connection. He left to enter the ladies' gar-
ment industry and, after four years in that field,
joined the nationwide merchandising chain of
Sears, Roebuck and Company. He worked in its
Norfolk and Portsmouth stores, in responsible
positions, for nine years.

Mr. McEachern resigned to join another Sears,
Roebuck employee, J. B. Fishburne, in establish-
ing their own wholesaling organization. They se-
lected Norfolk as a site for this venture. Their
firm, Universal Products Company, founded in
1944, was operated as a partnership and was later
incorporated in 1957. It has prospered well, with
a steady growing volume of sales. In 1954 a new
building was completed. Twenty-three people are
employed at this headquarters, and the firm has
a staff of eight salesmen on the road, distributing
the large line of gift merchandise, appliances, and
other products useful in the home, to retailers
over a large area.

Active in local organizations, Mr. McEachern
is a Kiwanian and a member of the Executives
Club and Elizabeth Manor Country Club. Affilia-
ted with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
he is a member of the higher bodies of the order,
holds the Thirty-second degree in Scottish Rite
Masonry, and belongs to Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
and the Royal Order of Jesters. He votes inde-
pendently, and his religious affiliation is with the
Monumental Methodist Church. He has been a
communicant there for forty years, and serves on
its official board.

Mr. and Mrs. McEachern are fond of travel, and
she is active in community affairs as a member of
the Green Pines Women's Club and the Parent-
Teacher Association, of which she is a past presi-
dent. She is eligible for membership in the Daugh-
ters of the American Revolution. Mrs. McEachern
is the former Miss Amy Ridley and became the
wife of Barlow K. McEachern on October 4, 1930.
Her father, John Ridley, was a native of Ports-
mouth and was employed by the Merchants and
Miners Transportation Company. He died in 1910,
when Mrs. McEachern was only three years old.
A Thirty-second degree Mason, he took part in

founding Khedive Temple. His wife was the for-
mer Mary Ann Pretlow, who was born in South-
ampton County. She died in 1952. Mr. and Mrs.
McEachern are the parents of two children: 1.
Mary Ann, born April 6, 1934. She is the wife of
Richard L. Templeton of Portsmouth, and they
have two children: i. Richard L., Jr., born De-
cember 22, 1954. ii. Keith. 2. John Thomas, born
January 19, 1942, attending high school in Church-
land.

JAMES BURNETTE FISHBURNE— Vice

president and treasurer of Universal Products
Company, James B. Fishburne has played an ac-
tive part in Norfolk's commercial life for the past
decade and a half. He is a native of Roanoke,
Virginia, and was born on November 15, 1906,
son of Edward W. and Mary E. (Burnette) Fish-
burne. His father was born in Martinsville, Vir-
ginia, and his mother in Lynchburg, Virginia.
They are both deceased. His grandfather was Peter
Hopkins Fishburne, a Methodist minister.

James B. Fishburne attended public schools in
Richmond and began his business career in that
city as a salesman. In 1931 he joined Sears, Roe-
buck and Company as department manager and
was later transferred to Norfolk. He remained
with the nation-wide retailing chain until 1943.

After resigning from Sears he joined with Bar-
low K. McEachern in founding The Universal
Products Company, a wholesale firm dealing in
housewares, electrical appliances and related mer-
chandise. It has built up a brisk business with re-
tailers throughout Eastern Virginia and North Caro-
lina. At its headquarters at 2315 Hampton Boule-
vard— an attractive modern structure erected in
1954 — more than twenty people are employed. Mr.
Fishburne and Mr. McEachern continued their
business on a partnership basis until February 1,
1957, at which time the firm was incorporated.

Mr. Fishburne is a member of the Cosmopolitan
Club, Electric League of Norfolk. Virginia State
Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, Fraternal Order of Police Associates and
Norfolk Wholesalers Association which he served
as its second president. His hobbies are boating
and fishing and he holds membership in the Uni-
ted States Power Squadron. He attends Epworth
Methodist Church and for many years has been
a member of its Official Board.

Mrs. Fishburne is the former Katherine Eliza-
beth Rowzie of Richmond, daughter of Philip L.
and Ida (Fields) Rowzie. Her father was born in
Essex County, Virginia, and her mother in Greens-
boro, North Carolina. They are both deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Fishburne make their home at 3412
Colonial Avenue.

//u^Zim^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

219

HENRY BLOUNT HUNTER— As a pharma-
cist and chemist the late Henry Blount Hunter,
long an outstanding citizen of the Lower Tide-
water, made a contribution of unusual character
to American life. He helped modernize methods of
manufacture and distribution of carbon dioxide
and by-products for use by soda fountains and
pharmaceutical houses and discovered and patented
the processes for manufacturing a variety of choco-
late products, including chocolate syrup, that al-
lowed these to be made and sold in their present
form anywhere. He did a great deal of original
work with other syrups and in numerous other
ways, through research and practical application
of principles, furthered developments of great value
in the general field of food chemistry.

Member of an old and prominent Southern family
and fourth in succession of the same name, Henry
Blount Hunter was born in Warren County, North
Carolina, on August 12, 1873, and died in Norfolk
on June 3, 1955. His parents were Henry Blount
and Emily Peete (Jones) Hunter. The third Hen-
ry Blount Hunter was a farmer and retail merchant
who achieved prominence in civic and political life,
serving as a Senator in the North Carolina Legis-
lature. In the War Between the States, he was a
courier and sharpshooter with the First Virginia
Cavalry of the Confederate States of America.

Henry Blount Hunter (the fourth) received his
early education in North Carolina and other Sou-
thern schools. He spent a year at Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois. In 1893 he matri-
culated at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
and the following year was granted his diploma
as a Graduate in Pharmacy. He took post-graduate
work in chemistry at the same college. He became
a prominent member of the American Chemical
Society, the Rotary Club of Norfolk and the Epis-
copal Church.

As a young chemist in the laboratory of Pro-
fessor Sadler of the Philadelphia College of Phar-
macy— the famed "father of the Pure Food and
Drug Act" — Mr. Hunter tested and advised for
many different chemical industries. This experience,
plus his active mind, retentive memory, wide inter-
est and reading, led to his achievements in the
chemical and pharmaceutical world.

At the age of twenty-one he owned three drug
stores in Asbury Park, New Jersey. After selling
these he traveled for three large manufacturers of
pharmaceuticals. About 1905 he founded the Hun-
ter Chemical Company in Norfolk, a firm which
manufactured carbon dioxide and by-products for
soda fountains and pharmaceuticals. In 1910, he
founded the H. B. Hunter Company, Inc., which
he headed until his death, forty-five years later.
It was while operating this concern that Mr. Hun-
ter discovered and patented his process for manu-

facturing chocolate products. His work with other
syrups and preserved fruits resulted in a general
increase in the quality of these products available
to the public. In addition to his own manufacturing
processes, he did considerable research for others,
an interest that he continued throughout his life.

Mr. Hunter married Hannah Louise Baird,
daughter of Charles Israel and Jane (Harrison)
Baird, at Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 14,
1908. Two sons were born to them: 1. Henry
Blount Hunter, Jr. (fifth in succession of the
name), on January 13, 1921. 2. Charles Baird Hun-
ter, on May 23, 1923.

Henry Blount Hunter is a graduate of the Uni-
versit3' of North Carolina in 1943, with a Bache-
lor of Arts degree in Chemistry. He is now presi-
dent of H. B. Hunter Company Inc. Married to
Vivian Byrd Smith of Norfolk, they have three
children: Carter Byrd, Hannah Baird and Henry
Blount III.

Charles B. Hunter is a graduate of the Univer-
sity of North Carolina in the class of 1948 with
a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry. He is
now vice president of Hunter Company Inc.

LOREN PIERCE WALDO, JR.— Executive

head of the Jolly Lumber Company, which he
owns in partnership with his wife, Loren Pierce
Waldo, Jr., has been a leader in the business af-
fairs of Holland for nearly a score of years. He
has also taken a constructive part in church, edu-
cational, welfare and organizational work.

He was born at Portsmouth on July 17, 1909,
son of Loren Pierce, Sr., and Lessie C. (Creek-
mur) Waldo. His father, who was born at Hamil-
ton, North Carolina, on February 27, 1881, was
with the Portsmouth Lumber Corporation for
many years, and later in life operated a small
dairy at Churchland, Virginia. He died on March
5, 1943. Lessie C. (Creekmur) Waldo survives him.
She is a native Virginian, born at Deep Creek
on February 5, 1886. The younger Loren P. Waldo
attended the public schools of Portsmouth and
Norfolk County, and graduated from Churchland
High School in 1926.

He began his career with the Norman Packing
Company in Portsmouth, and remained with that
organization until 1929, when he left to join the
Portsmouth Coal and Ice Company. He served
that firm only a few months, however, and in
March 1930, transferred to the Tarboro Ice and
Fuel Company at Tarboro, North Carolina, of
which he had become manager by 1934. All of
the above companies are affiliated with Southeast-
ern Ice Utilities. In 1934, Mr. Waldo identified
himself with the G. W. Capps Produce Corpora-
tion at Norfolk, and the following year left tn

TWVn. 23

220

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

join the staff of the Growers Exchange in the same
city. He worked for this firm as a field man until
1937, when he left to return to North Carolina
and take a responsible position with the Berkley
Feed Corporation of Elizabeth City. He was a
salesman with that firm until January 1938.

At that time Mr. Waldo established his resi-
dence in Holland, where he was first with the
Tidewater Piling Timber Corporation as a buyer.
In January 1940, he left that organization to join
his father-in-law, A. L. Jolly, in the Jolly Lumber
Company, with which he has since been identified.
In 1944, at Mr. Jolly's death, Mr. Waldo became
manager of the business, which he purchased in
1950. Now he and Mrs. Waldo are partners in the
ownership of this firm, which manufactures lumber.

Mr. Waldo is a director of the Farmers Bank
of Holland. He serves on the board of trustees of
Christian Orphanage at Elon College, North Caro-
lina. He attends the Holland Congregational
Christian Church. A member of McAlister Lodge
No. 185, Free and Accepted Masons, at Whaley-
ville, he also holds membership in the Mount Nebo
Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, Portsmouth
Commandery, Knights Templar, and is a member
of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in Norfolk. In his
political views, Mr. Waldo is a Democrat.

Mrs. Waldo, the former Miss Frances Heath
Jolly, is a daughter of Arthur Leroy and Julia
(Kent) Jolly. Her father founded the lumber
company which still bears his name. Miss Jolly
became the wife of Loren Pierce Waldo, Jr., at
Holland on September 1, 1937. The couple have four
children: I. Julia Kent, born August 20, 1940. 2.
Mary Mitchell, born June 15, 1943. 3. Loren Pierce,
3rd, born October T4, 1945. 4. John Jolly, born
June 27, 1951.

PAUL EDWARD HARRELL— In the more
than four decades that Paul Edward Harrell has
been active in the transportation industry on the
Virginia Peninsula, many changes have taken place
not only in that industry but in the type of duties
he has been called on to discharge. Today he is
vice president and director of the Citizens Rapid
Transit Company, with headquarters at 3400 Vic-
toria Boulevard, Hampton. He is also a Democra-
tic leader in that city and a prominent figure
among veterans of World War 1, and is vice
president of the Peninsula Service Corporation,
distributors of Mack trucks.

Born on a farm in Nansemond County on Sep-
tember 12, 1895, Mr. Harrell is the son of Elijah
D. and Martha A. (Harrell) Harrell, both now
deceased. Also a native of Nansemond County,
Elijah Harrell was a farmer. Paul Edward Harrell

attended a rural grade school in Nansemond Coun-
ty and Whaleyville High School.

In 1 914 .Mr. Harrell began his career in his
present field. His first work was that of conductor
for the old Newport News-Hampton Gas and Elec-
tric Railway Company. He was a conductor on a
four-wheel trolley car. Six months later he was
promoted to a street supervisory capacity and,
subsequently, was made dispatcher in the main
office. Still later he served as both dispatcher and
supervisor. In 1937 came another promotion — to
assistant superintendent of transportation. In the
intervening years the company had changed hands
and names several times.

In 1938, Mr. Harrell was promoted to general
superintendent of transportation and claims, with
jurisdiction over all departments, including street
cars and buses, electricity, gas and other services.
Since February 28, 1945, the company has operated
under the name of the Citizens Rapid Transit
Company, and it now operates buses only. Since
that time, too, Mr. Harrell has been vice president
and one of the owners. He became vice president
of the Peninsula Service Corporation in 1950.

Prominent in civic and political affairs through-
out the years, Mr. Harrell was a member of the
Democratic Committee of Newport News for a
quarter of a century and its chairman about half
that time. In World War I, he served as first
sergeant in the 80th Division, United States Army.
He spent about a year overseas. He was honorably
discharged in May 1919. He has since been active
in Braxton-Perkins Post No. 25, American Le-
gion, Newport News, and in its Forty-and-Eight.
He is also a member of the Newport News Lodge
No. 315, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks;
the Kiwanis Club of Newport News and the
Chamberlain Club at Old Point Comfort. He wor-
ships at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church of War-
wick. His home is in that community.

Mr. Harrell married Elizabeth C. Tyree of New-
port News in that city on June 23, 1920. She died
on March 28, 1945. Two children were born to the
marriage: 1. Katherine E. 2. Paul Edward, Jr.
Mr. Harrell married (second) Florence Price
Knight, now also deceased, and (third) Elizabeth
Hale, likewise deceased.

MILBURN MERCER AMORY— A veteran
business man of Hampton, who has dealt in auto-
motive and petroleum products in that city for
over thirty years, Milburn Mercer Amory is now
president of the York Oil Company, Inc., and of
Hampton Oil Lines, Inc. He is a native of Grafton,
in York County, and was born on June 6, 1897,
son of LeRoy Burt and Betty (Wray) Amory.
Both of his parents were likewise born in York

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

:: i

County. His father, a farmer, died June 6, 1946,
and his mother on April 18, 1956.

Attending Grafton public schools and junior
high school, Milburu M. Amory also attended
Lynchburg College, and for two years was a stu-
dent at the College of William and Mary. At the
outset of his business career, he was the partner
of his brother, W. W. Amory, in the ownership
and operation of a general store at Grafton, known
as Amory Brothers. Also, from 1919 to 1924, he
served as postmaster of Grafton.

In the latter year he purchased a half interest
in the York Tire Company in Hampton, in asso-
ciation with his brother-in-law, T. J. White. Since
that time his business interests have been centered
in that city. The partnership continued until 1944,
when Mr. White died, and Mr. Amory continued
the business in association with Mrs. T. J. White
and her daughter, Elsie M. White, until 1946. At
that time the present corporate organization, York
Oil Company, Inc., was formed, with Mr. Amory
as president and F. C. Moore as vice president.
Mr. Moore is the subject of an accompanying
sketch. The firm acts as local distributor for Cities
Service petroleum products, which reach the public
through eighteen owned and leased outlets. Offices
of the York Oil Company, Inc., are at 33 East
Sunset Road, Hampton, and there are ten people
on the firm's payroll. Besides this major business
interest, Mr. Amory is also president of Hampton
Oil Line, Inc., and he is a director of the Citizens
National Bank of Hampton.

A member of the Virginia Oil Jobbers Associa-
tion, he formerly served on its board of directors,
and he is also a member of the Virginia Oilmen's
Association and the National Oil Jobbers Council.
Locally, he serves as a director of the Peninsula
Memorial Park Cemetery, and is also on the board
of directors of the James River Country Club.
He is a member of the Hampton Rotary Club,
and Lodge No. 366, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. Hunting and golf are his favorite
outdoor pastimes. He is a communicant of the
Baptist Church of Hampton.

At Newport News, on July 13, 1929, Milburn
Mercer Amory married Bessie Lee Satchell of that
city, daughter of George Lee and Annie (Fisher)
Satchell. The couple are the parents of two chil-
dren: 1. Jean, who was born on October 11, 1931.
She is now the wife of I. Leake Wornom, Jr.,
whose biographical sketch is to be found in this
work. 2. Nancy Ann, born on January 21, 1936.

FITZHUGH CHRISTIAN MOORE— Shortly
after he returned from wartime service overseas,
with the army, Fitzhugh Christian Moore became
identified with the York Oil Company, Inc., at

Hampton, of which he is now vice president. He is
currently serving as president of the Virginia Oil
Jobbers Association.

Born at Poquoson, in York County, Virginia,
on December 17, 191 1, Mr. Moore is a son of
Sidney John and Blanche Estelle (Watkins)
Moore. Both of his parents were likewise natives
of York County. His father, a farmer, died on
April 28, 1928, and his mother on August 9, 1946.
Fitzhugh C. Moore attended local public schools
and graduated from Poquoson High School, after
winch he entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
There in 1933, he graduated and received the de-
gree of Bachelor of Science.

He began his career in that year with the Vir-
ginia Polytechnic Institute Extension Service and
became farm agent in Nansemond in 1937, and
continued to serve in that capacity until he entered
the armed forces in 1941. Commissioned a first
lieutenant in the United States Army, he went
overseas, and in the combat areas, won his promo-
tion to the rank of full colonel. He was in the
European Theater of Operations for twenty-four
months, assigned to the Fifth Armored Division.
He was separated from the service in April 1946.
He is now commanding officer of the Hampton
Roads Port of Embarkation Army Reserve Unit.

After the war he returned to Suffolk, where
during the remaining months of 1946 he continued
as county farm agent for Nansemond County. On
February 1, 1947, he became associated with M.
M. Amory in the York Oil Company, which then
operated on a partnership basis. Shortly after-
wards, this petroleum products distributing firm
was incorporated, witli Mr. Amory as president
and Mr. Moore as its vice president. The com-
pany has the franchise for the distribution of Cities
Service oil products, which it carries out through
eighteen owned and leased stations in the area.
Ten people are employed at the firm's headquarters
on East Sunset Road, Hampton.

Besides serving currently as president of the
Virginia Oil Jobbers Association, Mr. Moore is a
member of the Virginia Oilmen's Association and
the National Oil Jobbers Council. He is a director
of the Peninsula Association of Commerce, and
a member of the Kiwanis Club, which he served
as president in 1952. He serves on the executive
committee of the Peninsula United Community
Fund, and is a member of the James River
Country Club. His favorite outdoor sports are
boating and fishing. Mr. Moore is a Mason, a mem-
ber of Hiram Lodge No. 340 in Suffolk. He be-
longs to the higher bodies of the order, including
the chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, the cora-
mandery of the Knights Templar, the consistory
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

of the Mystic Shrine. He and his family attend
Hampton Baptist Church.

In this church, on February 8, 1947. Fitzhugh
C. Moore took as his wife Miss Elsie- Marie White
of Hampton. She is the daughter of the late Thomas
Jefferson and Nannie (Amory) White. Mr. and
Mrs. Moore have two daughters: Nancy Jefferson
Moore, who was born on September 22, 1953, and
Beverly Kay Moore, who was born on June 13, 1957.

HARRY NELSON GUSTIN— Practicing law
in Norfolk since the beginning of his professional
career. Harry Nelson Gustin is a member of the
firm of Taylor, Gustin. and Harris, which has
its offices in the National Bank of Commerce Build-
ing. He has had a distinguished record of service
in the Army and Air Corps, and is active in civic
affairs.

He is a native of Canada, born at \\ oodstock,
Ontario, on June 18, 1921, son of Earle Frank and
Eddie Mae (.Avery) Gustin. From his early years
the family lived in Norfolk, where Harry N. Gustin
attended R. E. Lee Public School, James Monroe
Public School, Blair Junior High School, and
Maury High School. He graduated from high
school in June 1939. He took advanced courses in
commercial subjects at Virginia Polytechnic In-
stitute at Blacksburg, where he graduated in
February 1043, with the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration. While there,
he served in the Cadet Corps, Reserve Officers
Training Corps, and shortly after graduation, on
April 1, J943, was called into active service in the
United States Army. He attended Officers Candi-
date Antiaircraft Artillery School at Camp Davis
through July 1943, receiving at the end of that
time a commission as second lieutenant in the
Coast Artillery Corps. Until January 1944. he
served as cadre and platoon officer at the artillery
training camp in Fort Bliss, Texas, and was then
transferred to the United States Army Air Corps,
attending Air Force Intelligence School at Harris-
burg, Pennsylvania, during February and March
1944. He was intelligence officer, 38th Photo Re-
connaissance Squadron, with the Third Air Force
at Muskogee, Oklahoma, and later joined the 13th
Air Force in the Southwest Pacific. While there,
he won his promotion to first lieutenant in the Air
Corps, in April 1945. He remained until May, and
was then assigned as staff intelligence officer to
the headquarters of the 13th Air Force. He served
until September 1945, at which time he was serving
as assistant historical editor of the 13th Air Force
Historical Unit.

Enrolling at the Law School of the University
of Virginia on resuming civilian life, Mr. Gustin
graduated in June 1948, with the degree of Bachelor

of Laws. He is presently a practicing attorney in
Norfolk as a member of the law firm of Taylor,
Gustin. and Harris.

Mr. Gustin joined a number of fraternal groups
in his student days, including Gamma Phi Sigma,
a high school social fraternity; Omicron Delta
Kappa, leadership fraternity, which he served as
treasurer in 1942-1943; and Alpha Kappa Psi pro-
fessional fraternity. He was also a member of the
German Club (serving as its secretary-treasurer)
and of the Business Club at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute. He played basketball and baseball in his
high school and college days, and held such posi-
tions as. reporter on the college newspaper, vice
president of his class, chairman of the music com-
mittee, and Student Senate secretary.

He is currently secretary of the Central Young
Men's Christian Association's board of directors,
and he serves as Sunday school teacher in the
intermediate department of the Park Place Baptist
Church. He is a member of Atlantic Lodge No. 2,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and serves
as chairman of the Masonic building fund commit-
tee. He is past president of the Junior Board of
Directors, Central Young Men's Christian Associa-
tion, and past vice president of the Norfolk Junior
Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Polytech-
nic Institute Norfolk Alumni Chapter, and served
one term as a member of the board of directors of
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Alumni As-
sociation. Mr. Gustin is now serving as a member
of local Draft Board No. 85 at Norfolk.

On November 4, 1950, Harry Nelson Gustin mar-
ried Esther Callaham. daughter of James Wilson
and Rose (Keech) Callaham. The couple are the
parents of two sons: 1. H. Nelson, III, who was
born on October 7, 1952. 2. James Wilson, born
on March 22, 1955. The family resides at 404 Bur-
leigh Avenue, Norfolk.

WILLIAM M. HARRIS— Member of the firm
of Taylor, Gustin, and Harris, Attorneys and Coun-
selors at Law, with offices in the National Bank
of Commerce Building in Norfolk, William M.
Harris is one of the younger men to enjoy full
membership in an organization of such importance
and wide industrial and commercial contacts. He
is a native of Norfolk, born on September I, 1924,
son of James H. and Emily ( Mitchell) Harris.
Both his parents were born in Washington, North
Carolina, and his mother now resides in Norfolk.
She survives her husband, who died in 1942. He
was for many years a member of the Norfolk Fire
Department, and was a veteran of naval service in
World War I. He was also a ship's engineer.

Reared and educated in Norfolk, William M.
Harris graduated from Maury High School, and

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

went directly into the United States Army in
1942. Later transferring to the Army Air Corps,
he served in Africa and Italy as a bombardier, and
at the time of his honorable discharge in 1945, held
the rank of second lieutenant. He resumed his ed-
ucation, beginning his advanced studies at William
and Mary College, Norfolk Division. He later
transferred to the University of Richmond and
there received the degree of Bachelor of Laws in
1952.

Mr. Harris commenced practice with Gordon
E. Campbell, with whom he remained for one year.
He left to join partners in forming the law firm
of Taylor, Gustin, and Harris, and has practiced
since 1953 as a member of this firm. He is a mem-
ber of the Virginia State Bar and Virginia State
Bar Association, the American Bar Association,
and the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association, as
well as Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.

Mr. Harris is a member of the Methodist Church.
He belongs to the Exchange Club in his home
city, to the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks No. 38 in Norfolk, and to the American Legion
Post No. 113.

On June 14, 1946, William M. Harris married
Roberta Mahone, daughter of Herschel and Ethel
(Edwards) Mahone. Both her parents were born
in Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Harris make their home
on Route 2, Lynnhaven, in Princess Anne County.
They are the parents of two children: 1. James
Landon, born June 6, 1953. 2. Reid Mitchell, born
February 28, 1956.

REGINALD EDWARD BROTHERS^From
the beginning of his business career, Reginald Ed-
ward Brothers has been in the field of retailing
feeds, seed and building supplies, and during most
of that time, has headed his own firm at Suffolk.
The Reginald E. Brothers Co., Inc., now oc-
cupies an attractive new building on Highway 13,
near the city limits. Its proprietor has expanded
his line of merchandise to include paints, hardware
and fuels. He has built a thriving business which
attracts a considerable trade among Lower Tide-
water people.

Mr. Brothers is a native of Nansemond County,
having been born at Cypress Chapel on December
I, 1903. He is a son of Robert Edward and Mar-
garet (Benton') Brothers. His father, also born at
Cypress Chapel, in 1868, was for fifty years post-
master of that community. He also operated a
general store there under his own name. He was
the son of Henry and Savannah (Badger) Brothers.
He died in April 1934, surviving his wife, the
former Margaret Benton, by about two years. She
was a native of Gates County, North Carolina.

In the Nansemond County public schools, Reg-

inald Edward Brothers began his education, and
he graduated from Jefferson High School in Suf-
folk in 1922. He completed his studies at Virginia
Military Institute, where he was a member of
the Class of 1927.

Beginning his business career with the Cooper-
Riddick Compam- in Suffolk, a firm which sold
building supplies, feeds and seed, he remained
with that organization for about five years, as an
employee in responsible positions. In 193 1 he
bought this company and changed its name to
Reginald E. Brothers Co., Inc. He has been its
president since that time. On January I, 1955, the
company was moved into its new headquarters near
the city line. In the course of selling and distribut-
ing its variety of products, Reginald E. Brothers
Co., Inc., employs twelve persons, and oper-
ates seven trucks. In dealing in paints, hardware
and building supplies, it has attracted the custom
of builders and homeowners, while continuing to
serve the needs of farming people of the region
with its large line of feeds and seed. It also acts
as distributor for coal and fuel oil.

Mr. Brothers is a Republican. He attends St.
Paul's Episcopal Church, and serves on its vestry.
Fond of the out-of-doors, he particularly enjoys
hunting and fishing.

In the Episcopal Church at Henderson, North
Carolina, on November 19, 1929, Reginald Edward
Brothers married Lucy Kittrell, a native of that
city and daughter of Josiah C. and Nell (Skinner)
Kittrell. Both parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Brothers are the parents of two children: I. Joan
Kittrell, born on March 10, 1938. 2. Thomas Skin-
ner, born April 15, 1941.

AMEDEO OBICI— Since 1912 the Planters
Nut and Chocolate Company has been a distinctive
and successful enterprise in Suffolk, with six years
of earlier history in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
In its inception it was the dream and aim of
one man, Amedeo Obici, of this record, and until
his death in 1947 he was its guiding genius with
the strong support and collaboration of his long-
time associate, Mario Peruzzi. The story of the
company and the biography of Mr. Peruzzi are
presented in accompanying records.

Amedeo Obici was born in Oderzo, Treviso,
Italy, July 15, 1877. He was a lad of eleven when
he came to the United States in 1889, and he was
able to attend school for but three months before
starting to earn his livelihood at various jobs.
Later he was employed in a cigar factory in
Wilkes-Barre, then at a fruit stand, his diligence
and intelligence winning him the regard and respect
of his employers and the public. His savings were
invested in a fruit stand of his own, to which he

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

added a small peanut roaster. The popularity of
the freshly-roasted peanuts and the low spoilage
in comparison with fruit led him further into the
line and he hought a small store in Wilkes-Barre,
distributing his product through local shop-keep-
er--. He acquired a horse and cart to service the
outlying area, where he became well-known and
welcomed as "The Peanut Specialist." At about
this time he and Mario Peruzzi joined forces, and
the result of this combination of talent, energy,
and initiation is told in the history of the company
they founded.

From the time of his first contact with the
public as a small merchant Mr. Obici's career was
marked by concern for the welfare of his fellows
and by a spontaneous friendliness that character-
ized him all his life. As his enterprise prospered
he was able to increase his benefactions, which
culminated in the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital,
established in memory of his wife. Its history
is outlined herewith.

Amedeo Obici died May i_», 1947, his wife,
Louise, having predeceased him. In his single-
minded devotion to the vision he had early in life,
in the integrity and honor he brought to its every
relation, and in the substantial success that re-
warded him, was written again, and impressively,
the story of American opportunity, an inspiring
document.

LOUISE OBICI MEMORIAL HOSPITAL—

As an outgrowth of what was known before as
the Amedeo Obici Hospital Foundation Trust, in
early 1942 the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital,
a corporation, was born. The object was to erect
at some future time a hospital which Mr. A. Obici,
now deceased, former president of Planters Nut
and Chocolate Company, wished to establish as
a fitting memorial to his wife, Louise.

On February 12, 1942, the organization meeting
of the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital was held
in Suffolk, Virginia, with the following present,
selected by Mr. Obici himself: M. A. Cross, James
C. Causey, Jr., Lewis H. Cathey, F. Whitney God-
win, A. Obici, Harry J. Pettit, Vernon G. Eber-
wine, all of whom were elected to serve as di-
rectors and from which Mr. Cross was elected
president; Mr. Godwin, vice president; Mr. Pettit,
secretary- treasurer.

A certificate of incorporation was filed with
the State Corporation Commission in Richmond,
Virgipia, and the charter of the corporation was
issued as of January 27, 1942. Suitable by-laws
were drawn and approved by the Board of Direc-
tors. It was then a matter of the funds of the
Corporation growing to such an extent that the
project could actually be started.

On May 21, 1947, Mr. Obici died and his estate
was administered in due course, and it was the
job of the Board of Directors of the hospital cor-
poration to devise means of acquiring sufficient
funds to commence construction. Through the con-
tributions of the donor during his lifetime and of
his estate, with the aid of Federal and State grants,
success was finally attained and bids for actual
construction were opened on August 10, 1949, and
a short time later the contract was awarded to
the Virginia Engineering Company, Inc., of New-
port News, Virginia, which was the lowest bidder.

As soon as all the details had been worked out,
the order was given to begin the project and
shortly after the middle of September the work
got under way. First came the stripping of the
top soil and conditioning of the surface and then
the digging of the basement. Concrete piling
followed to insure a firm and safe foundation for
the buiiding.

The building is four stories and basement, or
ground floor, with steel construction. It is finished
with red brick with limestone trim, completely
fireproof and modern in every detail. It at first
contained 117 beds and 23 bassinets and has base
facilities for enlarging to 150 beds or more.

The site of the hospital consists of a little over
twenty-five acres located I-J4 miles from the city
limit on Route 460, the main four-lane highway
to Richmond.

A Nurses' School and Home is included in the
project. It is called the Louise Obici School of
Nursing and will accommodate some sixty-odd
students.

Present officers and directors of the corporation
are: M. A. Cross, president; L. H. Cathey, vice
president; H. J. Pettit, secretary-treasurer; W.
M. Birdsong, J. C. Causey, Jr., V. G. Eberwine,
M. J. English and F. Whitney Godwin.

MARIO PERUZZI— An exceptional record in
an executive post in a major Tidewater industry
was that of the late Mario Peruzzi, who for nearly
fifty years was an executive of Planters Nut and
Chocolate Company, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl-
vania, and Suffolk, Virginia, and its president at
the time of his death. His organization has been
prominently identified over the years with the
promotion of salted peanuts as a popular snack
enjoyed by millions of people; and Mr. Peruzzi
personally contributed much, in ideas, ingenuity
and business leadership, to the advancement of
this program.

He was a native of Italy, born in the town of
Treviso on September 8, 1875, son of Angelo and
Elvira (Morlacchi) Peruzzi. Both parents were also
born in Italy. His father had not adhered to the

LOWER T1DI.WATER VIRGINIA

^-5

prevailing religion of that country, but was a
Baptist minister, who after coming to this country
served a congregation in Wilkes-Barre.

Mario Peruzzi was truly a successful American,
who by hi? own individual efforts, had forced his
way upward, carved out his own fortune, and by
dint of hard work, perseverance, enterprise and
ability, became one of the leading executives in
the peanut industry. He received his education in
the public school at Treviso, and later attended
Venice Industrial School, up to his eleventh year
of age. At the age of twelve he began his working
career, in Rome, Italy, but was there only three
months, being employed in a second-hand book
store. His next position was with one of the large
department stores of Rome, which had branches
throughout Europe. Working in various capacities,
he remained with the organization for six years,
and at the time he left, held the position of assistant
bookkeeper.

In 1894, at the age of nineteen, Mario Peruzzi
left his homeland and accompanied his father to
the United States. They remained in New York
City for a short time, then both moved to
Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The lad's first position
in America was that of janitor in the coal office
of A. S. Van Winkle. He remained there only
four or five months, then took a responsible posi-
tion in charge of a wholesale importing grocery
store in Hazleton. In that connection he continued
for about six years.

Mr. Peruzzi then moved to Scranton, Penn-
sylvania, to take complete charge of the confec-
tionery department of the wholesale grocery firm
of Wentz and Duffy Company. He held this posi-
tion until 1906, and it was while there that he
made the acquaintance of Mr. Ohici, who was
to become his partner in the formation of the
Planters Peanut Company.

They discovered their mutual interest in the
industrial possibilities of the edible seed, and
joined forces to organize their company on May
1, 1906. When Planters Peanut Company was or-
ganized, Mr. Peruzzi became secretary and sales
manager. Through his and his partner's hard work,
and their confidence in the future despite adver-
sity, the company prospered. In 1907, the Planters
Peanut Company was incorporated, and its name
was later changed to the Planters Nut and Choco-
late Company, with Mr. Peruzzi as secretary,
treasurer and a director. He was in complete
charge of the Wilkes-Barre plant and office. On
the death of Mr. Obici, in the fall of 1947. he
was elected president of the company. This office
he most capably filled from that time until his
death in December 1955.

Mr. Peruzzi was a member of the board of di-
rectors of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-

Barre, Pennsylvania. He was a Rotarian, and a
member of the lodge of the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks and the ltalo-American
Citizens Llub ot that city. In his politics, he was
a Republican.

Mario Peruzzi married, first, in 1897, Miss Mary
McCarthy of Hazleton, and they became the
parents of two children: 1. Mario, Jr. 2. Rita
Elvira. He married, second, on August 25, 1921,
Miss Elizabeth Obici, sister of his partner, Amedeo
Obici. He had residences at Pine View, Pennsyl-
vania, and at Suffolk, Virginia.

His death occurred on December 10, 1955.

MICHAEL J. ENGLISH began his career with
Planters Nut and Chocolate Company, and work-
ed for the firm in the North before coming to
Suffolk to fill executive offices there. He is now
vice president and treasurer of the corporation,
and serves on its board. The citizens of Suffolk
have found him to be vitally interested in civic
and municipal affairs, and he is currently serving
on the Planning Commssion.

A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he was
born on May 5, 1898, son of Anthony and Theresa
(Petrucelli) English. Both of his parents were
born in Italy, and both are deceased. He attended
the public schools of his native city and graduated
from Wilkes-Barre High School in 1916. He
served in the United States Army in World War I.

Mr. English's first business connection was with
Planters Nut and Chocolate Company, at its plant
in his home city of Wilkes-Barre. He began as
a clerk, but his advancement to responsible posi-
tions was rapid, and in 1934 he was named assistant
treasurer. He remained with the company's Penn-
sylvania plant until 1943, when he came to Suffolk
to assume similar managerial duties there. He was
promoted to treasurer of the company in 1947,
and was named vice president in 1956, wdiile
continuing in the treasurer's post. He holds both
positions at the present time, and has been a
member of the board of directors since 1947. In
the course of his connection with the firm, he has
had broad experience in its various departments,
including both sales and production. He is the
manager of operations at Suffolk, where sixteen
hundred people are employed. This is the compa-
ny's main production center.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. English is now
serving as a member of the Suffolk Planning
Commission. He is a director of the Louise Obici
Memorial Hospital in his city, and serves on the
Old Dominion Council of the Boy Scouts of
America. Mr. English is a veteran of World War
II as well as World War I, having served in
the United States Army in the second world con-
flict as well.

226

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

He is a Rotarian, and a member of the Suffolk
Chamber of Commerce, Suffolk Post No. 57 of
the American Legion, the lodge of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks and the Princess
Anne Country Club. Fond of the out-of-doors, he
enjoys fishing and golf. He is a Roman Catholic
in his religious faith and he and his family attend
St. Mary's Church.

Mrs. English is the former Miss Ann Stets of
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Her parents, Igna-
tius and Catherine ^Kurzek) Stets, were lifelong
residents of that city. Mr. and Mrs. English have
one daughter, Michela Ann, born December 28,
1949.

Mrs. English have two children: 1. Elena, now
attending Manhattanville College in Westchester
County, New York. 2. Mariana, a student at
\\ yoming Seminary, Kingston, Pennsylvania.

FRANK A. ENGLISH— Devoting his career
to the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company,
Frank A. English was recently named president of
this firm, which constitutes one of Suffolk's major
industries. Like his brother Michael J. English
(q.v.), also an executive of the company, he is a
native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are
the sons of Anthony and Theresa (Petrucelli)
English, who came to this country from Italy and
are now deceased.

Frank A. English was born on September 20,
1895, and he received his education in the public
schools of Wilkes-Barre, graduating from high
school there in 1914. Thus, when he joined Plant-
ers Nut and Chocolate Company at the outset of
his career, that firm was in the early years of its
existence, and beginning its steady growth to a
preeminent position in its industry, its name being
in effect synonymous with peanuts wherever the
product is sold. Frank A. English familiarized him-
self with the work of the various departments of
the company, and quickly proved his capacity for
leadership. He was named secretary in 1934- In
1947, he was promoted to the vice presidency, but
also continued as secretary, until his election to
the presidency in 1956. He continues to make his
headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, but is of course
well known among the executives of the Suffolk
area, spending considerable time at the plant in
that city, which is managed by his brother Michael.

Mr. English is a director of the Miners National
Bank of Wilkes-Barre, and a member of that city's
Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. He is
also a member of the Westmoreland Club, the
Fox Hill Country Club and the Black Diamond
Post No. 132 of the American Legion. He serves
on the board of directors of Mercy Hospital. In
religious faith he is a Roman Catholic. Fishing
and golf are his favorite outdoor pastimes.

In 1932, in Wilkes-Barre, Frank A. English
married Helen Connors, daughter of John Martin
and Mary Margaret (Hogan) Connors. Mr. and

PLANTERS NUT AND CHOCOLATE COM-
PANY— One of Suffolk's major industries, Plant-
ers Nut and Chocolate Company has established
itself, in a half-century of continuous growth, as
the world's leading manufacturer of peanut pro-
ducts. While its biggest plant is at Suffolk, it had
its beginnings at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and
retains its headquarters there. It was founded in
that city in 1906, by Amedeo Obici and Mario
Peruzzi, both Italian immigants. Mr. Obici had
for several years been engaged in the peanut re-
tailing business, and was already known in his
city as "the peanut specialist." He and Mr. Peruzzi,
a wholesale grocery salesman, realized the poten-
tial public demand for tasty salted peanuts, and
they also realized the commercial value of packag-
ing in keeping the product fresh from processor
to consumer. With a bank loan of two thousand
dollars as their capital, they started their company
off in a small plant with a monthly rental of
twenty-five dollars, two floors being occupied by
two large roasters and simple machinery, operated
by five girls and one man. After some experimen-
tation, a special package of whole blanched Vir-
ginia salted peanuts was introduced, and these
quickly proved more popular than the small red-
skinned Spanish grade, which had previously com-
manded a better market at ten cents a pound.

It was at about this time that plans were devised
for wider distribution of the products. Mr. Obici
continued to manage manufacturing, and Mr.
Peruzzi spent part of his time traveling, contacting
the jobbing trade. By the end of the first year, the
increased volume of business necessitated larger
quarters, and the company moved into a four-story
brick building at Wilkes-Barre in 1907. As the
business grew, other products, including peanut
butter and chocolate-peanut products, were added.
Factory facilities expanded into adjoining build-
ings. A printing department was added; and with
the growth in sale of salted peanuts, another factory
building was rented on Pennsylvania Avenue,
Wilkes-Barre, devoted exclusively to the process-
ing of salted peanuts.

In 1912, Mr. Obici decided to locate a factory
in Suffolk, Virginia, near the source of supply.
Arriving with twenty-five thousand dollars, he
shortly afterwards purchased a peanut-cleaning
plant in the city. In 191 7, the company launched
its first national advertising campaign with a series
of full-page advertisements in magazines, and it
was at this time that Mr. Peanut, the firm's now

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

famous trade mark, made his appearance. In 1921.
a factory was established in San Francisco, en-
abling western states to be supplied as rapidly as
other parts of the nation.

As the business developed, several modern build-
ings were erected at Suffolk, and the manufacture
of many peanut products was added to the clean-
ing of raw peanuts which had been carried on at
that location. In 1925 a modern building was pur-
chased in Toronto, Canada, and a campaign of
national advertising was started in the Dominion.
At Suffolk, several large modern factory units
were added through the years, and in. 1926 the
cleaning plants and other properties of the John
King Peanut Company were purchased and mo-
dernized at considerable expense. These have been
in constant operation since. In 1927, cold-storage
plants were erected in Suffolk, with storage capa-
cities for several hundred carloads. Also during
that year, properties of the Old Dominion Peanut
Company were purchased, renovated and put into
operation as Planters units. To afford storage
space for the stock of raw peanuts shipped into
Suffolk, thirty-six warehouses were erected, served
by railway sidings. Several large warehouses have
also been erected in various peanut-growing ter-
ritories elsewhere in the United States. The com-
pany maintains a fully equipped printing plant at
Suffolk, where cartons and advertising matter are
run off on huge multi-color rotary presses. Thou-
sands of cartons are made daily; and a process
of waxing boxes before assembly assures the fresh-
ness of the product when it reaches the consumer.
Several hundred salesmen represent the firm in
the United States and Canada. Nearly ten thou-
sand jobbers and distributors in the United States,
Canada and other countries sell millions of pack-
ages of Planters products each year. During World
War II the company participated fully in the war-
time program by packaging containers of peanuts
for troops in every theater of action.

Since the war the planning and development of
new production facilities have gone on apace. At
Suffolk, a modern oil mill and refining buildings
were completed and put in operation in 1948. Here
the latest automatic crushing and refining equip-
ment operates around the clock, producing a
highly refined, pure, edible peanut oil marketed
by Planters Edible Oil Company, a subsidiary,
under the trade name Planters Hi-Hat Peanut
Oil. Primarily used for cooking, salads and bak-
ing, it is fast gaining in popularity with increasing
consumption from year to year. Through the Na-
tional Peanut Corporation, another subsidiary with
offices in Wilkes-Barre, Planters operates a chain
of retail nut stores in the larger cities throughout
the country, where Planters products are sold

together with other kinds of nuts, candies and
novelties. Executive and sales offices of the parent
company are also located at Wilkes-Barre. Direct
factory branches are maintained in New York,
Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Mem-
phis, and public warehouses are used for rapid
distribution at Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City,
Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland, and Minneapolis.

Thus from one small building in 1906 to a
group of large modern buildings occupying over
thirty-eight acres of land, and two important
subsidiary organizations, Planters Nut and Cho-
colate Company has grown to the largest establish-
ment of its kind in the world, and its annual sales
over that span of years has increased from twenty-
five thousand dollars to over fifty-one millions of
dollars. This represents an endeavor which is of
vital significance to Suffolk's commercial life, and
to the development of the entire region's productive
resources.

GREENOUGH AND COMPANY, INC.— The
history of Greenough and Company, Inc., the
building materials firm located at 171 1 Park Ave-
nue in South Norfolk, is one of steady progress.
Established in April 1950, by Hilton H. Thomas
and Julian A. Greenough, it has grown, from
modest beginnings, to one of the largest and most
complete building supply houses in the Tidewater
region.

The first location of the firm was at 1030 Sea-
board Avenue in South Norfolk, where the busi-
ness was housed in a twenty-by-thirty-two build-
ing. The partners started with an initial capital
of three hundred dollars, Mr. Greenough giving
his full time to the management of the new firm,
and Mr. Thomas beginning his connection on a
part-time basis. In October 195 1, the present modern
quarters of the firm were erected at 171 1 Park
Avenue. There, eighteen thousand square feet of
floor space are available for its needs. Shortly after
the business was founded, Mr. Thomas began work
with his partner on a full-time basis, and they
constituted a successful team which has built up
the enterprise to the most complete, and certainly
one of the most efficiently managed, in Tidewater
Virginia. It specializes in the sale of Class A build-
ing materials, which include hardware, roofing,
siding, flooring, window and door frames, lumber,
du Pont paint products, disappearing stairways,
brick and blocks, plastering materials, cement and
mortar. They also carry a complete line of the
materials and tools of the building crafts, and also
sell appliances.

Greenough and Company, Inc., serves not only
the Tidewater area of Virginia, but also eastern

TWVa. 24

228

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

North Carolina, maintaining prompt delivery
schedules. The officers of the company are Hilton
H. Thomas, president; Julian A. Greenough, vice
president; and Francis A. Ritter, secretary.

In December 1954, Hilton H. Thomas and Julian
A. Greenough founded the South Norfolk Man-
ufacturing Company, Inc., with office and plant at
1322 Transylvania Avenue. Housed in a fine mod-
ern brick building with about seventy-two hundred
square feet of floor space, this firm engages in the
manufacture of Master Window Units, through
authorization of the Master Metal Weatherstrip
Corporation. It also manufactures moldings and
door frames. Through wholesale outlets, it distri-
butes its products throughout Tidewater Virginia
and eastern North Carolina, and has a statewide
franchise for the state of Virginia. Mr. Greenough
is its president, Mr. Thomas is vice president and
Francis A. Ritter is secretary.

Hilton H. Thomas was born at Lawrenceville,
in Brunswick County, Virginia, on May 7, 1903,
son of David Carson and Mary Elizabeth (Lucey)
Thomas. Both parents were also natives of Bruns-
wick County, and both are now deceased. David
C. Thomas was engaged in the retail grocery busi-
ness, and also operated a lumber firm at Law-
renceville. The fifth of six children born to his
parents, Hilton H. Thomas attended the public
schools of Brunswick County, and at the age of
sixteen entered the employ of the Spoke and Hand-
le Company at Kenbridge. There he served his ap-
prenticeship in the woodworking trade. His next
employment was with the Tubize Silk Company
at Hopewell, Virginia, where he remained for
eleven years as a machine operator. In 1935 he
came to Norfolk, where he entered the employ of
the Davis Milling Company on Water Street as
a miller. He continued with that firm for seven
years, during three of which he held the position
of plant superintendent. During the World War II
years, 1942 to 1945, he was with the United States
Army Corps of Engineers as a civilian employee,
engaged in war work at the Nansemond Ordnance
Depot.

Following the war, Mr. Thomas rejoined the
Davis Milling Company, and remained until Oc-
tober 1951, when he began his full-time connection
with Greenough and Company, Inc., which he had
joined Mr. Greenough in founding in April 1950.

Mr. Thomas is a member of the Virginia Retail
Hardware Association, the South Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce, South Norfolk Lodge No. 339, An-
cient Free and Accepted Masons, Ionic Chapter
of the Royal Arch Masons at Berkley, Grice Com-
mandery No. 16, Knights Templar, and Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, in Norfolk. He is a member of the

Dolphin, Virginia, Methodist Church. He is inter-
ested in sports, and his firm is the sponsor of a
softball team which plays in the South Norfolk
Softball League.

On October 10, 1928, at Hopewell, Virginia,
Hilton H. Thomas married Anna Belle Dunbar of
Pembroke. They are the parents of Darletta Delsie
Thomas, born December 13, 1929. She is the wife
of Julian A. Greenough of South Norfolk, co-
founder of the business enterprises and partner of
Mr. Thomas.

Julian A. Greenough was born August 22, 1928,
at South Norfolk, son of Joseph and the late Annie
(Bateman) Greenough. He graduated from South
Norfolk High School in 1947. Shortly afterwards
he became co-founder of Greenough and Company,
Inc., is its vice president, and is now also president
and manager of South Norfolk Manufacturing
Company, Inc.

Married to the former Darletta Delsie Thomas,
he is the father of a daughter, Darlene Bernice
Greenough.

CHARLES A. KIMNACH. JR.— President and
owner of Peebles Motor Corporation, Ford dealer-
ship located at Poindexter Street and Bain-
bridge Boulevard in Norfolk, Charles A. Kimnach,
Jr., is a veteran of more than twenty years in the
automobile business. He has enjoyed an active and
extremely successful career. His position in the
automobile sales field is one of leadership and
high standing, and he has won the respect and
confidence of all who are acquainted with him and
his record.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was
born on December 10, 1915, son of Charles A.,
Sr., and Catherine (Conroy) Kimnach. His parents
reside in Philadelphia, and his father is now re-
tired from business. Receiving his early education
in the public schools of that city, the younger
Charles A. Kimnach went on to advanced studies
at Temple University. In 1936 he began his career
in the automobile business at Westchester, Penn-
sylvania, beginning as salesman and later becom-
ing sales manager in an agency there. He came
south in the mid-i940s, and from 1945 to 1949 was
sales manager of the All-Miami Motors Company
of Miami, Florida. From 1949 to 1953, he managed
Rollins Motors, in Newport News, Virginia.

On January 1, 1953, Mr. Kimnach became as-
sociated with W. J. Peebles, founder of Peebles
Motor Corporation, Ford agency in South Nor-
folk, as a partner and sales manager. With the
retirement of Mr. Peebles from active management
duties in 1953, he became directing head of the
business. On January 1, 1956, he acquired sole
ownership of the Peebles Motor Corporation, prior

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

229

to which time he had held a half interest. He has
continued the organization under the same name,
which is favorably known throughout the region.
In sales volume, the firm has become the largest
Ford dealership in Virginia, and as directing head
of the organization since 1953, Mr. Kimnach has
more than tripled this volume of sales. Its head-
quarters, one of the most modern sales and serv-
ice centers in Tidewater Virginia, is located at
Bainbridge Boulevard and Poindexter Street,
with the used car facilities across the street. The
properties cover about four acres in all, with about
thirty-two thousand square feet of floor space un-
der roof. The organization has one hundred and
five employees on the payroll, skilled and fully
trained sales and service personnel, and the latest
factory-approved equipment. Peebles Motor Cor-
poration has won the confidence and good will of
the citizens of the Norfolk area through courteous
treatment and satisfactory service. Over the years
it has qualified as a Four-letter Dealer of the
Ford Motor Company.

Mr. Kimnach is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Automobile Dealers Association, the Vir-
ginia Automotive Trade Association and the Na-
tional Automobile Dealers Association. He is a
member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
and the Cavalier Golf and Country Club, and his
favorite outdoors sports are fishing and boating.

At Miami, Florida, in 1946, Charles A. Kim-
nach, Jr., married Martha Miles of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. They are the parents of two child-
ren: Gary and Sherry Kimnach.

WEYLAND T. JOYNER had experience in
various business enterprises before he founded the
Windsor Supply Company about a quarter-century
ago. He has since headed this firm, wdiich is dis-
tributor of farm supplies and electrical equipment.
Also, he served as president of W. T. Joyner,
Inc., an organization that distributed Mobile Oil
products in three counties.

Born in the vicinity of Windsor on October 7,
1893, he is a son of Charles T. and Anna James
(Newman) Joyner. Both of his parents were born
in Isle of Wight County, and both are now de-
ceased. His father was a farmer, and Weyland
T. Joyner was born and reared on his farm. He
attended the public schools of Windsor, and began
his business career as clerk in a general store
in that city, a position in which he continued for
several years.

In 1922 he purchased C. L. Griffin's grocery
and general store in Windsor and managed the
business under his own name. He later left the
grocery retailing field and opened a farm supply
and electrical supply business. From this beginning
the present firm of Windsor Supply Company,

Inc., has developed. In 1930 he began the dis-
tribution of oil and other petroleum products,
under the name of W. T. Joyner, which distributed
Mobile Oil Company products in Isle of Wight,
Nansemond, and Southampton counties. This
business was sold in 1957. Mr. Joyner is a di-
rector of the Farmers Bank of Windsor.

Conscientious in regard to civic responsibilities,
he has served for seventeen years on the Isle of
Wight school board. He is a Democrat in his
politics, a member of the Ruritan Club, and a
communicant of the Congregational Christian
Church. He lias served on the church's finance
committee and on its board of deacons.

In Suffolk, on August 18, 1928, Weyland T.
Joyner married Thelma Olive Neal, a native of
Twin City, Georgia, and a daughter of Benjamin
H. and Gussie Hooks Neal. Mr. and Mrs. Joyner
have two children: 1. Weyland T., Jr. He holds
the degree of Bachelor of Science from Hamp-
den-Sydney College, and the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Nuclear Energy from Duke Uni-
versity. He is now engaged in work for the
United States government at the University of
Maryland. He married Marianne Steele of Wind-
sor, daughter of Frank I. Steele, M.D. 2. Phyllis
Anna, who is now with the library of the Medical
College Hospital, Richmond.

COLONIAL BLOCK CORPORATION—

Founded in 1946 by the late Salvatore Marchione,
the Colonial Block Corporation of Norfolk is now
under the management of his two sons, Joseph and
John Marchione. Growing steadily throughout the
decade of its existence, it has become one of the
largest concrete block manufacturing firms in the
Norfolk area. Its plant, located at 3230 Chesa-
peake Boulevard at Virginian Railroad, is a com-
pletely modern and well equipped production cen-
ter, with an average output of eight thousand
units per eight-hour day. The company's growth
has come about in large measure from its policy
of giving its customers the best of service and
workmanship at a favorable price. Its productive
capacity is of course not limited to the manufac-
ture of concrete blocks alone. Its output includes
"Waylite" masonry units, patio blocks, chimney
blocks, splash blocks, lintels, concrete bricks and
colonial stone in various colors for store build-
ing fronts. The products are sold to general con-
tractors, masonry contractors, building materials
firms, and outlets for the home builder. General
distribution covers the Tidewater" region of Vir-
ginia, including Norfolk, South Norfolk, Ports-
mouth, Virginia Beach, and all of Norfolk and
Princess Anne counties.

Salvatore Marchione, the founder of Colonial
Block Corporation, was a native of Italy and came

230

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

to America in his early youth. In his homeland,
he had learned the trade of stonemason, and on
locating in Brooklyn, New York, followed that
trade. During the prewar days of 1941, he came
to Xorfolk and engaged in contracting, laying
concrete foundations for military installations,
housing projects, and other construction which
was vital to the war effort.

When the war ended in 1945, Mr. Marchione
continued in foundation and masonry contracting
in Norfolk, and the great demand for concrete
blocks led him to the conclusion that it would
be a wise investment to organize his own manu-
facturing outfit. Accordingly, in 1946, he founded
the Colonial Block Corporation. From a modest
beginning, with Mr. Marchione producing his
blocks from hand-operated molds, the plant has
grown into one of the best equipped and most
efficiently managed of its kind. At the time of
the founder's death in 1952, the firm was produc-
ing four thousand units each eight-hour day.

Since that time, his sons, Joseph and John,
capably carry on the management of the business.
Joseph is vice president and is in charge of pro-
duction. John is secretary and sales manager. The
office of president is held by their mother, the
widow of the founder, Mrs. Salvatore Marchione.
She is the former Mary Leggio, a native of Italy
who was reared in Brooklyn, New York. Joseph
and John are the two eldest of five sons born
to this couple. The younger sons are Angelo,
Frank and Tony Marchione.

Joseph Marchione, vice president in charge of
production of Colonial Block Corporation, was
born on March 17, 1924, at Brooklyn, New York.
He received his education in the public schools
there, graduating from the Brooklyn High School
of Automotive Trades in 1942. In the same year
he came to Norfolk, and prior to entering military
service, was employed at the Naval Operating
Base. In 1943 he entered the United States Army
Air Corps, was in uniform until 1946, and follow-
ing his separation, became associated with his
father's firm, which had just been founded. In
addition to his executive office with this firm, he
is active in community affairs. He is a member of
the Junior Chamber of Commerce; Roma Lodge
of the Sons of Italy No. 254; Council No. 3548
of the Knights of Columbus; and Holy Trinity
Church.

On August 18, 1950, at the Sacred Heart Roman
Catholic Church in Norfolk, Joseph Marchione
married Dorothy Frances O'Donnell of that city.
They are the parents of four children: I. Sandra
Marie. 2. Joseph Salvatore. 3. Tony Francis. 4.
Gina Maria.

John Marchione, secretary and sales manager

of Colonial Block Corporation, was born October
31, 1925, in Brooklyn. He attended the public
schools there and completed secondary studies at
East New York Vocational High School. Coming
to Norfolk in 1942, he was employed at the Naval
Air Station for one year, and then at the Norfolk
Army Base for a similar period. Then joining his
father in concrete and construction work, he be-
came active in organizing the Colonial Block Cor-
poration in 1946, and has had a leading role in
its management since. John Marchione is a mem-
ber of the Hampton Roads Sales Executives Club;
the Norfolk Civitan Club; Roma Lodge of the
Sons of Italy; Council No. 3548 Knights of Col-
umbus; and the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catho-
lic Church.

On October 14, 1951, in St. Paul's Catholic
Church in Portsmouth, John Marchione married
Virginia Arger of that city. They are the parents
of two children: 1. Linda Marie. 2. Diane Joan.

THE SNELLINGS FUNERAL HOME, situ-
ated at 1927 High Street in Portsmouth, was es-
tablished in 1880 by W. B. Johnson, and is thus
one of the longest-established institutions of its
type in the region. Mr. Johnson was succeeded in
the management of the business by his cousin,
J. E. Snellings, who was joined in 1906 by his
brother, Charles Holland Snellings. The latter
learned the funeral directing business under his
brother and passed the examination of the Virginia
State Board of Embalmers on December 31, 1908.

The Snellings brothers continued their associa-
tion, in the management of the funeral home, until
the death of J. E. Snellings in 1918. At that time,
Charles H. assumed the full duties of managing
the business, which has retained its name to the
present time.

In 1951 John Elliott Hinton, nephew of Char-
les H. Snellings, assumed responsibilities as di-
rector and manager.

The old firm has kept pace in every way with
modern developments in the mortuary profession
and with changing tastes in design and decorating.
It has every convenience and comfort which
science has developed and experience dictated.
Each advancement in physical equipment and tech-
nique has found a ready acceptance, and at the
same time, the feeling of sympathetic understand-
ing and friendliness, which has always been fost-
ered between those who manage the funeral home
and those whom they serve, has never been lost.

Charles Holland Snellings was born at New
Bern, North Carolina, on October 17, 1889, son of
the late William Edward and Josephine (Holland)
Snellings. His father was a railroad contractor
and merchant in New Bern, until his death in

l^^^^ggy^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

23l

1901. His wife, the former Josephine Holland, sur-
vived him until 1922. Charles H. Snellings came
to Portsmouth to join his brother, J. E. Snellings,
and under him served his apprenticeship in funeral
directing. He is a member of the Virginia Funeral
Directors Association, Tidewater Funeral Directors
Association, Virginia State Board of Embalmers
and Funeral Directors, and, in his own city, the
Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and the lodges
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
No. 82; Knights of Pythias; and Fraternal Order
of Eagles. He is also affiliated with the Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of
Seaboard Lodge No. 56; Mount Horeb Royal Arch
Chapter No. II; the Scottish Rite bodies in Ports-
mouth; Portsmouth Commandery No. 5 of the
Knights Templar; Khedive Temple, Ancient Ara-
bic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Nor-
folk; and the Shrine Club. Mr. Snelling is a char-
ter member of the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth
and served as its president in 1933. He is a di-
rector of the Governor Dinwiddie Hotel Corpora-
tion and a member of the Port Norfolk Baptist
Church.

On June 14, 1913, at Portsmouth, Charles H.
Snellings married Anna Mae Hankins. They are
the parents of one daughter, Josephine, who mar-
ried Muriel Bing of Portsmouth, and they have
four children: i. Joanna, ii. E. L. (Sonny), iii.
Jeanette. iv. Charles.

John Elliott Hinton, managing director of the
Snellings Funeral Home, was born in Norfolk
on December 7, 1903, son of Charles Richard and
Alberta Elizabeth (Snellings) Hinton, both of
whom are now deceased. He became associated
with the Snellings Funeral Home in 1925 and in
1927 graduated from Cincinnati College of Em-
balming. He passed the Virginia State Board of
Embalmers' examination on June 14, 1927, after
which he resumed his long association with the
Snellings Funeral Home.

Mr. Hinton is a member of the Virginia State
Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association.
Apart from his professional connections, he is a
member of Naval Lodge No. 100, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, Mount Horeb Chapter No.
11, Royal Arch Masons; Portsmouth Commandery
No. 5 of the Knights Templar; and Portsmouth
Scottish Rite bodies. He holds the Thirty-second
degree and is a member of Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine in Norfolk. He is also a member of the
Portsmouth Kiwanis Club and attends the Broad
Street Methodist Church of Portsmouth.

John Elliott Hinton married Margaret Petty of
Portsmouth. They are the parents of two child-
ren: 1. Margaret Elliot, a graduate of Randolph-
Macon Women's College, where she majored in

English. 2. John Albert, attending Harry Hunt
Junior High School, in Portsmouth.

WILLIAM CHARLES JONES— One of Frank-
lin's younger commercial leaders, William Charles
Jones founded his own laundry and dry cleaning
plant in that city after his return from service in
World War II, and he later founded the Frank-
lin Paper Products Company, a paper converting
firm. Since February 1957, he has been associated
with Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation.

Mr. Jones is a native of Norfolk and was born
on January 3, 1921, son of Samuel G. and Ruth
(Kelley) Jones. His father was president of the
Berkley Machine Works and Foundry Company
in that city. Attending the public schools there,
William Charles Jones graduated from Maury
High School in 1938. For three years he was a
student at Georgia Institute of Technology, and
he also studied at the University of Virginia.
For a time, in the early days of World War II,
he served in the United States Army, and served
stateside transporting planes. In the later war
years he was with the Camp Manufacturing Com-
pany of Franklin.

In 1945 Mr. Jones built a laundry and dry
cleaning plant in Franklin, and this he operated
until 1949 as the Modern Laundry and Dry Clean-
ers. In that year he left to form a new organiza-
tion and build a plant on Franklin Street, and in
1950 operations of the Franklin Paper Products
Company began. Mr. Jones was its sole owner,
and had forty-eight people on his payroll. He is
now sales consultant with Union Bag-Camp Paper
Corporation in Franklin.

He is also president of Farmers Livestock Cor-
poration in Southampton County, and takes a
vital interest in agricultural affairs. He has a farm
"ii which he raises purebred beef cattle. He makes
a hobby of raising bird dogs, and in 1956 his
Home Again Mike won him the National Amateur
Bird Dog Championship.

Mr. Jones is a member of the Ruritan Club,
the Cypress Cove Country Club (both of Frank-
lin), and the Commonwealth Club of Richmond.
His fraternity is Beta Theta Pi.

At Reidsville, North Carolina, on June 26, 1943,
William Charles Jones married Lucy Kiker of
that city, daughter of William Black and Blannie
(Berry) Kiker. Mr. and Mrs. Jones became the
parents of two children: 1. Patricia Ann, born
April 12, 1944. 2. Melissa Ellen, born March 15,
1948.

CLINTON OTTO CRAWFORD— As presi-
dent and general manager of E. O. Crawford and
Sons, Inc., Clinton O. Crawford heads a widely

232

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

known furniture and appliance store, with head-
quarters at Effingham and King streets in down-
town Portsmouth. There is also a branch at 52
Alton Parkway in suburban Cradock. Active in
civic affairs, he is currently serving as president
of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.

Born in that city on July 6, 1919, he is a son
of the late Ernest Otto and Bessie Lee (Williams)
Crawford. Mrs. Crawford continues to maintain
her home in Portsmouth. Ernest O. Crawford,
who died in 1952, was long prominent in the busi-
ness and civic life of Portsmouth. He was the
founder of E. O. Crawford and Sons and its di-
recting head until His death. The original owner
of the business which also included the Crawford
Hardware, he took his sons into partnership with
him, and in 1935 the present corporate name of
E. O. Crawford and Sons was adopted. In 1951
the business was incorporated, and since 1952
Clinton O. Crawford has served as president and
general manager. Other officers of the firm are
Ernest H. Crawford, vice president; Elbert W.
Crawford, secretary and treasurer; and Stanley E.
Crawford and Mrs. Bessie Lee Crawford, directors.
The firm has twenty employees on its payroll.

Attending the public schools of his region, Clin-
ton O. Crawford graduated from Churchland High
School in 1937. He began his career with his
father and in 1940 entered the United States Navy.
He began his tour of duty as a seaman, assigned
to various types of vessels, mostly cargo and sup-
ply ships in the Atlantic and Pacific. He was
separated from the service on November 30, 1945,
with the rank of chief boatswain's mate, United
States Navy (Reserve).

Returning to civilian status, he resumed his
connection with E. O. Crawford and Sons, and
when his father died in 1952, succeeded him as
president. A useful citizen as well as a resource-
ful and successful business man, he has found
time to serve many civic causes. He is currently
the president of the Portsmouth Chamber of Com-
merce, is a member of the Portsmouth Kiwanis
Club, and is a director of the Portsmouth Retail
Merchants Association.

He is a charter member of the Elizabeth Man-
or Country Club. A communicant of the Port of
Norfolk Baptist Church, he is a teacher in its
intermediate Sunday school department.

On October 13, 1940, Clinton O. Crawford mar-
ried Mary Duke, daughter of Charles A. and Hattie
(Bashford) Duke of Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs.
Crawford are the parents of three children: 1.
Clinton Otto, Jr., born December 27, 1941. 2.
Janice, born November 10, 1945. 3. Charles James,
born October 27, 1950. The family resides at Eliza-
beth Acres in Norfolk County.

FLOYD A. TURNER and BREWER JEWEL-
RY COMPANY, INC.— Floyd A. Turner, presi-
dent of the Brewer Jewelry Company, Inc., one
of the oldest and best-known jewelry businesses
in the state of Virginia, was born in Suffolk, the
son of Archie A. and Ida (Barnes) Turner. Archie
Turner was the son of Adkins W. Turner, who
was commissioner of revenue for Nansemond
County for over twelve years and was a well-
known farmer in this section. Ida (Barnes) Turner
was the daughter of W. H. Barnes, prominent
Civil War veteran and a general contractor of
this area, who built the Suffolk Christian Church
in 1892.

After graduating from Suffolk High School,
Floyd Turner attended the Davis Wagner Busi-
ness College in Norfolk. He then went to the Phila-
delphia College of Horology, where he learned the
science of engraving and watch and jewelry re-
pairing. On finishing his education in 1916 he
went with R. L. Brewer and Son, Jewelers. In
1918, he volunteered and served in the United States
Army in World War I. After the armistice, he
went to work for Paul Gale Greenwood Company,
Jewelers, of Norfolk, and later held a position in
Augusta, Georgia. Returning to Suffolk in 1924
he bought the business firm of R. L. Brewer and
Son from Colonel R. L. Brewer, Jr., changing the
name to Brewer Jewelry Company, Inc. The store
had been founded by Thomas W. Hannaford
some years before the Civil War, and had been
bought by the late R. L. Brewer, Sr., from Mr.
Hannaford in 1878.

The Brewer Jewelry Company serves over four
counties in Virginia and North Carolina and has
a complete line of diamonds, jewelry and elec-
trical appliances. The firm handles the Hamilton.
Bulova, Elgin and Gruen watches. In the silver-
ware line, the Gorham, Wallace, Towle, Inter-
national, and Reed and Barton brands are carried.
The company features a complete line of glassware
as well as Castleton, Haviland, Spode and other
leading makes of chinaware. The firm handles a
full line of General Electric appliances, furnish-
ing everything in this line from electric clocks to
complete kitchen units. This department is man-
aged by J. Carlton Butler, Jr., assisted by Mrs.
Mabel Turner and Frederick Turner. James and
Jim Porter handle the delivery service. The watch
repair department is recognized as one of the
best in the state. Perry Turner, brother of Floyd
Turner and a graduate of the Philadelphia College
of Horology, is manager of this department. He
is assisted by Archie Howell, Randolph Copeland
and Mrs. Randolph Bailey. Barnes Turner, another
brother, has charge of the jewelry repairing and
engraving.

U .*»»;WB

GZrSa

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

233

Floyd Turner specializes in the sale and re-
mounting of diamonds, carrying a complete selec-
tion of rings and loose diamonds as well as mount-
ings to suit the individual taste. Mrs. Allie Mae
Artman is in charge of the sales department, as-
sisted by Mrs. Eunice Moore and Mrs. Alice Pond.
Every effort is made to serve the customer's best
interest. Miss Elmira Brewer and Mrs. Till ie
Smith are in charge of the office. The many beauti-
fully decorated windows of the Brewer Jewelry
Company for a number of years were due to the
artistry of Mrs. Floyd Turner. These windows
several times won the first prize from the Retail
Merchants Association and from the Suffolk Pea-
nut Exposition. They also won a national prize
in a Bulova Watch Company contest in which
more than six hundred stores competed. The ex-
cellent window trimming is now being done by
Miss Violet Griffin.

Floyd Archie Turner was married to Miss Olive
Johnson, of Windsor, Virginia, daughter of W.
Frederick and Novella (Roberts) Johnson. The
Turners have three children: i. Floyd Frederick,
born July 8, 1926. He is now associated with the
Brewer Jewelry Company. 2. Archie Johnson,
born September 29, 1929. He is also associated
with the Brewer Jewelry Company. 3. William
Roberts, born March 9, 1939. The Turners are
members of the Suffolk Christian Church, where
Mr. Turner is a deacon and was superintendent of
the Sunday school. He is past president of the
Eastern Virginia Sunday School Convention of
the Christian Church. He is also on the board
of finance of his church. He is past president of
the Retail Merchants Association, member and
past president of the Rotary Club, member of the
Parent-Teachers Association, past commander of
Post No. 57 of the American Legion at Suffolk,
and a director and past .president of the Chamber
of Commerce.

CHESAPEAKE BUILDING ASSOCIATION

— With a history going back more than threescore
years, Chesapeake Building Association is one of
Norfolk's oldest financial institutions. It was or-
ganized in 1895 in the small community of Berkley,
which in 1907 became a part of the city of Norfolk.
The original capitalization was twenty-five thou-
sand dollars, and Foster Black was the first presi-
dent. On his resignation in 1900, Alval H. Martin
was elected president and served until his death
in 1918. He in turn was succeeded by Colonel
Joshua J. Ottley, who served until his death in
J934- Curtis L. Old was the next president and
served until his death in 1949. W. Dean Preston,
who had been a member of the board of directors
since 1935, was elected president to succeed Mr.

Old, and he continues as executive head of the
institution.

The late Samuel W. Lyons, Jr., was secretary
from 1906 until his retirement in 1949 for reasons
of health. He was succeeded by the present secre-
tary, Webb M. Townsend. The bank's oldest of-
ficer in point of service is the present treasurer,
Jesse J. Parkerson, who was elected to that of-
fice in 1909. Howard G. Martin, who became a
director in 191 5, was vice president at the time of
his death in 1954. He was succeeded by L. Hall
Ames, present vice president. The present directors
are Jesse J. Parkerson, George G. Martin, Jr., an
attorney, W. Dean Preston, J. James Davis, an
attorney, Webb M. Townsend, David T. Dunn, a
realtor, L. Hall Ames, a dentist, Robert B. Row-
land, Jr., an investment firm executive, William E.
Warren, a banker, Job O. Belcher, a dentist, George
C. White, a pharmacist, and Frank N. Wood, a
banker.

From small beginnings in 1895, the Chesapeake
Building Association has grown to be one of the
leading building and loan firms in the Tidewater
area of Virginia. It has weathered wars and de-
pressions without ever once missing a semi-annual
dividend payment, and today, with assets of more
than four and one-half million dollars, is stronger
than at any previous time in its history. Accounts
are insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insur-
ance Corporation, a government agency.

Loans are made by the institution only on im-
proved real estate in the cities of South Norfolk,
Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and the
counties of Norfolk and Princess Anne. All proper-
ty is inspected by at least three members of the
board and passed on by the entire board before a
loan is granted. The one hundred and twenty-first
semi-annual statement, indicating condition at the
close of business on March 23, 1956, shows savings
and investment share accounts in the amount of
four million, one hundred-fifty thousand, seven
hundred forty-four dollars and ninety cents: re-
served for March 30 dividends, fifty-eight thousand,
forty-eight dollars and sixty cents; reserves and
undivided profits, three hundred seventy-eight
thousand, five hundred forty-two dollars and seven-
ty-eight cents. The institution is a member of the
Federal Home Loan Bank System, Federal Savings
and Loan Insurance Corporation, United States
Savings and Loan League and the Virginia Savings,
Building and Loan League.

The new home of the Chesapeake Building As-
sociation, at 204 West Berkley Avenue, Norfolk,
was formally opened on November 4, 1953. The
outside of the building is Italian marble and sand-
stone. The interior is soundproof, air-conditioned,
and furnished with new fixtures and all modern

234

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

equipment. Despite its increased size and modern
methods, the institution has maintained the spirit
of friendliness and close co-operation which have
always been its leading characteristics. The Chesa-
peake Building Association looks back on the past
with pride and forward to the future with confi-
dence. We here quote Mr. W. Dean Preston, the
president, in a statement made at the time the As-
sociation moved into its new home, on November
4. 1953:

We believe that careful appraisals, sound investments, con-
servative dividends, ample reserves and adaption of policy to
changing social needs are fundamentals to fulfillment of our
stewardship as the Chesapeake Building Association. We
appreciate the trust you have shown us in the past, and take
this opportunity to let you know that it was only through your
help and cooperation that this move has been made possible.

Mr. Preston was born in Danville, Virginia, on
June 3, 1889, son of Poitiaux R. and Sally (Wade)
Preston. His childhood was spent in Mount Airy,
North Carolina, and in 1909 he graduated from
Pages School of Pharmacy at Greensboro, North
Carolina, a school which was later absorbed by
the University of North Carolina. He was licensed
to practice pharmacy in North Carolina in 1909, and
in Virginia in 1912.

In 1913, Mr. Preston established Preston's Phar-
macy in South Norfolk, and the management of
this store continued as his major business interest
until 1946, when he sold the pharmacy to its
present owner, George C. White. On retiring from
the profession of pharmacy, he was appointed by
Judge Edward L. Oast as real estate assessor for
Norfolk County, and continued to serve in that
capacity until he accepted the presidency of the
Chesapeake Building Association in 1949.

He is a charter member and past president of
the Tidewater Retail Drug Association, past presi-
dent of the Better Business Club of South Nor-
folk, member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
the Tidewater Virginia Development Council, the
Consolvo Tent of Circus Saints and Sinners of
America, the lodge of Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry,
he is a member of both the York and the Scottish
Rite bodies, holds the Thirty-second degree and is
a member of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Norfolk.
He is also a member of the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, and is a communicant of St. Bride's
Episcopal Church, where he is a past senior warden.

In his other business activities, Mr. Preston has
been a member of the board of directors of the
Merchants and Planters Bank of Norfolk since
1945. and a trustee of that institution since 1949.

W. Dean Preston married Molly Whitmel Hall
of Norfolk, daughter of the late William H. and
Linda (Munden) Hall. Mrs. Preston is a member
of St. Bride's Episcopal Church, the Women's
Auxiliary of the Hermitage Club and the Norfolk
Museum of Arts. Mr. and Mrs. Preston were the
parents of one son, W. Dean Preston, Jr., who
died November 6, 1931, while attending the Vir-
ginia Military Institute.

FRANK ELDRIDGE POPE— Since the South-
ampton County Bank was founded as the Bank
of Drewryville, Frank E. Pope has been an official
of the organization, and for the past decade he
has been its president. A native of Southampton
County, he was born on March 16, 1893, son of
Franklin Pierce and Virginia Pearl (Mosely)
Pope. His father, born in 1852, also in Southamp-
ton County, died in 1916. Miss Mosely, whom he
married, was born in Charlotte County in 1870,
and she died in 1896, when her son was only three
years old.

He attended local public schools and Randolph-
Macon College, where he took both the Bachelor
of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in 1914. Be-
ginning his career in the teaching profession, he
taught school at Drewryville and was also prin-
cipal there until 1917. For some years thereafter,
he was active as a cotton ginner and merchant
in Drewryville and operated his own firm, con-
currently with his banking activities, until 1951.
He still makes his home in Drewryville and has
been postmaster there since 1941.

When the original Bank of Drewryville was
formed in 1917, he was a member of its board of
directors, and he served as vice president until it
moved to Courtland and became the Southampton
County Bank. He continued as vice president of
the new bank until 1947, 'when he succeeded Dr.
James A. Grizzard as its president. He has held
the office since.

For the past twenty \-ears, Mr. Pope has been
a member of the electoral board of school trustees.
A Democrat in his politics, he has served his party
as district chairman for some years. He is a mem-
ber of the Ruritan Club and Sigma Phi Epsilon
fraternity and attends Drewryville Methodist
Church, where he is chairman of the board.

Agriculture is one of Mr. Pope's interests. He
owns about two thousand acres, comprising six
farms, and the chief crops produced there are
peanuts, cotton, and corn. He also raises livestock.
About eight hundred acres of the holding were
originally his father's farm. Mr. Pope's hobby
is gardening, particularly floriculture.

He is unmarried and makes his home at Drewry-
ville.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

235

THE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY BANK—

On October 19, 191 7, a group of Drewryville citi-
zens met in the office of Drewry Brothers Com-
pany to take steps toward establishing a bank in
the town. Among this group were Dr. James A.
Grizzard, S. P. Johnson, J. W. Claud, J. P. Fox,
V. R. Leigh, Joshua Leigh. Peter Thomas, J. G.
Claud, R. W. Thomas. A. P. Pope, H. T. Griz-
zard, M. D. Grizzard, H. E. Grizzard, George H.
Leigh, and F. E. Pope. Capital of ten thousand
dollars was subscribed, and application was made
for a charter from the State Corporation Commis-
sion. A certificate of incorporation was granted
November 1, 1917, and the Bank of Drewryville
opened for business November 3, in the northeast
corner of the S. P. Johnson store.

The first board of directors was comprised of
Jesse Lee, J. T. Brown, R. L. Grizzard, J. P. Fox.
J. G. Claud, Joshua Leigh, S. P. Johnson. J. W.
Claud, Dr. James A. Grizzard. and F. E. Pope,
and these men elected Dr. Grizzard president of
the bank; F. E. Pope, vice president; and Jesse
Lee of Emporia, secretary of the board and
cashier. Other small banks had either been or-
ganized or were in the process of organization dur-
ing this period: The Bank of Branchville, Bank of
Newsome, Bank of Sedley, and Bank of Sebrel.

The Bank of Drewryville prospered from the
start. Deposits the first day were between ten
and fifteen thousand dollars. During the first ten
years of its existence, a ten-percent annual dividend
was returned to the stockholders, and the surplus
increased to about eighteen thousand dollars. In
1923 a handsome new building was constructed to
house the bank's operations. It was built of tapestry
brick, and the furniture was of solid walnut and
imported Italian marble.

A few years later the great depression struck.
When Roosevelt became President in 1933. the
bank's surplus had been reduced to about eight
thousand dollars. An examination occurring at the
time of the Bank Holiday revealed the bank to be
in sound condition, and it was permitted to reopen
promptly. It was required, however, to use a loan
from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in
the amount of $12,500, carried on the books as pre-
ferred stock. The capital then stood at $22,500 —
$10,000 common and $12,500 preferred.

The New Deal brought new banking policies.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was
established; interest rates were sharply reduced:
money became cheap; and expenses increased. It
was soon apparent that a much larger volume of
business was necessary in order to operate at
a profit, a much larger volume than this com-
munity could provide. Under the constant prod-
ding of the State Banking Commission the bank's

leadership was finally convinced that it must
move to a larger field or ultimately discontinue
operation. The town of Courtland, the county seat,
was at that time without banking facilities; The
Peoples Bank and the Bank of Southampton both
had closed. Accordingly, Courtland offered an
ideal location. The Ruritan Club of Courtland
interested itself in the move and offered to sponsor
and sell some stock in the new bank to Courtland
citizens. This was a difficult task, since the town
did not have a good banking history. However, a
small amount of stock was sold, and the stock-
holders of the Bank of Drewryville voted reluc-
tantly to move the bank to Courtland. A minority
of them bitterly resented the move and withdrew
support.

The bank's name was changed to the South-
ampton County Bank, and the move to Courtland
was effected between sundown December 17 and
sunrise December 19, 1938. It opened for business
on the morning of December 19. in the old Peoples
Bank building, which it had bought. Its total re-
sources were $118,000. Deposits were $83,000 and
loans $72,000. The firm of W. E. Edwards and
Brother made the first deposit on the morning of
the 19th.

The growth of the bank since its relocation has
been phenomenal. In the first decade, deposits
grew from $92,302.92 to $1,429,068.72, and have
fluctuated between this figure and $1,900,000 since.
The capital structure has changed somewhat during
these years. In 1943 a stock dividend was declar-
ed— one-half share for each share held, with option
to buy an additional half share. The preferred stock
held by Reconstruction Finance Corporation was
retired, and the capital was raised to $35,000. In
January 1955, a stock dividend of one-half share
for each share was again declared, with again
an option to buy an additional half share. In this
operation the capital was raised to $65,000. The
surplus now is $87,500 with undivided profits of
$18,000 and reserve for contingencies of $10,000.
Liberal dividends have been declared each year.

In January 1947, Dr. James A. Grizzard, who
had headed the bank since its beginning, died, and
F. E. Pope was elevated to the presidency. In De-
cember 1949, Jesse Lee retired, and Charles B.
Harding of Emporia was elected to succeed him as
secretary to the board and cashier. Since it had
come to Courtland, the bank had been handicapped
by inadequate and antiquated quarters, and in 1950
the management resolved to build a new office for
the transaction of business. The present handsome
structure was built by the Z. Turner Construction
Company of Suffolk and was completed in April
1950. It is built of colonial brick along Williams-
burg lines and is appropriately appointed through-

236

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

out with the most modern equipment available. It
is tastefully decorated and comfortable in winter
and summer. A gala day in the history of the bank
was the formal opening of the new building on the
evening of April 19, 1950.

The present management is under the direction
of F. E. Pope, president, and J. W. Pulley, St.,
vice president. C. B. Harding is cashier, J. W.
Fox is assistant cashier, and Misses Eunice West-
brook and Doris Best comprise their staff. The
present directors are J. W. Pulley, Sr., Dr. E. F.
Reese, Jr., O. H. Poates, H. B. McLemore, Jr.,
M. D. Grizzard, Jesse Lee, R. D. Claud, S. E.
Pope, and F. E. Pope. Mr. Pope, the president,
is the subject of an accompanying sketch.

The Southhampton County Bank is fully cons-
cious of its obligation to the community which it
serves and is anxious to play its part in the future
development of this garden spot of the Old Do-
minion.

THOMAS ROLLINS WATKINS— One of
Hampton's younger professional men, Thomas Rol-
lins Watkins has practiced law at Hampton since
his admittance to the bar, and is a member of the
firm of Montague, Cumming and Watkins. He is a
veteran of Army Air Corps service in World War
II, and takes a lively interest in his city's organi-
zational life.

A native of Newport News, he was born on
December 7, 1925, son of John Henry and Mattie
Lee (Rollins) Watkins. Both of his parents were
born in York County, Virginia. His father, who
died in 1931, was in the automobile sales field,
having the franchise for the sale of Chevrolet cars
at Newport News. In this enterprise he was an
associate of Charles K. Hutchens, whose biogra-
phical record appears elsewhere in this work.
Thomas R. Watkins attended the public schools
of Newport News and graduated from high school
there in June 1943. Shortly afterwards he entered
the United States Army Air Corps, and remained
in uniform for twenty-two months. He received
his honorable discharge on November 3, 1945.

On resuming civilian life, Mr. Watkins also re-
sumed his education, enrolling at Washington and
Lee University. There he received his degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1948, and Bachelor of Laws
in 1950. On February 9 of the latter year, he was
admitted to the bar, and has since practiced in
Hampton. The firm of which he is a member,
Montague, Cumming and Watkins, engages in
general practice. Mr. Watkins is a member of the
Hampton Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar
Association, and the American Bar Association.

He is also a member of Phi Delta Phi legal
fraternity and Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity.

His local memberships include the Exchange Club
and the James River Country Club. He is a com-
municant of St. John's Episcopal Church in Hamp-
ton. In his politics he is a Democrat.

On March 16, 1951. in Warwick, Thomas R.
Watkins married Jean Nash Fuller of that city.
She is a daughter of Irving L. and Eleanor (Nash)
Fuller. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have three children:
1. Thomas R., born June 5, 1952. 2. John Henry,
2nd, born January 7, 1955. 3. Mary Boswell, born
September 18, 1956.

JOSEPH GARDNER FIVEASH II, is aveteran

of long experience in industrial management, hav-
ing been connected with the firm of James G. Gill
Company in responsible capacities for over forty-
five years. He is a native of Norfolk and was born
on October 10, 1882, son of Joseph Gardner and
Virginia (Staylor) Fiveash. His father, a news-
paper publisher and editor, joined Walter A. Ed-
wards and J. Richard Llewellyn in founding the
"Public Ledger" in August 1876. In 1905 they dis-
posed of the paper to S. L. Slover and Harvey L.
Wilson, who combined it with the "Norfolk Dis-
patch" (founded 1896), the predecessor of the firm
which now publishes the "Norfolk Virginian-
Pilot," morning and Sunday paper, and the "Nor-
folk Ledger-Dispatch" and the "Portsmouth Star,"
afternoon papers.

Mr. Fiveash served in the Coast Artillery Corps,
Virginia National Guard, 1910-1912. He is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the
Virginia Club and the German Club, all of Nor-
folk, the Princess Anne Country Club of Virginia
Beach, the Virginia Society Sons of the American
Revolution, and the Virginias-Seniors Golf Asso-
ciation. Active in Ruth Lodge No. 89, A.F. & A.M.,
he was Master of that lodge in 1913. He is a com-
municant of the First Presbyterian Church of Nor-
folk.

Joseph G. Fiveash attended the public schools
of Norfolk, and in 1897 began his career as a mail-
ing clerk with the Standard Oil Company in his
native city. He was assistant bookkeeper with the
Henry Walke Company, also of Norfolk, 1001-1903,
and in the latter year began his connection with
the S. M. Price Machinery Company, which or-
ganization lie served as assistant treasurer for
nearly a decade. In December 191 2, Mr. Fiveash
joined the James G. Gill Company Inc., of Norfolk,
as treasurer; he has been identified with the firm's
management ever since. He was elected president
upon the death of the founder's son, D. Frank Gill,
in 1937, and still holds that office today. The firm
is engaged in importing and roasting coffee, and in
the distribution of coffee and tea.

In Richmond, on June 8, 1929, Joseph Gardner

Jos. G. Fiveash, Sr.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

237

Fiveash was married to Frances Bland, daughter
of William Henry and Anne Maria (Robinson)
Robertson of Blackstone, Virginia. Mrs. Fiveash
is a member of the Board of Directors of the Nor-
folk Day Nursery, the Infant Sanitarium and the
Women's Auxiliary of the Norfolk General Hos-
pital. She is also a member of the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, the Princess Anne Country
Club, the Norfolk Society of Arts, the Colonial
Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia, and the Garden Club of Norfolk. The couple
are the parents of a son, Joseph Gardner Fiveash
III, born December 28, 1930. He was graduated
from Woodberry Forest School in 1948 and Prince-
ton University in 1952. He served three years as
a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and
is now in the process of completing his medical
education at the University of Virginia, School of
Medicine.

Joseph Gardner Fiveash II is a descendant
(great-grandson) of Peter Fiveash of Hampton
and Charlotte Parke of Dublin, Ireland. Peter Five-
ash was the son of John Fiveash of Southampton
County and Rachel Tabb of Gloucester. He was
sailing master of the sloop of war "Scorpion," Vir-
ginia State Navy, commanded by Captain Wright
Westcott. This vessel was captured by H. M. fri-
gate "Cerberus" under Captain Sir Jacob Wheat,
and its officers and crew were carried off to prison
in Bermuda. In January 1783. Sailing Master Five-
ash and several of his brother officers were re-
turned to Virginia in the Bermudian brig "Dol-
phin" commanded by Captain Thomas Seymour,
who delivered them to Yorktown. Peter Fiveash
died in Hampton in 1799. His heirs were John
Wesley Fiveash (grandfather of Joseph Gardner
Fiveash II), who married Mary Anne Moore of
Norfolk, Alice Fiveash (married to Joseph Gardner
in Norfolk), Frances Fiveash (married to Nathaniel
Wilburne in Norfolk), and Benjamin Fiveash. who
died without issue

CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL— One of the
practical and enterprising business leaders who
are the mainstay of the Tidewater area's com-
mercial and civic life is Charles Edward Russell,
whose major interest is the distribution of oil and
gasoline in Portsmouth and the surrounding re-
gion. He is president and treasurer of Charles E.
Russell and Company, Inc., distributors of Pure
Oil petroleum products. He is also treasurer of
Charles E. Russell and Associates, Inc., a fuel-
oil distributorship which has its offices at 2309
County Street.

This veteran of the petroleum products distri-
bution business was born November 14, 1904, at
Whaleyville, son of George Thomas and Effa Maria
(Horton) Russell. His father was a substantial

farmer in the Whaleyville community of Nanse-
mond County. Charles E. Russell passed his boy-
hood there and graduated from Whaleyville High
School in 1922. To prepare himself for his busi-
ness career, he took a course in stenography at
Southern Shorthand Business School in Norfolk.
In 1923 he joined the staff of Swift and Company
at Norfolk as a stenographer. While continuing
his employment with that firm for a little more
than a year, he continued attending evening classes
at Southern Shorthand Business School.

On November 11, 1924, he joined the Norfolk
Smelting Company in West Norfolk in the capaci-
ties of stenographer and general office worker and
remained there four years. At the end of that time
the plant closed down for an indefinite period and
Mr. Russell then turned his attention to petroleum
products distribution, going on the payroll of Sin-
clair Refining Company at its office in Portsmouth.
There he did general office work and later became
a salesman. He remained with Sinclair Refining
Company until 1929, then left to enter into partner-
ship with J. W. Lawler as distributor for Pure
Oil petroleum products. The partnership was dis-
solved seven years later. Mr. Russell, who re-
mained distributor for Pure Oil, then founded
Charles E. Russell and Company, Inc., of which
he has since been president and treasurer. The firm's
distributorship covers a territory comprising the
city of Portsmouth and parts of Norfolk and Nanse-
mond counties.

Charles E. Russell and Associates Inc., was later
formed as a separate organization for distributing
fuel oil in a territory identical with that of the
older company. The headquarters of both firms are
at 2309 County Street, Portsmouth.

Mr. Russell is a member of the board of direc-
tors of the Virginia Oil Jobbers Association. He
serves on the board of the Merchants and Farmers
Bank of Portsmouth.

A conspicuous element in the philosophy of
Charles E. Russell is the belief that one who gains
a fair share of success in his business owes it to
his community to make a commensurate effort on
behalf of civic causes. His career has demonstrated
exceptional foresight and progressive attitudes, par-
ticularly in his cooperation with community pro-
jects and organizations. Since 1947 he has been
a member of the Norfolk County school board
and is now serving as its vice chairman. He is
also a member of the board of directors of the
Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. He is a Ro-
tarian and a member of the Portsmouth Lodge
No. 82, of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and Lodge No. 898, Loyal Order of Moose.
A communicant of the Churchland Baptist Church,
he serves on its board of deacons.

On September 30, 1939. Charles Edward Russell

238

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

married Parthenia Richardson of Portsmouth,
daughter of Ira James and Mahel (Deans) Rich-
ardson. They are the parents of two children: I.
Charles Edward, Jr., horn August 19, 1942. 2.
Parthenia Arrington, born July 23. 1944. The family
resides at Hatton Point in Norfolk County.

BARNARD EVERETT BEALE— Since his ed-
ucation was completed, Barnard Everett Beale has
devoted his attention to the automobile sales field,
which has long been a major interest in his family.
He is now partner and manager of the Central
Motor Company. Chrysler-Plymouth sales and
service organization with headquarters at 926 High
Street in Portsmouth. The agency also operates
a used car department at 201 1 High Street.

A Portsmouth native. Mr. Beale was born on
November 23, 1907, son of Elias Linwood and
Carrie J. (Stafford) Beale. Mrs. Beale is still living
and makes her home in Portsmouth. Elias L. Beale,
who died in 1937, was for many years prominent
in the business life of Norfolk and Portsmouth.
His major commercial interest over a long period
was the firm of E. F. Beale and Sons, a pioneer
tobacco wholesaling firm located on Commercial
Place in Norfolk. This he sold to the Old Dominion
Tobacco Company in 1920. In 1922 he founded
Central Motor Company as a Chevrolet sales and
service agency. He remained active in the man-
agement of this Portsmouth automobile firm until
his death. He left a fine record of civic contribu-
tions, as well as of business achievements.

Barnard E. Beale received his early education
in the public schools of Portsmouth and, after con-
tinuing his studies at Woodrow Wilson High
School for two years, went to Hargrave Military
Academy in Chatham. Virginia, to complete his
preparatory studies. There he graduated w-ith the
Class of 1928. At that time he began his career
in the automobile sales business in association with
his father at Central Motor Company. This firm
now has a successful record of thirty-five years as
a sales agency and, as noted above, began its
existence with the Chevrolet franchise. Barnard
E. Beale has been in charge since his father's
death in 1937, and in 1945 he acquired the author-
ized dealership for Chrysler and Plymouth auto-
mobiles. Trading in two of the cars most widely-
recognized in the industry for their engineering,
design, and quality of production, he has further
built up his volume of trade through his sound
business sense and his progressive spirit. His long
experience and devotion to the business have like-
wise contributed to giving him a place of leader-
ship in his chosen occupation. The sales and serv-
ice organization he directs employs skilled and
highly trained sales and service personnel, and
the company has the complete panoply of factory-

approved equipment, which, used in a conscien-
tious and workmanlike way, has earned the garage
the confidence of motorists throughout the region.
Mr. Beal's firm has an excellent record in em-
ployee relations, and the loyalty of his workers
has played its part in Central Motor Company's
success.

Mr. Beale is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Automobile Dealers Association, the Auto-
motive Trade Association of Virginia, the National
Automobile Dealers Association, the Portsmouth
Chamber of Commerce, and the Retail Merchants
Association of that city. Apart from his trade con-
nections, he is a charter member of the Lions Club
of Portsmouth, which he served as president in
1935- He serves on the board of directors of the
Young Men's Christian Association and is also
a member of the board of the Elizabeth Manor
Golf and Country Club, which he served as presi-
dent from 1952 to 1954. His favorite outdoor sport
is golf. He and his family are members of the
Court Street Baptist Church in Portsmouth.

On October 11, 1930, in that city, Barnard Ever-
ett Beale married Helen Bartlett of Portsmouth,
daughter of Charles A. and Lee (Pettit) Bartlett.
The couple are the parents of four children: 1.
Joyce Mae, born November 11, 1932. She is a
graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and
attended the College of William and Mary at Wil-
liamsburg. 2. Lloyd Linwood, born November 2,
1934. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High
School in June 1953 and is now completing courses
at Duke University, where he is majoring in electri-
cal engineering. He married Shelley Conway Smith,
daughter of the late Dr. Conway B. and Naomi
(Shelley) Smith of Portsmouth. Her father was
a dentist in Portsmouth. 3. Barnard Everett, Jr.,
born May 11, 1942. He is attending Woodrow Wil-
son High School. 4. Judith Lee, born June 15, 1947;
now attending Westhaven Elementary School. The
family's home is at 4708 Westmoreland Terrace,
Portsmouth.

ROBERT CAMP RAY— After his return from
service as a field artillery officer in World War
II, Robert Camp Ray founded the Franklin Con-
crete Products Corporation at Franklin, and has
since been its president. He is also a leader in
community affairs, and has held office in local or-
ganizations.

Born at Norfolk on November 11, 1917, he is
a son of Dr. Burton J. and Sallie S. (Camp)
Ray. His father served for many years as secre-
tary and treasurer of the Camp Manufacturing
Company, and he now holds the same offices in
Franklin Concrete Products Corporation. Attend-
ing the public schools of his home city, Robert
Camp Ray graduated from high school there in

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

-39

iy34. He took additional courses at Woodberry
Forest Preparatory School at Orange, before en-
tering Cornell University, at Ithaca, New York.
There he graduated with the degree of Bache-
lor of Arts in 1940.

That same year, Mr. Ray entered military serv-
ice and remained in uniform until 1945. Com-
missioned a second lieutenant in the Field Artil-
Lry, he served in a unit which became a com-
ponent of the Third Army in Europe, and ad-
vanced in rank to major, which commission he
held at the time of his honorable discharge in

1945-

Returning to civilian life, he located at Frank-
lin, where in March 1946, he founded the Frank-
lin Concrete Products Corporation. This firm
specializes in the manufacture of concrete pipes
and blocks, and produces ready-mix concrete. It
also deals in building supplies. It lias grown
steadily and rapidly throughout the decade of
its existence. Plant and offices are located on
Carrsville Road in Franklin. Robert C. Ray has
been president of the corporation since he foun-
ded it. His father is the other executive officer.

Vctive in Rotary, Robert C. Ray was presi-
dent of the local club during the 1954-1955 term.
He was the Cypress Cove Country Club's vice
president for 1956. His fraternity is Phi Delta
Theta, and lie is a communicant of the Frank-
lin Baptist Church, which he formerly served as
chairm .11 of the board of deacons. Among the
outdoor sports, the Franklin executive is partial
to boating.

The year after he completed his courses at
Cornell University, Robert C. Ray returned to
Ithaca to marry June A. Miller, of nearby Hor-
nell, New York. She is the daughter of Herman
A. and Florence A. (Tucker) Miller, both living.
Mr. and Mrs. Ray have two adopted sons: 1.
Richard Hull, born June 3, 1951. 2. Robert Bur-
ton, born January 28, 1954.

LCNNIE L. DOUGHTY— After varied experi-
ence in the automobile sales field covering a
period of two decades, Lonnie L. Doughty be-
came Franklin's dealer in Buick cars. His agency
has prospered and now occupies an attractive
new sales and service center at 208 South Street.
Mr. Doughty takes a full part in civic and fra-
ternal activities and in church and community
life generally.

He is a native of New Bern, North Carolina,
and was born on September 14, 1909, son of Her-
bert Bradford and Janie (Bell) Doughty. is
father is deceased, but his mother is still living.
After attending the public schools of Greenville,
North Carolina, Lonnie L. Doughty graduated
from high school, after three years as a student

there, and entered the United States Navy in
October 1926. He remained in uniform until Sep-
tember 1930, and when he returned to civilian
life, became a salesman with the Commodore
Jewelry Company, working out of Norfolk over
the next two years.

In 193 1 lie became a partner in a jewelry busi-
ness at Norfolk, the retail firm of Shackelford's,
Inc., and remained until 1933. Since 1934, he has
been active in the automobile retailing field. In
February 1946, he entered the used car sales
field, with headquarters at Portsmouth, where
he remained until March 1947. He then located
at Franklin, where he held the franchise for the
sale of Dodge and Plymouth cars until 1951,
operating as the Franklin Motor Company, Inc.,
in partnership with E. C. Midkiff. From 1951 to
1954, he was again in the used-car business at
Portsmouth. In the latter year, In- received the
franchise for the sale of Buicks at Franklin and
established his agency in that city under the
name of Doughty Buick. The car which he chose
to represent has made an exceptional sales re-
cord in the last few years, outselling other cars
in its price range and even surpassing some in
the low-price field. Mr. Doughty has attracted
his share of tlii^ business and has earned the
confidence of his fellow citizens through his ca-
pable business management and ethical practices.
His new headquarters on South Street in Frank-
lin was recently completed. He has ten em-
ployees on his payroll.

In addition to automobile retailers' groups, Mr.
Doughty is a member of a number of local or-
ganizations, including the Lions Club and Frank-
lin Lodge No. 151, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons. He i> a member of the higher bodies
of Masonry, including Mount Nebo Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons in Suffolk, ami Portsmouth
Commandery No. 5, Knights Templar. He be-
longs to Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Norfolk. He
is also a member of the Cypress Cove Country
Club and attends High Street Methodist Church.
In his politics, Air. Doughty is a Democrat.

Lonnie L. Doughty has been twice married.
He married, first, on September 8, 1930, Florence
Hare, who died in 1935. They became the parents
of a daughter: Dorothy Elaine, who is now the
wife of Harold Burkhart and the mother of a
child, Lisa Ann. At Suffolk on September 6,
1936, Mr. Doughty married, second, Mildred Wil-
liams of that city, and they are the parents of
three children: Linda Lee, Carolyn Sue, and
Mary Gwendolyn.

REUBEN F. TRANT, JR.— As president of R.
F. Trant Distributing Corporation, with headquar-

240

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ters at 924 West Twenty-first Street, Norfolk, .
Reuben F. Trant, Jr., heads one of the region's
major radio, television and appliance sales organi-
zations. He is a man of many interests, which
include farming, work with youth and on behalf
of a number of local organizations.

Mr. Trant comes to the Lower Tidewater area
from Dayton, Ohio, where he was born on Janu-
ary 19, 1916. He is a sou of Reuben F., Sr., and
Thirza (Brown) Trant. His mother too was born
in Dayton, Ohio, but his father's family had been
Tidewater residents, and the elder Reuben F.
Trant was born in Portsmouth. He organized R.
F. Trant, Inc., in 1916, and it became a leading
wholesale distributor of Delco products, Frigi-
daire refrigerators and other electrical lines. Of
that firm, the predecessor of the present R. F.
Trant Distributing Corporation, he remained the
executive head until his death, which occurred on
October 28, 1952, in his sixty-eighth year. Thirza
(Brown) Trant survives him and resides in Prin-
cess Anne County.

The younger Reuben F. Trant received his edu-
cation at Norfolk Academy and Virginia Military
Institute where he graduated in 1935 with the
degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical En-
gineering, being then only twenty years of age.
He then went to the University of Pennsylvania
to enroll for graduate courses, and took the de-
gree of Master of Science in Business Adminis-
tration there in 1937.

He then joined General Motors Acceptance Cor-
poration at Charlotte, North Carolina, and re-
mained with that organization until 1941, when
he entered the United States Army. Commis-
sioned a first lieutenant, he served in North Africa
and in Sicily. He was transferred from the Medi-
terranean Theater to England, and from there
accompanied our victorious troops into France,
Belgium. Holland and Germany, being in front-
line combat zones with the 19th Corps, component
of the First Army. He was slightly wounded in
the course of this final assault on Hitler's Fortress
Europa, and was separated from the service on
January 25, 1946, holding the rank of captain at
that time.

On resuming civilian life, he came back to
Norfolk and joined his father. When the elder
man died, he reorganized R. F. Trant Distributing
Corporation under its present title. R. F. Trant,
Inc., remains in existence, however, as a holding
company, while R. F. Trant Distributing Corpora-
tion is the operating company selling Admiral
appliances, radios and television units throughout
half of the state of Virginia and the eastern
coast of North Carolina (twenty-six counties).
He is also agent for the Coleman line of oil and
gas residential heating and air conditioning units.

Headquarters is at the West Twenty-first Street
address, and there is a branch office and a ware-
house in Richmond. In all, there are forty people
on Mr. Trant's payroll.

The Trant family interests also include the
ownership of the Building Supplies Corporation
of which Reuben F. Trant. Jr., is president. He
is trustee of a trust which operates farm proper-
ties, having a valuable herd of registered Hol-
stein cattle and some Guernseys, and operating
a dairy, at acreage near Lynnhaven, Virginia.

In his own city. Mr. Trant is a member of the
Chamber of Commerce, the American Legion
post and the Princess Anne Country Club. Dur-
ing the 1956 term he served as chairman of the
Seaboard Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
A Presbyterian, he serves on the board of deacons
of his church. Chess is one of Mr. Trant's hobbies,
and his favorite outdoor sports are fishing and
boating. He greatly enjoys the hours spent in bis
outboard motor boat.

On January 26. 1946, Reuben F. Trant. Jr.,
married Mattie Bishop, daughter of Alexander
E. and Sara (Griffin) Bishop. Her father, who
was with Seaboard Air Line Railway, died in the
early thirties. Mrs. Bishop makes her home at
Gastonia, North Carolina. Mattie (Bishop) Trant
died on May 24, 1956. In her death the community
lost one of its most effective and valued civic, or-
ganizational and welfare workers. She had worked
closely with the St. Mary's Infants' Home, and
was co-founder of the Princess Anne L'nit of the
American Cancer Society. She had served as
chairman of the March of Dimes program, was a
leader in the Girl Scouts, and had held offices
in the Princess Anne Women's Club. She bad
recently been chosen Outstanding Woman of the
Year in her community. The couple were the
parents of two children: 1. Reuben F., Ill, who was
born on July 1. 1951. -'• Alexander McQueen,
born April 26, 1955. Mr. Trant makes his home
at London Bridge, in Princess Anne County.

WILLIAM BOISSEAU ALLEN— Until his re-
tirement. William Boisseau Allen of Suffolk
headed the firm of R. R. Allen and Son, which
has engaged in the hardware business, 'under the
direction of successive members of the same fami-
ly for over a century. He also has banking inter-
ests and has taken a full part in community
life.

Born at Suffolk on September 25, 1893, he is
a sen of Robert Riddick and Frances Jones (Cos-
by) Allen. His father, owner of the hardware
store in his generation, was a veteran of service
in the Confederate cause, having been with Com-
pany C of the 13th Virginia Cavalry, in which

I.OWKR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

241

he enlisted while very young. William B. Allen
attended a private school in Sutfolk, and Bedford
Bo>>' School at Bedford, Virginia. He took his
advanced studies at the University of Virginia, and
in 1920 entered the family business.

He became owner and manager of R. R. Allen
and Son in 1920, and continued at its head until
he retired and was succeeded by his son, Robert
R. Allen, 2m'., whose biographical sketch accom-
panies. The ejder Mr. Allen is also retired from
the board of directors of the Farmers Bank of
Nansemond.

During World War 1, he served with the 115th
Ambulance Company and 104th Sanitary Train,
units of the 29th Division. He was with the
American Expeditionary Forces in France, arriv-
ing iii that country in July 1918.

As a veteran, he is a member of the American
Legion, and be also belongs to the Rotary Club
and the Jolly Boys Club. He is a communicant
of the Main Street Methodist Church in Suffolk,
and is a Democrat in his politics.

In his native city on May 6, 1918, William
Boisseau Allen married Virginia Hamilton Wright,
daughter of William Johnson and Anna Lloyd
(Gold) Wright. The couple make their home at
uto Jones Street, Suffolk. They are the parents
of two children: 1. Robert Riddick, 2nd, who was
born on March 14, 1924. He now heads the
family firm and his sketch accompanies. 2. Wil-
liam Boisseau, Jr., born on July 28, 1930.

ROBERT RIDDICK ALLEN, 2nd— Head of
the long-established firm of R. R. Allen and Son,
Inc., Robert Riddick Allen has been engaged in
the hardware, glass and appliance business at Suf-
folk since the beginning of his career. He is a
veteran of wartime service in an armored divi-
sion, and takes an active part in local civic and
organizational affairs.

Born at Suffolk on March 14, 1924, he is a
son of William Boisseau and Virginia Hamilton
(Wright 1 Allen. His father, who spent many
years of his life as owner and manager of R.
R. Allen and Son, Inc., is now retired. He is
the subject of an accompanying biography.

Attending local public schools, Robert R. Allen.
2nd. graduated from Augusta Military Academy
at Fort Defiance, Virginia. He spent one year
at the University of Virginia, and has taken ex-
tension courses at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and William and Mary College.

He joined his father's firm, R. R. Allen and
'Son, Inc., in 1948, in the capacity of salesman,
and has been manager since his father's retire-
ment. Absent at the time of World War II, he en-
tered military service on July 10, 1943, and ser-
ved in England, France, and Germany with the

Ninth Armored Division. Assigned to a sixty-
millimeter-mortar crew, he was credited with ef-
fective work in action against the enemy, and
he performed a number of reconnaissance patrols
under combat conditions. Since his return, Mr.
Allen has been active in the American Legion
post at Suffolk. He is also a member of the
Ruritan Club at Chuckatuck. He is a communi-
cant of the Methodist Church of Chuckatuck.

On October 15, 1947, at Driver, Virginia, Rob-
ert Riddick Allen, 2nd, married Martha Edwards,
daughter of James Lide, Jr., and Fannie Maie
(New-some) Edwards. The couple are the parents
of two children: 1. Patricia Edwards, who was
born on November 18, 1948. 2. Robert Riddick,
3rd, born on January 11, 1953.

MAURICE LAMAR AKERS— A veteran of
many years' experience in the beverage distribut-
ing industry, Maurice Lamar Akers built up the
successful Newport News organization, the Akers
Beverage Company, which his son, M. L. Akers,
Jr., is now largely responsible for managing. His
other interests have included banking, lodge activi-
ties, and the service of his church.

He was born in Franklin on June 8, 1886. His
father was a contractor. Maurice L. Akers attended
Franklin public schools, but as a boy came to New-
port News, where for several years he was asso-
ciated with his brother, Gaston Akers, in the laun-
dry business. He left this connection to become a
partner in the Roberts-Akers Advertising Agency,
with which he continued for a number of years.

In 1919 he entered business for himself with
the organization of his present linn, Akers Bev-
erage Company. The concern began its existence
as a manufacturer of carbonated soft drinks, which
it produced and distributed under its own trade
name. For the past twenty-two years, however,
Akers Beverage Company has represented the
Pabst Brewing Company as its local distributor-
ship, and in 1945 it discontinued the production and
sale of its own soft drinks to devote full attention
to acting as agent for the nationally known firm
of brewers. For reasons of health, the founder,
Maurice L. Akers, Sr., is now semi-retired, and his
son, Maurice L., Jr., carries most of the executive
duties.

For a number of years, Maurice L. Akers, Sr.,
served on the board of directors of the Citizens
Marine Jefferson Bank in Newport News. He is a
member of Newport News Lodge of the Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks and attends
Grace Methodist Church, where for many years
he served on the board of stewards.

In 1914 in Newport News, Maurice Lamar
Akers, Sr., married Olga Lohse of that city,
daughter of George Lohse. The couple are the

-4-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

parents of the following children: I. Maurice La-
mar. Jr., who was horn in Newport News on June
26, null. He attended the Newport News elemen-
tary and high schools, and the apprentice school
of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company for four years, then joined his father in
the beverage distribution business, in which he has
been engaged since 1947. He is now manager of
the Akers Beverage Company. Maurice L. Akers,
Jr., married June Wilkinson of Newport News on
Alarch 9, 1941, and they have four daughters: i.
Judy. ii. Betsy, iii. Bonnie, iv. Susan. 2. Olga Belle.
She married John Abbitt, and they have four sons:
John, Keeler, Ranny, and Alfred. 3. Kennedy C,
who is also associated with his father in business,
besides which he is president of the Riverdrive
Beach Corporation. He married Thelma Deal of
Newport News, and they have three daughters:
Pain, Ken, and Sylvia and one son: Kenneth C, Jr.

G. ALLEN HOUSE'S major business interest
for the past decade and more has centered in
his partnership in the Suffolk Equipment Company.
This firm has established a thriving business in
the sale of farm implements and motor trucks and
also holds the agency for the sale of Packard
automobiles.

Son of Dr. George W. House, an optometrist,
and his wife, the former Dollie Vaughan, Mr.
House was born in Dyer County, Tennessee, on
August 12, 1903. Both of his parents were also
native Tennesseeans, his father having been born
in Wealley County, and his mother, in Dyer Coun-
ty. Both are deceased. The Suffolk business leader
lie lived his early education in the public schools
of Newbern, Tennessee, and graduated from high
school there in 1921. For his advanced studies he
went to William Jewell College at Liberty, Mis-
souri, and there received his degree of Bachelor
of Arts in 1926.

He began his career as a teacher, teaching in
the public schools of his native Dyer County for
two years. Leaving to enter private industry, he
went to Chicago, Illinois, where he entered the
pharmaceutical firm of Bauer and Black, working
in its sales department for three years. At the
end of that time he joined International Harvester
Company and worked for twelve years in its credit
department, spending some time in each of its
offices in Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Ken-
tucky, and Richmond, Virginia.

In 1943 Mr. House came to Suffolk, where he
joined J. S. Jones in a partnership managing the
Suffolk Equipment Company. They have been
dealers in farm equipment and motor trucks
produced by International Harvester since that
time. Selling Packard cars since 1953, they recent-
ly opened new showrooms in a modern brick

building located on Windsor Road. Their firm
has eighteen people on its payroll.

Mr. House is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity
and in his own city belongs to the Lions Club
and Lodge No. 685 of the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order ol Elks. A communicant of the Baptist
Church, he serves as a deacon. He is a Democrat
in his politics. He is fond of outdoor sports, golf,
hunting, and fishing being his favorites.

At the Little Church Around the Corner in New
York City on June 3, 1930, G. Allen House
married Laura Finley, of Finley, Tennessee, daugh-
ter of Robert C. and Effie (Wheeler) Finley. The
couple are the parents of three children: 1. G. Allen,
Jr., who was born on October 28, 1931. 2. Laura
Anne, born March 22, 1936. 3. Robert Vaughan,
born March 1, 1943.

GEORGE W. PRICE, III— In Norfolk and
Princess Anne counties, a name well known in the
general contracting field is that of George W.
Price, III. Co-partner and co-founder of the A and
P Construction Company, which maintains head-
quarters at 419 West Twenty-second Street, Nor-
folk, Mr. Price is heavily engaged in government,
industrial and commercial building operations.
Technically trained, he has been with the United
States Coast Guard and with the Norfolk-Redeve-
lopment and Housing Authority.

Mr. Price was born in Norfolk on August 30,
1918, the son of George W. and Lillian (Monk)
Price. His father, also a native of Norfolk, is now
assistant director of the Norfolk Redevelopment
and Housing Authority. Born in 1898, he has made
his entire career in his native city. For many years
he was associated with the Price Transfer Com-
pany, founded by his own father, the first George
W. Price. For a time he was an official in the
Norfolk Division of the Works Progress Admin-
istration and later in the Wages and Hours Admin-
istration. He has been with the Norfolk Redeve-
lopment and Housing Authority since 1942. His
wife is a native of upper New York State.

George W. Price, III, was graduated from Maury
High School with the Class of 1938. After a period
in the Norfolk Division of the Virginia Polytechnic
Institute, he spent one semester at Virginia Poly-
technic Institute. In 1942, he was commissioned an
ensign in the United States Coast Guard.

Mr. Price's first experience in his present field
was with the Tidewater Construction Company. He
worked for this company from 1945 to 1948. The
next four years were spent with the Norfolk Re-
development and Housing Authority. In 1952 Mr.
Price and V. K. Almond, Jr.. founded the A and
P Construction Company, which has since com-
pleted major contracts in Norfolk, Portsmouth and

TWVa. 26

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

243

various communities in Princess Anne County.
Mr. Price is a member of the Sertoma Club, Nor-
folk Chamber of Commerce and Norfolk Yacht
Club. He is a sailing enthusiast, with a sailboat of
his own. Another hobby is woodworking.

On May 28, 1942, in Norfolk, Mr. Price married
Virginia Rider, daughter of Lieutenant Commander
Frederick and Lucy (Wetzel) Rider. Commander
Rider, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, served
for many years in the United States Navy and
was actively engaged in several wars. He retired
in 1945. His wife is a native of Norfolk. Mr. and
Mrs. Price have two daughters: 1. Julia Rider, born
on November 9, 1944. 2. Linda Lee, born on August
!7» IQ53- The Price family home is at 7725 New-
port Avenue, Norfolk.

Toler, a Baptist minister, and Mamie (Edwards)
Toler. Mr. and Airs. Meekins have one son: Eugene
B., Jr., born in Washington, North Carolina, on
February 5, 1939. Their home is at 219 Hurley
Avenue, Warwick.

EUGENE B. MEEKINS— A business firm well
known on the Virginia Peninsula is the Warwick
Plumbing and Heating Company, with plant and
offices at 410 Center Avenue, Warwick. Of this
firm Eugene B. Meekins, who has had considerable
experience in various parts of the region, is presi-
dent. He has a reputation for his interest in the
growth and prosperity of Warwick and for his
work in religious circles.

Mr. Meekins was born in Washington, North
Carolina, on September 10, 1902, the son of John
R. and Bessie E. (Clifton) Meekins. John R. Meek-
ins, now deceased, was city clerk of Washington
for many years. Bessie Meekins died in 1957.

Eugene B. Meekins attended elementary and
high schools in his native city. He learned the
plumbing and heating trade there. In World War
I, he came to the Lower' Tidewater to work at his
trade for the Moon Shipbuilding Company in Nor-
folk. He spent two years with this company and
then returned to Washington, North Carolina,
where he followed his trade until 194 1.

Since then he has been active in the Newport
News area. For about three years he was em-
ployed by various plumbing and heating contrac-
tors. In 1944, he launched his own enterprise, the
Village Plumbing and Heating Company, in War-
wick. In 1952, he was appointed an executive of
the Hilton Corporation, also in Warwick, and in
1954 he became president of the Warwick Plumbing
and Heating Company. This firm employs forty
persons and handles many large contracts on the
Peninsula. Through the firm Mr. Meekins is a
member of the Peninsula Master Plumbers Asso-
ciation. He is also a member of the Lions Club of
Warwick and serves on the board of deacons of
the Hilton Christian Church.

Mr. Meekins married Ruby Toler, also a native
of Washington, North Carolina, in that city on
June 10, 1936. Her parents are the Reverend Duffy

CHARLES FENTON GARNER— "Isle of
Wight County has been the seat of the birth of
many fine lads, who found their way across the
river James in their youth and liked this side so
well that they could not refrain from remaining,"
says an account of Charles Fenton Garner in a
Newport News publication. "Just such was the case
of one of Newport News' leading and worthwhile
citizens of today, Mr. Charles Fenton Garner, who
at the age of twenty-three, settled on the Pen-
insula." Today the name of Garner is closely iden-
tified with an ever-growing business, Dawn Dry
Cleaners and Launderers, whose slogans, "Dawn
Brings Happy Days" and "The Voice of Cleanli-
ness," are literally household words on the Pen-
insula. As president and general manager of this
company, Mr. Garner has not only guided an im-
portant business to unusual success but contri-
buted in numerous ways to the growth and wel-
fare of Newport News.

Mr. Garner was born on a farm in Isle of Wight
County on May 4, 1894. His parents, also natives of
that county, were Charles Walter Garner, a pros-
perous farmer, and Hattie May (Whitley) Garner.
He was educated in a public school in Isle of
Wight Court House. For a time he was employed
by the P. D. Gwaltney, Jr., and Company grocery
in Smithfield, but later he established a grocery
business of his own in the same community, known
as the C. F. Garner Grocery. This he operated for
two years.

Knowing he could not be satisfied with a small
town business, C. F., as he is known to his best
friends, crossed the James and went to work for
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company. But he kept this employment only a
short time. He wanted a business of his own and
soon he had it — the Newport News Wet Wash
Corporation. Starting operations in October 1918,
the firm was located at the Municipal Boat Harbor
and housed in what was known as the City Market
Building. However, Mr. Garner was not the only
owner of this enterprise. There were six other
equal stockholders — A. L. Bivins, P. W. Murray,
F. L. Stokes, the late Compton Gay, D. R. Blalock
and the late W. N. M. Jones. At the end of a
two-year period, C. F. Garner and his brother,
Walter G. Garner, purchased the entire stock. In
1926 they merged with the Marine Laundry.

In 1928 the firm moved to its present site at 830
Twenty-fifth Street. The laundry was in a small
frame building. For one year the brothers operated

2 44

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

under the temporary name of Elite Laundry. Then
11 became the Newport News Laundry Corporation.
Mr. Garner says, "we trade-marked our services
in 1935 and became known as Dawn Dry Cleaners
and Launderers." And along with the trade-mark
and firm name of Dawn came the slogans "Dawn
Brings Happy Days" and "The Voice of Cleanli-
ness," which helped increase business to such ex-
tent that an expansion which has never stopped
was begun at that time.

In the course of time, the brothers organized
the G. and G. Coal Company and in 1946 took over
the Hampton Steam Laundry, located on West
Queen Street, Hampton, which they modernized
and improved in many ways. Today, C. F. Garner
and W. G. Garner are the executive officers of
Dawn Dry Cleaners and Launderers, Hampton
Steam Laundry, and G. and G. Coal Company.
In 1919, Dawn operated with two trucks. Today it
has twenty trucks and cars. The small frame build-
ing of 1926 has been enlarged from all sides until
it covers a vast territory. When the buisness was
opened at the present site, the company had a per-
sonnel of thirty; today there are approximately one
hundred and fifty persons on the payroll. Among
these is the president's son, Charles F. Garner, Jr.,
assistant superintendent of the plant.

With the years, too, various branches have been
added to the plant. In 1934, Zoric dry cleaning
was started, along with moth-proofing and water-
proofing. For many years the invisible marking
system, with half-inch markings that cannot be
detected except under flourescent dark ray damp,
has been in use. Hand treatment is given to all
fine linens, so that Dawn frequently washes anti-
ques valued at as much as twenty-two hundred
dollars. Then there is the "Muroza." the feather-
pillow cleaning machine and many, many other dry
cleaning and laundry services. In the office there is
the control machine, the second in the state, which
prints the office record, driver's record, customer's
record and detailed record of each bundle, and
many other innovations.

C. F. Garner has membership in many laundry
trade and business organizations and also in the
Xewport News Lodges of the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, Knights of Pythias and In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows; Rotary Club of
Newport News; Propeller Club, James River Coun-
try Club, and the American Rose and Virginia Pen-
insula Rose societies. As must be recognized from
his membership in the latter two, the growing and
showing of roses is his hobby. He has won numer-
ous awards in his hobby, including the J. Horace
McFarland Memorial National Trophy. He is a De-
mocrat and is a member of the Chestnut Avenue
Methodist Church.

C. F. Garner married Effie Godwin, also a native

of Isle of Wight County, at Smithfield on Nov-
ember 28, 1917. They have two children: 1. Charles
F., Jr., born on December 14, 1920, who is now-
associated with his father and uncle in the laundry
business. He married Sylvia Greene of Spokane,
Washington, and is the father of one daughter,
Carole. 2. Mildred Lawson, now Mrs. W. H. Wat-
ers, Jr., and mother of one son, William H., 111.

WALTER GLOVER GARNER— Over the

past two decades, which he has spent with the
Newport News Laundry Corporation, Walter
Glover Garner has advanced to the position of
secretary-treasurer of the corporation, and gene-
ral manager of the Dawn Dry Cleaners and
Launderers, which it operates. He has played
;.n active role in the organizational affairs of
his city.

A native of Isle of Wight County, he was
born on March 2^, 1899, son of Charles Walter
and Hattie (Whitley) Garner. His parents were
farming people. Walter G. Garner attended the
public schools of Isle of Wight, and the Isle of
Wight High. School. In the war year 1918, he
started work at the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company. He left there in 1925
to enter the employ of the Life Insurance Com-
pany of Virginia. He worked for this firm for
twelve years, and during ten years of that time
he was assistant district manager.

In 1937 he formed his connection with Dawn
Dry Cleaners and Launde. crs, operated by the
Newport News Laundry Corporation. He has
been with this firm continuously since, and holds
positions of secretary-treasurer and general mana-
ger.

Active in the Kiwanis Club of Newport News,
Mr. Garner served as its president in 1950. He
is a member of the Executives Club, and the
lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
A member of the higher bodies of Masonry, he-
holds the Thirty-second degree and is a member
of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He attends the First Presbyterian
Church of Newport News.

In that city, on June 21, 1928, Walter Glover
Garner married Virginia Stannard Kirby, daugh-
ter of William Thomas and Amelia (Mallett)
Kir'-y. The couple are the parents of two chil-
dren: 1. Walter Glover, Jr., who was born on
February 4, 1933. 2. Wallace Kirby, born Sep-
tember 22, 1936.

JOHN MARION STOKLEY— A pioneer or-
ganization of its type in the Lower Tidewater re-
gion, Stokley's Services, Inc., with its predecessors,
has had over three decades' experience in the air

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

^45

conditioning and refrigeration contracting field. Its
executive head is John Marion Stokley, who in-
corporated the firm in 1938 and lias since served
as president.

He is a native of Roseville, Ohio, and was born
on February 22, 1901, son of Marion and Daisy
(Russell) Stolcley. Both parents were born in Perry
County, Ohio, in which Roseville is located. Mari-
on Stokley is now retired after a long career as a
merchant. He operated a grocery and meat market
in Cambridge, Ohio, and still lives there, being
ninety years of age at the time of writing. Daisy
(Russell) Stokley is also still living, at the age of
eighty-three. This couple were the parents of
twelve children, of whom nine are living. One is
a professor at Notre Dame, another also follows
the teaching profession, and another is a publisher.

Receiving his public school education at Cam-
bridge, John M. Stokley supplemented his regular
courses with evening classes. In his early years
he gained experience in various occupations, work-
ing in coal mines, cattle ranching, and holding jobs
in the oil fields and in the railway shops of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1923 he joined the Delco
Light Company at its Dayton factory, and the
following year was transferred to Cleveland. He
remained there until 1928, when he was transferred
to Norfolk.

A short time afterwards, Mr. Stokley left the
Delco Light Company to join R. F. Trant, Inc.,
and he was service and commercial manager with
this organization until 1937. He then went to Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, for one year as commercial
manager with the Ludwig Honnell Company. At
the end of that time he returned to Norfolk, and
there organized an air conditioning and refrigera-
tion business under his own name. Its headquarters
are at 4000 Colley Avenue. Stokley's Services, Inc.,
also contracts for heating installations, and acts as
franchised distributors and contractors for West-
inghouse Air Conditioning, Curtis Condensing
Units and Kawneer Kawport products. It is the
franchised dealer for Westinghouse appliances in
the Norfolk area. It serves people in the Tidewater
area and in eastern North Carolina, and employs
twenty-three people.

Besides this major business interest, Mr. Stokley
is secretary and treasurer of Acme Sheet Metal
Corporation, in which he has a controlling interest.
Well-known and respected in trade circles, he is
currently serving as treasurer of the Subcontrac-
tors Association of Virginia, and was the first presi-
dent of the Electric League of Norfolk. He is a
member of the American Society of Heating and
Ventilating Engineers, and the American Society
of Refrigeration Engineers.

Mr. Stokley has done useful work in community

causes. He is vice chairman of the lay advisory
board of the DePaul Hospital. A Roman Catholic
and a communicant of Blessed Sacrament Church,
he is a member and past president of the Ryan Club.
His other memberships include the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club, the Princess Anne Country
Club, Cavalier Beach Club, and Circus Saints and
Sinners. Fishing and golf are his favorite sports.
He is an independent in his politics.

On April 4, 1921, John Marion Stokley married
Freda Irene James, daughter of George and Bar-
bara (Shuttleworth) James. Both of her parents
were born in Hocking, Ohio. He died in 1948 at
the age of seventy-nine. Mrs. James survives him
and makes her home in Pleasant City, Ohio. Mr.
and Mrs. Stokley are the parents of two daughters:
1. Marian, who was born on June 20, 1922. On
April 16, 1948, she became the wife of Hugh W.
Brinkley. They have two children: i. Barbara, born
on March 3, 1950. ii. John Wade, born November
7, 1951. 2. Mary Constance, born on November 27,
1934. She married, April 28, 1956, John H. Shortt,
who is now in the army. Mrs. Stokley was formerly-
active in the Red Cross Motor Corps, and she
serves on the board of St. Mary's Infants' Home.
Site is active in the King's Daughters, and is eligi-
ble for membership in the Daughters of Isabelle.
The couple live at 7438 Hampton Boulevard, Nor-
folk.

ANGUS I. HINES, JR.— Since the beginning
of his career, Angus I. Hines, Jr., has been identi-
fied with the oil distributing firm which bears the
Hines name, and which has its headquarters in
Suffolk. The organization has built up an effective
distributorship, which now has a branch at Smith-
field. Mr. Hines is a veteran of the maritime
service in World War II, and is active in local
organizations and in his church.

Born at Suffolk on August 7, 1923, he is a son of
Angus I., Sr., and Lois (Howell) Hines. His
father, who was born in Southampton County
in 1894, entered the oil business at Suffolk, estab-
lishing the firm of Angus I. Hines, Inc., to which
he gave his name.

His son has been interested in the same field
of endeavor since the beginning of his business
career. Receiving his early education in the public
schools of Suffolk, he graduated from high school
there in 1941, and took further studies at Augusta
Military Academy before entering Georgia School
of Technology. He concluded his formal educa-
tion with a year at R. C. A. Institute in New
York City. Before he had time to begin his career,
he entered the wartime service of his country
with the Merchant Marine, in which he served for
two years and a half.

-46

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

In 1945 he joined his father in the oil distribut-
ing business. His organization acted as distributor
for the products of The Texas Company in the
Lower Tidewater area. The elder Angus I. Hines
had founded a distributorship in 1923, and headed
it until his death on July -'4. 1953- Following his
death the firm was incorporated as Angus I.
Hines, Inc. Lois H. Hines is its president, James
P. Harris is vice president, and Angus I. Hines,
Jr., is secretary and treasurer. The firm employs
fourteen people and its headquarters is in Suffolk.
They operate a branch at Smithfield, identified by
its own name as the Smithfield Oil Company. The
firm operates eight mobile units on the road,
and for modern and efficient service, these are
equipped with two-way radio.

Mr. Hines is a Rotarian, and a member of Hiram
Lodge No. 340, Free and Accepted Masons. He
is a member of the higher bodies of Masonry; and
is past high priest of Mount Nebo Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, and a member of Portsmouth
Commandery, Knights Templar, He is also a mem-
ber of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic 1 >rder
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Norfolk. At-
tending the Main Street Methodist Church at
Suffolk, he serves on its board of stewards. Mr.
Hines is fond of the out-of-doors, and his favorite
sport is boating.

At Reidsville, North Carolina, on November
24, 1949, Angus I. Hines, Jr., married Genevieve
H. McCoIIum of that city, daughter of William E.
and Genevieve (Hopkins) McCollum. Mr. and
Mrs. Hines have one daughter, Ann Russell, who
was born on August 20, 1953.

FRANK REEVES WATKINS— One of the
'I idewater Area's younger attorneys, Frank Reeves
Watkins lias practiced at Suffolk since his ad-
mittance to the bar. He is a veteran of Marine
Corps service in World War II.

Born at Alexandria on May 1, 1925, he is a
son of Earl Everett and Ohley Virginia (Purvis)
Watkins. His father, a native of Bokosha, Okla-
homa, was a railroad fireman. He died in March
1936. but Mrs. Watkins is still living. She. like
her son, is a native of Alexandria.

Mr. Watkins began his education in the public
schools of that city and completed his prepara-
tory studies at Hargrave Military Academy at
Chatham, where he graduated in 1943. In August
of that year he enlisted for service in the United
States Marines and served until February 1946.
Of his period in uniform, eight months were
spent in the South Pacific Theater of Operations.

After the war he resumed his education and
in 1952 received his degree of Bachelor of Laws
at the University of Virginia. Admitted to the
bar that same year, he has since practiced in

Suffolk. He conducts a general practice, with of-
fices at no North Saratoga Street. He is a mem-
ber of the Suffolk-Nansemond County Bar Asso-
ciation and the Virginia Bar Association, as well
as Delta Theta Phi, legal fraternity. His social
fraternity is Sigma Chi.

Mr. Watkins is a Democrat in his political
views, and he attends the Main Street Methodist
Church. Fond of the out-of-doors, his favorite
sport is bunting, and he also enjoys the quieter
avocations of reading and woodworking.

At Rockville, Maryland, on June 4, 1946, Frank
R. Watkins married Marion E. Brawner of Alex-
andria, daughter of Elwin I. and Ora (Dickert)
Brawner. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins are the parents
of three children: I. Robert R., II, who was
born on March 31, 1947. 2. Rebecca Lee, born
November 24, 1949. 3. Cornelia Chappel, born
February 4, 1952.

WELDON T. BYRNS— As an electrical con-
tractor, Weldon T. Byrns heads his own firm with
offices at 217 East Little Creek Road, Norfolk.
He is a native of Mathews County, and was born
on September 7, 1914, son of James E. and Annie
(Corney) Byrns. His mother too was born in
Mathews County, but his father came to the state
from Newark, New Jersey. He was a seafaring
man, serving as a steward aboard ship all of his
working life. He died in 1954 at the age of eighty-
four, and Mrs. Byrns in her seventy-sixth year in
1055.

Receiving his public school education in Mathews
County, Weldon T. Byrns graduated from high
school there. At the outset of his career, he took
to the sea as his father had done, but in 1934 he
focused his attention in the field which he has since
followed, that of electrical contracting. He appren-
ticed himself to a contractor in Norfolk, and worked
for about ten years as electrician, superintendent
and foreman. In 1945 he started his own business
under the name of W. T. Byrns, Electrical Con-
tractor, and has headed his own firm since that
time. He bought the building which he now occu-
pies in 1947. He has thirty-five people on his pay-
roll, and hi-, contracts carry him and his trained
workers to all parts of the state.

A second business enterprise in which Mr. Byrns
owns a half-interest is a trailer court in Norfolk.
He is active in Masonry, being a member of
1 ic ran View Blue Lodge No. 33s and higher bodies
of Masonry. Holding the Thirty-second degree in
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, he is a
member of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a mem-
ber of the Wards Corner Lions Club and Lafayette
Yacht Club. Mr. Byrns attends the Baptist Church.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

^47

He is an independent in political matters, voting
for the man or the issue without regard to party
alignment. His favorite outdoor sport is golf.

On April 8, 1939, Weldon T. Byrns married
Sylvia Ann Weinhold, daughter of Herbert and
Lessie (Ripley) Weinhold. Her mother was born
in Mathews County, Virginia, and her father in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was an officer in the
United States Army in World War I, and died
of a heart attack while still in the service. Mr.
and Mrs. Byrns have four children: 1. Weldon T.,
Jr., who was born on May 2, 1942. 2. Ruth Eliza-
beth, born August _>X, 1945. 3. Michael, and 4.
Patricia, twins, who were born on June 3, 1951.
Mrs. Byrns is a registered nurse. She is active in
the Garden Club and in the Presbyterian Church.
They make their home on Route 1 near Norfolk.

J. HUGH CAFFEE— "Beginning with all horse-
drawn equipment and progressing to the finest
Cadillac cars and hearse, the well-appointed, well-
located, and well-equipped Caffee Funeral Home
has had an enviable record." So reads the open-
ing of an account of the mortuary which has
been operated by three generations of the Caffee
family in Newport News. Now headed by J.
Hugh Caffee, of the second generation, the Caf-
fee Funeral Home has for many years also had
the executive services of his son, F. Maynard
Caffee. Father and son are prominent figures in
the life of Newport News, J. Hugh Caffee being
especially well known for his work in church and
civic affairs, his long service on the City Council,
and his successful leadership in the agitation
which brought about establishment of the Vir-
ginia National Guard in Newport News. It was
he who, as committee chairman, staged the spec-
tacular Colonial Tournament, which was an out-
standing feature of the Yorktown Sesquicenten-
nial in 1931.

J. Hugh Caffee was born at Princess Anne
Court House on December 15, 1877. His father,
the founder of the Caffee Funeral Home, was
Jesse H. Caffee, who was born at Edenton, North
Carolina, on January 10, 1845, and who died
in Newport News on April 5, 1908. Jesse H.
Caffee served in the cavalry of the Confederate
Army in the War Between the States through-
out the four years of that conflict. In 1891 he
founded the Caffee Funeral Home on Washing-
ton Avenue, between Thirty-first Street and Thir-
ty-Second Street, Newport News, and conducted
the business until his death seventeen years later.
His wife, mother of the present head of that
business, was the former Martha Virginia Kellam,
who was born on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
on December 10, 1845, and who died in Newport
News on April 8, 1927.

J. Hugh Caffee attended the public schools of
Newport News and then transferred to the New-
port News Military Academy, from which he
was graduated in 1898. As early as 1895, when lie
was seventeen years old, Mr. Caffee joined his
father in the management of the Caffee Funeral
Home. To better fit himself for the business,
he attended the Renaurd School of Embalming
in Baltimore. Maryland. When his father died,
he assumed the management of the Caffee Fune-
ral Home.

In 1900 the business was established in a new-
brick home at Thirty-third Street and Hunting-
ton Avenue. Jesse Caffee had purchased the lots
and built the structure. Twelve years later the
linn moved to 2709 Huntington Avenue, its present
head having found it necessary to expand in ac-
cordance with the expansion of the city. In 1938
the home was established at its present address,
3101 West Avenue, the building having been remo-
deled into one of the finest funeral homes in the
East. With experienced personnel, including a wo-
man assistant, unexcelled ambulance service, a fine
location, and the most modern facilities, the Caf-
fee Funeral Home has been rendering a quality
of service which has made it a leader in its field.
F. Maynard Caffee entered the management in
1920.

J. Hugh Caffee, a Democrat, has been active
in civic, social, and economic affairs in Newport
News since virtually his first days as a morti-
cian. For eight years he was a member of the
City Council and in every election he led the
ticket. He retired from the council on September
I, 1938. As chairman of the committee to secure
an armory for the city, he not only succeeded
in getting the armory but in saving the city much
money. The armory cost the city only twenty-
seven thousand dollars, plus the price of sixteen
city-owned lots. The entire cost of the structure
w-as eighty-three thousand, four hundred dollars.
Mr. Caffee was in the Virginia National Guard
in the Spanish-American War. As chairman for
twenty years of the board of deacons at the
First Baptist Church, Mr. Caffee was a leader in
the city's religious activities throughout that period.
He is still influential and active in that phase
of human life. In addition, he is a member of
the Peninsula Lodge No. 278, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, and Newport News Lodge
No. 92, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On May 11, 1898, in Isle of Wight County, J.
Hugh Caffee married Sarah Virginia Maynard,
daughter of Emmett W. and Cathay (West) May-
nard. Mrs. Caffee, wdio for years was one of
the leaders in Newport News' social life and in
health and welfare activities, served as canteen
chairman of the Newport News Chapter, Ameri-

:4N

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

can National Red Cross, in three wars. She
died on October 5, 1950.

J. Hugh Caffee's partner, Frederick Maynard
Caffee, is his only son. Born in Isle of Wight
County on August 15, 1809, F. Maynard Caffee,
as he prefers to be known, began his education
in the public schools of Newport News. Later
he attended and was graduated from Woodberry
Forest Preparatory School, and for three years
he attended the University of Virginia. Also ac-
tive in church affairs, he is a deacon in the
First Presbyterian Church and chairman of its
buildings and grounds committee. He is active
in various civic and other groups.

F. Maynard Caffee married Emma Frances
Smith of Birmingham, Alabama. They have one
daughter: Man- Patricia, wife of Dr. Raymond
K. Brown of Eastville, a physician and surgeon.

GEORGE WHITTINGTON BRATTEN, JR.

— -As president of Bratten Pontiac Corporation of
Norfolk, George Whittihgton Bratten, Jr., heads
Virginia's largest organization for the sales and
service of this popular General Motors car. Its
salesrooms and office are at 891 Little Creek
Road. Mr. Bratten has experience in the automo-
tive field dating back a score of years; and after
wartime service to the government in a civilian
capacity, established his own agency.

He was born January 7, 1914, in Princess Anne,
son of George Whittington, Sr., and Marie (Eth-
eredge) Bratten. His father was born at Snow
Hill, Maryland, and early in life entered the lum-
ber manufacturing business there. In 1910 he re-
located in Princess Anne, where he founded the
G. YV. Bratten Lumber Company, and he re-
mained active in lumber manufacturing there un-
til his retirement in 1928. His deatli occurred at
Princess Anne on August 3, 1953. The elder George
W. Bratten was active in the Methodist Church,
and was affiliated with the Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons and the Knights Templar. He was
a son of Joseph Maurice Bratten, who had also
been engaged in the lumber industry at Snow
Hill. He too passed his later years at Princess
Anne. The family is of Scottish and Holland
Dutch antecedents. Marie (Etheredge) Bratten
was born in Norfolk, daughter of John E. Ether-
edge, who was descended from early settlers in
that city. She survives her husband, and maintains
the family home in Princess Anne. The couple
were the parents of two sons: 1. John Maurice,
a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
now president of Ames and Webb, Inc., paving
contracting firm of Norfolk. 2. George Whitting-
ton, Jr.

Following his elementary education in the pub-

lic schools of Princess Anne, George W. Bratten,
Jr., graduated from Kempsville High School in
1931. He continued his education at the College
of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, taking
premedical courses during his four years there.
He was forced to forego medical training, how-
ever, in consequence of the economic conditions
of the mid-i930s.

In 1935 he began his career in automobile sales
as a salesman with the Colonial Chevrolet Cor-
poration in Norfolk. He left the field in 1938 to
enter the United States Postal Service at the
Norfolk Post Office. From 1940 to 1942 he oper-
ated the Bratten Motor Company of Norfolk, at
719 Granby Street, a used-car dealership. During
the World War II years 1942-1945 he was em-
ployed as inspector of equipment at the Naval
Operating Base in Norfolk.

With the end of the war, Mr. Bratten again
entered the used-car sales field as Bratten Motor
Company, which had its headquarters at 1624
Granby Street. He was later associated as a part-
ner with the Bratten-Roughton Pontiac Corpora-
tion in Norfolk until May 1951. Re-entering the
used-car business at that time, he continued until
November 1953, when he bought the Pontiac agen-
cy at Petersburg, Virginia, and at that time formed
the Bratten Pontiac Corporation. Relocating in
Norfolk in August 1955, he has operated his
agency there under the same name.

The Bratten Pontiac Corporation of Norfolk
was first located in temporary quarters at 860
Little Creek Road, while the present modern sales
and service center was being planned and erected,
at 891 Little Creek Road. In June 1956, the firm
moved into its new building, one of the best-equip-
ped in the Greater Norfolk area. There Mr. Brat-
ten operates the largest Pontiac agency in Vir-
ginia, in terms of sales volume. As one of the
leading automobile sales and service organizations
of Norfolk, Bratten Pontiac Corporation main-
tains a staff of sixty-five employees, and has the
latest factory-approved equipment. It also operates
centers for the sale of guaranteed used cars at
273 Little Creek Road and 762 Little Creek Road.

Mr. Bratten is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Automobile Dealers Association, Virginia
State Automobile Dealers Association and the Na-
tional Automobile Dealers Association. He is a
member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
Ruth Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
the Princess Anne Country Club, and is a com-
municant of Grace and St. Luke's Episcopal
Church in Petersburg. His favorite outdoor pas-
time is golf.

On July 27, 1940, at Norfolk, George Whitting-

£^^dtte

(\jy(j^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

-49

ton Bratten, Jr., married Garnett Elizabeth Early,
daughter of Posey L. and Lucille (Rock) Early
of Bay Lake Pines, Virginia. Air. and Mrs. Brat-
ten make their home at 7407 Glencoe Place, Lock-
haven, Norfolk, and they are the parents of a
daughter, Garnett Early, who was born on Janu-
ary 21, 1942, anil is now a student at St. Cather-
ine's School in Richmond. Mr. and Mrs. Bratten
are also the foster parents of Joyce Taylor, who
graduated from Hollins College in Virginia in
1956

LUTHER W. WHITE, III— Member of the
law firm of Worthington, White and Harper, with
offices in the Royster Building in Norfolk, Luther
W. White, III, is one of the younger professional
men of his city, who began his career after serv-
ice in World War II. He is a native of Norfolk,
and was born on August 29, 1923, son of Luther
W., Jr.. and Edith (Prettyman) White. His father,
who was also born in Norfolk has served for
the past twenty years as treasurer of the Colum-
bian Peanut Company of that city, whose record
is recounted in other pages of this history. He
served in the United States Navy as a chief petty
officer in World War I, entering service in ioiu
and receiving his discharge in 1918. Prior to that
time he had been in the cotton business with his
father and uncle. Edith Prettyman, wh,om he
married, was born in Lexington, Virginia.

Reared in Norfolk and receiving his early edu-
cation there, Luther W. White, III, graduated
from Maury High School in 1941, then entered
Randolph-Macon College. His studies there were
interrupted by service in World War II, when he
served as ensign in the United States Navy. Re-
suming his courses after the war. he took his
degree of Bachelor of Arts at Randolph-Macon
College in 1947, and went to Washington and Lee
University for his professional studies, taking the
degree of Bachelor of Laws there in 1949.

Admitted to the bar, he began practice with
the law firm of Breeden and Hoffman, and after
one year with them, became assistant common-
wealth attorney in his city, a position he filled
capably for twenty-one months. He then rejoined
Breeden and Hoffman, with whom he remained
for another year, and in March 1953. joined Wil-
liam C. Worthington in forming the present law
partnership. He is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar and
Virginia State Bar Association, and the American
Bar Association.

Active in civic affairs, he is a member of the
Sertoma Club, and he serves on the official board
of Larchmont Methodist Church. He is fond of
the out-of-doors, and golf is his favorite game.

On February 27, 1954, Luther W. White. Ill,

married Patricia Bowers, daughter of George II
and Nellie (Dix) Bowers. Her mother was born
in Irvington, Virginia. Her father, a native of
Frederick, Maryland, founded the Bowers Whole-
sale Corporation in Norfolk a quarter-century ago.
and remains its president. Prior to organizing
his own firm, he was in the tire business as a
member of the firm of Dix, Bowers and Com-
pany. Mr. and Mrs. White have two children: I.
Luther W., IV, who was born on April 1, 1955.
2. John P., born on November 9, 1956.

TAYLOR C. WILSON— The oldest business
on the Virginia Peninsula under the same manage-
ment is T. H. Wilson and Company, Inc., with
headquarters at North King Street and the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Railroad Right-of-Way, Hamp-
ton. Three generations of the Wilson family have
managed this feed and fuel enterprise. After the
founder and former president. Thomas H. Wil-
son, died in his eighty-eighth year, his son, Tay-
lor C. Wilson, became president and took over
the executive responsibilities, with the assistance
of his own son, Taylor C. Wilson. Jr. Well
known in the area, especially in the Lower Penin-
sula. Taylor C. Wilson was with the feed and
fuel business for a third of a century.

He was born in Hampton on October 10, 1891,
and educated in the elementary and high schools
of that city, graduating from the latter in 1909.
His father, born in York County on December
12, 1868, was a farmer in Hampton for a time.
He was only twenty when, in 1888, he founded
the firm now known as T. H. Wilson and Com-
pany, Inc., and served as president of the corpora-
tion, which was formed in 1931. until his death
on February 6, 1957. He kept a strong and ex-
perienced eye on the operations, giving wise coun-
sel to his son and grandson. He was the oldest
living Mason on the Lower Peninsula. He served
as director of the Citizens National Bank of
Hampton. His wife, who was Bettie Ann Hogge,
born in York County in 1865, died on July 4.

'935-

Taylor C. Wilson worked for fourteen months
for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad after leav-
ing high school. Then he spent nine years with
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company, as a member of the staff of the material
department. In 1921 he joined his father in the
feed and fuel business and ten years later, with
the incorporation of the business, became vice
president. In 1957 he was elected president of
the corporation. The company handles not only
coal, wood, fuel oil, and feed, but also seeds,
lawnmowers, fertilizers, lawn furniture, garden
tools, salt, lime, bulbs, plants, and insecticides.

Tavlor C. Wilson served in World War I for

TWVa. 27

250

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

eighteen months. He was attached to Battery D,
Hampton Field Artillery. He and his family wor-
ship in the Central Methodist Church of Hampton.

Mr. Wilson married Mary Elizabeth Colbert
of Chase City, daughter of Thomas and Sally
(Mays) Colbert, in Newport News on October
17, 1917. They had three children: I. Elizabeth
Colbert. 2. Taylor C, Jr., the secretary-treasurer
of the Wilson business. 3. Thomas H. Wilson,
II, an attorney, who is the partner of his uncle
in the Hampton law firm of Wilson and Wilson.

Taylor C. Wilson died January 21, 1958.

Mr. Hope is unmarried. He makes his home at
Hampton.

JOSEPH WILTON HOPE, JR.— For the past
quarter-century, Joseph Wilton Hope, Jr., has
been engaged in a general practice of law at Hamp-
ton, and in the course of that time he has dis-
tinguished himself in public office as city attorney
and commonwealth's attorney. He was absent for
four years during the World War II period, serv-
ing as an officer in the United States Navy.

Mr. Hope was born on March 9, 1905, at
Winchester, Virginia, the son of Joseph Wilton,
Sr., M.D., and Elsie (Love) Hope but is a life-
long resident of Hampton. His father practiced
medicine in Hampton, and served as secretary of
that city's Board of Health, and president of its
school board. He served as a major in the Army
Medical Corps from 1917 to 1919. After beginning
his education in Virginia public schools, the
younger Joseph Wilton Hope completed his studies
at Virginia Military Institute and the Law School
of the University of Virginia. He graduated with
the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1929. Admitted
to the bar, he began a general practice at Hamp-
ton, where he has continued to the present time.
From 1936 to 1941, he served as city attorney of
Hampton, and in 1941 became commonwealth's
attorney for Elizabeth City County (now the City
of Hampton), an office he has held ever since.

He was absent on active duty with the United
States Naval Reserve, however, from 1942 to 1946.
Commissioned a lieutenant, he advanced to the
rank of lieutenant commander in the course of his
service, which took him to the central Pacific.

Mr. Hope is a member of the American Legion,
the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and the Improved Order
of Redmen. He has retained membership in
Lambda Sigma, preparatory school fraternity, and
is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Order and
the Eli Banana Society, the Hampton Yacht Club,
and Hampton Roads German Club. He is also a
member and past president of the City of Hamp-
ton Bar Association, member of the Virginia Bar
Association and the American Bar Association and
Association of Commonwealth Attorneys. He at-
tends the Episcopal Church.

THOMAS CLIFFORD CLARKE— A bever-
age distributor with nearly three decades' experi-
ence in his industry, Thomas Clifford Clarke is
now president of Norfolk Nehi Bottling Company,
Inc., which has the franchise for the bottling and
distribution of Royal Crown Cola, Nehi and Par-
T-Pak beverages in Norfolk and Princess Anne
counties. The company plant is located at 705
West 25th Street, and is completely modern in
design and equipment. In overall operations, the
firm gives employment to over forty people.

Mr. Clarke, who has been continuously asso-
ciated with Nehi beverages since 1928, was born
in the Church Road community of Dinwiddie
County, Virginia, on August 13, 1902, son of
Thomas Percy and Loula (Robertson) Clarke.
His parents are still living, spending their retire-
ment years at Church Road. Thomas C. Clarke
received his elementary schooling at Ford, Vir-
ginia, and graduated from Midway High School
in 1919. Continuing his education at the College
of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, he gradu-
ated there after only three years' study, receiving
his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1922.

Mr. Clarke began his career as a teacher, first
joining the faculty of Blackstone High School at
Blackstone, where he served as football, baseball
and basketball coach, and assistant principal, as
well as teaching classes. He left in 1924 to enter
the banking field, accepting a position as assistant
cashier of the First National Bank of Blackstone.
He remained there four years.

Finding his permanent career interest in the
bottling industry in 1928, Mr. Clarke joined the
Nehi Bottling Company at its Fredericksburg
plant. He went in as part owner, and served as
secretary-treasurer and manager for three years.
In 193 1 he came to Norfolk, where he established
an exactly identical relationship with Norfolk Nehi
Bottling Company, Inc., once again as part owner,
secretary-treasurer of the corporation, and mana-
ger of the plant. He acquired the interests of the
other partners in 1934, and since that time has
owned the firm, of which he is president.

In 1942, Mr. Clarke enlisted for service in the
United States Navy. Commissioned a lieutenant,
senior grade, he was assigned to the Naval Supply
Corps, and served both in the Norfolk area, and
overseas, being stationed for some time at Oran
in North Africa. At the time of his separation
from the service at Norfolk in 1945, he held the
rank of lieutenant commander.

The firm which he heads and manages has had
a successful and steadily growing operation as

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

2ii

bottler and distributor of Royal Crown Cola and
the Xehi beverages.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Clarke is a
member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
and member of the Kiwanis Club, of which he
was president in 1051. He is a member of Ruth
Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
and Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Protective Or-
der of Elks, and of Lodge No. 10, Knights of
Pythias. As a veteran of World War II, he be-
longs to Post No. 35 of the American Legion, and
his other memberships include the Commissioned
Officers Golf Club, Princess Anne Country Club,
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and Lafayette
Yacht and Country Club. He is a communicant of
the First Christian Church of Norfolk.

On May 19, 194^. at Norfolk, Thomas Clifford
Clarke married Elizabeth Jarvies of that city,
daughter of the late Frank L. and Naomi (Curtis)
Jarvies. Her mother survives, and makes her home
with Mr. and Mrs. Clarke, who reside at 1333
Windsor Point Road, Norfolk.

JAMES WEBSTER WOOD— With experience
in the grocery business dating back to the close
of World War I. James Webster Wood is now-
senior vice president of Colonial Stores, Inc., with
headquarters in Norfolk, and also serves on the
firm's board of directors.

He was born at Lebanon. Missouri, on Septem-
ber 30, 1896, son of Dr. William Henry and Ann
(Bench) Wood. His father was a native of Ken-
tucky, and served in the Confederate States Army
from that state. He received his degree of Doctor
of Medicine from the Medical College of the Uni-
versity of Louisville, and became a prominent
general practitioner during the horse-and-buggy
era. He practiced at Lebanon, where he located in
the reconstruction period, and he served the people
of that town, and the surrounding countryside,
until his death in 1905. He was descended from
forebears of English extraction, who settled in
Charleston, South Carolina, in colonial times. His
wife, the former Ann Bench, was born in Laclede
County, Missouri, and died at Lebanon in 1933.

The youngest of six children born to his parents,
James Webster Wood passed his boyhood in the
community of his birth, and graduated from Le-
banon High School in 19x2. He continued his edu-
cation at Springfield State Normal College in
Missouri, and after two years there, transferred
to Washington University at St. Louis. At the
time of World War I, he served in the United
States Navy as a pharmacist, and for a time was
stationed at the naval hospital on Parris Island,
South Carolina, and was in overseas transport
duty for approximately one year. At the time of

his separation from the service, he was at Ports-
mouth Naval Hospital.

In 1919, Mr. Wood began his career with Nor-
folk Newspapers, Inc., which assigned him to the
advertising department of the Portsmouth "Star."
Several months later, however, being either liter-
ally or figuratively allergic to printer's ink, he left
the news publishing field, and in the fall of 1919
entered the employ of the David Pender Grocery
Company in Norfolk, as manager of one of the
firm's stores. From 1922 to 1929 he was in charge of
that company's operations in North Carolina, mak-
ing his headquarters at Greensboro.

Mr. Wood returned to Norfolk in 1929, and
there he continued with the Pender interests as
general manager of stores in Virginia and North
Carolina. The history of the David Pender Gro-
cery Company began in Norfolk shortly after the
turn of the century, when Mr. Pender, a young
man from Tarboro, North Carolina, opened his
first store in Norfolk. He possessed the person-
ality, the vision and the progressive attitudes re-
quired to build up an organization rendering ex-
ceptional service; and as its popularity increased
the store outgrew its original quarters. The next
location, at Market Street and Monticello Avenue,
became one of the South's finest and most com-
plete food markets. In 1919, the year Mr. Wood
joined the organization, Mr. Pender opened his
eleventh branch store, and this marked the first step
in the steady growth of a chain which today num-
bers over four hundred stores and one hundred
and twenty meat markets, located in all parts of
Virginia and North Carolina. In January 1926,
when the number of stores had increased to two
hundred and forty-four, Mr. Pender decided to
retire from business and arrangements were made
whereby control of the company was sold. The
new management put into effect plans to increase
the number of stores to give more people in Vir-
ginia and North Carolina the best possible food
products at the most economical prices. The David
Pender Grocery Company became a vital factor
in the economic life of the region, and one of the
outstanding grocery sales organizations in America.

Mr. Wood continued as vice president and gen-
eral manager, and in 1940. when the firm merged
with the Rogers Grocery Company of Atlanta,
Georgia, to form Colonial Stores, he continued as
vice president of that corporation as well, and
was placed in charge of its Eastern Division. In
November 1956, he was advanced to the office of
senior vice president of Colonial Stores. Inc., and
be continues as the executive head of the Eastern
Division as well as an advisor to the operating
executives of the other three divisions. In June
1955, Albers Super Markets, serving central and

252

I.OWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

southern Ohio and parts of northern Kentucky,
joined Colonial Store-, and in November of the
same year Stop ami Shop Enterprises, with stores
in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky,
became a member of the Colonial family. These
two last companies now form the Albers Division,
with headquarters at Cincinnati, and the Indiana-
polis Division, respectively, of Colonial Stores.
At Atlanta are located the general offices and
Southern Division headquarters, which is respon-
sible for operations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennes-
-i e and Florida. Central Division has its head-
quarters at Columbia, South Carolina, and its terri-
tory covers South Carolina and parts of North
Carolina. The Eastern Division, headed by Mr.
Wood, is in charge of operations in Virginia,
Maryland, and eastern North Carolina. Through
these various divisions, the firm operates its more
than four hundred stores, chiefly self-service super-
markets, in eleven states, and sales volume in
[956 was estimated at four hundred and titty million
dollars.

A director of Southeastern Chain Store Council.
Mr. Wood served as its president in 105.?. and he
i- a member of the National Association of Food
Chains. He has given full support to meritorious
community projects, and holds responsible posts
in civic affairs. He is vice chairman of the Nor-
folk Port Authority, serves as a director of the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, is vice chairman
of the Norfolk Community Chest, and serves on
the board of directors and as a member of the
building committee of Norfolk General Hospital.
An active layman in the Virginia Beach Mefho-
dist Church, he serves on its board of stewards and
it- financial committee. He is a member of the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. Princess Anne
Country Club and the Virginia-West Virginia
Seniors Golf Club. Eesides golf, his favorite out-
door sports are hunting and fishing.

At Eastville, Virginia, on February i_\ io_'i.
James Webster Wood married Carrie Bentley
Jones of Wilmington, Delaware. She is a member
of the Women's Auxiliary of the Norfolk General
Hospital and DePaul Hospital, and is active in
the Virginia Beach Methodist Church. Mr. and
Mis. Wood are the parents of three children- I.
Elizabeth Ann. a graduate of Madison College,
Harrishurg. Virginia. She married Walter W.
Brewster of Norfolk, who is a school administra-
tor in the Norfolk public school system. 2. Betty
Delia, a graduate oi Mary Washington College at
Fredericksburg, \ irginia. She married J. Archie
Johnson of Norfolk, who is associated with Cava-
lier Clothes. They are the parents of J. \rcliie
Johnson. Jr.. and Elizabeth Ann Johnson. 3. James
Webster. Jr.. attending Augusta Military Acade-

my. The family's residence is at Bay Colony,
Virginia Beach, and Mr. Wood's business address
is 301-3JI Dunmore Street, Norfolk.

JOSEPH MARCUS— An attorney at law prac-
ticing in Norfolk for over three decades, Joseph
Marcus has his own firm with offices in the
National Bank of Commerce Building. He has
acquitted himself well in his profession and takes
a lively interest in a large number of organiza-
tions: har associations, lodges, and groups cen-
tered in the Jewish faith.

He was born in Norfolk County on April 23,
1900, son of Abraham Louis and Bessie (Glasser)
Marcus. His father, who has been a merchant
throughout his active career, is still in business
at the age of eighty-two. Joseph Marcus attended
public schools and graduated from Portsmouth
High School in June 1918. He entered the service
oi the United States Army shortly thereafter and
served as a private until the war's end. Later
enrolling at the University of Virginia, he pre-
pared for his professional career there and received
his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 19^3. Since
that time. Mr. Marcus has practiced at Norfolk.
In recent years, he has held the offices of com-
missioner in chancery of the Circuit Court of his
city and also commissioner in chancery of the
Court of Law and Chancery of Norfolk. As a
lawyer he is a member of the American Bar
Association, the Virginia State Bar Association,
and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association.

He is a member of Phi Alpha national frater-
nity; Norfolk Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons: Charity Lodge No. 10, Knights
of Pythias: and Norfolk Lodge of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is
past exalted ruler. He is past president of the
Virginia State Elks Association and is currently
serving as a trustee of the state group. As a
veteran of World War 1. he is a member of Old
Dominion Post of the American Legion and a
member and past commander of Old Dominion
Post, Jewish War Veterans of the United States.
He is a member of B'nai B'rith and of B'rith
Sholom Center of Virginia, is past president of
Norfolk City Lodge of B'rith Sholom. and Vir-
ginia State Deputy of the Independent Order of
B'rith Sholom. He is also past president of Beth
F.l Men's Club and is a member of the Zionist
Organization of America. His religious affiliation
is with Beth El Congregation. As a graduate of
the University of Virginia, Mr. Marcus is a mem-
ber of its Alumni Association.

In Baltimore, Maryland, on April 23, 1936-
Joseph Marcus married Selma Klatzky, daughter
of Morris and Ida (Berman) Klatzky. They make

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

:53

their home at 900 Harrington Avenue, Norfolk,
and are the parents of two children: I. Carol,
who was horn on September 9, 1939. 2. Eileen
Bessie, born October 28, 1944.

JOSEPH A. CRUTE— Wide recognition in con-
crete and asphalt construction work has been won
by Joseph A. Crute, whose experience in this field
has spanned more than a quarter of a century. He
is the founder and president of the Tidewater Pav-
ing Company, with headquarters at 901 Kempsville
Road, Norfolk. Active in numerous trade, civic and
other organizations, he is also a leader in Lutheran
Church programs.

Born in New Kent County, Virginia, on August
8, 1919, Mr. Crute is the son of Joseph Thomas
and Virgie (Potts) Crute, both also natives of the
Old Dominion. His father, a retired lumberman
living in Richmond, has been well known for many
years in the commonwealth. The mother died in
1925. Joseph A. Crute received his early education
in Clarksville, Mecklenburg County. In 1937, he was
graduated from the South Boston High School.

That year he began his career with the Vir-
ginia Public Service Company. In his three years
with this concern he took advantage of an oppor-
tunity to take a course in civil engineering and thus
equip himself for the career in which he has been
so successful. For a long period he was associated
with the Stone and Webster Construction Com-
pany of Boston. Massachusetts, as civil engineer
in charge of the construction of the Virginia Elec-
tric and Power Company plant at Norfolk. From
1942 to 1952 he was associated with Ames and
Webb, Inc., of Norfolk, as superintendent of num-
erous concrete and asphalt paving projects in the
Greater Norfolk region.

With this background, Mr. Crute formed his
own company, the Tidewater Paving Company, in
1952. As contractors in the concrete and asphalt
field, the firm has a wide scope both in type and
area in the contracts it assumes. It handles founda-
tions, walks, driveways, curbs, parking lots, and
street and highway construction. It has completed
a large number of important street-paving projects
for the City of Norfolk and is also operating in
South Norfolk and Portsmouth and in other por-
tions of Norfolk and Princess Anne counties.

Mr. Crute is a member of the Society of Ameri-
can Engineers, the Builders and Contractors Ex-
change, Inc., the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
National Defense Transportation, Rotary Club of
Kempsville, the Izaak Walton League of Ameri-
ca, Cavalier Yacht and Country Club; Lafayette
Yacht Club; Ocean View Lodge No. 335, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons; Auld Consistory, An-
cient and Accepted Scottish Rite; and Khedive

Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He and his family worship in St.
John's Lutheran Church of Ocean View, where
he serves as a councilman and as member of the
board of trustees. His chief recreations are boat-
ing, fishing and golf. He and his family make their
home at 8807 Granby Street, in Norfolk.

Mr. Crute married Sarah Edna Goodman of
Norfolk in that city on May 2, 1942. They are the
parents of three children: 1. James Arthur, born
on February 22, 1943. 2. Frances Edna, born on
September 21, 1945. 3. Joseph Allen, born on De-
cember 21, 1 95 1.

BAYARD O. HILL heads an organization long
established at Suffolk, which has earned the con-
fidence and high regard of its people — the I. O.
Hill and Company, which operates the funeral
home on West Washington and Wellons streets
and the retail furniture and floor covering business
on the corner of West Washington and Saratoga
streets. It takes its name from the present owner's
father, who founded it over sixty-five years ago.
I. O. Hill was a merchant and banker as well. He
was a native of Gates County, North Carolina, and
son of J. R. and Mary Anne (Harrell) Hill. He
arrived in Suffolk in 1889, just two years before
the furniture business was established and four
years prior to his entering the funeral directing
business. He also became vice president, director
and one of the original stockholders of the Nation-
al Bank of Suffolk, and a member of its discount
board. He was a communicant of the Main Street
Methodist Church, served for many years on its
board of stewards, and was chairman of its build-
ing committee at the time of his death, which oc-
curred in 1945, when he was eighty-three years of
age. Isaac Owen Hill married Mattie D. Smith,
who died in 1923, and Bayard O. Hill was their
only son now living.

He was born in Suffolk on January 31, 1897,
and received his early education in the public
schools of the city. On graduating from high
school there, he entered Trinity College, now Duke
University. He began his business career in the
employ of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Com-
pany at Hopewell, but as a skilled musician, was
tempted away from industry in 1918 to play in
Jan Garber's orchestra. After nearly five years
with the band, he returned to Suffolk in 1922 to
join his father in the management ot I. O. Hill
and Company and the funeral home.

In January 1937, the firm opened its new and
impressive home at West Washington and Wel-
lons. A large and dignified old residence, it has
amply served the purposes of the organization
since that time. The Hill firm lias kept apace with

-54

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the latesl developments is mortuary science, and its
equipment and decor are of the best quality ob-
tainable. Adhering to a long tradition of service.
I. O. Hill and Company has won confidence for
its friendly and sympathetic conduct of affairs
when Suffolk citizens come to its doors in time of
trouble. The founder, I. O. Hill, remained head of
the organization until the end of his life. For
fifteen years, from 1908 to 1924, he had as a
partner H. B. Cross, who died February I, 1924.
Mr. Hill purchased Air. Cross' interest in the
business, which he in turn gave to his son, Bayard
O. Hill, who became the junior member of the
firm until his father's death in 1943, and has since
been sole owner.

His achievements in the service of his city have
been noteworthy. In 1935 he became a member
of the Suffolk city council, served until 1947, and
from 1941 to 1947 was mayor of the city. He has
served as president of the Suffolk Chamber of
Commerce, and for some years has served on the
board of directors of the Virginia Chamber of Com-
merce. He was vice president of the state Chamber
from 1946 through 1948. He has also been president
of the Suffolk Retail Merchants Association and the
Suffolk Lions Club, in which he has been awarded
.the thirty-year pin. He is a member of the lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons at Suffolk; the con-
sistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite;
the chapter of the Royal Arch Masons: and Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine, and past president of the Suf-
folk Shrine Club. As a mortician, Mr. Hill is
active in the Virginia State Funeral Directors As-
sociation and lias served as its president. He at-
tends Main Street Methodist Church, and is serv-
ing on its board of stewards and board of trustees.
Fond of travel, he has made five trips which have
taken him to foreign countries.

Bayard O. Hill has been twice married. His first
wife was Ximena Gardner, of Wilson, North Caro-
lina, whom he married on October 24, 1917, and
who died on November 13, 1938. On January 31,
1946, he married, second, Helen Osborn of High
Point. North Carolina.

JOHN ROBERT ROUGHTON— President and

treasurer of Roughton Pontiac Corporation, and
president of the Roughton Realty Corporation of
Norfolk, John Robert Roughton holds a leading
place in the business and civic affairs, the church
and social activities of Norfolk. This success did
not come to him through inherited status of
wealth, but in consequence of his own qualities
of determination, courage and vision.

A native of Roper, Washington County. North
Carolina, J. Robert Roughton was born on March

18, 1909, son of the late John Robert and Sarah
Elizabeth (Cooper) Roughton. His father, who
devoted his life to farming, died on May 10, 1928,
at the age of fifty-four. Mrs. Roughton later mar-
ried Edgar G. Ayers of Washington County,
Xorth Carolina, and he too died, on March 15,
1955- She now resides with her daughter, Mrs.
H. E. Tullock of Norfolk. She is a granddaughter
of Captain Ben Spruill, a Confederate veteran
and planter of Washington County. John R. and
Sarah Elizabeth (Cooper) Roughton became the
parents of two children: J. Robert, and Hazel E.,
who married H. E. Tullock, a naval officer re-
siding in Norfolk.

Mr. Roughton passed his early youth at Roper,
North Carolina, and graduated from high school
there in 1928. Reared on the home farm, he
learned at an early age the uses of the plow, the
hoe and the axe, but as he approached manhood,
he decided against farming as a livelihood. Fol-
lowing his graduation from high school, he came
to Norfolk, where he entered the employ of the
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. He con-
tinued with that firm for seven years, leaving in
April 1936, to enter the automobile retailing field in
which he has won his way to success. He first
joined the Colonial Chevrolet Corporation of Nor-
folk, and over the next decade, gained experience
working in its various departments. At the time
of his resignation in 1945 to enter business in his
own name, he was capably filling the position
of general manager of that agency.

In 1945 he bought a half-interest in the J. W.
Meekins Pontiac Agency, which had been estab-
lished in 1928. He has since acquired sole owner-
ship of the business, which is now known as the
Roughton Pontiac Corporation. He is its president
and treasurer; his wife, Mrs. Nellie A. Roughton,
is vice president; and Belle H. Burns, long as-
sociated with the firm, is secretary. The author-
ized dealership for Pontiac cars in the Norfolk-
metropolitan area, the company has its sales and
service facilities at 15th and Monticello Avenue,
occupying the entire block to 14th Street. It util-
izes about seventy-five thousand square feet of
space, in one of the most successful and reliable
sales and service operations in the region. The
main building was erected in 1949, and the struc-
ture which it replaced, erected in 1935, is now
used for the body and paint departments. In 1945,
when Mr. Roughton acquired his interest in the
organization, there were eleven employees on its
staff, and now its payroll numbers seventy-six. It
has the latest factory approved equipment for
servicing all makes of cars. A used-car lot is
maintained by the company at 4242 Granby Street.
The growth of the company reflects Mr. Rough-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

-55

ton's keen business sense, progressive views, high
standard of ethics in his dealings, and the loyaltj
he has won among his employees.

His second business interest is the Roughton
Realty Corporation, of which he is president. This
firm owns the Midtown Building and other valuable
commercial rental properties.

Mr. Roughton is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Automobile Dealers Association and served
as its president in 1952. He is a member of the
National Automobile Dealers Association. In his
luime city, he is a member and director of the Nor-
folk Chandler of Commerce, and formerly served
(■n its membership committee. He is also a mem-
ber of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce
and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He
serves on the board of trustees of Leigh Memorial
Hospital, and is co-chairman of the automotive
division of the Norfolk Community Chest. His
other memberships include the Kiwanis Club, Nor-
folk Yacht and Country Club, Norfolk Executives
Club, the Fraternal Order of Police, and Cavalier
Lodge. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and
he is a director of the Lafayette Yacht Club. A
communicant of the Royster Memorial Presbyterian
Church, be serves on its board of trustees and as
an elder, and he is also chairman of the Home Mis-
sion Committee of the Norfolk Presbytery.

At Plymouth, North Carolina, on April 6, 1930,
J. Robert Roughton married Nellie Alexander of
Washington County, daughter of the late Thomas
Graham and Delia (Swain) Alexander of that
county. Her father was a farmer and a merchant.
Mrs. Roughton is active in civic and religious af-
fairs, being a member of the Royster Memorial
Presbyterian Church, the Women's Club and Tal-
bot Park Garden Club. She is also an executive of
Roughton Pontiac Corporation. The couple are
the parents of three children: r. John Robert. Ill,
who was born on June 28, 1938. He graduated from
Granby High School in 1956 and is now attending
Virginia Polytechnic Institute. 2. Gloria Jeanne,
born October II, 1943; attending Granby High
School. 3. Barbara Ann, born April 14, 1950.

of accountant. Attending the schools of Newport
News and graduating from high school there in
1935, David G. Blalock went on to advanced
studies at University of Virginia, where he re-
ceived his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1939.
Two years later he completed his professional
studies at the law school of the same university,
and took his degree of Bachelor of Laws. Al-
ready, in 1940, he had been admitted to mem-
bership in the Virginia bar.

He began his practice at Newport News in
1041, and has continued there since. His present
firm, Marshall and Blalock, has its offices in
their new building at 119-JOtb Street. His part-
ners are John Marshall and Julian H. Blalock, and
Glover Garner is an associate. The firm conducts
a general practice in all courts. It acts as counsel
for a variety of corporations, including the Bank
<d" Warwick, Citizens Rapid Transit Company,
Newport News Building and Loan Association,
Allstate Insurance Company, Coal Operators Cas-
ualty Company and North American Companies.
Mr. Blalock himself is a member of the board of
directors of the Benson Phillips Company, Inc., and
several development corporations.

A member of the Virginia State Bar Associa-
tion, he also holds membership in the Newport
News and the American bar associations. His
fraternity is Sigma Phi Epsilon, and he is a
1.. ember of the Rotary Club, the lodge of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
the James River Country Club. He and his
family attend the Orcutt Avenue Baptist Church.
Mr. Blalock's favorite outdoor sport is golf.

At Danville. Virginia, on July 19, 1941. David
G. Blalock married Martha Lee Bennett of that
city, daughter of John R. and Mary L. (Graves)
Bennett. The couple are the parents of three
children: 1. Sherrill Lee, born on June 12, 1945.
2. Martha Graham, born June 18, 1949. 3. David
G., Jr., born June 28, 1953.

DAVID G. BLALOCK— Since the beginning of
his career, a decade and a half ago, David G.
Blalock has practiced law at Newport News, and
is now a member of the firm of Marshall and
Blalock. He holds several positions in business
firms, and is active in local organizations and
bar groups.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, he was
burn on May 20, 1918, son of David R. and
Lalon (Harward) Blalock. Both of his parents
were also born at Durham, and both are living.
His father is now retired from his profession

JOSIAH GAYLE SANFORD has attained a
prominent position in the Warwick business com-
munity as head of the fuel distributing firm of
Sanford and Charles, and as an official of other
organizations, including the Bank of Warwick.
He is a native of Newport News, and was born
on May 5, 1913, son of Frederick William and
Mary Byrd (Gayle) Sanford. His father, who
was born in Spottsylvania County, Virginia, found-
ed an ice and coal distributing business at New-
port News prior to 1900, and later became a
partner in the coal firm of Sanford and Charles,
his partner being F. E. Charles. He died in August
1932, and is survived by bis wife, who is a native
of Fredericksburg.

Spending his boyhood years in Newport News,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

,-le Sanford attended the public schools
there and graduated from high school in 1030.
He later took courses at Randolph-Macon Acad-
emy, and at the College of William and Mary,
where lie nav a student for two years. Following
his father's death, he left his studies and returned
to Newport News, where he became associated
with the coal firm of Sanford and Charles. Mr.
Charles remained active in the firm for some time
afterwards, but in 1953, Mr. Sanford purchased
his interest and has since been the president of the
company, which he operates under the old name,
one which has become familiar to the people of
the region and in which they have confidence.
Its present address is Boat Harbor, Newport
News. The firm has added petroleum products to
its hue, being distributor for Texaco.

Besides serving as president of this firm, Mr.
Sanford is a director of the Bank of Warwick
and of the Sanford-Chisman Corporation. A mem-
be- of Peninsula Lodge Xo. 278, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, Mr. Sanford has taken
the higher degrees in Masonry and is a member
of the Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons and
the Commandery of the Knights Templar. He
also belongs to Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He attends
St. Andrews Episcopal Church, and is a Repub-
lican in his politics.

At Montgomery, Alabama, on November 6,
I'M". J. Gayle Sanford married Elizabeth Marshall
of that city, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. H.
Marshall. The couple are the parents of two
children: 1. Frederick William, born July 4, 1942.
2. Elizabeth Gayle, born May 10, 1944. Mrs. San-
ford is a member of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution.

MALCOLM WALKER HILLSMAN— After
his return to Virginia following maritime service
in World War II, Malcolm Walker Hillsman
founded his own firm, Hillsman Company, Inc.,
in Norfolk. He holds the offices of president and
treasurer of the concern, which is a wdiolesale
distributor of carpets, rugs, linoleum, and asphalt,
plastic, rubber and ceramic tile.

A native of Lynchburg, he was born on Octo-
ber 24, 1914. son of Rosser Noland and Bernice
LeVert (Bonduranti Hillsman. His father, now
retired from business, was the proprietor of a
department store in Lynchburg, R. N. Hillsman
and Company. Malcolm W. Hillsman received his
public elementary and high school education in
that city, graduating from Lynchburg High School
in 1932. For one year, he attended the University
of Virginia, where he majored in commerce, and
he then began his business career with the firm
<if Williams and Reed, a wholesale dry goods

house at Richmond. After one year with this or-
ganization at its headquarters in Richmond, he
was transferred to its Norfolk branch, where he
subsequently became manager. He continued in
that capactiy until 1943. He left to enlist for war-
time duty in the United States Maritime Service.

He began his tour of duty as a pharmacist with
the rating of warrant officer, and was later pro-
moted to ensign. After a time he was assigned
to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, and
had been there for some time before his separation
from active service in the fall of 1945.

In th early months of 1946, Mr. Hillsman foun-
ded the Hillsman Company, Inc., at Norfolk, and
has since served as its president and treasurer.
Other officers of the corpoartion are Josephine
B. Hillsman, secretary, and Davis W. Jordan. Jr.,
vice president. Meeting with success from the
time the company was founded, Mr. Hillsman ha;
built one of the leading organizations of its type
in the Tidewater area, with headquarters at 1054
West 47th Street, Norfolk. Included in its line of
wares, besides the general floor-covering products
mentioned in the first paragraph, are Ozite car-
pet linings, and importations from Belgium, the
Philippines and Japan. The firm acts as agent
for Magee carpets, Pabco soil-sealed linoleum.
Kentile, and a varietur of tile products. Twenty-
five people are employed in its Norfolk operations.

In recent years. Mr. Hillsman has extended
his operations under a new corporate heading.
Hillsman Wholesale Corporation, which has separ-
ate headquarters at 1302 East Main Street, Rich-
mond; and he also heads the Hillsman Company,
Inc., of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Active in the civic and community life of Nor-
folk he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce,
and has served on the board of directors of the
Young Men's Christian Association. He is a mem-
ber of the Cavalier Yacht and Country Club, the
Cavalier Beach and Cabana Club, and attends the
First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach.

On December 3, 1938, Malcolm Walker Hills-
man married Josephine Estell Billups. daughter
of William Milton and Nora (Ogletree) Billups.
The couple are the parents of two children: 1.
Malcolm Walker, Jr., born April 10, 1943. He is
now attending Virginia Beach High School. 2.
Suzanne LeVert, born June 26, 1950. She is at-
tending Everetts School at Virginia Beach. The
family resides at 102 Willow Road, Linkhorn Bay,
Virginia Beach.

ADOLPHUS SAMUEL ELEY— Throughout
most of his years in business, Adolphus Samuel
Eley managed a retail hardware store at Suffolk,
which was operated under his own name. He

^^Ct ffl7cfctf/t*/L4sty

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

257

served at one time as mayor of the city, and
capably filled a number of other public posts as
well.

Born in Nansemond County on July 13, 1846,
he was a son of Samuel and Susanna (White)
Eley. His father was a farmer near Providence
Church, and his home was burned by Northern
troops during the war. Adolphus S. Eley received
a farm lad's upbringing, and attended public
schools. Early in his career he located in Suffolk,
where he entered the retail hardware business.
His public offices included chief of the volunteer
fire department and justice of the peace. He
served at one time as mayor of Suffolk, and was
considered one of Suffolk's leading citizens. He
was a Democrat in his politics.

One of Mr. Eley's major interests was the work
of his church, St. Paul's Episcopal. He was a most
active layman, and served as warden, as treasurer
and as a member of the property committee at
various times.

Twice married, Adolphus S. Eley chose as his
first wife Miss Nannie Stuart Briggs, daughter of
Dr. Briggs of Nansemond County, a physician.
She died in June 1904, and he married, second,
on February 21, 1906, Miss Annie Leigh. The
ceremony took place in Mecklenburg County, Vir-
ginia. Mrs. Eley was the daughter of Dr. John
Randolph Leigh and Mary Coles (Carrington)
Leigh. Her father practiced medicine in Clarks-
ville, Virginia.

Mr. Eley's death occurred on September 8, 1906.

JOHN A. HOWELL, SR. and JOHN A.
HOWELL, JR. — Since he returned from military
service in World War II, John A. Howell, Jr.,
has been active in the management of a laundry
business at Suffolk, in which he is a partner with
his father. He is a native of Henderson, North
Carolina, and was born on June 18, 1919, son
of John A., Sr., and Hazel (Simpson) Howell.
His father was born at Whaleyville, in Nanse-
mond County in the Tidewater area, on Januar\
31, 1885. Educated in the public schools of Suf-
folk, the elder John Howell entered business in
his home region and founded the Home Laundry
there in 1931. He still takes an active part in its
management. He is a Democrat in his politics
and is a member of the lodges of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks and the Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry he be-
longs to the higher bodies of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite, including the consistory,
holds the Thirty-second degree; and is a mem-
ber of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He and his
wife, the former Hazel Simpson, a native of New

Bern, North Carolina, became the parents of
three children, of whom John A., Jr., is the
eldest. The younger children are James S. and
Frances, now Mrs. C. M. Abernathy.

Attending the public schools of Suffolk and
graduating from high school there in 1937, the
younger John A. Howell entered Virginia Poly-
technic Institute for his advanced studies. He
graduated from there in 1941 and received the
degree of Bachelor of Science in engineering.
Shortly afterwards, he entered the wartime serv-
ice of the United States Army. After training
in 1 1 1 i > country, he went overseas, where he spent
a year and three months. He advanced to the
rank of captain there and, at the time of his
separation from the service in March 1946, held
a commission as major.

Immediately on resuming civilian status, Mr.
Howell returned to Suffolk and there joined his
father in the management of the Home Laundry,
which is located at 520 South Main Street. The
two are equal partners in the venture and head
a thriving and growing concern, which employs
thirty people.

As a veteran of World War II, John A.
Howell, Jr., is a member of Post No. 57 of the
American Legion at Suffolk. He is also a mem-
ber of Lodge No. 685 of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks in that city. He attends
the Episcopal Church and is a Democrat in his
politics. Mr. Howell finds a stimulating hobby
in the construction and collecting of model air-
planes.

John A. Howell, Jr., crossed the nation to Ya-
kima, Washington, to marry Miss Jean Lois Jen-
sen in that city on December 14, 1943. She is, how-
ever, a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the
daughter of Thorvald and Alma (Monson) Jen-
sen. Mr. and Mrs. Howell have three children:
I. John A., Ill, born on January 11, 1945. 2.
Anne J., born September 10, 1948. 3. Hilary J.,
born September 19, 1955.

ROBERT JAMES PARR has practiced law
at Suffolk since the beginning of his career in
1951. He is a veteran of World War II.

Born in Isle of Wight County on March 16,
1927, he is a son of Arthur Jordan and Nellie
Ora (Bracey) Parr. Both of his parents were
also natives of Isle of Wight County. His father
was born there on July 13, 1900, and his mother
on November 13, 1908. Robert J. Parr received
his public school education in Windsor and later
at Suffolk, and he graduated from Suffolk High
School in 1944. For two years lie was a student
at Saint Helena Extension of the College of Wil-
liam and Mary. He received his professional train-

2?8

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ing at the T. C. Williams School of Law of
the University of Richmond, where he received
his degree of Bachelor of Laws on September
0, 1950. Mr. Parr was absent from his studies
at the time of World War II, serving in the
United States Naval Reserve. In the years fol-
lowing the war, he was enlisted in the National
Guard.

On February 10, 1951, Air. Parr was admitted
to the bar of the commonwealth. He has since
practiced at Suffolk, with his own offices in the
American Bank Building, engaging in a general
practice. He is a member of the Virginia State
Bar, the Suffolk Bar Association, and the Vir-
ginia State Bar Association.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Parr has served
as general registrar for the city of Suffolk, hold-
ing office from 1953 to 1956. As a veteran of
World War II, he is a member of the posts of
the American Legion and the Veterans of For-
eign Wars. He is also a member of the Cosmo-
politan Club of Suffolk and formerly served as
its president, and he holds membership in the
lodges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose, both at
Suffolk. He is a member of Phi Alpha Delta
legal fraternity. Mr. Parr is fond of sports.
He is a communicant of the Christian Church
and through his connection there is active in
Cub Scout program and teaches in the Sunday
school.

In Nansemond County, on September 6, 1947,
Robert J. Parr married Dorothy Elizabeth Kelly
of Chuckatuck. She is the daughter of Jack and
Nannie Ruby (Moody) Kelly. The couple are
the parents of three children: 1. Robert James,
Jr., born August 24, 1948. 2. John Westwood,
born October 10, 1951. 3. Belinda Sue, born on
April 27, 1950.

WILLIAM HOLMES DAVIS— Few men are

privileged to live as long and full a life as that of
William Holmes Davis of Norfolk, traffic engineer
and business executive. His organizational con-
nections were many; and his efforts on behalf of
civic causes, cultural projects and the cause of
education won him the gratitude of his fellow
citizens.

Mr. Davis was born in Petersburg on February
25, 1873, son of Joseph Claiborne and Mary Eleanor
(Holmes) Davis. His forebears settled in Virginia
in the colonial period. Joseph C. Davis was a native
of Petersburg, and was a son of William C. Davis,
who was the founder of Southern Female College
of Petersburg. In the maternal line, William H.
Davis' grandfather was Peter Green Holmes, a
planter and a member of the Virginia Legislature,

who married Alary Eleanor Woodhouse. She was
descended from colonial settlers in Princess Anne
County.

Since his grandfather had founded Southern Fe-
male College, William H. Davis received a part
of his education there, and later graduated from
Randolph-Macon College with the degree of Bach-
elor of Arts, in 1882. In the early years of his ca-
reer he taught school, first in North Carolina and
later in Danville, Virginia, where he was head-
master of Randolph- Macon School. He also served
a four-year term as superintendent of public in-
struction. He founded and operated for ten years
a boys school in Danville, known as the Danville
School for Boys. His active career as an educator
covered a period of twenty-four years, and his
interest in the cause of education remained with
him throughout his life.

In 1918, Mr. Davis moved to Norfolk as an as-
sociate of Charles Syer and Company, merchandise
brokers. The following year he founded the Vir-
ginia Forwarding Corporation, which today is the
oldest export forwarding agency in the city. He
was one of the early industrialists to realize the
port city's shipping potential, and he devoted him-
self effectively to developing these possibilities. To
increase shipping consignments through the port,
he visited England and the Afidwest during the
1920s. He organized, and served as first president
and first chairman of the board of directors, of
the Hampton Roads Afaritime Exchange. He also
organized the Export and Import Forwarding As-
sociation of Virginia. On numerous occasions, he
was special representative of the Tobacco Associa-
tion of the United States, in handling matters be-
fore committees in Congress, before the Inter-
state Commerce Commission, and in direct appeals
to Presidents Coolidge and Roosevelt. He was
past president of the Propeller Club of the United
States, Port of Norfolk, and for many years was
chairman of its foreign trade committee. He fre-
quently contributed to trade publications in the
United States and abroad, and spoke on occasion
at annual conventions of the National Foreign Trade
Council.

Until 1943, Mr. Davis remained head of the Vir-
ginia Forwarding Corporation, and from 1944 to
1948 he was traffic manager and public relations
officer of Dichmann, Wright and Pugh, Inc., steam-
ship owners, operators and agents. He became a
traffic engineer in private practice in 1949, and
continued until his retirement in 1952. For a time,
Afr. Davis had resided in New York, operating an
office there primarily for promoting the Port of
Norfolk. He was the author of a booklet entitled
"The World Trade of the Ports of Hampton Roads
and New York."

(jy* Jwe-o-Tt^.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

-59

His interest in advanced education, continuing
through life, never ceased to have its influence.
When an editorial writer in a local newspaper com-
mented on the significance of his career, he devoted
considerable space to this aspect of Mr. Davis's ac-
complishments:

The goal of William Holmes Davis's life in His latter years
was, as all of Norfolk knew, a four-year college. It is not
too much to say that he lived it, dreamed it, and never
departed far from. it. The thought of a population concentra-
tion such as that in and around Norfolk without a four-year
college was intensely repugnant to Mr. Davis's mind and
soul. To this subject he addressed himself in innumerable
ways: collecting information, refining arguments, writing an
immense number of letters, buttonholing all who he thought
could help his fight, and laboring with zeal to see that his
case was distributed and understood . . . Teaching was in Ins
blood, and he hammered his points with dedicated determination.

He was active in other connections useful to
his community. For some years he served as
treasurer and chairman of the finance committee
of the Travelers Aid Society, and he was a mem-
ber of the official board of Epworth Methodist
Church. He frequently appeared as a speaker on
various occasions. A member of the Sons of the
American Revolution, he served as historian of
its Norfolk Chapter.

On September i, 1898, at Holly Springs, Mis-
sissippi, William Holmes Davis married Mary
freer Matthews, daughter of James Alderson and
Elizabeth Jennings (McKnight) Matthews, both
natives of Tennessee. Her father was a veteran of
service in the Confederate States Army, and was
a prominent businessman at Holly Springs, where
he and his wife spent their lives. Mrs. Davis studied
music at Holly Springs, Memphis, and Philadel-
phia, and prior to her marriage, taught music at
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and throughout the
years she has been active in the cultural and relig-
ious life of her community. She is a member of
Epworth Methodist Church of Norfolk. Mr. and
Mrs. Davis became the parents of four children:
1. William Holmes, Jr., born at Danville on August
13, 1899. He attended the schools of that city, and
the University of Virginia. For a time he was
associated with his father's business interests, and
is now a partner in the firm of Davis and Lee, Inc.,
boat distributors of Norfolk. During World War
II he served in the United States Navy with the
rank of commander. He married Sue Lowell Powell
of Princess Anne County. 2. Mary Matthews, born
April 5, 1902; died January I, 1903. 3. James Al-
derson, born June 15, 1905; died July 14, 1906. 4.
Joseph Claiborne, born June 21, 1907. He is a
graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in
Portsmouth, and attended the University of Vir-
ginia for three years. He was formerly associated
with his father's business interests, and in recent

years became a partner in Davis and Lee, Inc.,
of Norfolk. He married Margaret Virginia Baylor
of that city, and they are the parents of four chil-
dren: i. Joseph Claiborne, Jr., born April 23, 1935:
now a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
ii. Holmes Mercer, born April 18, 1938; now attend-
ing the University of Virginia, iii. Richard Mat-
thews, born June 19, 1941; a student at Maury
High School, iv. Margaret Savage, born August
12, 1946.

Mr. Davis's death occurred on June 22, 1956. In
local editorial columns, the following lines ex-
pressed the view of many of his fellow citizens
regarding his character and achievements:

Mr. Davis was so much the prophet and preacher that the
results of his enthusiasms were difficult to measure. But things
are happening 111 Norfolk which he advocated in principle long
ago ; and although it was not his nature to be satisfied there is
little doubt that in his unique way he influenced people and
stimulated forces in the advances which he believed — which lie
knew — were essential. His death at the age of S3 takes away
one of the unusual characters, one of the ruggedly individual-
istic personalities, of the town, but some ideas he championed
go marching on.

JACK F. KITCHIN— In the allied fields of
heavy construction and the rental of contractors'
equipment, the name of Jack F. Kitchin has be-
come widely and favorably known throughout the
South. He is founder and owner of the Norfolk
Contracting Company, and founder and president
of the Kitchin Equipment Company, Inc., also a
Virginia corporation, and in both positions he has
played a prominent role in the heavy construction
field in several Southern states.

Founded in 1939, with headquarters in Norfolk,
The Norfolk Contracting Company has experienced
steady progress. It has brought sound knowledge
and skills, diversity, conscientious workmanship
and ecomony to its management, and its improved
methods of concrete construction have made it
one of the region's leaders in that specialty. The
firm has built dams, reservoirs, sewers, bridges,
highway underpasses, airports and factories, and
has completed many contracts for the federal, state
and municipal governments. During World War II,
its potential was devoted primarily to construction
for the armed forces, including some thirteen pro-
jects in the Tidewater area alone. Major projects
completed in the past few years include the Bram-
bleton Avenue and the Tidewater Drive under-
passes, both in Norfolk; all of the concrete work
on the Smith-Douglas Fertilizer Plant at Wilming-
ton, North Carolina; and the concrete Municipal
Reservoir for the city of Wilmington, a four-million-
dollar project. The firm has built concrete bridges
throughout Virginia and the Carolinas.

The Kitchin Equipment Company, Inc., founded

26(1

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

in KJ55, is one of the largest contractors' equipment
rental agencies in the eastern United States. Its
stock includes about five hundred pieces, including
cranes with capacities ranging from eight to fiitj
tons, and booms measuring between twenty-five
and one hundred and sixty feet, lowboy trailers, bull-
dozers, damshells, draglines, front-end loaders, pile-
driving equipment, power shovels, trenching
machines, well-point systems and tools, and air
compressors. On the multi-million-dollar American
Oil Refining Company's project at Vorktown,
completed in 1956, the Kitchin Equipment Com-
pany furnished approximately seventy-five per cent
of the contractor's equipment used. All the firm's
equipment is kept in top operating condition, and
the company has an excellent reputation for service.

Born June 3, 1004, in Gaffney, South Carolina,
son of John S. and Verona (Smith) Kitchin, Jack
F. Kitchin was brought up with a background in
the construction business, for his father was promi-
nent in that field throughout the Carolinas. He
is now deceased, but Mrs. Kitchin is still living,
and maintains the family home at St. Paul, North
Carolina. She was born in Gainesville, Georgia.
John S. Kitchin, a native of North Carolina, was
a partner in the construction firm of Hobbs and
Kitchin. The firm operated in the Carolinas, and
constructed many highway bridges in that region
following World War I. In bis later years, John
S. Kitchin continued in the construction field in his
own name, and following his retirement, acquired
a valuable farm at St. Paul, where he engaged in
tobacco planting until his death in 1935. He and
Verona (Smith) Kitchin became the parents of
four sons: 1. Jack F., whose record follows. 2.
Coley, who died in childhood. 3. William W., a
tobacco farmer at St. Paul. 4. Paul A., head of
the Kitchin Construction Company of Fayetteville,
North Carolina.

Attending the public elementary and high schools
of P.lacksburg, South Carolina, Jack F. Kitchin
continued his studies at Campbell College at Buies
Creek, North Carolina. This institution did not then
offer a full college curriculum, but he completed his
preparatory studies there then transferred to Wake
Forest College, which is also in North Carolina. He
was a student there for one year, then began his
career in the construction field, with his father's
organization. They continued together until 1935,
when Jack F. Kitchin took over the equipment
of the firm and began operating under his own
name. He continued to center his work in North
Carolina until 1939, when he moved to Norfolk.
He was attracted to the city by the prospects of
the Tidewater area, and he also acknowledges that
"the climate was an added inducement for locating
here." With his father's equipment and some bor-

rowed money ("It didn't take much to start out
then"), he organized the Norfolk Contracting Com-
pany. The success with which he managed the firm
led to large contracts from the first. As he acquired
a sizable stock of equipment for heavy-contracting
work, he conceived the idea of making the maxi-
mum use of it by renting to other contractors, and
the outgrowth of these operations was formation of
the Kitchin Equipment Company, Inc., in 1955.

As a member of the Tidewater Virginia Develop-
ment Council, Mr. Kitchin is deeply interested in
the promotion of the region's industrial potential.
He is also a member of the Hampton Roads Post
of the Society of American Military Engineers, the
American Road Builders Association, the Virginia
Road Builders Association and the Builders and
Contractors Exchange, Inc., of Norfolk.

Apart from his trade connections, he is a Mason,
a member of Doric Lodge No. 46 and Ionic Chapter
No. 44 of the Royal Arch Masons, Grice Com-
mandery No. 16, Knights Templar, and Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He and his family are communicants
of the Campostella Heights Baptist Church. Mr.
Kitchin has taken a friendly interest in Campbell
College, which he once attended, and has made a
generous contribution to its building fund.

To indulge in his favorite sport of duck hunt-
ing, he acquired a large tract of land in the Great
Marsh region of Currituck Sound in North Caro-
lina, where he enjoys the sport at its best. He is
also fond of deep-sea fishing, and on occasion goes
to the waters off Key West, Florida, to pursue this
pastime.

Jack F. Kitchin married, first, Mozelle Vestal of
Elkin, North Carolina, who died in 1937. To this
marriage were born two daughters: 1. Frances.
She is the wife of Robert L. Baker, formerly of
High Point, North Carolina, and now manager of
equipment with the Kitchin Equipment Company.
The couple have three sons: Keith, Wayne and
Joseph Baker. 2. Joann, who married James L.
Walski of Norfolk. He is superintendent of con-
struction with the Norfolk Contracting Company.
Mr. and Mrs. Walski have a daughter, Kay. Mr.
Kitchin married, second, Wilma Hales of Blanden-
boro, North Carolina. They are the parents of four
children: 3. Jack Frank, Jr., who is now attending
Hargrave Military School. 4. Malinda, attending
Great Bridge School. 5. Eloise, attending Norfolk
Highland Elementary School. 6. Paul Andrew. The
family's residence is on Sparrow Road, Norfolk,
and Mr. Kitchin's business address is 4100 Indian
River Road.

JAMES THOMAS COPLEY— As a general
milding contractor, James Thomas Copley heads

J^^^^^^^j2^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

261

his own firm, with headquarters at 810 Loudoun
Avenue, Portsmouth, a firm engaged in the con-
struction of commercial, institutional, industrial,
and residential structures. His work is known not
only in his own city, but in Norfolk and through-
out Tidewater Virginia. He is both owner and
directing head of the company known as James
T. Copley, which since it was established in May
1952, has had few peers in the size and importance
of the projects it has completed. Among these have
been the Bell Mill Elementary School in the Deep
( reek district, the addition to the Churchland High
School, the Douglas Park Elementary School at
Portsmouth, the three-quarter-million-dollar Lans-
dale Elementary School for Norfolk, the Mary-
view Hospital in Portsmouth, the Merchant and
Farmers Bank Building at Alexander Corner, and
many industrial and commercial structures.

Besides its major activities, in the construction
field, the firm of James T. Copley contracts for
the rental of heavy equipment and in grading and
house-moving. In its normal operations, it has fifty
people on its payroll, and their work takes them
to all parts of the Tidewater area.

Mr. Copley is a native of Weston, West Vir-
ginia, and was born on December 28, 1919, son
of Joseph W. and Catherine A. (Craft) Copley.
I lis father was active his entire career as a driller
for natural gas in West Virginia. He is now de-
ceased. James T. Copley received bis early ed-
ucation at St. Patrick's School in Weston and
graduated from Weston High School in 1938. He
then entered Wake Forest College in North Caro-
lina, where he received his degree of Bachelor of
Arts in 1944, having taken the pre-law courses.

While a student there, he enlisted in the United
States Marine Corps and was called to active duty
on April 1, 1943. He served in the Pacific with
the Second Marine Division as a naval gunfire
observer. At the time of bis separation from the
service on May 10, 1948, he held the rank of
first lieutenant.

On May 15, 1948, Mr. Copley joined the Federal
Bureau of Investigation as special agent and
remained active in its important work until April
15, 1952, when he resigned. He then formed his
own building contracting firm at Portsmouth, the
record of which is detailed above. He is a member
of the Builders and Contractors Exchange, Inc.,
and the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and
attends St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Ports-
mouth.

On April 3, 1943, at Wake Forest, North Caro-
lina, James T. Copley married Betsy Savage,
daughter of John G. and Elizabeth (Davis) Savage.
The couple are the parents of three children: 1.
James Thomas, Jr., born June 26, 1947. 2. Joseph

Andrew, born September 7, 1950. 3. Michael Hamil-
ton, born May 3, 1956. The family resides at 1304
Sterling Drive, Portsmouth.

ARTHUR RAY THOMPSON, SR.— As cer-
tified heating and plumbing contractor, Arthur
Ray Thompson, Sr., heads his own firm with of-
fices at 248 West 24th Street. He has to bis credit
over forty-five years' experience in his trade, and
has been engaged in contracting at Norfolk since
his return from military service in World War I.

Mr. Thompson is a Northerner by birth and a
native of Richmond, Minnesota. He was born on
July 6, 1891, son of Joshua Yaden and Margaret
Ann (Trumm) Thompson. Both of his parents
came to this country from the Province of Ontario,
Canada. Joshua Thompson spent thirty years as
mail carrier in Minnesota. He was also a veterin-
arian, and he devoted the later years of his life
to farming. He died in 1948 at the age of eighty-
six. Margaret Ann (Trumm) Thompson was
seventy-two years of age when she died in 1942.

Reared and educated at Burtrum, Minnesota,
Arthur R. Thompson gained experience in various
occupations during his early years. He sheared
sheep in Montana; worked on his father's farm;
and was employed by a railroad, training to be-
come a locomotive engineer. These various jobs
he held before he had reached his majority; and
by 1910 he had found his life work and appren-
ticed himself in the plumbing and heating trade
in Minnesota.

He first engaged in construction work with the
G. A. Keys Domestic Engineering Company of
St. Paul, and remained with that concern until

1918. He then went to Wilmington, North Caro-
lina, but remained there only a few weeks, arriv-
ing in Norfolk in February 1918. He worked with
various contractors until June of that year, then
left to join the United States Army. Entering
active service in July, he went overseas after
brief training, and was there when the war ended.
He was promoted to sergeant on January 14,

1919, and received his' honorable discharge on
July 23rd of that year. He had participated in the
Meuse-Argonne campaign before the war ended.

On resuming his civilian career, Mr. Thomp-
son returned to Norfolk, and continued his work
in the plumbing and heating trade under various
contractors until 1921. At that time he established
himself as a contractor in his own right, opening
his own business at a location on Eighteenth
Street near Granby Street. He later moved to
Twenty-ninth Street, and successively occupied
locations on Newport Avenue and at 529 Thirty-
fifth Street before buying the building which his
firm has occupied since 1946. Operating as a heat-
ing and plumbing contractor who installs com-

26:

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

plete kitchens and gas and oil heating systems,
as well as in repair work, he conducts his firm
under the name of A. R. Thompson. He has a
considerable and steady volume of business
throughout the section, and has thirty men reg-
ularly on his payroll. Hi.- business has continued
to grow in volume through the years, attesting
to his reputation for reliability and competent
service.

Mr. Thompson is now active in the executive
management of a second firm. Aeson Distributing
Corporation, which he organized in 1948. The
organization distributes plumbing and heating sup-
plies at wholesale. His son, Arthur Ray, Jr., is
vice president, and Mrs. Arthur R. Thompson,
Sr., is secretary-treasurer. He is a member of the
Mechanical Contractors Association, the Plumb-
ing and Heating Contractors Association, the Vir-
ginia Subcontractors Association and the Builders
and Contractors Exchange.

In his own city, Mr. Thompson is active in the
Chamber of Commerce. He is a Kiwanian with
several one-hundred-percent records of attendance
at meetings since he joined the organization on
February 30, 1930. As a veteran of World War I,
he is a member of the local posts of the American
Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. A
member of the Izaak Walton League, he has
served on its national executive board, and his
lodges are the Knights of Pythias and the Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks. He and his
family attend Knox Presbyterian Church. Mr.
Thompson is a Republican in his politics. He is
fond of hunting and fishing, and takes a deep
interest in conservation.

On June 11, 1917. Arthur Ray Thompson
married Eleanor Louise Tonnell, daughter of John
and Christine Tonnell. Her mother was born in
St. Cloud, Minnesota; and Mr. Tonnell. who was
also a native of that state, became manager of
the Rockville Granite Works at Rockville. He
continued in that occupation for many years, and
lived to the advanced age of ninety-two. Mrs.
Tonnel died in 1925. Mrs. Thompson is secretary-
treasurer of Aeson Distributing Corporation.

The couple are the parents of a son, Arthur
Ray, Jr., born on August 28, 1920, in Norfolk.
He graduated from Maury High School, then
entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He left his
studies to join the United States Navy at the
time of World War II, entering the service Janu-
ary 11, 1943. He served in the Pacific as a ma-
chinist's mate, first class, and received his honor-
able discharge on December 24, 1946. He learned
the machinist's trade in the Navy, and after the
war, worked in Los Angeles, California, for two
years with the firm of Byron-Jackson. He also
learned the plumbing and heating trade during

this period, at the end of which lie joined his
father in business. He has become active in the
plumbing and heating industry, and is currently
serving a term as president of the Master Plum-
bers and Heating Contractors of Norfolk, Inc.
He was the first president of Buyers' Syndicate,
Inc., of that city. A. R. Thompson, Jr., is a mem-
ber of the American Society of Heating and Ven-
tilating Engineers, and serves on its board. He
is also a member of the Izaak Walton League,
the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, the Lafayette Country Club and
the Exchange Club. Fishing and hunting are his
favorite sports. He is a communicant of the Knox
Presbyterian Church.

On February 13, 1945, Arthur Ray Thompson,
Jr., married Phyllis May Gregory, who was born
in Bristol, England. She is a member and past
president of the Ladies Auxilliary of the Master
Plumbers and Heating Association, and a mem-
ber of the Ellsworth Garden Club and Izaak
Walton League.

ELMER VIRGINIUS WILLIAMS, or E. V.
WILLIAMS as he is best known, heads two cor-
porations which have played, and continue to play,
a vital part in the development of the Lower Tide-
water regions. He is president and owner of the
E. V. Williams Company, Inc., a contracting firm
in Norfolk, and is president of the Williams Paving
Company, Inc., of the same city.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on May 12,
1910, son of the late Edward L. and Birdie
(Whitehurst) Williams. The Williams family is
of Welsh and Irish descent, and the forebears
who first came to this country settled in North
Carolina. In the maternal line, E. V. Williams
i- descended from the Whitehurst and Woodhouse
families, whose Colonial ancestors lived in Prin-
ce-- Anne County. Edward L. Williams was a
native of South Mills, North Carolina, and for
twenty-five years prior to his death in June 1940,
was prominent in the construction field. He headed
the contracting firm which bore his name in Nor-
folk, and worked on highway construction pro-
jects in Virginia and North Carolina. Following
his death, Birdie (Whitehurst) Williams married
Robert J. Upton, a Norfolk investment broker.

The second of three children born to his par-
ents. E. V. Williams passed his boyhood in his
native Norfolk, and graduated from Maury High
School in 1929. For the next two years, he con-
tinued his education at the College of William
and Mary, Norfolk Division, majoring in business
administration. As a student there, he managed
the football team for two years and the basketball
team for one vear.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

263

He began his career in the business world with
the National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk, as a
runner. He remained on the staff of the bank
for two years. His career in the construction field
began in association with his father in the earl}'
1930s, and they continued together until the elder
man's death in June 1940. The son then managed
the E. L. Williams contracting firm for the
estate until 1941, when he bought the interests
of the other heirs. It was at this time that the
name of the firm was changed to E. V. Williams
Company, Inc. From a very modest beginning,
it has become one of the largest contracting firms
in the Lower Tidewater Virginia, with major pro-
jects in several adjacent states as well. Engaged
entirely in heavy construction, it specializes in
building highways and streets, excavating, and
building air bases and similar installations. Few
other such firms can report such rapid develop-
ment within the last few years. During the World
War II period it held government contracts for
installation projects in the Norfolk area, includ-
ing the Norfolk Naval Base. Following the war,
the firm engaged in a number of government
construction projects. It has specialized in high-
way excavating work in Virginia and elsewhere
in the East. Among its major projects of recent
years is the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bridge-Tunnel
project. The structure was formally opened to
the public in May 1952. In connection with this
immense project, the E. V. Williams Company,
Inc., did all the excavating, grading and backfill
in Norfolk and Berkley Plazas. Another major
project is preparing the site of the American Oil
Company refinery and terminals at Yorktown,
Virginia. In addition to its construction work, the
company is also listed as one of the largest
heavy-equipment rental firms in the region.

Joining his brother, Edward L. Williams, on
January 1, 1946, E. V. Williams founded the Wil-
liams Paving Company, Inc., of Norfolk. He is
its president, and Edward L., Jr., is vice president.
It contracts for concrete paving projects, and
among these have been Langley Air Force Base
and the Cbincoteague Naval Air Base. In 1949-
1950 the firm completed a major concrete paving
project fourteen miles in extent, on the eastern
extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It is
presently engaged in paving twenty miles of the
northeastern extension of the turnpike. In their
overall operations, the Williams firms give em-
ployment to about five hundred employees. General
offices of both concerns are at 1269 East Princess
Anne Road, Norfolk.

In other directions too, E. V. Williams' interests
have contributed to the development of the Nor-
folk area, particularly in the realty field. He has
developed the Elizabeth River Shores property,

the Elizabeth Park property and the Diamond
Lake Homes. A member of the American Road
Builders Association and of its Contractors' Di-
vision, he is currently serving as vice president.
He is also vice president of the Hampton Roads
Post of the Society of American Military Engi-
neers. In his own city, he belongs to the Norfolk
Kiwanis Club, Lodge No. 30, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, and the Cavalier Yacht and Coun-
try Club. He is a Baptist. Fond of outdoor sports,
Mr. Williams enjoys following sports events as
a spectator.

In 1952, Elmer Virginius Williams married Bet-
ty Bell of Knoxville, Tennessee. By a former
marriage he has two daughters: 1. Virginia Louise.
2. Susan Lee.

EDWIN CARL FERGUSON, JR.— Since his
return from service with the United States Navy in
World War II, Edwin Carl Ferguson, Jr., has
practiced law in Suffolk and is a partner in the
firm of Woodward and Ferguson. He also has
industrial interests and has taken a constructive
part in the programs of civic, fraternal, and veter-
ans' groups.

He was born July 14, 1917, at Suffolk, son of
Edwin C. and Clementine (Martin) Ferguson.
Both parents are now deceased. His father, born
in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, became a manu-
facturer of farm implements in Suffolk, and the
position he held during most of his mature years
was that of general manager of the Ferguson
Manufacturing Company. Clementine Martin, whom
he married, was a native of Stuart.

Reared in Suffolk, Edwin C. Ferguson, Jr., at-
tended its public schools and graduated from its
high school in 1935. He took his advanced studies
at the College of William and Mary and graduated
there in 1939 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
He also took his professional courses at that
college and in 1941 received the degree of Bachelor
of Civil Law. He had already been admitted, in
June 1940, to the bar of the state of Virginia.

In 1941 he entered service in the United States
Navy and served in its Air Corps from June of
that year until October 1945. Commissioned an
ensign, he was assigned to Patrol Bombing Squad-
ron V. P. 84 and spent time in the European
Theater of Operations as well as in Newfound-
land, Iceland, and England.

When he returned to civilian life late in 1945,
Mr. Ferguson began his practice of law at Suf-
folk as an associate of Thomas H. Woodward.
Sometime later be became a partner in the firm
of Woodward and Ferguson. He has continued in
this partnership since. He is a member of the

:64

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Suffolk Bar Association and the Virginia State
Bar Association.

Apart from his law practice, Mr. Ferguson is
influential in industrial affairs as director of the
Ferguson Manufacturing Company, Inc., of Suf-
folk. He is a Democrat in his politics and a
member of the Rotary Club, American Legion
Post No. 57. which he has served as commander;
and the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks No. 685, of which he has been
exalted ruler. His fraternity is Pi Kappa Alpha. Mr.
Ferguson attend- Saint Paul's Episcopal Church,
is a teacher in its Sunday school, and is a member
of its vestry.

In Salisbury, Maryland, on June 30, 1945, Ed-
win Carl Ferguson, Jr., married Helen Phillips
of that city, daughter of H. Lay and Lydia (Grier)
Phillips. Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson are the parents
of four children: 1. Gail Martin, born on October
25, 1946. 2. Carl Phillips, born on June 1, 1949-
3. Edwin Grier, born on December 16, 1951. 4.
Lydia Sharon, born on May 28, 1953.

SOL WAITE RAWLS— Executive head of the
firm at Franklin which bears his name, Sol \\ aite
Rawls is also an official of other corporations, and
plays a constructive role in the organizational as
well as the business life of his community. He is
a native of Nansemond County, and was born on
May 3, 1888, son of Robert and Dianna (Cutchin)
Rawls. His father was born on March 31, 1843,
in Nansemond County, and his mother in that
same county. Robert Rawls served the Confederate
cause in Company I, 41st Virginia Regiment,
Mahones Brigade. His peacetime years were spent
in farming.

Sol W. Rawls attended Franklin High School,
and completed his advanced courses at William
and Mary College. He is a veteran of World
War I, having served in naval aviation as a chief
special mechanic. He was in naval service for
nine months, of which seven anil one-half were
spent outside the limits of the continental United
States.

Mr. Rawls began his business career as the
owner of Rawls Garage in Franklin, Virginia, in
1912. He has been identified with his present firm
since 1928, and has been its president since it
was incorporated in 1947 known as S. W. Rawls,
Inc. The firm is engaged in the oil and gasoline
distributing business and is the local represen-
tative for Gulf products. Besides this major oc-
cupational interest, Mr. Rawls is vice president
of the Home Telephone and Telegraph Company
of Virginia, and he is a director of Vaughan and
Company Bankers of Franklin, and Camp Founda-
tion of Franklin.

Since 1933, Mr. Rawls has been a member of

the Virginia State Highway Commission and he
is also a member of the Richmond-Petersburg
Turnpike Authority. For twenty years lie served
on the Franklin town council. He is a charter
member and past president of the Franklin Rotary
Club, a member of the Commonwealth Club of
Richmond, Virginia, the Princess Anne Country
Club and the Cavalier Club both of Virginia Beach
and the Cypress Cove Country Club of Franklin,
Virginia. Mr. Rawds attends the Franklin Baptist
Church. He is a Democrat in his politics.

On February 17, 1916, in Franklin, Sol Waite
Rawls married Rowena Camp, daughter of J. L.
and Carrie (Savage) Camp of Franklin. The couple
are the parents of a son, Sol \Y., Jr., who is now-
associated with his father in business. He is mar-
ried to the former Miss Ann Peace of Henderson,
North Carolina, and they have four children: i.
Ann Arendell born November 14, 1942. ii. Betsy
Camp, born March 19, 1946. iii. Sol W., 3rd, born
July 15, 1948. iv. Patricia Peace, born November
6, 1951.

FRANK EUGENE POWELL has made a
significant contribution to Norfolk's industrial life
since he came here nearly four decades ago. Shortly
afterward he and his brother William J. Powell
founded the American Sheet Metal Corporation, of
which he now is president and treasurer.

Born at Pensacola, Florida, on August 17, 1898,
he is a son of William J. and Anna S. (Boland)
Powell. His father, also a native Floridan, was a
machinist at Pensacola throughout his career. He
died in 1901. Mrs. Powell survived him until June
7, 1932. She was born in Joliet, Illinois.

It was in that northern city that Frank E. Powell
passed his boyhood years and received his public
school education. He graduated from the Joliet
Township High School. He supplemented his reg-
ular studies with courses at night school, and from
International Correspondence School. He then ap-
prenticed himself in the sheet metal trade, and after
completing his training, came to Norfolk in 1917.
He engaged in the sheet metal industry there. In
192 1 he and his brother established the American
Sheet Metal Corporation, to do a general line of
roofing and sheet metal work in connection with
the building industry. The company has worked
on many large schools, government buildings, in-
dustrial structures, and homes throughout the east-
ern states, and has also conducted a large business
in the manufacture of oil and gasoline storage
tanks. They are completely equipped with welding
power machinery for fabricating heavy plate. The
plant is located between 26th and 28th streets and
covers two full city blocks on Colley Avenue. It
has become the center of a large trade, which has

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

265

extended to such distant points as Massachusetts
and Washington, D. C, as well as throughout the
Carolinas. Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
The firm employs between eighty and one hundred
and twenty-five people. The firm's center of opera-
tions has grown with the increased volume of busi-
ness in addition to a warehouse on 24th Street.

Besides this major business interest, Mr. Pow-
ell is president and treasurer of Lafayette Apart-
ment Corporation. He is a member of the lodge of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the
Izaak Walton Club, the Cosmopolitan Civic Club,
the Lafayette Country Club, the Ryan Club and
the Knights of Columbus. He is a Catholic in his
religious faith and is free of political affiliations,
voting independently. He is fond of hunting, fish-
ing and boating.

Frank Eugene Powell married Hope Simmons,
daughter of Samuel and Margareta (Carty) Sim-
mons. Both of her parents were born in Boykins,
Virginia, and her father was a farmer. He later be-
came a grocer at Suffolk, Virginia, operating a
store there until his death in 1949. Mr. and Mrs.
Powell have two children: 1. William J., who was
born in Norfolk on August II, 1930. Completing
a tour of duty in the army in 1955, which had
included two years' service in France, he is now
associated with bis father in the American Sheet
Metal Corporation. He married Julianne Childs.
2. Anne Hope, now attending Norfolk Catholic
High School.

ALVIN W. NISSENBAUM— As general man-
ager of Norfolk Linen Service, Alvin W. Nissen-
baum heads the local organization of National Linen
Service Corporation, a firm which does business
throughout the South and has its headquarters at
Atlanta, Georgia. Two hundred people are employed
at the Norfolk plant alone, and Mr. Nissenbaum
has under his direction the operation of a modern
plant with ninety thousand square feet of floor
space, serving people throughout the Tidewater
area and the eastern shore of Virginia, and sections
of North Carolina as well.

Mr. Nissenbaum is a native of Atlanta, and was
born on July 23, 191 5, son of Samuel E. and Pearl
(Winer) Nissenbaum. His father, who was born
in Germany, came to this country at the age of
twelve. He settled in Atlanta, where he became a
grocer, and operated his store until 1945, when
he retired. He now resides in Washington, D. C.
His wife, the former Pearl Winer, was born in
Columbus, Georgia.

Passing his boyhood years in Atlanta, Alvin
W. Nissenbaum attended public schools there, and
on graduation from high school in 1932, entered

Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was
a student for two years. He has since taken extra
courses at the University of Chattanooga, in Ten-
nessee.

His connection with National Linen Service Cor-
poration began in his native city in 1935, when he
accepted a position on its sales staff, with a territory
covering the entire Southeast. In 1938 he was
transferred to the Norfolk branch as local sales-
man, and continued in that capacity until 1941,
when he was promoted to assistant manager of
the plant. In 1946 he was transferred to Pensacola,
Florida, to become manager of the branch in that
city; and in 1949, he went to Macon. Georgia,
to manage the plant there. He was transferred
to the Chattanooga branch in 1951, and utter re-
maining in charge there for one year, returned
to Norfolk, rounding out his cycle of managerial
posts in the post of general manager of Norfolk
Linen Service, as that city's branch of the cor-
poration is named. The plant is located ; t 2400
Hampton Boulevard, and there two hundred peo-
ple are employed. The area of Virginia and North
Carolina served by Norfolk Linen Service is ex-
tensive; and it gives an idea of the extent of the
corporation's entire operations to consider that
this is only one of forty-four such plants operated
under the overall direction of National Linen
Service Corporation. It is one of the largest of
these forty-four plants, and Mr. Nissenbaum has
brought to its management the skills acquired
in his years of experience at the company's various
locations. The Norfolk branch was opened in 1932;
and the parent organization, National Linen Serv-
ice Corporation, had its beginning in 1919. It
was founded by I. M. Weinstein, wdio remained
at its head until his death in 1954. At that time
his son, Milton Weinstein, was elected president.
In all, about seven thousand people earn their
livelihoods in the corporation's more than twoscore
plants, and a fleet of twelve hundred trucks es-
tablishes contact between these plants and cus-
tomers throughout the South.

Mr. Nissenbaum is a member of the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, the Lafayette Yacht and
Country Club and the local lodge of the Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks. He is of
Jewish faith, and a member of B'nai B'rith. Po-
litically, he is free of party commitment, and
votes independently. He finds his recreation in
gardening and fishing.

On March 13, 1943, Alvin W. Nissenbaum
married Clarice Honea, daughter of John and
Pearl (Downey) Honea. Her father was born in
South Carolina and her mother in Virginia. He
is now deceased, but Mrs. Honea survives him
and makes her home in Beckley, Virginia. Mr.
and Mrs. Nissenbaum reside at 151 Lembla Street.

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

R. BAIRD CABELL— Completing his law
training after his return from Air Corps service
in World War II, R. Baird Cabell has practiced
at Franklin since that time.

Born January 4, 1923, in Norfolk, he is a son
of Powhatan Algernon and Elizabeth Gertrude
(Meyerhoffer) Cabell. His father, born in Dan-
ville, Virginia, on June 8, 1876, is still living al-
though now retired from business pursuits. Mrs.
Cabell is also living. She was born in Augusta
County on July 28, 1893.

After attending public schools in Franklin and
graduation from its high school in 1940, R. Baird
Cabell entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
where he was a student for three years. He then
enlisted for service in the Coast Artillery Corps
of the United States Army, later transferring to
the United States Army Air Corps. He served
for a year in the Pacific theater and attained the
rank of first lieutenant. He was separated from
the service on September 16, 1946.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Cabell enrolled
at the University of Virginia and graduated there
on October 12, 1948, with the degree of Bachelor
of Laws. He had already been admitted to the
bar, on August 10, 1948, and since the time he
completed his professional studies, he has practiced
at Franklin. In addition to conducting his general
practice independently, Mr. Cabell is currently
serving as judge of the Civil and Police Court,
and as judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Rela-
tions Court of the town of Franklin. He is a
member of the Virginia State Bar and the South-
ampton County Bar Association.

In his politics he is a Democrat, and he is a
member of the Lions Club of Franklin and of the
9475th Air Force Reserve Squadron. He also be-
longs to the Cypress Cove Country Club. Mr.
Cabell is a Presbyterian and serves as an elder
of his church and formerly served as superin-
tendent of its Sunday school.

R. Baird Cabell has been twice married. He
married, first, Jeanne Quebodeaux of Duson,
Louisiana, on October n, 1946. She died on May
14, 1952. On October II, 1953, Mr. Cabell mar-
ried, second, Norma Ann Holloway of South
Hill, and they are the parents of two sons: 1.
Robert Baird, Jr., born July 30, 1954. 2. Frank
Holloway, born January 4, 1957.

HARRY RAINEY BYBEE, D.C.— For over for-
ty years Dr. Harry Rainey Bybee occupied a place
of eminence in the chiropractic profession. Prac-
ticing in Norfolk, he earned nationwide recogni-
tion among his colleagues, and was at one time
president of the National Chiropractic Associa-
tion. From the beginning of his professional career

in Norfolk, in 191 1, to the close of his life, he
proved himself a man whose career was motivated
by devotion to the art of healing, and by the serv-
ice he could render through his skills. He was
beloved by all who knew him.

A native of Lancaster, Ohio, he was born on
February 18, 1891, the son of the late Dr. Burt
H. and Clara (Hall) Bybee. The professional in-
terest in chiropractic was a recurrent theme in
the family, for Dr. Burt H. Bybee followed the
same calling for many years, in Norfolk and Rich-
mond. Dr. Harry R. Bybee received his advanced
training at Michigan College of Chiropractic.
Graduating there with his doctor's degree, he be-
gan practice in Norfolk in 191 1. He established
offices in the New Monroe Building, and for a
number of years also operated the Dr. H. R. Bybee
Clinic at 631 Westover Avenue, at Manteo Street.

His professional competence won him speedy
recognition in various parts of the country; and
among the large clientele which he served were
numbered not a few celebrities, including, over
the years, the Rev. Billy Sunday, General John
J. Pershing, Billy Southworth, baseball player
Phil Rizzuto and singers Al Jolson and Frank
Sinatra. Dr. Bybee possessed a genuine love for
humanity, and a true zeal for his role in allevia-
ting ills. His professional endeavors won him the
esteem and affection of thousands of patients.

Dr. Bybee was elected president of the National
Chiropractic Association in 1949 and served in that
office until 1950. In the course of his tenure, he
was honored by being presented the key to the
Capitol in Washington, by Representative Horace
O. Louve, and also the key to the Senate Cham-
ber by Vice President Alben Barkley. In addition
to heading the National Chiropractic Association,
he had served as president of the All-Southern
States Association, as president of the Tri-State
Chiropractic Society, as president of the Virginia
Chiropractic Society, and as an official of the Na-
tional Council of Chiropractic Roentgenologists.

Finding time in his busy career for civic and
fraternal activities, he was a member of Ruth
Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons;
Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar; and
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine at Norfolk. He was a mem-
ber of Charity Lodge of the Knights of Pythias,
and past chancellor commander of the order. He
was also a member of the Cavalier Yacht and
Country Club. His favorite sport was golf, and
as a hobby he enjoyed raising tropical fish. He
was a communicant of the First Baptist Church.

At Winchester, Kentucky, on October 19, 1915.
Dr. Harry Rainey Bybee married Lucile DuVal
Perryman, a native of Vevay, Indiana, and daugh-

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

267

ter of the Reverend George Washington and Sal-
lie (Waters) Perryman. Her father was a native
of Kentucky and a Baptist minister. A graduate
of the Louisville Baptist Seminary, he had served
as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Norfolk.
He died at Winchester, Kentucky, on December
29, 1915. His wife, the former Sallie Waters, was
a native of Danville, Kentucky, and died July I,
1944, at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Mrs. Bybee is
a graduate of Georgetown College at Georgetown,
Kentucky, and formerly taught in the Franklin
Female Seminary, after which she was for a time
a teacher in Norfolk's public school system, hold-
that position during the two years prior to her mar-
riage. She is active in community affairs and in
the First Baptist Church of Norfolk. She is a
past president of the Larchmont Parent-Teacher
Association. Through her maternal ancestry, she
is entitled to membership in the Old Dominion
Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion, in which she is active. Dr. and Mrs. Bybee
became the parents of three children: 1. Lucile
Perryman, who was born on May 1, ty 1 7. She
is a graduate of the College of William and Mary
at Williamsburg, where she took her degree of
Bachelor of Arts. She is now the wife of William
S. Portlock, Jr., of Norfolk. Mr. Portlock majored
in business administration at the College of Wil-
liam and Mary, and served in the United States
Army during World War II. He is now en-
gaged in business in Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Port-
lock have two children: i. Lucile Bybee. ii. Wil-
liam S., III. 2. Harry Rainey, Jr., D.C., who car-
ries the practice of the chiropractic profession into
the third generation in his family. He is a gradu-
ate of Lincoln College of Chiropractic at Indiana-
polis, Indiana, and now practices in Norfolk, oc-
cupying for many years offices in the New Mon-
roe Building previously occupied by his father.
His office is now located in the Driver Building.
Dr. Harry R. Bybee, Jr., was born on December
9, 1919. He is married to the former Miss Dar-
danella Carpenter, and they have two children: i.
Harry Rainey, III. ii. Roberta Vince Bybee. 3.
Mary Virginia, born on October 15, 1923. She at-
tended the College of William and Alary, and
married Stanley Victor Puidokas of Kenosha, Wis-
consin. He is a graduate of the University of Wis-
consin, from which he holds the degree of Bache-
lor of Science in Engineering. He served in the
United States Navy during World War II, being
in the Pacific and attaining the rank of lieutenant
commander. He is now a member of the engineer-
ing staff of Nash Motor Company at Kenosha,
Wisconsin, where he and Mrs. Puidokas make
their home. They are the parents of a son, Stanley
Victor.

Dr. Bybee's death on April 5, 1952 deprived
the people of his region of the services of a most
skilled and devoted professional man, whose re-
cord is an honor to the practice of chiropractic
medicine.

ELWOOD LEE BOYCE, JR.— Proprietor of
the Tidewater Lumber Company in Portsmouth,
Elwood Lee Boyce, Jr., heads a firm which
has become well known, in the course of its de-
cade and one half of existence, as a distributor of
lumber, millwork, windows and doors, insulation,
wallboard, builders' hardware, and paint. It serves
builders throughout an area comprising Norfolk,
Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk County.
In its overall operations, this firm, which has its
headquarters at 102-108 Dahlgren Avenue, em-
ploys thirty people, and it uses ten pieces of equip-
ment in its delivery service. With thousands of
square feet of storage space in its six buildings,
it is equipped and stocked to furnish a complete
line of lumber and supplies for the building trade.

Elwood L. Boyce, Jr., follows in the footsteps
of his father, who was long identified with the
lumber industry and other business interests in
Portsmouth. The elder Elwood L. Boyce began
his business career in Portsmouth in 1909, when
he founded the E. L. Boyce Bicycle Shop on
Glasgow Street. In the years which followed, un-
til his semi-retirement in 1948, he engaged success-
fully in a variety of business enterprises, includ-
ing wood and coal retailing. He headed both the
Boyce Hardware Company and E. L. Boyce Lum-
ber Company, all of his interests being centered
in the Glasgow Street and Belt Line Railroad area
of Portsmouth. About 1933 he sold both the coal
and the hardware interests to Clinton C. Boyce
and incorporated the E. L. Boyce Company. Of
this corporation he became the president, while
Aubrey G. Sweet, Sr., was secretary and treasurer,
and Clinton C. Boyce vice president. In 1948 he
sold his interest in the lumber firm to Aubrey
G. Sweet, Sr., who formed the firm of Aubrey G.
Sweet, Inc. Since 1948 the elder Mr. Boyce has
remained active in the lumber business in an ad-
visory capacity to his sou in the operation of the
Tidewater Lumber Company.

Elwood L. Boyce, Sr., married Mary Ethel John-
son, and Elwood L., Jr., was the youngest of their
four children. He was born in Portsmouth on
July 2, 1918, was reared, and received his public
school education there. In 1935 he graduated from
Woodrow Wilson High School, then entered Vir-
ginia Polytechnic Institute, where he received his
degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Admin-
istration in June 1940.

A member of the Reserve Officers Training

268

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Corps during his student days, he was commis-
sioned a second lieutenant on his graduation and
remained in the United States Army Reserve
Corps. Called into active duty in 1941, lie served
in the European theater during World War II,
and at the time of his separation from the service
in December 1945, at Fort George G. Meade, Mary-
land, he held the rank of major.

In 1940, a short time before leaving for military
service. Mr. Boyce had organized the Tidewater
Lumber Company, and when he returned to civil-
ian life, he resumed its management. He has since
expanded its operations until today it is one of
the largest firms of its kind in the Portsmouth
area and stocks the best lumber and building ma-
terials lines in the trade. C. C. Watson is assistant
manager.

Concurrently with his career as a business ex-
ecutive, Mr. Boyce has played a vital role in civic
affairs. He has served on the board of directors
of the Portsmouth Community Chest and is a
member of the Chamber of Commerce. He also be-
longs to the Exchange Club, which he served as
president in 1057, and was elected as a member
of the board of control of the Virginia State Ex-
change Clubs in 1957. His fraternal affiliations
are Naval Lodge No. 100, Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, and the International Concaten-
ated Order of Hoo-Hoo, which draws its member-
ship among lumbermen nationwide. He is also
a member of the Virginia Building Materials As-
sociation. He belongs to the United States Power
Squadron and attends the Park View Baptist
Church.

On February 7, 1942, at Hampton, Virginia,
Elwood Lee Boyce, Jr., married Miss Shirley Tay-
lor Bortner, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and
daughter of Sherman Sidney and Mary Katherine
(Pierce) Bortner. Mrs. Boyce received her degree
of Bachelor of Science in Education from Mary
Washington College of the University of Virginia
in 1941. She is active in civic and community af-
fairs, being a member of the Richard Dale Wo-
men's Club. For two years she served as chairman
of the Mother's March of Dimes for the Ports-
mouth area. Mr. and Mrs. Boyce are the parents
of three children: 1. Elwood Lee, III, born March
!9. '943- -• Judy Katherine, born February 16,
1947. 3. Patricia, born August 26, 195 1.

She was born at Suffolk on October i, 1892,
daughter of Burwell and Ada Browne (Shepherd)
Riddick. Her father, born in Beaufort County,
North Carolina, on January 8, 1857, was a build-
ing contractor, who headed his own business at
Suffolk for many years. He built many of that
city's early commercial buildings. His death oc-
curred there on March 13, 1930. Mrs. Riddick sur-
vived him until February 28, 1936. She was born
in Norfolk on May 18, i860.

Miss Fannie S. Riddick attended the public
schools of Suffolk and graduated from high
school there in 1910. In 1930 she started an
automobile agency in that city, under the name
of the Covington Motor Company, holding fran-
chise for the sale of Buicks and Oldsmobiles.
Miss Beatrice Saunders and John R. Covington
were her partners in the ownership and manage-
ment of this agency.

Li 1933 the present automobile sales firm was
formed. Known as Suffolk Motor Company from
the time it was founded, it is headed by Miss
Riddick in partnership with James Alfred Rus-
sell. Buicks and Pontiacs, the two popular me-
dium-priced General Motors cars, are sold here,
and there is also an extensive repair and acces-
sories business at the West Washington Street
headquarters. Suffolk Motor Company has thirty
people on its payroll.

Miss Riddick is a member of the Business and
Professional Women's Club and attends the Main
Street Methodist Church, where she has served
as a member of the official board and continues
to be active.

MISS FANNIE SHEPHERD RIDDICK of

Suffolk has proved herself one of the Lower
Tidewater region's most capable business women.
She has had a number of years' experience in
automobile retailing and is now partner in the
ownership and management of Suffolk Motor
Company, dealers in Buicks and Pontiacs.

RALPH ALONZO CATHEY— Executive vice
president and general manager of The Nor-
folk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc., Ralph Alon-
zo Cathey is playing a conspicuous and vital part
in the long-established firm's present-day develop-
ment.

Born May 28, 1905, at Norfolk, he is a son of
Alonzo Forrest and Annie C. (Hipp) Cathey. His
father, who founded the Coca-Cola bottling plant
in Norfolk, is given a prominent place elsewhere
in this volume; and in his record and those of
other executives of the company in the present
day, can be gleaned a rather full picture of the
development of this important enterprise. Ralph
A. Cathey, sixth of the eight children born to his
parents, received his education in the public schools
of Norfolk, graduating from Maury High School
in 1923. Like his brothers, he became acquainted
with the business at an early age, working at the
Norfolk plant during summer vacations. Follow-
ing his graduation from high school, he entered
the business on a full-time basis, and after his
father's deatli in 1938, was made executive vice

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

269

president and general manager, with offices at
Norfolk.

In the course of his connection with the organ-
ization, the present plant at 731 Duke Street was
erected, in 1925; and over the years, bottling plants
have been established at Exmore, Suffolk and
Gloucester. Mr. Ralph A. Cathey's role in manage-
ment has brought him such duties as working on
the job of wartime conversion, enabling the plant
to bottle in excess of five hundred thousand gal-
lons of Coca-Cola syrup in the course of only
one year, for supplying the armed forces; and
also the reconversion to peacetime production and
setting up a schedule of distribution throughout
Norfolk, Nansemond, Isle of Wight, Northampton,
Accomack, Gloucester and York counties, and
parts of Southampton, Sussex and Surry counties,
Virginia, and Gates County, North Carolina. The
company maintains a present production volume
of about three and a half million cases of the
popular beverage annually, and employs four
hundred and fifty persons. He helped formulate
the plans which brought about the great expan-
sion program now in the course of completion.
On the site bounded by Monticello and Armistead
avenues, 20th and 21 streets, a modern garage
building measuring three hundred by two hundred
and fifty feet was erected in 1947, and this struc-
ture also houses the cooler-service department,
the advertising department, case repair and paint-
ing departments, truck repair shop, machine shop,
heating plant, and space for one hundred and
twenty-five trucks. On the same site the new
home of the Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works,
Inc., was erected during 1957. with the most
modern equipment available to bottle more than
a million gallons annually. The most recent unit
of the plant, completed in 1953, is still a current
example of up-to-date design and efficient plan-
ning, and the pace goes on, indicative of the pro-
gressive attitudes and vision of the present man-
agement.

Ralph A. Cathey is a member of the Virginia
Manufacturers of Carbonated Beverages and serv-
es on its board of directors. He is also a member
of the National Coca-Cola Bottlers Association.
In his own city, he is a member, and formerly
served as director of the Chamber of Commerce,
and a member of th Rotary Club, Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club and the Princess Anne Coun-
try Club. He has been very active in civic projects,
especially the Boys' Club of Norfolk, which re-
mains a major welfare interest. He served on the
Norfolk Selective Service Appeal Board during
World War II. He is a communicant of the Ghent
Methodist Church. Fishing and hunting are li is
favorite sports.

On January 6, 1946, Ralph Alonzo Cathey mar-
ried Rosabel Gregory of Lynchburg, Virginia.
They make their home at 1617 Powhatan Place,
Norfolk.

LOUIS L. FRIEDMAN — After some years' ex-
perience in various industrial fields, Louis L. Fried-
man acquired management and ownership of the
Bonney Tile and Terrazzo Corporation, a Norfolk
firm which has a long record of service in selling
and contracting for the installation of tile, linoleum,
and marble.

He was born at Norfolk on July 10, 1908, and
is a son of Samuel and Lena (Pomerantz) Fried-
man. Both parents were born in Russia and came
to America in 1901. His father was a master mech-
anic and engineer, but after arriving in this country,
he engaged in wholesaling trade and dealt in real
estate. He died in May 1935, at the age of seventy-
two, and his wife, the former Lena Pomerantz,
survived him until October 1955, when she died
in her seventy-eighth year.

Louis L. Friedman spent his early years in Nor-
folk and attended public schools there. He gradu-
ated from Maury High School in 1923, then en-
tered the LTniversity of Virginia. He studied Chemi-
cal Engineering there, and left his studies to enter
practice in that profession. Two years later he
became office manager with the Carnegie Office
Appliance Company, advancing to a general man-
agership in the course of his four years' connection
with that firm. He left to organize the Royal Type-
writer Sales Company, and he had successfully
operated his own firm for one year when his entire
stock was stolen, and he had to launch his business
career anew. For about a year he acted as repre-
sentative of an artist, Verne G. Webster, and ter-
minated this connection to accept a position as
clerk with the Rosedale Dairy. He was promoted
to sales manager of this firm and, after about a
year and one-half, resigned to join the West Dis-
infecting Company of Richmond.

This connection continued for eleven years. He
studied sanitary engineering and safety engineer-
ing and served the firm as safety engineer and
divisional sales manager. He then went to work
for the city of Richmond as sanitary engineer and
chief sanitary officer, resigning after one year
and returning to the West Disinfecting Company.
This time he remained through the World War II
years as consultant in safety and sanitary engineer-
ing. He left permanently as the end of 1945.

In 1946 Mr. Friedman joined his brother in
the beverage distribution business as Beer Distribu-
tors, Inc., holding the positions of vice president,
treasurer, and sales manager of the company. The

2 7°

LOWER TIDEWATER \ IRCIMA

brothers continued their business association until
1953- At that time Louis L. Friedman bought the
controlling interest in Bonney Tile and Terrazzo
Company, a firm which has long been a leader in
its field, winning a large measure of public con-
fidence and a sizable trade in the Lower Tide-
water area. It serves customers in North Carolina,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and South Carolina
as well. The firm, of which he has since been
president and treasurer, has its headquarters at 756
West Twenty-First Street, Norfolk, and employs
thirty people.

Mr. Friedman is a member of the National As-
sociation of Sanitarians and the American Society
of Safety Engineers. In his own city he belongs
to the Amity Club, and his fraternity is Alpha Epsi-
lon Pi. He is of Jewish faith and a Democrat in
his politics. Among outdoor sports, Mr. Friedman
is partial to boating, and he lias a variety of hobbies
including writing, woodworking, and photography.
He is also fond of hunting and fishing.

On June 16, 1946, Louis L. Friedman married
Gloria F. Freedman, daughter of Meyer and Jeanne
(Friedman) Freedman. Her father, a native of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, was a lieutenant in the police
force in that city and later operated a package
liquor stoic in Atlantic City. He died in April 1954.
Mrs. Freeman survives him and makes her home
in Ventnor City, New Jersey. She was born in At-
lantic City. Mr. and Mrs. Friedman make their
home at 102 D Suburban Parkway, and they are
the parents of three children: 1. Bonnie Dale, who
was born on March 3, 1950. 2. Stuart D., born
December 14, 1951. 3. Meryl Sue, born March 4.
1953-

FRED REID ERVIN— As president of Ervin
and Snow, Inc., with headquarters at 41 11 Killam
Avenue, Norfolk, Reid Ervin is a young man who
brings thorough training and experience to the
management of this firm of mechanical contractors
and engineers.

He was born at Landis, North Carolina, on
February 17, 1921, son of William M. and Mary
Elizabeth (Collins) Ervin. William M. Ervin, who
was born at Troutman, North Carolina, became a
barber at Duke University in that state. He is
still there, is now the oldest man on the campus, and
has seen the famous University grow from Trinity
College to its present size and prestige. Elizabeth
(Collins) Ervin was born at Mooresville, North
Carolina.

Reared in the university town of Durham, Reid
Ervin attended the public schools there and
graduated from its high school in 1938. He then
entered Duke University, completed his courses,
and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of

Science in Mechanical Engineering. He is a regis-
tered professional engineer in the states of North
Carolian and Virginia. He went on from Duke to
advanced courses at California Institute of Tech-
nology, and in July 1941, entered the service of
the United States Navy. He was in uniform until
February 1946. Entering with a commission as
ensign, he advanced to the rank of lieutenant, and
remained in the Naval Reserve Corps until 1954-

On completing bis active service in 1946, he en-
tered the contracting field. For one semester, he
was also instructor in mechanical subjects at Duke
University. After one and a half years' experience
in contracting in North Carolina, he came to Nor-
folk, and there, in association with W. \Y. Snow,
organized the mechanical contracting and engineer-
ing firm of Ervin and Snow, Inc. He has been
president of the firm since 1952. It specializes in
plumbing, heating and air conditioning contracts,
both government and civilian, and serves customers
within a one-hundred-mile radius of Norfolk.
Through the skill of its management, it has been
built into a sizable organization, currently employ-
ing fort}' people. It occupies an attractive modern
office building which was erected for the firm's use
in 1952, at 41 1 1 Killam Avenue.

Mr. Ervin is a member of the National Society
of Professional Engineers, the American Society
of Air Conditioning Engineers, and the Society of
American Military Engineers. Active in the work
of the Boy Scouts of America, he serves as Troop
Committeeman of his local council. A Kiwanian,
he is currently serving as vice president of the club
at Virginia Beach, and his other memberships in-
clude Princess Anne Country Club and the La-
fayette Yacht Club. Mr. Ervin attends the Episcopal
Church and teaches a Sunday school class there.
He is an independent in his politics. His hobby
interests include motor boating, and he maintains
a small boat. He is also fond of golf. The Ervin
home is located at 107 77th Street. Virginia Beach.

On March 1 J, 1943, Fred Reid Ervin married
Frances Hart Broughton, daughter of Alex B.
and Frances Clayton (Hart) Broughton. Her mother
was born in Chuckatuck, Virginia, and now resides
in Norfolk. She survives Alex B. Broughton, who
died on July 4, 1955. A native of Norfolk, he was
an accountant all his life. Mrs. Ervin's maternal
grandfather, Charles Hart, served for twenty years
as clerk of court of Isle of Wight County. Mrs.
Ervin is active in the Cape Henry Women's Club,
and the Newcomers' Club of Virginia Beach, and
she is eligible for membership in the Daughters of
the American Revolution. The couple are the par-
ents of three children: 1. Reid Hart, born March
8, 1944. 2. Stephen Collins, born February 7, 1948.
3. Diane Broughton, born February 6, 1952.

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

271

GEORGE ETHELBERT SHIELD— Presi-
dent of The Shackelford Auto Company, Inc.,
George Ethelbert Shield heads the oldest con-
tinuously operating dealership in eastern Virginia.
The firm, which has its showrooms and service
facilities at 327-339 Twenty-fifth Street, Newport
News, was founded in 1908 by the late W. R.
Shackelford. When Mr. Shield joined the organiza-
tion in 1920 and for some time afterwards, it was
a Ford sales agency, but in 1935 it accepted a
franchise from Chrysler Corporation to sell Ply-
mouth cars and Dodge cars and trucks. While
he has been playing his important part in the
management of The Shackelford Auto Company,
Mr. Shield has also become prominent in civic
affairs, organizations, and welfare causes.

Born at Newport News on March 31, 1905, lie
is a son of Ethelbert Cary and Zaidee Alleen
(Mountcastle) Shield. His father was in the in-
surance business and, prior to his death, was
manager of the local office of The Prudential Life
Insurance Company. He was a member of the
Newport News City Council from 1912 to 1924.
George E. Shield attended local public schools,
graduated from Newport News High School, then
entered the College of William and Mary, where
he was a member of the Class of I92(>.

He had first joined The Shackelford Auto Com-
pany in 1920, working on a part-time basis as a
clerk in the stock department. He continued there,
on a part-time basis, until his graduation from
Newport News High School in 1922, and he work-
ed the same department during the summer months
while attending the College of William and Mary.
In 1924, deciding that the firm offered him a
career opportunity, he left college to gain practi-
cal experience in automobile sales. In that year he
began his permanent connection with The Shackel-
ford Auto Company as retail automobile salesman.
In 1929 he was promoted to the position of sales
manager and in 1937 became general manager.
Mr. Shackelford died on November 20, 1940. At
that time the firm was incorporated, and Mr.
Shield purchased the majority of the stock and
became president of the firm.

The facilities of the company, which has been
a Dodge and Plymouth agency for the past twenty
years, have grown and expanded with the prog-
ress of the community. When it began its existence
in 1908, it occupied a small one-story building
only twenty-five feet in width. Today it owns a
two-story brick building measuring one hundred
seventy-five by one hundred feet, and containing
thirty-seven thousand, five hundred square feet
of floor space. A used-car department has five
thousand square feet of floor space, and a service
station is operated adjacent to this department.

Mr. Shield has served as area chairman of the

National Automobile Dealers Association, and he
has served at various times on the boards of
directors of the Peninsula Automobile Trade As-
sociation, the Newport News - Hampton Auto-
mobile Dealers Association, and the Virginia Auto-
motive Trade Association, in each of which he
retains membership. He is also a member of the
National Automobile Dealers Association's Thirty
Year Club and of the Automobile Old Timers.

Respected in his city for the role he has played
in civic and welfare connections, Mr. Shield has
served on the boards of the Retail Merchants
Association, the Peninsula Industrial Committee,
the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Chest,
and the local chapter of the American Red Cross.
He is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Newport
News, the Pioneers Club of that city, the James
River Country Club, and Bremond Lodge No.
241, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is
also a member of Dalcho Consistory No. 1 of
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and of
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He attends the First Method-
ist Church of Warwick and is a member of its
official board of stewards.

At the Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg
on September 21, 1935, George Ethelbert Shield
married Nancy Watson Johnston, daughter of
George Gordon and Kate Michie (Collins) John-
ston. Mr. and Mrs. Shield have two children: 1.
George Ethelbert, Jr., born November 29, 1937.
2. David Gordon, born June 8, 1940.

JESSE BLOODWORTH— Over the past de-
cade, Tidewater Realty Company has been playing
an increasingly prominent part in the development
and transfer of residential and commercial pro-
perties in the Norfolk area. The owner of this
firm, which has its headquarters at 4133 Granby
Street, is Jesse Bloodworth. He is also vice presi-
dent of Colonial Group. Inc., a mortgage loan
firm, which he serves as manager of its Norfolk
office.

A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Mr.
Bloodworth was born on July 9, 1916, son of
William E. and Emma (McLendon) Bloodworth.
Both parents were likewise born in the Wilming-
ton area. William E. Bloodworth has spent most
of his life as a grocer and retired in 1946. He
was engaged in defense production with Norfolk
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation during
the World War I period, and thereafter until his
retirement was in the grocery business in Norfolk.
In that city, Jesse Bloodworth spent his boyhood
years and received his public school education.
He graduated from Maury High School in 1933,
and began his career in Washington, D. C, as

TWVa. 30

:-:

LOWER TIDEYVATI R VIRGINIA

an employee of the Virginia Life and Casualty
Insurance Company. After two and a half years,
he was promoted to assistant manager of the
Washington office of that firm, and served for
three years in that capacity.

W this country entered the World War II
period, lie sought work more directly connected
with the nation's defense, and entered the emploj
of an aircraft plant in Atlanta, Georgia, where he
was assistant chief dispatcher in charge of wing
production control. He was assistant chief dis-
patcher for two years, then left to join the United
States Navy, in which he received special train-
ing and worked in civilian readjustment. He re-
ceived his discharge from the Navy on March
15, 1946. At that time he was stationed in Norfolk.

When he resumed civilian life in 1946, he
opened his own business, Tidewater Realty Com-
pany, which he has headed since. It has become
a sizable organization, employing twenty-two
people. Besides owning and managing this firm,
and serving as vice president of Colonial Group.
Inc., in charge of its Norfolk office. Mr. Blood-
worth is also the owner of Ace Employment
Agency in Norfolk.

At the present time he is serving as president
of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Real Estate Board,
Inc. He was vice president of the Virginia Real
Estate Association in 1955. and serves as the
state's representative in the National Institute of
Real Estate Brokers.

In his own city he was a member of the
board of directors of the Junior Chamber of Com-
merce and is now an active member of Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce. He lias an interest in
the Kempsville Meadows Golf and Country Club,
which he and two life-long friends John T. Kelly
and Albert L. Bouney founded in 1954. He is a
member of the Exchange Club and Atlantic Lodge
No. 2, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He
is a member of the higher bodies of the York
Rite, and of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He attends
the Methodist Church. Mr. Bloodworth is interest-
ed in the home-centered hobbies of motion-picture
projection and model railroading, and his favorite
sports are golf and fishing. He is vitally interested
in all civic affairs, includng the program of the
Young Men's Christian Association.

On June 21, 1945, Jesse Bloodworth married
Hazel B. Clayton of Atlanta, Georgia, daughter
of James Patterson and Lou Ella (Scott) Clayton.
Both of her parents were born in Alabama, in
Cleburne County. Her father was a farmer in that
state throughout his life. He died in June 1956,
at the age of eighty, having survived his wife by
three years. Mrs. Bloodworth is vice president
of the Hampton Gardens Garden Club. She takes

a vital interest in vocal music, and sings in her
church choir. She is eligible for membership in
the Daughters of the American Revolution. The
couple make their home at 140 Westmont Avenue,
Norfolk. They are the parents of three children:
1. Sharon, born October 12, 1946. 2. Jeffrey, born
on .March 3. 1950. 3. Deborah Anne, born Sep-
tember 9, 1957.

THOMAS EUGENE BARRETT— Although
Thomas Eugene Barrett was a comparatively
young man at the time of his retirement in 1943,
be had already built up a successful business in
Norfolk, and had attained a responsible position in
the city's civic life as well as in commercial circles.
He made a distinctive contribution to the welfare
and prosperity of the community.

He was born May 31, 1885, in Southampton
County, Virginia, son of Pitt Thomas and Arye
Anna (Williamson) Barrett. His ancestry in both
lines goes back to colonial days in Virginia and
North Carolina. His mother was a daughter of
Benjamin Franklin and Maria Louisa (Hunger-
ford) Williamson, and the latter was a daughter
of Captain W. and Helen (Wray) Hungerford. of
Westmoreland County. Benjamin Franklin Wil-
liamson was born at Mannings Neck, Hereford
County, North Carolina, on June 16, 1814. His
wife, the former Maria Louisa Hungerford, was
born in Westmoreland County in the residence
of Colonel John Hungerford on October 19, 1823.
The Barrett family had settled in Southampton
County at an early date. Pitt Thomas and Arye
Anna (Williamson) Barrett moved from South-
ampton County to Norfolk in 1887, and lived in
that city the remainder of their lives. He died
in 1917, and she in 1912.

Two years old when his parents came to Nor-
folk, Thomas E. Barrett attended its public schools,
and as a young man, entered the dry cleaning
business. His entire career was centered in that
industry, and he managed his own firm, known
as Tom Barrett the Cleaner, by which he was
widely recognized in the city. He remained active
in the direction of this firm until 1943, when
a heart ailment forced his retirement. Selling his
interests, he moved to Princess Anne County,
near Kempsville, where he lived in retirement un-
til his death on January 7, 1950.

In Norfolk, Mr. Barrett was a leader in reli-
gious and civic groups. He was a member of the
Colonial Avenue Methodist Church, and had for-
merly served on its board of stewards. For many
years he belonged to Corinthian Lodge No. 266,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and to Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He was also a member of

<; fazc~/JL~.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

:73

the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the Ki-
wanis Club.

On May 4, iy-'y, in the Knox Presbyterian
Church in Norfolk, Thomas Eugene Barrett was
married to the former Miss Susie Barrett, the Re-
verend W. H. T. Squires officiating. She is the
daughter of the late Lucilius and Nannie (.Story)
Barrett of Southampton County, and granddaugh-
ter of John and Sarah (Darden) Barrett, and of
Parker and Saphronia (Barnes) Story, all of that
county, and descendants of early settlers in Vir-
ginia. Mrs. Barrett was educated at Longwood
College, Farmerville, Virginia, and the College of
William and Alary at Williamsburg. Prior to her
marriage she taught in the Jamestown Junior
High School at Jamestown, Virginia, and the Var-
ina High School in Henrico County. In the years
since the death of her husband, she has resumed
her teaching, and is now a member of the faculty
of Kempsville Elementary School in Princess
Anne County. Active in civic and cultural affairs,
she is a member of the Colonial Avenue Metho-
dist Church, the Kempsville Women's Club, and
the National Education Association. Mr. and Mrs.
Barrett became the parents of one son, Thomas
Eugene, Jr., born September 6, 1930, in Norfolk.

CARLYLE PEERMAN HOLLAND, JR.—
Over the past decade, Carlyle Peerman Holland,
Jr., has become an influential figure in the busi-
ness affairs of Suffolk. He is owner and president
of the Southern Oil Company, and has become
active in public life as well, serving as city coun-
cilman at the present time.

He is a native of Suffolk, and was born on
October 20, 1914, son of Carlyle P. and Blanche
T. Holland. His father, born in 1887 in Windsor,
Virginia, engaged in the real estate business at
Suffolk, and is now retired. His wife, Mrs. Blanche
T. Holland, is deceased. She was born in 1884 in
Isle of Wight County. The public schools of Suf-
folk provided the early education of Carlyle P.
Holland, and he graduated from high school there
in 1932. He then entered the University of Rich-
mond, where he was a student for two years, and
he also spent one year at the University of Virginia.

Beginning his career at Norfolk, Mr. Holland
was with the credit and sales department of the
Virginia Carolina Chemical Corporation for nine
years. In 1946 he purchased his present business,
Southern Oil Company, of which he is sole owner
and president. Its office and bulk plant are located
at 619 Factory Street. The firm, a distibrutorship
for Shell Oil Products, employs ten people. It
serves retailers in three counties — Southampton,
Nansemond and Isle of Wight.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Holland was
elected to the Suffolk City Council, taking office

for a four-year term in September 1955. For the
1955-1956 campaign, he was president of the Suffolk
Community Chest. As an oil products distributing
executive, he is active in the Virginia Petroleum
Jobbers Association, and served as its president
during 1953-1954- He is a member of the Lions
Club, and his fraternity is Phi Kappa Sigma. Mr.
Holland attends West End Baptist Church, and
is currently chairman of its board of deacons.

In Franklin, Virginia, on September 14, 1940,
Carlyle Peerman Holland, Jr., married Helen
Bogart of Franklin, daughter of William Oswald
and Lydia (Owens) Bogart. The couple are the
parents of four sons: I. Carlyle Peerman, 3rd,
born August 18, 1942. 2. William B., born Feb-
ruary 2, 1946. 3. David L., born August 18, 1950.
4. Wayne D., born November 13, 1952.

ALVAH H. MARTIN, JR.— The career of
Alvah H. Martin, Jr., as lawyer, banker and civic
leader, was concurrent with the period of Norfolk's
most dramatic growth and development; and he
contributed in no small measure to this community
progress. Wrote an editorial writer in The Vir-
ginian-Pilot:

Mr. Martin's life was at the heart and core of an older
Norfolk and its families, around which the new Norfolk grew
with the influx of many thousands of citizens ... In the
facets of the city's life closest to his interests, he took a
prominent part.

Born in Norfolk County on August 28, 1890, he
was one of six children born to Alvah Howard,
Si'., and Mary E. (Tilley) Martin. His father was
a banker, and founded the Merchants and Planters
Bank in 1900. He was also a leader in Republican
circles, and was clerk of court of Norfolk County
from 1881 until his death in 1918. The younger
Alvah H. Martin attended Norfolk Academy and
Randolph-Macon College. For his professional
training, he went on to the University of Virginia,
where he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws
in 19 1 2.

Admitted to the bar, he began practice that same
year with an older brother, James Green Martin.
This partnership continued until the brother's death
in 1946. The following year, Alvah H. Martin, Jr.,
formed the firm of Martin & Richardson, later
Martin, Richardson & Guerry, of which he was
senior member. From 1925 to 1932, when the Re-
publicans were in power in the federal government,
he was assistant United States attorney in Norfolk.

For some years, Mr. Martin was vice president
and director of the Merchants and Planters Bank,
which had been founded by his father. His brothers
too were active in its management; and when his
elder brother died, A. H. Martin, Jr., became trust
officer. A younger brother, Howard G. Martin, was

^74

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

vice president at the time of his death in Febru-
ary I9.=i4-

The only time the lawyer was absent, for any

appreciable length of time, from his home city was
at the time of World War 1. He entered the army,
taking a lieutenant's commission, and served over-
seas.

Air. Martin was general counsel for the South
Norfolk Bridge Commission, and also served on its
hoard of directors. He was a member and past
president of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
.1 member of the Norfolk German Club, and the
Princess Anne County Country Club. A com-
municant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, lie served
as secretary-treasurer of its endowment fund, was
several times senior warden, and served on the
church vestry. In an appraisal of his career and
influence in the columns of the Ledger-Dispatch, it
was written of him:

It was not alone in his professional life, and in his con-
nection with business and industry, that Mr. Martin's judg-
ment and experience made themselves felt in the community's
life. He was always an active churchman, and an earnest
participant in the city's civic and charity affairs. But in all
these enterprises he gave his interested attention and service,
and made a generous contribution of his means, while follow-
ing his characteristic avoidance of the limelight.

On November 27, 1926, Alvah H. Martin, Jr.,
married Frances Perkins of Memphis, Tennessee,
daughter of Albert Dashield and Willie (Wilker-
son) Perkins, The couple became the parents of
one daughter, Frances Martin, who was born on
August 24, 1929. She married Robert Marvin King
of Norfolk, and had two children: Robert King and
William King. Her husband, Aviator Robert King,
was killed in a plane accident in 1954. After two
years she married Harvey Lee Lindsay, Jr., in 1956
and has twin girls. Katherine Darden Lindsay and
Frances Martin Lindsay.

Mr. Martin's death occurred at Norfolk General
Hospital on July 3, 1957. He left the impress of his
character and achievements permanently on his
community. The Virginian-Pilot editorial already
quoted gives us these words of description of his
character:

Though he was reserved and gentle and never self-assertive,
Mr. Martin's influence was important. It was based on respect
for his character and intelligence. He will be remembered
not alone for his contribution to the life of a Norfolk he
loved, but for his soft-spoken wisdom and for the kindliness
that was an essential part of his nature.

Another of his fellow-townsmen wrote of him:

In his personal life Mr. Martin displayed a large capacity
for friendship and for holding the esteem and respect of
those with whom he was associated. He was one of the
kindliest of men, always a pleasant companion, always gen-
erous in his opinions, and always an eager and helpful friend.
Mr. Martin made his contribution to the life of his times with
intelligence, integrity, and the exemplification of the good

citizen. Any community suffers a loss in the death of such
a man.

S. RAYMOND WHITE— The career of S.
Raymond White has had its effect on the commer-
cial life of Warwick through the formation of sev-
eral firms in the construction and related fields. Of
one of these, the Endebrock-White Company, he
remains the owner and president. He also founded
Atlantic Building Commodities, Inc., and Warwick
Plumbing and Heating, Inc. He has held municipal
office, and has been active in a number of local
organizations.

Born at Seaford, Virginia, on January 13, 1913,
he is a son of Robert Elmer and Bessie (Dawson)
White. His father, also a native of Seaford, was a
retail merchant in a rural community of his home
area. He died December 17, 1952, at the age of
seventy-eight years. Bessie (Dawson) White sur-
vived him until January 1954. She too was born
in Seaford. In the public schools of Yorktown,
Virginia, S. Raymond White received his early
education, and he graduated from Morrison High
School at Warwick in 1931.

He began his career as an apprentice brick
mason, learned his trade well, and became con-
struction superintendent with the Cunningham
Construction Company of Newport News, a po-
sition lie held from 1936 to 1940. Until 1943. he
worked with various other construction firms, and
he left to serve in the United States Navy, seeing
two years of wartime service as apprentice seaman
and yeoman. He received his honorable discharge
in December 1945.

In 1947 he joined W. A. Endebrock, an architect,
in forming the general contracting firm still known
as the Endebrock-White Company. Mr. Endebrock
died in 1948, and since that time, Mr. White has
been sole owner of the business, which specializes
in industrial and commercial building. At times
there are as many as one hundred and fifty people
on the payroll. Headquarters of the company are
at 9300 Warwick Road, Warwick.

In 1953 he founded the Atlantic Building Com-
modities, Inc., a building supplies distributorship
of which he remains the vice president. Its office
is at 9692 Warwick Road.

In 1951 Mr. White founded Warwick Plumbing
and Heating, Inc., which is located at 9298 War-
wick Road. This he sold the following year, and
it has grown into one of the largest firms of its
type in the area.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. White at one
time served on Warwick's Planning Commission.
He is a member of his city's Rotary Club, the
Peninsula Executives Club, Hampton Yacht Club,
James River Country Club, and the lodge of
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at New-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

■15

port News. Attending the Methodist Chinch, he
was formerly president of the Men's Club of t lie
congregation. The construction executive is fond
of the out-of-doors, particularly golf and boating.
In Newport News, on March 31, 1934, S. Ray-
mond White married Mabel Fowler of that city,
daughter of Daniel A. and Nora (Gilrieth) Fowler.
The couple arc the parents of one daughter: Iva
Fowler White, who was born on October 29, 195 1.

LEON LANDAUER— Co-founder of the Colo-
nial ( >il Company, Inc., of Norfolk, Leon Landauer
has since 1955 served as president of this firm,
which is distributor for Pure Oil Company's prod-
ucts throughout eastern Virginia and North Caro-
lina. The firm also acts as wholesale distributor for
General Electric oil burners.

A native of New York State, Leon Landauer
was born on January 17, 1904, second of three
children born to his parents, Samuel and Julia
(Picard) Landauer, who made their home at Medi-
na, in the upper part of the Empire State. His
father was a native of that state and was for many
years a prominent department store owner there.
He spent his years of retirement in New York
City, where he died in IQ3 1. His wife, the former
Julia Picard, was horn in Georgia. She survives
her husband and, in her eighty-second year, con-
tinues to make her home in New York City.

Leon Landauer passed his boyhood at Medina,
received his early education in its public schools,
and continued his studies at Mercersburg Academy
in Pennsylvania. He then entered Syracuse Uni-
ersity, where he graduated in 1926 with the degree
of Bachelor of Science in business administration.

Immediately following his graduation, he began
his career in the petroleum industry, joining the
Tidewater Oil Company and working at its plants
at Newburgh and Albany, New York. In 1927 he
came to Norfolk. On December 13 of that year,
in association with W. H. Ray and S. P. McConnell,
he founded the Colonial Oil Company. Mr. Ray,
the first president, continued until his death in 1936,
when he was succeeded in the presidency by Mr.
McConnell. He too died in June 1955. At that time,
Leon Landauer, who for over a quarter of a century
had served as vice president of the company, began
his duties in the chief executive office, and he was
officially elected president in August 1955. At the
same meeting, E. R. Harden, Jr., was re-elected
vice president; W. T. Cordle, secretary-treasurer;
and J. W. Harrison, assistant secretary-treasurer.

From a modest beginning the Colonial Oil Com-
pany, Inc., has grown rapidly and steadily through
the years since its founding. The company's seven-
million-gallon terminal is located on the southern
branch of the Elizabeth River in Portlock, and

various bulk plants are located at various points
throughout the territory the company serves. The
first service station erected by the company was on
the corner of Boush and Olney Road. Colonial Oil
Company also markets tires, batteries, accessories,
and oil burners. The main office is located in the
company's own building at Boush and Olney Road,
a structure which was erected in 1935. Today the
firm has one hundred and twelve employees on
its payroll, fifteen of whom have been with the
company for twenty-five years or more.

Recognized as one of Virginia's foremost exec-
utives in the distribution of petroleum products,
Mr. Landauer is known as a hard-working, far-
sighted executive and a firm believer in teamwork
as one of the kevs to success in the development
and management of an organization. He holds the
confidence, esteem, and friendship of his employees.

Despite the claims of business upon his time,
he has always maintained close contact with civic
affairs and has worked for the betterment of his
community. He is a member of the Virginia State
Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, is a member and past
president of the Hague Club, and is a member of
the Downtown Club, Lafayette Yacht Club, Cava-
lier Yacht and Country Club, the Saints and Sin-
ners Club, and Izaak Walton League. As an in-
dustrialist, he is active in the Virginia Oil Men's
Association. He and his family attend Ohef Sholoin
Temple in Norfolk, being of Jewish faith.

On November 20, 1948, Leon Landauer married
Catherine W. White of Norfolk. By a former
marriage, he is the father of twin daughters, Joan
and Jean.

HARWELL E. HALSTEAD— Among Virginia
Beach's city officials of recent years, one of the
most capable and devoted was Harwell E. Hal-
stead. Better known among his fellow citizens as
Hal Halstead, and one of the most popular and
respected of their leaders, he had been vice mayor
and councilman, and was city sergeant at the time
of his death. He also had a successful business
career to his credit.

Born on October 22, 1899, he was a native of
Princess Anne County and a son of Augustus Oscar
and Mary Elizabeth (Capps) Halstead. His parents
were both natives of Princess Anne County, and
both are deceased. Receiving his education in local
public schools, Harwell E. Halstead entered Maury
High School when his family moved to Norfolk
to live, and he graduated there. He completed his
formal studies at Norfolk Business College.

Early in his business career Mr. Halstead was
employed by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. He

276

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

left to join the Consolidated Coal Company, with
office- in Norfolk. This was his full-time interest
until he was elected town councilman at Virginia
Beach in 1944. He had moved to that community
in 1935. He continued a part-time connection with
Consolidated Coal Company until 1948, then went
into business for himself, opening the Halstead
Variety Store at 17 10 Atlantic Avenue.

He served on the Virginia Beach council from
1944 to 1952, when the community was a town,
and for seven of these years, he was vice mayor.
In 1952, County Circuit Judge Floyd E. Kellam
named Mr. Halstead city sergeant. He was the first
man to hold that office, as the appointment coincid-
ed with Virginia Beach's becoming a second-class
city. He had been re-elected to a four-year term
on the council in June 1948.

Commenting on his record as a municipal ser-
vant, in the editorial columns of a local paper, a
local journalist wrote of him:

"Hal" Halstead was a man that everyone learned to call
on when a job was to be done. It has been said that he
never refused to help or to take hold of a responsibility . . .
The biggest problem to face this community in its history,
the beach erosion problem, became "Hal" Halstead's problem
and it was through his energetic work and enthusiasm, more
than any other individual, that the Virginia Beach Erosion
Commission became a reality. From that moment "Hal"
Halstead gave much of his time and thought to the work of
restoring the beach, and in developing a program, along with
other commission members, that would maintain the beach
there.

But the work this man did in the beach restoration program
is only typical of the man. He devoted time to almost every
civic project. He served diligently in the entire Golden
Jubilee program here last year. He was interested in any-
thing that was good for Virginia Beach.

Evidence of this last statement is to be found
in his record on the council, where he headed var-
ious committees, including health and sanitation. It
is also to be found in his wartime work as chair-
man of the fuel oil branch of the Princess Anne
County War Price and Rationing Board. A member
of the Virginia Beach Chamber of Commerce, he
served on its advertising committee, and he was
president of the Virginia Beach Police and Fire
Departments' pension system. He was an honorary
member of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, a
member of Lodge No. 7, Fraternal Order of Police
Associates, and a Rotarian. A communicant of the
Virginia Beach Methodist Church, he was a devoted
worker in the congregation and had served on its
board of stewards.

On December 24, 1919, in Norfolk, Harwell E.
Halstead married Thelma Idabell Smith of Sigma
in Princess Anne County. She is a daughter of
Alexander Stewart and Loduskey Ann (Robinson)
Smith, both of whom were native Virginians. Mr.
and Mrs. Halstead became the parents of three

children: 1. Harwell E., Jr., who was born on
January 16, 1921. He attended the public schools
of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and is now serv-
ing in the United States Navy, where he holds
the rank of petty officer. He married Dorothy
Brothers of Oceana, Virginia, and they have four
children: i. Richard Brooks, ii. Annis DeLene. iii.
Deborah Lee. iv. Dennis Brothers. 2. Robert Kight,
born January 13, 1922. He attended the public
schools of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and the
F. B. I. Academy, and he is now a lieutenant on
the Virginia Beach police force. Robert K. Hal-
stead married Marcella Sawyer of Spot, North
Carolina. They have two children: i. Troy Weldon.
ii. Marcia Gayle. 3. Shirley May, born on May
15, 1928. She is now Airs. Randolph E. Malbon of
Virginia Beach, and is the mother of two children:
i. Randall Chermaiue. ii. Harwell Frank.

Mr. Halstead's death occurred suddenly and un-
expectedly on September 14, 1957. The entire com-
munity was shocked in the loss of a man who had
contributed so much to the business life of the
city as well as serving so effectively in municipal
posts. "Virginia Beach has many boosters," com-
mented a local editorial writer, "but 'Hal' Halstead
was at the top of the list when it came to working
for and improving his community. 'Hal' was always
ready to lend his effort and energy to any project
that spelled progress for his beloved Virginia
Beach. He was a man of almost unlimited energy
and enthusiasm for any task asked of him."

LYNN WASHINGTON HOLMES— Entering
business as a shoe retailer in the Lower Tidewater
area about a decade ago, Lynn Washington Holmes
has built up a thriving business which has con-
stantly been expanding. He is a partner in the
firm of Russell and Holmes, which has two stores
in Norfolk, one store in Suffolk, one at Virginia
Beach, one in Franklin, Virginia, and one at
Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

He is a native of Marshville, North Carolina,
and was born on February 16, 191 1, son of George
Washington Holmes and Arrilla (Strawn) Holmes.
His father was a farmer. Mr. Holmes received
his entire education in the public schools of his
native community, and entered the retail shoe
business in 1930 at Charlotte, North Carolina. He
first made his acquaintance with the Lower Tide-
water area when he came here in 1933 to manage
a shoe store in Norfolk. In 1938 he returned to
North Carolina, and managed a store in Chatta-
nooga, Tennessee, in 1940; and during the next
two years, supervised retail shoe stores in Georgia,
Tennessee and Florida. He was in charge of other
stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and
Virginia from 1942 to 1946, with the exception

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

*77

of two years' leave for military service. During
that time he served in the 317th Infantry Regiment.

On returning from the war, he located in Suffolk
in 1946, and entered the retail shoe business in
partnership with T. J. Russell. They organized the
firm of Russell and Holmes, which featured nation-
ally advertised lines of shoes for men, women and
children. They have continued the store at Suffolk,
and have added the others at Norfolk, Virginia
Beach, Franklin, and Elizabeth City at regular
intervals, building up one of the largest and most
successful merchandising chains of its kind in the
region.

Mr. Holmes is a member of the Rotary Club,
the Portsmouth Executives Club, the lodge of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
Suffolk Post No. 57 of the American Legion. He
and his family attend the West End Baptist
Church in Suffolk.

At Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on June 23,
1936, Lynn Washington Holmes married Mildred
Small, daughter of Davis Hiram and Dora Isabelle
(Estridge) Small. The couple are the parents of
two children: 1. Lynnette Gayle, born April 29,
1939. 2. David George, born April 24, 1947.

CECIL W. GWALTNEY operates a Ford
dealership at Smithfield, and he also has realty and
banking interests there — a variety of business ac-
tivities which is indicative of exceptional ability, a
versatile mind, and application of attention to
matters of the first importance. He has served his
community as councilman, and has taken a part
in church and club programs.

A native of Isle of Wight County, he was born
on December 28, 1910, son of Frank L. and Maggie
S. (Allmond) Gwaltney. His father, who was born
in Isle of Wight County, died in 1944. He was a
farmer. Maggie S. Allmond, whom he married,
was a native of the same county, and died in 1945.

Reared in Smithfield, Cecil H. Gwaltney at-
tended public schools there and attended the city-
high school. From the beginning of his career, he
has been interested in automobiles, and he first
worked as a mechanic for the Keller Jones Motor
Company. He later joined the Cofer Motor Com-
pany; and his record of service with these two
firms totalled ten years. In 1935, he became the
owner of service stations in Smithfield, distribut-
ing the products of The Texas Company.

Mr. Gwaltney returned to the automotive field
proper in 1941 when he established Gwaltney Motor
Company, Smithfield's Ford dealership. He has
remained head of the company to the present time.
Its showrooms and service facilities are located
at 217 Main Street, and there are eighteen people
on the payroll.

Active in the town's business life generally, he
is a member of the boards of directors of the
Smithfield Realty Corporation and Merchants and
Farmers Bank. He served on the Smithfield Town
Council from 1948 to 1954. Mr. Gwaltney is a
Democrat in his politics. He is a member of the
Ruritan Club and the German Club; and as a
loyal and active communicant of Trinity Meth-
odist Church, he serves on its board of stewards.
His favorite sport is baseball.

At Richmond, on June 22, 1939, Cecil W. Gwalt-
ney married Lucille Maynard of Surrey County.
She is the daughter of Crawley and Martha
(Thomas) Maynard. Mr. and Mrs. Gwaltney have
two children: 1. Cecil W., Jr., who was born on
January 9, 1943. 2. Frank Maynard, born April
28, 1947.

IRVING E. LAWSON— It was Irving E. Law-
son who delivered the first oil ever used for
heating purposes on the Virginia Peninsula. The
customer was the Hampton Golf Club. From
that early beginning, four decades ago, Mr. Law-
son has risen to head of a flourishing business
founded by his father and himself — E. T. Lawson
and Son, oil jobbers, with office and plant at
Armstrong Point, Hampton. Outside his indus-
try he is known for his activity in the Masonic
order.

Mr. Lawson was born in Messick, York Coun-
ty, on August 19, 1900. His father, Elisha T.
Lawson. was also a native of that community.
A commercial fisherman until he and his son
established the business at Armstrong Point, he
was active in that enterprise until his death on
February 7, 1947. Irving Lawson's mother, the
former Blanche Forrest, was born at Grafton,
also in York County. She now lives in Hampton.

Irving E. Lawson was educated in elementary
and high school at Messick. Until 1918, he, too,
was a commercial fisherman. On October 30,
1018, he and his father founded E. T. Lawson
and Son, and since then he has devoted himself
to the business, which now employs nine persons.
In addition to heating oil, the firm handles marine
supplies and petroleum products which it distri-
butes to service stations on the Peninsula. A
pioneer there in the heating oil business, Mr.
Lawson has never lost his leadership in it.

In the fraternal world, he has been a mem-
ber of Saint Tammany Lodge No. 5, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, for more than a
quarter-century. He is also a member of the
Newport News Consistory, Ancient and Accept-
ed Scottish Rite, and Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and
of the Kiwanis Club of Hampton. He worships
in the Central Methodist Church of Hampton.

278

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

In politics lie is a Democrat, and fishing is his
favorite sport.

On November 25, 1925, Mr. Lawson married
Nancy Page. Mrs. Lawson is also a native of
Messick, and the marriage took place there. Her
parents were Woodward W. and Estelle (Evans)
Page, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson
have two children: 1. Irving E., Jr., born on
July <>. 1927. He spent three years at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and is now with his fa-
ther in business. He married Iola Lawson of
Hampton, and the) have one daughter, Nancy
lola. 2. Ann Page, born on February 24, 1930.
Married to Richard V. Hansen of Wilmington.
North Carolina, she is the mother of two chil-
dren: Nancy Page and Richard Yollis.

FRANK DUDLEY LAWRENCE, JR.— Presi-
dent and manager of City Supply Company. Inc..
of Portsmouth. Frank Dudley Lawrence, Jr., has
dealt in building materials since the beginning of
his career, nearly thirty years ago. Born August
27, 1912, in Portsmouth, he is the oldest of seven
children of Frank Dudley Lawrence. His father,
a Portsmouth banker, is the subject of a separate
biographical sketch in this work.

The younger Frank D. Lawrence was educated
in the schools of Portsmouth and graduated from
Woodrow Wilson High School in 1929. He im-
mediately began his career with City Supply Com-
pany, Inc., and in the course of the intervening
years, he has played a prominent part in its steady
growth.

City Supply Company was incorporated in 1919,
when the old George R. Debman Company was
acquired by a group of businessmen headed by
Frank D. Lawrence. At that time the present
name was adopted. In 1933 the business came
under the present management. The officers of
the corporation at the present time are Frank D.
Lawrence, Jr.. president and manager; Charlotte
Crawford Lawrence, vice president; and Raymond
J. Lawrence, secretary and treasurer.

Stocking a complete line of building supplies.
City Supply Company, Inc., is distributor of build-
ers' hardware, masonry supplies, plaster, insula-
tion, wallboard, roofing materials, cement, and
paints, justifying its motto, "Everything for the
Builder.'" Its headquarters are at Elm Avenue and
High Street. Mr. Lawrence has been president of
the firm since 1933.

Active in the civic and community affairs of
Portsmouth, he is a member of the Chamber of
Commerce, the Kiwanis Club, and the Park View
Baptist Church.

On November 6, 1937, in Portsmouth. Frank
Dudley Lawrence, Jr., married Charlotte Craw-
ford, daughter of the late E. Otto and Bessie Lee

(Williams) Crawford of that city. Mr. and Mrs.
Lawrence are the parents of four children: 1.
Carolyn, who was born on July 5, 1939. She mar-
ried Harry Lynn Hopewell, Jr., of Portsmouth,
and they have one son, Harry Lynn, III. 2. Frank
Dudley, III, born April 5, 1941. 3. Margaret
Bourne, born December 14, 1946. 4. David Craw-
ford, born September 6, 1955. The family resi-
dence is at Hodges Ferry.

M. ERSKINE WATKINS— Admitted to the
Virginia bar thirty years ago, M. Erskine Watkins
has since practiced at Suffolk, where he heads his
own firm, and where he has served for some time
as citjr attorney. A native of Alcola, South Caro-
lina, he was born on October 27, 1900, son of
Milson Meredith and Esther (Gray) Watkins.
Both parents are still living. Milson M. Watkins.
who was born in Isle of Wight County, has been
identified with the Suffolk Peanut Company during
much of his career. The couple live in Suffolk.
Mrs. Watkins is a native of Nansemond County.

M. Erskine Watkins was reared in Suffolk and
attended public schools there, graduating from
high school in 1917. In 1923 he took his degree
of Bachelor of Science at the University of Vir-
ginia and went on to his professional courses at
the same institution, graduating with the degree
of Bachelor of Laws in 1925. He was admitted to
the state bar in that year and began practice in
Suffolk, where he has remained since. In 1945 he
became city attorney and still holds that position.
He is a member of the Suffolk Bar Association and
the Virginia State Bar Association.

Politically, Mr. Watkins aligns himself with
the Democrats. He is a member of Phi Delta
Phi legal fraternity. Suffolk Lodge No. 685 of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the
Suffolk Golf Association, the Country Club of
Virginia at Richmond, and Princess Anne Country
Club at Virginia Beach. Golf, hunting, and fishing
are his favorite sports.

M. Erskine Watkins has been twice married.
His first wife was Jane Wagner Hart of Suffolk,
who died on May 3. 1954. On September 17, 1955,
in Richmond, he married Emma Dillard Williams
of that city.

ERNEST RICHARD HARDEN, JR.— Until
his recent death, Ernest Richard Harden. Jr., was
his state's real estate representative for the Pure
Oil Company. In the course of his influential ca-
reer in the petroleum industry he had been an ex-
ecutive of various firms. From the early years of
his life he was a resident of the Lower Tidewater
area, but he was a native of Dayton. Ohio, where

TWY;,. 31

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

279

he was born on July 31, 1000. He was the son of
Ernest Richard, Sr., and Edna (Klugel) Harden.
His father had come to this country from England,
being a native of Petherton in Somerset. He be-
came an official of the National Cash Register
Company at Norfolk following the family's re-
moval to that city from Dayton.

They arrived when the younger Ernest Richard
Harden was two years old, and he attended the
public elementary schools of Norfolk and gradu-
ated from Maury High School. For further prep-
aration in the field of business following his gradu-
ation he took evening courses at the high school
and other schools for five or six years.

In 1927, with Mr. T. S. Southgate, he organized
the South Atlantic Oil Company, and served as its
president until 1929, when he became vice presi-
dent of the Colonial Oil Company. When this
latter firm was merged with the Pure Oil Company
in 1956, he joined the executive staff of the emergent
organization, and was placed in charge of its Vir-
ginia real estate holdings, which position he held
until the end of his life.

Mr. Harden was a Rotarian and a member of
the Pyramid Club of Norfolk. A communicant of
the First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach,
he had once served on its board of trustees.

At the First Presbyterian Church of Norfolk,
on November 18, 1922, Ernest Richard Harden,
Jr., married Hilda Reid Gardner of that city, daugh-
ter of Arthur Carroll and Emma Stewart (Reid)
Gardner. Her father was engaged in the wholesale
and retail seafood business in Norfolk. Mrs. Harden
is active in the Virginia Beach Music Club, of
which she is currently the president. She is a
member of the Linkhorn Park Garden Club, and
has also been active in Parent-Teacher activities.
She is past president of W. T. Cooke Parent-
Teacher Association, and has been secretary of
the Tidewater District Parent-Teacher Association.
One of her foremost community interests is the
program of the National Association for Infantile
Paralysis, and she capably served as president of
its Princess Anne Chapter for ten years. She is
a member of the National Society of Magna Carta
Dames and the Colonial Order of the Crown and
Daughters of the American Revolution. She takes
a constructive part in the women's work of the
First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach, where
the Harden home has been located for many years.

Mr. and Mrs. Harden became the parents of two
sons: 1. Ernest Richard, III, who was born in
Norfolk on September 13, 1923. He attended the
public schools of that city and Virginia Military
Institute, and completed his education at the Uni-
versity of North Carolina, where he took the de-
gree in journalism in 1947. Now serving in the

United States Air Force, he is stationed at the
Pentagon in Washington D. C. Ernest R. Harden,
III, married Nadine Mildred Harrison of Muskogee,
Oklahoma, and they have two children: i. Ernest
Richard, IV. ii. Linda Deane. 2. Arthur Gardner,
M.D. Born in Norfolk on March 28. 1927, he at-
tended the public schools of that city and of Vir-
ginia Beach, took his degree of Bachelor of Arts
at the University of Virginia, and went on to
medical studies there, taking his degree of Doctor
of Medicine in 1953. He interned in internal medicine
at a New York City hospital, and is now resident
in cardiology there. Dr. Harden married Elizabeth
Kearney Wilson of Charlottesville, Virginia. They
have two children: i. Rebecca Stratton. ii. Joseph
Reid.

Mr. Harden's distinguished career in the pet-
roleum industry ended with his death on March
9, 1957-

T. VINCENT CHOREY— As president of
Chorey-Jones Motors, Inc., T. Vincent Chorey
heads the agency for Dodge and Plymouth cars
and Dodge trucks at Suffolk. He has now had
nearly two decades' experience in automobile
sales. He is a veteran of World War II, having
served as a naval officer.

Born at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on
February 26, 1905, he is a son of William Martin
and Kathryn Meades Chorey. His father, born
in Perquimans County, North Carolina, on No-
vember 14, 1871, was a farmer, and also a carpenter
and building contractor, working in and around
Elizabeth City. He died June 13, 1956, Mrs. Chorey
died in 1917. She was born in Pasquotank County,
Ninth Carolina. Attending the public schools of
Elizabeth City, T. Vincent Chorey graduated
from high school there in 1923, and attended the
College of William and Mary for one year.

He began his business career with the Peoples
Life Insurance Company of Washington, D. C,
working in that firm's Norfolk and Portsmouth
offices in sales capacities, and advancing to a
district managership. He left the company, and
the insurance field, late in 1938, entering the retail
automobile business on November 1 of that year.
He founded Chorey Motors, Inc., in Suffolk, and
was its president until December 1, 1954, when
he took Mr. Jones as a partner in forming the
Chorey-Jones Motors, Inc. Mr. Chorey is presi-
dent of this agency, and Mr. Jones its vice presi-
dent and general manager. Since he began his
career in automobile sales, he has handled Chrysler
Corporation products, and his firm has the franchise
for the sale of Plymouth and Dodge passenger
cars, and Dodge trucks, each a big seller in its
field and carrying the excellent reputation for en-

:8o

I.OW'KR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

gineering and quality production long associated
with Chrysler products In n,47, Mr. Chorey com-
pleted construction of the present modern build-
ing which houses the sales, service and office
facilities. Located at 800-802 \\ est \\ ashington
Street, it lias fifteen thousand square feet < f floor
space under its roof. Forty-two employees are on
the Chorey-Jones payroll.

.Mr. Chorey had had experience in the United
States Naval Reserve at the time this country
entered World War II. Entering active service,
he was twenty-one months in uniform, and at
the time of his separation from the navy on Feb-
ruary 18, 1945, held a commission as lieutenant,
senior grade.

He is active in local organizational affairs, being
a member of the Lions Club and Ruth Lodge
No. 89, at Norfolk, of the Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons. He is a member of the chapter of
the Royal Arch Masons, the commandery of the
Knights Templar, the consistory of the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite, and belongs to Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He is a charter member of the
Suffolk Shrine Club. Mr. Chorey and his family
attend the Suffolk Presbyterian Church.

At Norfolk, on October 15, 1945, T. Vincent
Chorey married Frances Holtsman Lam of Lex-
ington, Virginia, daughter of James W. and Mamie
( Pultz) Lam. To their marriage two children have
been born: 1. Thomas Vincent, Jr., on July 2, 1946.
_'. William Lam, born on November 23, 1950.

LINWOOD L. BRIGGS, JR.— One of the
prominent younger business men of South Nor-
folk, Linwood L. Briggs, Jr., is the proprietor of
Southside Cleaners. In addition to his active role
in business life, he was elected mayor of South
Norfolk in September 1957. He takes a deep in-
terest in sound municipal government, and pre-
vious to his being elected mayor he served as a
member of the South Norfolk city council, to
which he was elected in 1953, generously contri-
buting his time and talent to every program aimed
at a better community.

A native of South Norfolk, he was born on June
6, 1920, oldest of three children born to Linwood
L. and Maysville (Jones) Briggs. His father was
born at Winfall, North Carolina, while his mother
was a native of Norfolk County. Attending the
public schools of South Norfolk and graduating
from the South Norfolk High School in 1937, the
younger Linwood L. Briggs served an apprentice-
ship as an electrician in the Norfolk Navy Yard.
He left to enter the LTnited States Navy in 1943,
and served until 1945 aboard the battleship U. S.
S. "South Dakota," flagship of Admiral William

F. Halsey. A petty officer, second class, he served
in the Pacific. Following the close of the war he
was employed in the Navy Yard at Norfolk as a
first class electrician, and followed the trade until
1946.

In that year, Mr. Briggs founded his present
enterprise. Southside Cleaners, which has its head-
quarters at 1205 Poindexter Street. Its manage-
ment has constituted his major business interest
since that time.

In June 1953, Mr. Briggs was elected a mem-
ber of the South Norfolk city council for a four-
year term beginning in November of that year.
He so proved himself a conscientious, reliable and
civic-spirited public servant, true to his convictions
and principles in the matter of good government,
that in September of 1957 he was elected to the
mayoralty of South Norfolk. He is a member of
Lodge No. 464, Loyal Order of Moose, at South
Norfolk. For recreation he enjoys fishing and
bowling. He and his family attend the Congrega-
tional Christian Church.

On January 10, 1942, Linwood L. Briggs, Jr.,
married Eleanor Rae Newberry, daughter of Len-
11011 H. and Pearl (Hanbury) Newberry of South
Norfolk. Her father is a retired employee of the
Texas Oil Company, and for a number of years
he served as fire chief of the South Norfolk Volun-
teer Fire Department. Mr. and Mrs. Linwood L.
Briggs, Jr., are the parents of two children: 1.
Linda Rae, who was born on April 14, 1943. 2.
Robert Leroy, born November 5, 1944.

HERMAN LEONARD RAPOPORT— As

president and manager of The Quality Shop, known
as the leading men's store of Portsmouth and
Tidewater Virginia, Herman Leonard Rapoport
heads an organization which has been in existence
for forty years. He is the son of its founder, Mor-
ris H. Rapoport, who continues in an advisory
capacity and as secretary-treasurer of the firm.
Since it first opened its doors in 191 7, The Quality
Shop has followed sound policies. It has always
been the management's aim to make it the smart-
est men's store in Tidewater Virginia, while still
maintaining the friendly and comfortable atmos-
phere so important to successful merchandising.
The management also believes that the main-
tenance of quality standards in merchandising is
essential for continued public acceptance. The
Quality Shop sells products with nationally known
brand names, including Hickory-Freeman and
Kuppenheimer clothing, Arrow and Hathaway
shirts, and Bostonian and Edwin Clapp shoes.

A life-long resident of Portsmouth, Morris H.
Rapoport is proud of the reputation The Quality
Shop has achieved. He has long been active in

^fL^~£ Y?/$+y?v^

^■^^^^^^^^^^HI^^^H

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

281

civic causes. He was appointed to the Portsmouth
school board in November 1934, and served until
June 4, 1956. During his tenure, he served on the
finance and building committees and also for a
time as vice president. He was one of the organ-
izers and vice president of the Portsmouth Hotel
Corporation, which erected the Hotel Governor
Dinwiddle. He serves on the board of directors
of the American National Bank. For the past
twenty-five years, he has been a member of the
Kiwanis Club, and he also belongs to the Hague
Club of Norfolk, the Suburban Country Club of
Portsmouth, and Naval Lodge No. 100, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he is a
member of the Scottish Rite bodies and of Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. He is a member and trustee of
Temple Sinai of Portsmouth and a member of
Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk.

Morris H. Rapoport married Julia Fivel of Nor-
folk, and they are the parents of two children: 1.
Herman Leonard, of whom further. 2. Louise, who
married Marvin Fenster, attorney and assistant
head of the legal department of R. H. Macy Com-
pany in New York City.

Herman L. Rapoport, who has succeeded his
father as president of The Quality Shop, was born
on May 24, 1920, in Norfolk. He received his early
education in Portsmouth, graduating from Wood-
row Wilson High School in 1937. He then entered
Duke University and, on his graduation there in
1941, received the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

He enlisted in the United States Navy on July
27, 1942, was commissioned an ensign, and served
through World War II. He spent considerable
time in the Pacific Theater of Operations and was
separated from the service on February 17, 1946,
holding the rank of lieutenant senior grade at
that time.

Returning to civilian life, Herman L. Rapoport
became active in the management of The Quality
Shop, with his father, whom he later succeeded
as president and general manager. In the mer-
chandising field, his reputation has been growing
steadily; in 1948 he was elected president of the
Virginia Retail Clothiers and Furnishers — the
youngest president that group ever elected. He
is also a member of the National Association of
Retail Clothiers and Furnishers and, in 1953-1954,
served as chairman of the Young Men's Group
of the association. He was elected to the board
of directors of the National Association of Retail
Clothiers and Furnishers in 1954 and in 1956 was
elected its second vice president. He has contri-
buted a number of articles on trade subjects to
the Daily News Record, a trade publication, and
to Men's Wear, a bi-weekly trade magazine. He
has appeared as speaker before various men's wear

gatherings in Chicago and in New York, as well
as in Virginia.

Active in the civic affairs of Portsmouth, he
is a member and past president of the Portsmouth
Rotary Club, having held its chief executive office
in I953-I954- He attended the International Con-
vention of Rotary held in Paris in 1954. He serves
on the board of directors of the Portsmouth Re-
tail Merchants Association and is a director of the
city's Chamber of Commerce. He is a charter mem-
ber of Temple Sinai of Portsmouth. He is fond
of classical music, and his favorite sport is golf.

On August 13, 1944, in New York City, Herman
L. Rapoport married Phyllis Sperans, daughter of
Samuel R. and Jean (Bernstein) Sperans. Her
father is chairman of the board of Straus Dupar-
quet in New York and president of Standard Fac-
tors Corporation in that city. Mrs. Rapoport is
a graduate of Skidmore College at Saratoga
Springs, New York. The couple are the parents
of two children: 1. Reid Alan, born on January
25, 1949. 2. Martha Ann, born on August 27, 1951.
The family resides at 303 Acres Road, Green
Acres, Portsmouth.

WILLIAM F. FERRELL— A little more than
a decade ago, Ferrell Linoleum and Tile Company,
Inc., of Norfolk, was founded by two brothers,
William F. Ferrell and Mallory H. Ferrell. Wil-
liam F. Ferrell had recently returned from naval
service in World War II. Under his capable
direction, this firm has grown into a sizable
organization, employing eighty-five people, and
contracting for the installation of asphalt, rubber,
vinyl and ceramic tile, linoleum, marble and ter-
razzo in all parts of eastern Virginia and North
Carolina.

Mr. Ferrell is a native of Portsmouth and was
born on July 13, 1917, son of William Walter and
Ethel Catherine (Youre) Ferrell. His father, who
was born in South Norfolk, is a retired boiler-
maker, who worked for some years at the Navy
Yard. He later operated a grocery store in Ports-
mouth, and still makes his home in that city.

Passing his boyhood years there, William F.
Ferrell attended the public schools and graduated
from W'oodrow Wilson High School in 1935. He
was immediately attracted to the industry in which
his career has been centered, and began his con-
nection with the Bonney Tile and Terrazzo Cor-
poration in Norfolk, remaining with that organiza-
tion until 1946, with the exception of four years
spent in the United States Navy in World War
II. A chief petty officer, he served in the Euro-
pean Theater of Operations, and was discharged
in January 1946.

He remained with Bonney Tile and Terrazzo
Corporation only until the end of that year, and

282

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

in December left to form his own firm, which
from the first was known as Ferrell Linoleum
and Tile Company. Its first location was at 60
Commercial Place, Norfolk. In 1949, the present
premises at 326 West Twenty-first Street were
occupied. Mr. Ferrell has remained president of
the company since its founding. Starting on very
little capital, it has grown in scarcely more than
a decade to a corporation doing a volume of busi-
ness totalling a million dollars a year. The firm
began its existence as a partnership, in which
William F. Ferrell was associated with his bro-
ther, Mallory H. Ferrell. Since incorporation in
1949, the latter has held the offices of secretary
and treasurer. In October 1956, William F. Fer-
rell, Mallory H. Ferrell and Leroy W. Schaeffer
founded the Advance Stone and Marble Company,
Inc., located at 1022 West 41st Street, Norfolk,
for the supplying and contracting of granite mar-
ble and various types of building stone.

Active in trade circles, William F. Ferrell is,
a member of the National Terrazzo and Mosaic
Association, the Tile Contractors Association of
America and Southern Tile Contractors Associa-
tion.

As a former Navy man, lie takes a constructive
part in the program of the United States Power
Squadron, of which he is a member. He is also
a member of the American Legion, and in his
community belongs to the Chamber of Commerce,
the Lions Club, Cavalier Yacht and Country Club,
Lafayette Yacht Club, and the lodge of Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he is
a member of the higher bodies, holds the Thirty-
second degree in the Ancient and Accepted Scot-
tish Rite, and is a member of Khedive Temple.
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. Of Methodist faith, lie serves on the of-
ficial board of his church. His favorite sports
are yachting, fishing and golf.

On February 5, 1943, William F. Ferrell mar-
ried Martha Anne Fulton, daughter of Charles
Smith and Susan Emerson (Astin) Fulton. Both
of her parents were born near Danville, Virginia.
Mrs. Fulton now makes her home with Mr. and
Mrs. Ferrell, surviving her husband, wdio died in
August 1954. at the age of fifty-seven. He en-
gaged in various business enterprises, and was also
connected for some years with the post offices
at Danville and Norfolk. He served in the United
States Navy in World War I. Mrs. Ferrell is
currently serving a term as president of the Prin-
cess Anne County Women's Club, and is eligible
for membership in the Daughters of the American
Revolution. The couple make their home at Kit-
tiwake Court, Bird Neck Point, Princess Anne
County, and they are the parents of three child-
ren: I. Martha Annette, who was born on April

23, 1948. 2. Susan Dianne, born December 16,
T95T- 3- Joyce Anne, born June 22, 1955.

MALLORY H. FERRELL— Entering the tile
and linoleum contracting business after some
years' experience in construction work at the
Navy Yard, Mallory H. Ferrell is now secretary
and treasurer of Ferrell Linoleum and Tile Com-
pany, Inc., which has its headquarters at 326
West 21st Street, Norfolk. He is active in church
work, and his interests range from civic affairs
to geology.

Mr. Ferrell is a native of Portsmouth. He is
a son of William Walter and Ethel Catherine
(Youre) Ferrell, and a brother of William F.
Ferrell, whose biographical sketch is to be found
in this work, and with whom he has been associa-
ted in the founding and management of the com-
pany which bears their name. William W. Ferrell,
a native of South Berkley, worked in the Navy
Yard for some years in the capacities of boiler-
maker, chipper and caulker, advancing to super-
visory positions. He later resigned and operated
a grocery store in Portsmouth for ten years. He
now lives in retirement in that city, and is sixty-
two years of age at the time of writing. Mrs.
Ferrell is a native of Portsmouth. Their son was
born on December 25, 1914.

In that city, Mallory H. Ferrell was reared
and received his public school education, graduat-
ing from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1932.
He took further studies at the Navy Yard, which
was his first employer. Training as a welder, he
became welding supervisor, and served in that
capacity through the World War II period, while
vital work for the government was being per-
formed there.

He left in 1946 to join his brother William
in establishing the Ferrell Linoleum and Tile
Company. At first they operated as a partnership,
and incorporated under the present title in 1949,
with William as president and Mallory as secre-
tary and treasurer. The two have built a miliion-
dollar-per-year business from a very modest
beginning. First located at 60 Commercial Street,
headquarters of the company was moved to the
West Twenty-first Street location in the year of
incorporation, 1949. Ferrell Linoleum and Tile
Company sells, and contracts for the installation
of, linoleum, marble and terrazzo, as well as tile
of asphalt, rubber, vinyl and ceramic composition.
Its growing territory now comprises the eastern
part of the states of Virginia and North Caro-
lina, and there are eighty-five names on its pay-
roll. In October 1956, Mallory H. Ferrell. Wil-
liam F. Ferrell and Leroy W. Schaeffer founded
the Advance Stone and Marble Company, Inc.,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

283

located at [022 West 41st Street, Norfolk, for
the supplying and contracting of granite marble
and various types of building stone.

One of Mallory H. Ferrell's major interests,
apart from his business, is the work of his church,
the Craddock Methodist. He serves as a mem-
ber of its official board and is a trustee. He has
taught in its Sunday school for many years, and
was formerly Sunday school superintendent. Mr.
Ferrell is fond of the out-of-doors and fishing
is his favorite sport. He collects coins, and speci-
mens of rock and ore. While he gives full support
to every worthwhile movement whose goal is a
better community, he is not a joiner of clubs,
lodges or fraternal groups.

Mr>. Ferrell is the former Miss Laura Bunn,
daughter of John C. and Laura (Porter) Bunn,
both of Southampton County, Virginia. Her
father was a farmer in that county for many
years, and was retired for two decades prior to
his death in 1954. Mrs. Bunn died in 1918. Miss
Laura Bunn became the wife of Mallory H. Fer-
rell on November 10, 1934. They are the parents
of the following children: I. Mallory Hope, Jr.,
who was born on November 23, 1935. He is a
graduate of Craddock High School, has attended
the University of Miami, Florida, and is on the
staff of the Virginia "Pilot" as a photographer.
On November 27, 1955, he married Miss Alice
Moore. 2. Joan Lynn, born December 18, 1955.
The family's residence is at 49 Channing Avenue,
Craddock, Portsmouth.

ROY M. HARKSEN— The proven formula of
hard work, coupled with seizing opportunity when
it comes, explains the rise of Roy M. Harksen to
a position of prominence in the highly competitive
automotive field. He is owner and manager of
Roy's Auto Supply, known as "The House of a
Million Parts," which has its headquarters at 894
Little Creek Road in Norfolk. Acting as both
wholesaler and retailer, it is one of the most com-
plete automotive parts firms in Tidewater Virginia.
Mr. Harksen is also authorized dealer for Mercury
automobiles, with modern sales and service facilities
at the same location on Little Creek Road, and
has a used-car headquarters on the opposite corner.

A native of Chesterfield County, Mr. Harksen
was born near Richmond on December 9, 1912,
son of Max Christian and Ruth Ethel (Strupe)
Harksen. His mother died in 1943. His father was
a native of Germany, who came to this country
in his early youth. Early in his career he was
identified with construction projects in Virginia
and South Carolina, and came to Norfolk in 191 5.
In that city, he became a pioneer in the operation
of motion picture theaters, of which he managed

several prior to the advent of talking pictures in
1927. In the years since that time he has engaged
in business as a painting contractor in Norfolk.

Roy M. Harksen received his education in the
Robert Gatewood School in the Berkley District
and at Maury High School. He began his career
as a messenger boy with the Western Union Tele-
graph Company in Norfolk. He was next employed
by the Sam Finkelstein Company, following which
he helil sales positions with the Charles Department
Store on Church Street, Shulman and Company,
Inc., and the J. C. Penney Company's Norfolk
store. He then returned to Shulman and Company,
with which he remained until he entered military
service in December 1940.

Joining the United States Army Air Corps, he
took his basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Mis-
souri, and thereafter served at many air base.^ in
the continental United States, in the aircraft main-
tenance branch of the Air Corps. He was promoted
to the rank of technical sergeant and later to war-
rant officer, which he held at the time of his
separation from the service in November 1945.

After leaving Shulman and Company, Inc., Mr.
Harksen located at Syracuse, New York, where for
the following three years he operated a service
station. Returning to Norfolk in 1948, he was as-
sociated with his father in painting contracting
for a short time, then became a distributor for the
Bowes Sealfast Company of Indianapolis, Indiana,
manufacturers of tire repair materials. With this
connection as a basis, he laid the foundation for
Roy's Auto Supply, establishing headquarters for
his parts service at 17th and Monticello Avenue
in Norfolk, and at the same time continuing his
selling job with Bowes Sealfast Company. From
a modest beginning his business prospered, and
when larger headquarters were required, he moved
in September 1953, to 894 Little Creek Road. Guided
by the Golden Rule in his trade relations, and
bringing a broad knowledge of the business to his
managerial post, he has promoted steady growth
in his enterprise and won a place of leadership in
the field.

As an automobile dealer, Mr. Harksen previous-
ly represented the Nash Motor Company and
Willys Motor Company, while building up his sup-
ply business. He is now authorized dealer for
Mercurys. With enlarged and complete facilities
for both sales and service, he gives employment to
twenty-five people.

Mr. Harksen is a member of the National Auto-
mobile Dealers Association, Tidewater Automobile
Association, the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
and the Presbyterian Church.

While stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Roy
M. Harksen was married on February 13, 1943, in

z84

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Trenton, New Jersey, to Flora Ormsby of Syra-
cuse, New York. The couple are the parents of
two children: I. Ronald M., who was born on
January 3, 1944. 2. Pamela Mae, born December
20, 1953.

RALPH M. HOFFMAN— For four decades the
Hoffman Cigar Company, Inc., with headquarters
at 237 West Twenty-fourth Street, Norfolk, has
been serving the Lower Tidewater through whole-
sale operations in cigars, tobaccos, candies, patent
medicines and Budweiser beer. Like its founder,
Ralph M. Hoffman, the firm has considerable pres-
tige throughout the region. Mr. Hoffman has ex-
tended his personal reputation through his activi-
ties and interest in community and civic develop-
ments.

Born in Accomack County on September 9, 1890,
he is the son of George B. and Mary Julia (Kel-
lam) Hoffman, both also natives of that county.
George B. Hoffman was a merchant and farmer
there until 1922, when he retired and moved to
Norfolk. He died in 1929, at the age of sixty-
four. His widow, who was born in 1870, makes her
home at Virginia Beach.

Ralph M. Hoffman was graduated from the
Onancock High School in Accomack County in
1907. In the next two years he attended Washing-
ton and Lee University, after which he served a
year as principal of the grammar school at Blox-
om, in his native county. Deciding to make a
business career instead of an educational one, he
resigned the principalship to go to Poughkeepsie,
New York, where he attended Eastman Business
College. From this institution he was graduated
in 1910.

His next position was with the American Radia-
tor Company in New York City. He held this
post until September 30, 1919, when he resigned
to return to Virginia and establish himself in the
Lower Tidewater. Joined by his two brothers,
James Harvey and George B. Hoffman, Jr., he
founded the Hoffman Cigar Company, Inc., at
that time. George B. Hoffman, Jr., died in 1952.
James Harvey Hoffman is now treasurer of the
company, Ralph M. Hoffman being president.
As wholesale distributors, the company operates
in six counties in the Tidewater area of Virginia.
Ninety persons are employed in all the operations.
The firm erected its own building in 1949. Ralph
M. Hoffman is a member of the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce, the Cosmopolitan Club and
the Sewell's Point Golf Club. He worships in
the Christian Science Church. In politics he is
independent. His favorite sport is golf.

Mr. Hoffman married Ethyl Adams, daughter
of William A. and Annie B. (Blacknall) Adams,
in Oxford, North Carolina, on July 22, 1915.

Mrs. Hoffman's father, who was born in Virginia,
operated the W. A. Adams Tobacco Company at
Oxford, North Carolina, for many years. He died
in 1913. Mrs. Adams, who was a native of the Tar
Heel State, died in 1945. The Hoffmans make
their home at 1407 Boiling Avenue, Norfolk.

ROB LEE CATHEY— Although Rob Lee Ca-
they was a comparatively young man at the time
of his death, he had nevertheless attained a re-
sponsible position in the business and civic life
of Norfolk. It might well be said of him that
he was born to the business in which be was en-
gaged: and the Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works,
Inc., derived much benefit from his devoted serv-
ice and his contributions.

He was born on April 6, 1899, at Paw Creek,
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, fourth of
the eight children born to Alonzo Forrest and
Annie C. (Hipp) Cathey. His father was a pioneer
in Coca-Cola bottling, who founded a plant at
Roanoke in 1900, and three years later, the Nor-
folk Coca-Cola Bottling Works. The Paw Creek
location had been the seat of the Cathey family
for generations, the original land grants there
having been issued to forebears in colonial times.
Receiving his education in the public schools of
Norfolk, where the family moved in his early
childhood, Rob Lee Cathey entered the bottling
business in his early years, learning the various
operations from his father, who saw to it that
his sons were well trained in every phase. In 1938,
he assumed his duties as secretary and treasurer
of the corporation, a position he held until his
death in 1954. Working in close and loyal associa-
tion with his four brothers and his two brothers-
in-law, he had made a distinctive contribution to
the teamwork which has carried the business con-
tinuously forward. In all aspects of the work with
which his duties brought him in contact, he car-
ried on the high ideals to which his father had
adhered. He had lived in Norfolk from his early
years, and endeared himself to the residents of
that city through his untiring efforts in all civic
undertakings. He was a member of the Kiwanis
Club of Norfolk, the Charity Lodge No. 10,
Knights of Pythias, the Executives Club, the Nor-
folk Chamber of Commerce and the Epworth
Methodist Church. For recreation he enjoyed
hunting and fishing.

On September 29, 1923, at Norfolk, Rob Lee
Cathey married Eloise Mary Dey, daughter of
Thomas Mercer and Georgie Etta (Ross) Dey.
Both of her parents were natives of Norfolk Coun-
ty. Her father, who died on April 18, 1954, was
a prominent farmer in Norfolk County. Her moth-
er died in Norfolk on August 15, 1950. Mrs.

TWVa. 32

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

285

Cathey is active in the cultural and religious life
of Norfolk. She is a member of the board of stew-
ards of the Epworth Methodist Church, and a
member of the Women's Society of Christian
Service, which she served as president from 1949
to 1951. She is a member of the Executives Club
of Norfolk, the Lakewood Garden Club, and the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club.

Mr. and Mrs. Rob Lee Cathey became the par-
ents of two sons: 1. Stanley Robert, born Septem-
ber 30, 1924. He attended Greenbriar Military
School and the College of William and Mary, Nor-
folk Division. Entering the United States Army
at the time of World War II, he saw active serv-
ice on Okinawa and in Korea. 2. Rogers Dey,
born March 13, 1934. He graduated from Granby
High School in 1952, and he attended the College
of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, where
he was a member of the Class of 1957, majoring
in business administration. He is now serving in
the United States Army. On August 18, 1956, he
married Constance Joyce Pontifex of Norfolk.

The untimely death of Rob Lee Cathey occurred
as the result of a heart attack on August 13, 1954.

BIRSCH CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION

of Norfolk, Virginia, is a medium sized street and
road construction contractor. They have done work
for the government, city of Norfolk, Virginia and
State Highway Department of the State of Vir-
ginia, as well as private jobs and several housing
projects in and around Norfolk and vicinity.

The company was founded in November 1941
by Gladstone M. Birsch, who remains its presi-
dent. Before going into business, Mr. Birscli
worked for Mr. Frank J. McGuire, a road paving
contractor, from May 1922 until 1941, when Mr.
McGuire retired from road building, and helped
Mr. Birsch greatly in entering business in his
own name.

When Mr. Birsch went into business in 1941, he
had with him Mr. Leslie J. Basnight, who is at
present one of the vice presidents and general
superintendent of the corporation. Also with Birsch
Construction Corporation at its beginning was Mr.
Donald C. Keister, who is still with the corpora-
tion and is now superintendent of construction.
Also connected with the corporation in executive
capacities are several young men, who Mr. Birsch
feels will be capable of taking over the business
within a few years. These men are: Mr. Wilbert
B. Siviter, who is a vice president; Mr. John M.
Birscti, son of Mr. Birsch, the founder, who is at
present an assistant secretary; and Mr. William L.
Birsch, a nephew of Mr. Birsch, who is at present
an assistant superintendent of construction to Mr.
Keister.

The Birsch Construction Corporation began

business in a very modest way and has grown until
today it operates, in addition to concrete paving
work and grading, an asphalt plant for plant-
mixed black top paving of all standard city and
state and government mixes.

Mr. Gladstone M. Birsch, the president, who
is better known to his friends as "Pore Ole B,"
feels that the very nice and substantial growth of
the corporation has been first due to the loyal
service rendered by all of the employees over the
past years and the many "good business friends"
who have credited them and gone along with the
corporation through good times and tight times.

The Birsch Construction Corporation has tried
hard to warrant the confidence their friends have
had in them, and will always strive to deserve
their confidence.

The Birsch Construction Corporation is a mem-
ber of the Virginia Road Builders Association, the
Virginia Asphalt Association, Inc., the American
Road Builders Association, the National Asphalt
Association, and the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce. Mr. Gladstone M. Birsch, president of the
corporation, is at present on the board of direc-
tors of the Virginia Road Builders and also the
Virginia Asphalt Association, Inc., both of whose
headquarters are in Richmond, Virginia.

NICHOLAS CARTER WRIGHT— As presi-
dent of the Nick Wright Motor Company, Inc., of
Norfolk, the late Nicholas C. Wright headed Vir-
ginia's largest and oldest Chrysler-Plymouth dealer-
ship. A man of many interests, he had been hon-
ored on numerous occasions for his contributions
to the progress of Norfolk and the state, particu-
larly through his work with youth.

Nicholas Wright was born at Surry Court House,
Surry County, on August 4, 1894, son of Nicholas
Carter and Mary M. (Land) Wright. Through both
parents he is descended from Virginia settlers of
Colonial times. His father, who died in March 1894,
at the age of fifty-five — several months before the
birth of his son — was a native of Surry County.
He operated a community store there, and also en-
tered the timber industry. His father was Robert
Wright, a planter near Spring Grove. The Robert
Wright farm still remains in the family, now being
in the possession of Mr. Wright's children. Mary
M. (Land) Wright was born in Sussex County,
Virginia. Ninety-six years of age at the time of writ-
ing, she resided with her late son in Norfolk. Of
Colonial ancestry, she is a daughter of Henry Car-
ter and Mary M. (Rochelle) Land of Sussex
County. Henry Carter Land lived on the Mount
Rose Plantation and the Duchariez Plantation. He
served in the Confederate States Army.

The youngest of three children born to his par-

:86

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

cuts, Nicholas Wright passed his boyhood at
Surry Court House, and he was twelve years old
when liis mother moved her family to Norfolk.
There he completed his grammar school educa-
tion and graduated from Maury Higli School in
1913. For two years he attended Virginia Poly-
technic Institute at Blacksburg, majoring in civil
engineering. During World War I, he served in
the United States Army Aviation Corps. A pilot,
he held the rank of second lieutenant.

In 1922 he entered the automobile business in
Norfolk, and in March 1927, took over the Chrysler-
Plymouth agency for eastern Virginia and North
Carolina. Chrysler products had emerged into
prominence in the automobile industry in the mid-
1920s, and Mr. Wright's was the oldest firm in the
region selling their cars. It was also the largest.
In 1934 the home of Nick Wright Motor Com-
pany, Inc., at 21st and Colonial Avenue, was
established, and in 1942 the business was incor-
porated with Mr. Wright as president and manager.
One of the most modern as well as one of the
largest automotive sales agencies in the region,
his firm rendered complete service to the motoring
public. He was a member and past president of the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Automobile Dealers Associa-
tion, and a member of the Virginia Automobile
Dealers Association and the National Automobile
Dealers Association.

Besides his major business interest. Mr. Wright
was also president of the Nansemond Bridge Cor-
poration, which also has its headquarters at 21st
and Colonial Avenue. Apart from business affairs,
lie devoted a great deal of attention to youth pro-
grams. Foremost among these was the Boys' Club
of Norfolk. He served for twelve years as its presi-
dent, and his leadership was an important factor
in its growth. He was a member of the planning
committee of the Norfolk Community Chest, and
the capital funds campaign committee, which made
possible the new Boys' Club Building of Norfolk,
which was erected in 1949. In recognition of his
outstanding service to youth, he was appointed by
the Governor of Virginia as a delegate to the Mid-
Century White House Conference on Children and
Youth. Another token of recognition was the
award of the Boys' Silver Keystone, conferred
on him by the Boys' Clubs of America on January
26, 1954. His citation pointed out that many boys
have had opportunities for the development of
traits of good citizenship through his efforts. He
had served devotedly and with unflagging energy
on the board of the Boys' Club of Norfolk, as well
as in its presidency. Particularly notable was his
work in securing the chili's swimming pool, which
was named the Nicholas C. Wright Swimming
Pool in his honor.

Mr. Wright was a past president of the Council
of Social Agencies as well as a director of the
Community Fund. For three years he served on
the Norfolk school board, and he was a mem-
ber of the Directors' Advisory Board of the
College of William and Mary, Norfolk Division.
He belonged to the Rotary Club of Norfolk, the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Princess
Anne Country Club, Lodge No. 30 of the Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Vir-
ginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution.
He was a communicant of the Freemason Street
Baptist Church.

He was active in the Tidewater Horse Show
Association, which he once served as president.
For recreation he enjoyed horseback riding, and
maintained a stable of three- and five-gaited saddle
horses on his Ferry Point Farm.

On February 22, 1941, at Danville, Virginia,
Nicholas Carter Wright married Virginia Kile Bell
of that city. Her forebears came from Atlanta,
Georgia. Mrs. Wright is active in civic and church
affairs in Norfolk. She is a member of the Ladies'
Auxiliary of the Boys' Club of Norfolk and the
Garden Club, and participates fully in the program
of the Church of the Good Shepherd. The couple
became the parents of two sons: I. Nicholas Car-
ter, Jr.. born April 27, 1943. 2. William Kile, born
March 19, 1945-

Mr. Wright passed away on April 8, 1958.

BENJAMIN WILLIAM FOSTER— As a mor-
tician, Benjamin William Foster centers his pro-
fessional activities in Portsmouth, where he is
owner and director of the B. W. Foster Funeral
Home at High Street and Fifth Avenue.

A native of the city, he was born on July 8,
1913, son of Benjamin Hartsook and Bridget Ver-
onica (O'Sullivan) Foster. His father, now retired,
was for fifty-two years employed by the Ports-
mouth Navy Yard and held the position of master
boilermaker for thirty-five years. The youngest
of five children born to his parents, Benjamin W.
Foster passed his boyhood in Portsmouth. He at-
tended Catholic parochial schools, including three
years at St. Mary's High School in Norfolk, and
graduated from St. Joseph's Academy in Ports-
mouth in 1932. He then enrolled at the College of
William and Mary at Williamsburg, which he at-
tended for one year and left to begin his career
in the mortuary profession, which he has followed
throughout the years since.

Early in his career he was associated with the
S. J. Flynn Funeral Home at Portsmouth and con-
tinued with the organization for two and a half
years prior to the death of Mr. Flynn. He then

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

!87

assumed management of the funeral home and
continued in charge there until July 1936. In that
month, in association with N. B. Richardson, Jr.,
of Portsmouth, he acquired ownership of the S.
J. Flynn Funeral Home, and they changed its
name to Richardson and Foster. In April 1955
Mr. Foster bought Mr. Richardson's interests, be-
coming sole owner, and the B. W. Foster Funeral
Home, as it is now known, has been under his
capable direction since that time. The modern
funeral home is situated at High Street and Fifth
Avenue. Air-conditioned, it is equipped with every
comfort and convenience which good taste and the
advancements in mortuary science can provide.

Mr. Foster is a member of the Tidewater Funeral
Directors Association, the Virginia Funeral Direc-
tors Association, and the National Funeral Direc-
tors Association. He is likewise active in civic
affairs and, as a member of the Rotary Club of
Portsmouth, is currently serving as its sergeant-
at-arms. He is a member of the lodge of Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks in that city, is past
president and currently a member of the board of
directors of the Portsmouth Sports Club, and serves
on the board of directors of the Frank H. Nott
Memorial Clinic of Portsmouth Tuberculosis As-
sociation. Taking a vital interest in sports, he is
a commissioner of the Southeastern Virginia Foot-
ball Officials' Association and is now serving as
its secretary-treasurer.

A Roman Catholic and a communicant of St.
Theresa's Church, Mr. Foster is active in Catholic
organizations. He is a Fourth-degree member of
the Knights of Columbus and a member of the
Catholic Club of Portsmouth. He has served as
co-chairman of the advisory board of his church.

On June 2, 1943, Benjamin William Foster mar-
ried Miss Hettie Helen Woodall of Johnston Coun-
ty, North Carolina, a graduate nurse and daugh-
ter of Zebulon and Savannah Elizabeth (Barbour)
Woodall. The couple are the parents of five chil-
dren: I. Benjamin William, Jr., born on October
11, 1944. 2. Bartholomew Thomas, born on May
24, 1946. 3. Billy O'Sullivan, who was born on
June 8, 1948. 4. Bruce Stephen, born on July 9,
io5°- 5- Brian Patrick, born on October 23, 1953.

H. LEWIS DUDLEY— South Norfolk funeral
director H. Lewis Dudley is owner of the Graham
Funeral Home at Jackson and Jefferson streets.
This organization, with which he has been iden-
tified for more than a decade, was founded in 1929
by J. Robert Graham, who continued as its direc-
tor and owner until his death on November 7,
1949- The home is beautifully situated in a pleasant
residential section, and surrounded by wide lawns

and landscaped grounds. The interior decor is im-
pressive and dignified; and modern equipment and
management are complemented by careful ad-
herence to a policy of friendly, courteous and
sympathetic relations.

A lifelong resident of Norfolk County, H. Lewis
Dudley was born in the Hickory Community on
May 4, 191 1, son of the late Henry E. and Una
(Reese) Dudley of South Norfolk. His father too
was a native of Norfolk County, the son of Wil-
liam Robert and Sallie (Berryman) Dudley. His
mother was born in Bertie County, North Carolina,
the daughter of Walter Rivers Reese of Northamp-
ton County, North Carolina, and Willie (Veale)
Reese of Bertie County.

Graduating from Hickory High School in 1929,
H. Lewis Dudley began his career with the United
States Department of Agriculture, his employment
with that branch of the government taking him to
several southern states. From 1931 to 1938 he
worked on landscaping projects financed by John
D. Rockefeller, Jr., in the restoration of Williams-
burg, colonial capital of Virginia. For a time there-
after, he worked under D. Paul Decker, head of
Norfolk's Department of Parks, and during a por-
tion of the World War II period, was identified
with the Naval Ammunition Depot at Pit Point,
Virginia.

However, from his early years, Mr. Dudley had
had an interest in the calling of funeral director,
and he determined at this juncture in his career to
make the break and prepare himself for that profes-
sion. In January 1944, he entered the employ of
the Graham Funeral Home in South Norfolk, and
for two years thereafter, served an apprenticeship
as assistant funeral director under J. Robert Gra-
ham. For further preparation, he entered the Reno-
uard School of Embalming in New York City,
and graduated there in 1947. He then resumed his
connection with the Graham Funeral Home. When
Mr. Graham died in November 1949, he assumed
full responsibility for the management of the busi-
ness, accountable only to Mrs. Graham, who re-
tained ownership. On October 1, 1950, Mr. Dudley
became sole owner.

A man of great kindness and generosity, a true
humanitarian, he possesses the traits and personality
which win confidence in one of his calling. Coupled
with this, he is acknowledged to have a thorough
understanding of the principles of his profession,
and in the business aspects of funeral home man-
agement, he has proved himself an efficient and
practical administrator.

In private and community life, he has been ac-
tive in a number of organizational connections. A
member of the Norfolk Better Business Club, he
served as its president in 1954. He is affiliated with

j 88

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

South Norfolk Lodge No. 339, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, Ionic Chapter No. 44, Royal
Arch Masons, and Auld Consistory of the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite, being a Thirty-second
degree Mason. He is a member of Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He is also a member of Camp No. 46,
Woodmen of the World, and Willie Lee Lodge
No. 119, Knights of Pythias. He is a communicant
of the Chesapeake Avenue Methodist Church.

Among his professional affiliations are the
National Funeral Directors Association, and the
Virginia Funeral Directors Association, of which
he is now serving his second term as director. He
is also a member of the Tidewater Virginia Funeral
Directors Association, and held office as its pres-
ident in 1954. Mr. Dudley's hobby is floriculture.

On January 29, 1944, in the Pillmore Methodist
Church at Currituck, North Carolina. H. Lewis
Dudley married Margaret Williams King, daugh-
ter of the late George Whitfield and Clara (Ayd-
lette) Williams. She is a descendant of early set-
tlers in North Carolina. Her father had been pro-
minent in Currituck County, holding a number of
offices of public trust. Mrs. Dudley attended East-
ern Carolina Teachers College and the University
of North Carolina, after which she taught in the
public schools, and is now actively associated with
Mr. Dudley in business. She is the mother of a
daughter, Francine. who is now the wife of John
Clark Barber, a native of North Carolina. Mr. and
Mrs. Barber have two children: John Clark, Jr.,
and Lewis William Barber, and this family resides
in Macon, Georgia.

FRANK N. GRAVES of Norfolk is a young
man in whose capable hands is the management
of the city's long-established Cox Funeral Home.
The owner and director of this establishment, at
631 Westover Avenue, he has preferred to con-
tinue its operation under the name which has
won the confidence of his fellow citizens through
the generations. It was first established in 1865
by Elijah Leander Cox at Maycock, North Caro-
lina, and the Norfolk home has been operated
since 1923. Mr. Cox's family had settled at May-
cock in colonial times. After the founder had
operated the funeral home there for more than
twenty years, he moved in 1887 to Berkley, Vir-
ginia, where he successfully continued in the same
profession until 1908. He then sold his interests
to his oldest son, E. Lee Cox, Jr., and retired.
In 1923, E. Lee Cox, Jr., was joined by his bro-
ther, W. W. Cox, and the firm name was changed
to E. Lee Cox and Brother. It was also in this
year that the beautiful colonial residence at 631
Westover Avenue, Norfolk, was acquired. In 1930,

E. Lee Cox, Jr., died, and his interest was ac-
quired by his brother and partner, who was joined
in due course by his son, W. W., Jr. The elder
W. W. Cox died in 1940, and the son continued
the business until April 1955, when Mr. Graves
purchased it from him.

While the old traditions of service and sympa-
thetic and friendly relations in the community
have prevailed, the Cox Funeral Home has also
kept pace with all advancements in mortuary
science; and its equipment and appointments are
unsurpassed.

Mr. Graves is a native Virginian, born on the
Graves family farm in Bedford County on March
23, 1923. He is a son of the late Ovid Raymond
and Annie (Adams) Graves, and his mother con-
tinues to reside on the farm, which has long been
in the family. His father was born in Bedford
County, descendant of a family of early settlers
and of English ancestry. He was a farmer and a
merchant, and his death took place on September
:4, 1955- The seventh of eleven children, Frank
N. Graves passed his boyhood on the home farm.
He graduated from Huddleston High School in
1940, and in March 1943, entered the United
States Navy for service in World War II. His
tour of duty took him aboard a repair ship to
the Pacific theater. He was separated from the
service in August 1945.

He began his career with the Whitten Funeral
Home in Lynchburg, gaining experience in sub-
ordinate capacities there during his high school
days; and following his return from wartime
service, entered Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary
Science at Nashville, Tennessee. There he re-
ceived his degree in mortuary science in 1949.
He continued his association with the Whitten
Funeral Home while advancing to professional
status, and remained with the organization until
April 1955. Desiring to head his own organization,
he left at that time to acquire the Cox Funeral
Home.

He is a member of the Tidewater Funeral Di-
rectors Association, the Virginia Funeral Direc-
tors Assocation and the National Funeral Direc-
tors Association.

Active in community life as well, he is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the
Lions Club, Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, and the Travelers Protec-
tive Association. He is a communicant of the
Epworth Methodist Church. His preference in the
matter of recreation is for out-door sports, and
he is particularly fond of baseball and football.

At Lynchburg, on June 11, 1948, Frank N.
Graves married Virginia Belle Hudson, daughter
of Thomas Melvin and Ada Belle (Long) Hudson
of Halifax, Virginia. Mrs. Graves is a registered

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

289

nurse who took her courses at Virginia Baptist
Hospital in Lynchburg and graduated there. Mr.
and Mrs. Graves are the parents of two sons:
I. Frank Noell, Jr., who was born on May 14,
1950. 2. Bryan i'ugh, born April 23, 1953.

ROBERT N. BAKER, JR.— As an executive
of R. \\ . Baker and Company of Suffolk, Robert
N. Baker, Jr., represents the fourth generation of
his family identified with the management of this
long established firm, winch has always been en-
gaged in retail furniture sales and funeral direct-
ing. Mr. Baker served in 1955-1956 as president of
the \ lrginia State Funeral Directors Association.

He was born at Suffolk on October 21 1907,
son of Robert Newton, Sr., and Ethel (Ames)
Baker. His father, who was his predecessor 111
the management of the furniture and funeral
directing business, died on April 20, 1940. He was
a native of Nansemond County, as was his wife,
the former Ethel Ames. She survives him.

The younger Robert N. Baker attended public
elementary and high schools of Suffolk, and grad-
uated from Suffolk High School in 1927. For
technical training he entered Virginia Military
Institute, and graduated there in 193 1 with the
degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engi-
neering. He also earned his commission as a second
lieutenant. From 1932 to 1938, he followed the
engineering profession, working on government
construction projects.

In 1939 Mr. Baker became associated with his
father in the firm of R. W. Baker and Company.
The concern was founded in 1885 by his grand-
father, Robert Washington Baker, whose name
it has borne since it came into existence. R. W.
Baker was a son of Blake Baker, a cabinetmaker
and coffin maker of Gates County, North Carolina.
It was he who established the direction of the
family's efforts in ensuing years; and R. W. Baker
and Company is one of the few firms which has
continued in both furniture sales and funeral
directing. The conscientious and responsible way
it has carried on both aspects of the business have
made it an asset to the community.

It was in 1955 that Robert N. Baker, Jr., began
his term as president of the Virginia State Funeral
Directors Association, serving until June 1956. In
his own city he is a member of the board of direc-
tors of the Farmers Bank of Nansemond, and
served for fifteen years on the Suffolk school
board. Attending the Main Street Methodist
Church, he has served as chairman of its board
and lay leader. He is a past president of Suffolk
Retail Merchants Association, and a member of the
Suffolk Rotary Club and Suffolk Lodge No. 340,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry he

is a member of the higher badies including the
chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the commandery of
the Knights Templar, and Khedive Shrine in Nor-
folk. He is also a member of Lodge No. 385, Benev-
olent and Protective Order of Elks. His professional
connections, besides the Virginia State Funeral
Directors Association, include the National Funeral
Directors Association and National Selected Mor-
ticians. Mr. Baker's hobby is ship modeling.

In Nansemond County, on June 9, 1935, Robert
N. Baker, Jr., married Allie Gardner Oliver, daugh-
ter of Samuel C. and Eureka (Ashburn) Oliver.
Both of her parents are deceased. They were
residents of Nansemond County. Mr. and Mrs.
Baker have four children: 1. Allie Gardner. 2.
Roberta Ames. 3. Lynn Oliver. 4. Robert N., 3rd.

HAROLD ALEXANDER CARPER— With

sympathetic and understanding service a watch-
word, Harold Alexander Carper has been develop-
ing the Riverside Funeral Home, now in its new
headquarters at 7415 River Road, Warwick, into
one of the leading institutions in its field on
the Virgina Peninsula. As president of that insti-
tution, Mr. Carper carries on an affiliation be-
gun a score of years ago with a mortuary found-
ed seven decades back, an institution once known
as the Rouse Mortuary and operated in Newport
News and later called the Rouse-Carper Funeral
Home.

Mr. Carper was born in Portsmouth, Ohio,
on December 26, 191 1, the son of Frank D. and
Eddie Blanche (Wade) Carper, both of whom
are now deceased. The father was a native of
Botetourt County, the mother of Washington
County. Frank D. Carper for many years was
with the Norfolk and Western Railroad and later
served with the United States Shipping Board
in Norfolk.

Harold A. Carper was reared in Portsmouth.
He attended the public schools there. He was
graduated from the Woodrow Wilson High
School in June 1930. From 1931 to 1936 he was
employed by the Peoples Service Drug Stores
in Roanoke. With his savings, he then attended
the Cincinnati College of Embalming in Cincin-
nati, Ohio, and upon his graduation in 1937 joined
the late W. E. Rouse at the Rouse Funeral
Home in Newport News.

Mr. Rouse, a native of Smithfield, established
the institution in Newport News on February 5,
1888. He first called it the Rouse Mortuary.
Later he renamed it the W. E. Rouse Funeral
Home and under this name continued to operate
it until a short time before his death, which
occurred on June 20, 1945. Mr. Rouse was the
first funeral director in Virginia to change from
horse-drawn to motorized funeral equipment. He

290

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

was regarded as a leader among funeral direc-
tors throughout the state and took an active and
influential role in obtaining passage of present
laws pertaining to the funeral directors' profession.

Mr. Carper purchased the W. E. Rouse Funeral
Home from his employer on April 9, 1945, to-
gether with the Newport News Casket Company.
At the time of this purchase, he changed the
name of the business to the Rouse-Carper Funeral
Home. The Rouse-Carper Funeral Chapel, which
was the first established on the Peninsula, was
built for a capacity of one hundred-sixty persons.
On March r, 1955, Mr. Carper incorporated the
business as the Riverside Funeral Home, Inc.,
with himself as president, Mrs. Mary Ash Engle-
bert as vice president, and Joe L. Pinnell as
secretary-treasurer. The firm moved to its new
home in Warwick on January 1. 1957. The entire
establishment there is modern in every facility.
Mr. Carper has kept abreast of all improvements
in his profession and has pursued postgraduate
studies in plastic and demi-surgery. He uses the
latest embalming techniques.

Like his late mentor, Mr. Carper is active in
elevating and maintaining the standards of his
profession. He belongs to the Virginia Funeral
Directors Association and the National Funeral
Directors Association, as well as to the Tide-
water Funeral Directors Association. Well known
in fraternal circles, he is past patron of the New-
port News Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star,
and a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 278,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; St. John's
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Hampton Com-
mandery, Knights Templar; Delcho Consistory,
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; Newport
News Chapter of Rose Croix; and Khedive Tem-
ple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, Norfolk. Also, he belongs to the Rotary
Club of Newport News and is active in the
First Baptist Church of that city. His home is
at 7415 River Road, Warwick. Photography is
his hobby.

Mr. Carper married Grace Payne of Lake Land-
ing, Hyde County, North Carolina, in Gloucester
County on November 18, 1944. She is the daugh-
ter of Charlie and Ola (Miller) Payne. Mr. and
Mrs. Carper are the parents of one daughter:
Delia Elizabeth, who was born on November 3.
1949, in Newport News.

V. LESLIE SYKES— As owner of the Sykes
Funeral Home, Inc. at 122 East Berkley Avenue,
Norfolk, V. Leslie Sykes capably heads an organ-
ization which has been in existence for many years.
In 1887 Elijah Leander Cox became a funeral direc-
tor at Berkley, which at that time was a separate

community. He successfully operated his funeral
home until 1908, when he disposed of it to his
eldest son, E. Lee Cox, Jr. When E. Lee Cox, Jr.,
died on July 1, 1930, Vernon L. Sykes and J. Rob-
ert Graham acquired the home, which they oper-
ated as the Graham and Sykes Funeral Home. In
1938 the name was changed to Sykes Funeral
Home, and it has been thus designated since.

Vernon L. Sykes, the father of V. Leslie Sykes.
remained active in its management until his death
on May 6, 1946. For many years he was associated
with the Merchants and Planters Bank. He mar-
ried Bessie A. Gates, and their son, V. Leslie Sykes,
was born in South Norfolk on July 1, 191 1. He
graduated from South Norfolk High School in
1929, and entered Cincinnati College of Embalm-
ing, from which he received his diploma.

He began his career with the Graham and Sykes
Funeral Home, and later gained experience with
mortuary establishments in Richmond and Lynch-
burg, spending a total of six years in those cities.
Since 1938 he has been associated with the Sykes
Funeral Home. In 1956 he and his wife, Mary
Jane (Crawford) Sykes, acquired sole ownership
of the business. They have kept their organization
apace with all the modern trends of service in the
mortuary profession, and their funeral home, at
122 East Berkley Avenue, can claim the best in
decor and equipment. But they have not relin-
quished the traditions of friendly, tactful and
sympathetic service which have been a distinguish-
ing feature of the organization throughout its con-
tinued existence under various names.

Mr. Sykes is a member of the Tidewater Funeral
Directors Association, the Virginia Funeral Di-
rectors Association, and, in civic and fraternal con-
nections, the Southside Kiwanis Club and Doric
Lodge No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
In Masonry, he is also a member of Ionic Chapter
No. 46, Royal Arch Masons, Old Consistory of the
Valley of Virginia, Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of
Memorial Methodist Church. His favorite sports
are hunting and fishing.

At South Mills, North Carolina, on July 2, 1935,
V. Leslie Sykes married Mary Jane Crawford of
South Norfolk, daughter of Isaac and Sue (Taylor)
Crawford. Mrs. Sykes is active in community af-
fairs, being a member of the Southside Women's
Club and the Order of the Eastern Star of which
she is a past worthy matron. She is a member of
Memorial Methodist Church. The couple are the
parents of a son, Vernon Leslie, 3rd, who was born
February 25, 1937. He graduated in 1956 from
Maury High School, and is now a student at Elon
College in North Carolina.

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

291

FRANCIS A. GAY— The Francis A. Gay Fu-
neral Home of South Norfolk was founded in 1939,
and Mr. Gay, whose name it bears, remains its
owner. Situated in an attractive residential section,
it occupies the stately old John Cuthrell residence,
which was remodeled at considerable cost to meet
the most exacting requirements of modern funeral
service. Air-conditioned throughout, it is equipped
with every comfort and convenience, and every
facility to render service carefully planned to
satisfy every requirement of families during the
difficult period of bereavement. While it has kept
pace with all developments in the mortuary profes-
sion, it has as an unchanging feature a friendly and
considerate attitude, a kindly and tactful manner
in all relationships.

Francis A. Gay, a native of South Norfolk, was
born on July II, 1909, son of Maurice A. and
Elise (Monell) Gay. His father, now deceased, was
a native of Conway, North Carolina. His mother,
who now resides in South Norfolk, was born in
Nansemond County. She has served as deputy
commissioner of revenue for South Norfolk since
the town was incorporated in 1922.

Passing his boyhood there and attending its
public schools, Francis A. Gay graduated from
South Norfolk High School in 1930. He is also a
graduate of Cincinnati College of Embalming, and
began his career under the late John Robert Gra-
ham, founder of the Graham Funeral Home in
South Norfolk. He continued with that organiza-
tion until November 1938.

In February 1939, he established the Gay Fu-
neral Home at Rodgers and Ohio streets in South
Norfolk. With a thorough knowledge of the profes-
sion, a personable manner and integrity of charac-
ter, he has earned the confidence of the community.
Mr. Gay is a member of the Virginia Funeral
Directors Association. He is active in community
affairs, being a member of South Norfolk Lodge
No. 339, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Ionic
Chapter No. 44, Royal Arch Masons, of Berkley;
and Willie Lee Lodge No. 119, Knights of Pythias,
in South Norfolk. He is also a member of the South
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and he is a mem-
ber of the Chesapeake Avenue Methodist Church.
Mr. Gay is fond of all outdoor sports, particularly
hunting.

On September 11, 1934, at the Soutli Norfolk-
Congregational Christian Church, Francis A. Gay
married Mildred Virginia Simpkins, daughter of
Pearl Thomas and Nellie (Lamberth) Simpkins of
that city. Her father is now retired after forty-
seven years of service with the car department of
the Norfolk and Western Railway Company, in
the course of which he advanced to the position
of superintendent. Mrs. Gay is a graduate of South

Norfolk High School, Class of 1927, and attended
Longwood State Teachers College at Farmville,
Virginia. Prior to her marriage she taught in the
Great Bridge public school. She is active in cul-
tural and civic affairs, being a member of the
Chesapeake Avenue Methodist Church, the Wo-
men's Club of South Norfolk, the Pythian Sisters
and the Order of the Eastern Star. She is vice
president of the Oscar Frommel Smith High
School's Parent-Teacher Association. Mr. and
Mrs. Gay are the parents of two children: 1. Fran-
ces Jeanette, born July 3, 1938. She is a graduate
of Oscar Frommel Smith High School. 2. Thomas
Ashland, born March 17, 1941, attending the same
high school.

HARRY DIGGS OLIVER, 2nd— Situated in an
exclusive residential section of Norfolk, the H. D.
Oliver Funeral Apartments were designed and
built to harmonize with their surroundings; yet
there is attractive individuality in the Georgian-
Colonial design and the wide sweep of the lawn
which add refinement and beauty to this long-es-
tablished funeral home. To develop an atmosphere
of "home" and relieve all possible tension from
the moment one enters, has been the motivating
purpose in the design, construction, and furnish-
ing. While the purely business aspects have been
subordinated and made as unobtrusive as possible,
there remains no doubt that the home is operated
under capable, understanding management. The
chapel, seating two hundred and fifty, has a two-
manual pipe organ, and with its indirect lightng
and quiet good taste in decorating, combines the
best features of a house of worship. The motor
equipment operated by Oliver Funeral Apartments
consists of hearses built by the Henney Superior
Corporation on a Cadillac chassis, and a fleet of
luxurious passenger cars, styled in quiet dignity.
Through these material media and capable and
friendly management, the firm carries on a ninety-
year tradition of service.

It was established in 1865 by Sterling D. Oliver
and is thus the oldest funeral establishment in
the Norfolk area. The first funeral home was at
the corner of Church and Cove streets. In 1898
a new location was chosen, at 610-612 Freemason
Street; and since 1938, the Oliver Funeral Apart-
ments have been housed in the present beautiful
structure at Colonial and Shirley avenues. The
founder continued as managing head of the busi-
ness until his death on February 2, 1884. He left
no son to carry on his name, but fortunately his
nephew, Harry Diggs Oliver, Sr., had taken an
interest in the continuance of the establishment.
He was only eighteen at the time of his uncle's
death, but he was already well schooled in the
profession, and as soon as he came of age. he

292

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

became full owner and carried forward the firm's
fine traditions until his death on May 22, 1941.
Harry D. Oliver, Sr., was born at Norfolk on
February 8, 1866, son of John B. and Sarah Eliza-
beth (Carr) Diggs. His father was a native of
Mathews County, while his mother had been born
in Princess Anne County. Educated in the schools
of Norfolk and graduating with honors from Pro-
fessor Sullivan's School of Embalming in Balti-
more in 1887, he was well equipped for his role
in life. His progressive vision and capable manage-
ment made him a leader among the funeral di-
rectors of the state. He was at one time elected
president of the Virginia State Association of
Funeral Directors and was active in the national
association. He was also a member of the Vir-
ginia State Board of Embalmers and, in the twen-
ty years he served, did much to raise the standards
of the profession. Interested in civic affairs, he
served on the Xorfolk Board of Aldermen. He
was a Rotarian, a Fourth-degree member of the
Knights of Columbus, a life member of Lodge
No. 38, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
and a member of the Association of Commerce.
He served on the board of directors of the Mutual
Federal Savings and Loan Association and the
County Charities organization and generously as-
sisted all charitable causes. He was a member of
the Virginia Club, Xorfolk Yacht and Country
Club, and, during World War I, the National
Catholic Welfare Board. Harry D. Oliver, Sr.,
married Mary Frances Patton of Xorfolk, who
died Xovember 19, 1954. Both were members of
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. They were
the foster parents of five adopted children: 1.
Mary Louise, now Mrs. George E. Schraudt, Jr.,
of Richmond. 2. Marian, now Mrs. D. Kingsley
Traylor. 3. Patton. 4. Harry Diggs, 2nd. 5. James B.

Harry Diggs Oliver, 2nd., who succeeds his father
in the management of the H. D. Oliver Funeral
Apartments, is a partner of his brother, James B.
Oliver, in the ownership of the organization. He
was born in Xorfolk on June 6, 1913, and attended
Sacred Heart Elementary School, Xorfolk Acade-
my, and Fishburn Military School at Waynes-
boro, where he graduated in the Class of 1933.
His professional preparation was received at
Renouard Training School for Embalmers, and
on completing his courses there, he was licensed
in 1935. He gained his first experience working
with his father, after graduating at Fishburn in
1933- Following the elder man's death in 1941.
he became solely responsible for the management
of the Funeral Apartments, and on March 15,
1956, he and his brother acquired the interests
from the estate and have been co-owners since
that time.

Active in professional groups, Mr. Oliver is a

member of the Virginia Funeral Directors Associa-
tion, the Xational Funeral Directors Association,
and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Vir-
ginia State Chamber of Commerce. He is a Ro-
tarian and a member of the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club and the Lafayette Club, of which
he is also a director. Affiliated with the Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks, he is a
member of Lodge No. 38. He holds the Fourth
degree in the Knights of Columbus, is a member
of the Ryan Club, and serves on the lay advisory
board of DePaul Hospital. A Roman Catholic,
he attends Sacred Heart Church. His favorite
outdoor sports are boating, fishing, and hunting.

On April 30, 1938, in Richmond, Harry Diggs
Oliver, 2nd, married Mary Elizabeth Mengel of
that city, daughter of John George and Mary
Arthur (Rieves) Mengel. The couple are the par-
ents of six children: 1. Mary Frances. 2. Harry
Diggs, 3rd. 3. Elizabeth Anne. 4. Loretta. 5. John
Patton. 6. Martin V.

James B. Oliver, partner in the ownership of
Oliver Funeral Apartments, was born April 15,
1917, in Xorfolk. He attended Sacred Heart Ele-
mentary School, and graduated from Maury High
School. Since 1938 he has been associated with
the family business. He is a member of the Xor-
folk Yacht and Country Club, a member and
the charter president of the Sertoma Club of
Norfolk, and a member of the Virginia Club, Xor-
folk Sports Club, and Fraternal Order of Police
Associates. He and his family attend Blessed
Sacrement Roman Catholic Church.

His wife is the former Miss Margaret Terrell
of Richmond, and they have three children: 1.
James B., Jr. 2. Barry Lane. 3. Leslie Terrell.

ROBERT DAVID HECHT— The Hecht Dis-
tributing Company, Inc., of Portsmouth, acts as dis-
tributor of Schlitz beer in that city, South Xorfolk,
Berkley, and half of Norfolk County. The founder
of this firm was Robert David Hecht, who serves
as its president and manager. Its warehouse and
offices are located at 917 Middle Street, Ports-
mouth. There are fourteen persons on its payroll,
and seven trucks are used in delivery operations.
The company has warehouse facilities totaling six
thousand square feet.

A native of Norfolk, Robert D. Hecht was born
on March 16, 1922, the oldest of three sons of
Irving and Sarah Yetta (Leibowitz) Hecht of
that city. His father remains the directing head of
Irving Hecht and Company, jewelers and silver-
smiths, of Xorfolk, a firm established in 1916. Pass-
ing his boyhood years in XTorfolk, Bob Hecht, as
he is best known, attended public schools there
and graduated from Maury High School in 1939.
He then entered the College of William and Mary,

TWVa. 33

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

^93

Norfolk Division, where he was a student for two
years, majoring in economics. At the end of that
time, he transferred to the University of Virginia,
from which he graduated in 1943, with the degree
of Bachelor of Science in Business Administra-
tion. While there, he was a member of the Naval
Reserve Officers Training Corps and served as
battalion adjutant. On his graduation, he was com-
missioned as ensign in the United States Naval
Reserve.

Mr. Hecht immediately entered active service
in World War II, being assigned to the destroyer
service in the Pacific. He was in action until the
invasion and capture of Okinawa, where his ship
was damaged by enemy action, after which he
served as assistant professor of Naval Science and
Tactics at Villanova College in Pennsylvania. He
continued on the faculty there until he was separ-
ated from the active service of the United States
Navy at Philadelphia in December 1946, with the
rank of lieutenant in the United States Naval Re-
serve.

Throughout his student years, Mr. Hecht was
interested in debating. He was a member of the
Maury High School Debating Team and repre-
sented his high school, in 1938-1939, on the Vir-
ginia State High School Debating Team. At the
College of William and Mary, he was a member
of the Debate Council and captain of the Fencing
Team. At the University of Virginia, he was again
a member of the Debate Council, the Athletic
Council, and the varsity fencing team of 1942-
1943, which he served as co-captain.

Following his separation from naval service in
December 1946, Mr. Hecht entered the wholesale
beer distribution business at Newport News, where
he continued until 1953. In that year he founded
his present enterprise, Hecht Distributing Com-
pany, Inc., in Portsmouth.

Active in civic affairs, he is a member of the
Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and the Ki-
wanis Club. He is treasurer of the Portsmouth
Junior Police and vice president of the Ports-
mouth Sports Club. He has given valuable sup-
port to the Community Chest's fund-raising cam-
paigns and is a member of Gomley Chesed Syna-
gogue and of Temple Sinai of Portsmouth. As
a veteran of naval service in World War II, he
is a member of the American Legion.

On June 27, 1945, at Norfolk, Robert David
Hecht married Bertha Friedman. They are the
parents of two children: 1. Gary Michael, born
August 25, 1949. 2. Leslie Dean, born April 30,
1953- The family lives at 101 Lake Circle Drive,
Portsmouth.

ALISON JEHU PARSONS— The president of
Virginia Beverage Company, Inc., at Norfolk,

Alison Jehu Parsons is a business leader whose
natural aptitudes and sound sense of values have
carried him far in his chosen field. He has won
respect for his progressive qualities, which have
kept his firm in the front rank of the beverage
industry. His friends are many, and he has taken
a responsible role in civic life. His firm is dis-
tributor for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in the Nor-
folk area, and in Princess Anne and Nansemond
counties.

Born January 24, 1899, at Salisbury, Maryland,
he is a son of Jehu Toadvine and Flora Fllen
(Holland) Parsons, both also natives of that place.
His forebears were early settlers in Salisbury and
Wicomico counties on the eastern shore of Mary-
land. His paternal great-grandfather, Jehu Par-
sons, was a large-scale planter and slave holder,
and also a banker. He acquired Pemberton Hall
Plantation in 1779. One of the historic landmarks
of the Peninsula, the manor house there was
built in 1732 by Isaac Handy, famous architect
of his time. Pemberton Hall remained in the Par-
sons family until 1888. Alison Chapman Parsons,
son of Jehu, was also a planter, and he served as
a captain in the Maryland Militia in the conflict
between the North and South. His son, Jehu
Toadvine Parsons, was a graduate of St. John's
Military Academy, and in 1897 in Salisbury, he
married Flora Ellen Holland, daughter of Isaac
and Annie B. Holland. Orphaned at an early age,
Miss Holland was reared in the home of her uncle,
Isaac Williams of Salisbury. It was in that city
that Jehu T. Parsons spent his entire life. He was
a merchant, served as mayor, and at the time
of his death on May 12, 1916, was serving as tax
collector of the city. Mrs. Parsons survives him,
and lives in the nearby village of Hebron, Mary-
land. The couple were the parents of two child-
ren: 1. Alison Jehu. 2. Alary Virginia, who mar-
ried, first, Harvey B. Morris, and married, second,
Edward T. Lantz of Salisbury.

Alison J. Parsons passed his boyhood in Salis-
bury, and graduated from Wicomico High School
in 1916. In February of that year he enlisted in
Company I, 115th Infantry, Maryland National
Guard, and served on the Mexican border. Follow-
ing this country's entry into World War I, his
unit became a component of the 29th Division.
He served with the American Expeditionary Force
in France, and was in combat in the Alsace-
Lorraine and the Meuse-Argonne sectors. For a
time following the armistice, he was assigned to
the Chemical Warfare Service, in which he held
the rank of first sergeant. Before returning to the
United States he was reassigned, on his own re-
quest, to his old outfit, Company I, 115th Infan-
try. He was mustered out of service at Fort
George G. Meade, Maryland, in July 1919, hold-

2 94

LOWER T1DKWATF.R VIRGINIA

ing the rank of corporal at that time. He had
served three years and five months and was dis-
charged six nionth> prior to his twenty-first birth-
d.n .

Returning to civilian life, .Mr. Parsons entered
the employ of George A. Bonds and Company
of Hebron, Maryland, as a timber estimator and
vegetable buyer. He continued in that work for
a year, and in t020 came to Xorfolk. There he
joined the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, for
which he worked until 19J9, holding the position
of cashier of the Xorfolk office at the time he
resigned to accept a position with the Jones Cold
Storage and Terminals Corporation. He was as-
sistant treasurer of that firm, and also acted as
cold-storage solicitor. In 1932, Mr. Parsons left to
join another organization in the same industry.
the Virginia Ice and Freezing Corporation.

In August 1933, shortly after the legalization
of beer as a beverage with the repeal of the
Eighteenth Amendment, he was granted the fran-
chise of the Pabst Brewing Company of Milwau-
kee, Wisconsin, for the distribution of its product
in Norfolk, and in Princess Anne and Nansemond
counties. When the Virginia Beverage Company,
Inc., was formed, its stockholders included Char-
les Syer, Jr.. and William G. Martin as well as
Air. Parsons. In 1937, however, he acquired Mr.
Syer's and Mr. Martin's interests and became
owner of the company while continuing as its
directing head. He is its president, Ella Ward
Parsons is vice president, George E. French is
executive vice president and sales manager, and
O. C. Drescher is secretary and treasurer. In
1953, the modern warehouse and office building
at 1306 Ballentine Boulevard was erected by the
corporation, and was occupied in January 1054.

Active in the councils of his industry, Mr. Par-
si mis is a member of the Virginia Malt Beverage
Vssociation, and served as its president in 1953-
1054. He i* also a member of the National Beer
Wholesalers of America. In his own city he be-
longs to the Chamber of Commerce, and he is
also a member of the Virginia State Chamber of
( ommerce. He serves on the board of directors
of the Leigh Memorial Hospital. He is a member
of the advisory board of XTorfolk's Civilian De-
fense program, and he has served as chairman of
the A. B. C. Retail and Wholesale Division of the
Norfolk Community Chest for some years. He-
has also served as co-chairman of the local March
of Dimes Boxing Carnival Committee, and in this
connection was influential in having bouts tele-
vised from Norfolk under the sponsorship of
Pabst. An added feature of the program has been
the televising of features of Norfolk's industrial,
commercial and community life. Reaching the pub-
lic through Columbia's television network, it lias

done much to acquaint people in other parts t>f
the country with this Lower Tidewater city — an
achievement for which Mr. Parsons deserves much
credit.

Mr. 1 'arsons is a member and past commodore
of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, a mem-
ber of the Rotary Club, and a member of Owens
Lodge No. 164. Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons. He belongs to the higher bodies of Masonry,
including Norfolk Chapter No. 101, Royal Arch
Masons; Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights Tem-
plar; and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a
member of the Virginia Club. Princess Anne Golf
and Country Club, and the Commissioned Officers
Golf Club. He is fond of golf and boating.

On May 30, 1921, at Salisbury, Alison Jehu
Parsons married Margaret Ellen Ward, daughter
of the late Benjamin Franklin and Emma Jennie
1 Wingate) Ward of Salisbury, Maryland. Her
father was a building contractor and died in 194°-
Her mother died in 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons
share a love of floriculture, and take a particular
interest in camellias. They are responsible for
some of the most attractive specimens grown in
the state of Virginia, and have over three hundred
varieties in their garden. Many are grafts which
they have produced themselves, and they have
won many awards in regional and national flower
shows. Both are members of the Virginia Camellia
Society, and are members and national judges in
the American Camellia Society. Mr. Parsons is
a member of the national society's advisory board,
and is a past president (1953-1955) of the Virginia
Camellia Society, now serving on its board of di-
rectors. Mrs. Parsons is a member and past presi-
dent of the Algonquin Garden Club, is vice presi-
dent of the Old Dominion Horticultural Society,
and a member of the Norfolk Garden Club. She
is chairman of the grounds committee of the Nor-
folk General Hospital. The couple are communi-
cants of Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church,
and Mrs. ] 'arsons is active in its Altar Guild.
The couple live at 7439 Flicker Point. Bordering
on the Lafayette River, their home is one of the
most attractive estates of Norfolk.

WILLIAM PERNELL GRIFFIN— For over
a decade and a half. William Pernell Griffin has
been distributor lor Sinclair petroleum products
in the Suffolk area, and has built up an efficiently
managed and successful organization. He has also
emerged as an influential figure in municipal affairs;
and as president of the city council, holds a posi-
tion tantamount to that of mayor.

He was horn in Sussex County, on December
8, 1901, son of William Benjamin and Susie M.
(Atkinson) Griffin. His father, also born in Sussex

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

295

County, on January 20, 1856, was a farmer and
lumberman, and lived to an advanced age, dying
on January 28, 1950. Mrs. Griffin was born in
1876, and died November 18, 1954. William P.
Griffin attended the public schools of Sussex
County, and attended Sussex High School until
1914. He later attended Sniitbdeal Business College.

At the outset of his career, he joined Standard
Oil Company of Virginia, and worked three years
in its merchandising and sales departments. He
left in 1928 to enter the employ of the Sinclair
Refining Company, remaining for a decade in
merchandising connections. With this background
of valuable experience to his credit, he became
distributor of Sinclair products in Suffolk on
August 1, 1938, and has successfully operated this
distributorship since. His firm employs nine people,
and uses seven trucks in delivering gasoline and
other products.

A Democrat in his politics, Mr. Griffin first
became a member of the Suffolk city council in
1951 by appointment. He was elected to succeed
himself in office in 1953, beginning a four-year
term. In 1955 he was appointed president of the
council, in which capacity he has duties and re-
sponsibilities comparable with those of mayor in
other cities.

A Rotarian, he was president of his club for the
T955-'956 term, and he is a member of lodges 685,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 50
(Welcome Lodge) of the Knights of Pythias,
and Hiram Lodge No. 340, Free and Accepted
Masons in Suffolk. In Masonry he is a member of
the higher bodies, including the consistory of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite at Ports-
mouth, Mount Nebo Chapter of the Royal Arch
Masons at Suffolk, the commandery of the Knights
Templar at Portsmouth, and, as a Thirty-second-
degree Mason, Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Norfolk.
He has been a devoted worker in the West End
Baptist Church, and is past chairman of its board
of deacons.

In Richmond, on February 1, 1930, William Per-
nell Griffin married Virginia H. Harris of Greens-
ville County, daughter of Tamlin Parson and
Mary Elizabeth (Ferguson) Harris. Both of her
parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin have
been civic-minded citizens of Suffolk, deeply in-
terested in community and welfare causes. He has
been particularly active in work on behalf of the
Boy Scouts of America, and has received the Silver
Beaver award. His favorite outdoor sport is fishing.

ing. He is a native of Norfolk and was born on
May 4, 1927, son of Sam and Anna (Goldblatt)
Lipkin. His father too was born in Norfolk, and
is secretary of the Southern Insurance Agency,
a position he has held since 1920. Marcus Lipkin,
grandfather of the attorney, served on the Nor-
folk city council from 1906 to 1914. Anna (Gold-
blatt) Lipkin is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia.

Taking his preparatory school studies in the
public elementary and high schools of Norfolk,
Paul M. Lipkin graduated from Maury High
School in 1945, and in July of that year entered
the United States Army. He served overseas, and
was separated from the army in 1947. At that
time he entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute at
Blacksburg, where he was a student for one year.
He then transferred to William and Mary College,
and concluded his professional studies at the Uni-
versity of Virginia, where he received his degree
of Bachelor of Laws in 1952. While in law school
he was an editor of the "Virgnia Law Review."

He began his career in association with Samuel
Goldblatt, and was admitted to partnership De-
cember 31, 1954, at which time the present firm
of Goldblatt and Lipkin was formed. In addition
to the national, state and local bar organizations,
Mr. Lipkin is a member of the Order of the Coif
and the Raven Society.

In his home city he is active in the B'nai
B'rith, being vice president of his local lodge. He is
a member of the Temple Israel Synagogue and a
member of the board of directors of the Jewish
Community Center of Norfolk. He is also a mem-
ber of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Nor-
folk. Politically, be is a Democrat.

On August 21, 1949, Paul M. Lipkin married
Eleanor Leon, daughter of Ben and Helen (Good-
man) Leon. Her father, who was born in Chicago,
Illinois, is a clothier, and operates the Leon Cus-
tom Clothiers in Norfolk. Mrs. Lipkin is active
in the women's group of B'nai B'rith, and is also
a member of the Council of Jewish Women. The
couple make their home at 6032 River Road, and
they are the parents of two children: 1. Laura
Patricia, born February 11, 1953. 2. Matthew Ho-
ward, born August 13, 1956.

PAUL M. LIPKIN, who began his law prac-
tice in recent years in the city of Norfolk, is a
member of the firm of Goldblatt and Lipkin, with
offices in the National Bank of Commerce Build-

LOUIS E. BOTTINO— One of Norfolk's large
and important industrial organizations is the Ajax
Tile and Marble Corporation, at 820 West Twenty-
first Street, a firm which acts as both fabricator
and contractor, dealing in terrazzo, ceramic tile,
composition floors, and marble, granite and lime-
stone work. Louis E. Bottino, who has had am-
ple experience in this field, is its president.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, he was born
on March 20, 1910, son of Michael and Agatha
(Scalia) Bottino. Both of his parents came to

:i/>

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

this country from Italy, where his father had
trained as a marble contractor and sculptor. Ar-
riving in the United States in 1896, he took up
his trade in Brooklyn, where he lived and worked
during the remaining years of his life. He died
in 1937 at the age of sixty, and Mrs. Bottino
was also sixty years of age when she died, in 1946.

Louis E. Bottino received his early education
in Brooklyn, then as now a borough of New York
City. He graduated from high school there in 1928,
and joined bis father, learning the business from
the rudiments up through the advanced skills.
Coming to Norfolk in 1941 to enter business for
himself, he founded the Ajax Tile and Marble
Corporation. He has built up an organization
which has completed contracts, and earned a
reputation, far beyond the confines of the city
in which it is located. It has served customers
in the Carolinas, in Maryland and as far away
as Bermuda, as well as throughout Virginia. It
manufactures marble and terrazzo products, but
also uses domestic and imported products in its
work. The attractive modern plant of Ajax Tile
and Marble Corporation has forty-five thousand
square feet of floor space, of which twenty-five
thousand square feet are under one roof. There
are over a hundred names on its payroll.

Mr. Bottino is a member of the Cavalier Yacht
and Country Club, and golf and fishing are his
favorite pastimes. He is a Roman Catholic in bis
religious faith, and a Democrat in his politics.

In February 1935, Louis E. Bottino married
Grace Cogliandro, daughter of Santo and Mary
(Bellantonio) Cogliandro, both natives of Italy.
They reside in Norfolk, and Mr. Cogliandro is
a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Bottino make their home
at 411 Ridgeley Road, Norfolk, and they are the
parents of three children: 1. Michael, who was
born in 1935. He is now attending Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. 2. Grace, born in 1041;
attending high school. 3. Sanford, born in 1943.

WALTER ELLISON WILLIAMSON, JR.—
W a funeral director whose career has been cen-
tered in Norfolk, Walter Ellison Williamson. Jr.,
has been active in the management of the Ewell
and Williamson Funeral Home at 35th Street and
Colonial Avenue. With over twenty-five years of
service to the citizens of Tidewater Virginia, this
home is situated in the select residential section
of the city. Modern in every respect, it is air-
conditioned throughout, equipped with every com-
fort and decorated with impressive dignity. The
chapel, newly enlarged and redecorated, is equip-
ped with a Wurlitzer organ, and indeed quality
equipment of every type is a distinguishing feature
of the home. Friendly consideration and sympathy
characterize its relations with the public, and its

management brings thorough training and efficiency
to their duties.

Associated with the Ewell and Williamson Fu-
neral Home since its founding, Walter E. William-
son, Jr., has achieved a wide reputation in his
profession. A native of Norfolk, he was born on
October 6, 100(1, son of Walter Ellison and Bertie
(Griggs) Williamson. He received his early edu-
cation in the public schools of Norfolk, attended
Ghent Preparatory School, and took premedical
studies at the College of William and Mary for
one year. He then entered the Renouard School
of Embalming in New York City, from which be
graduated in 1929.

Shortly afterwards, Mr. Williamson began bis
career with a local funeral home in Norfolk, re-
maining with that organization for five years. With
a thorough knowledge of his profession, he entered
into partnership with Heber E. Ewell in the found-
ing of Ewell and Williamson Funeral Home in
1932. He is a member of the Virginia Funeral
Directors Association and the National Funeral Di-
rectors Association.

In his home city, Mr. Williamson is a member
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the Cos-
mopolitan Club, and the lodges of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks and Ancient Free
and Accepted Mason. In Masonry he is affiliated
with Corinthian Lodge No. 266; the consistory of
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; and with
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of
Elizabeth Chapter No. 45, Order of the Eastern
Star. He anil bis family attend the Park Place
Baptist Church.

On December 13, 1040, Walter E. Williamson,
Jr., married Margaret Ayers of Norfolk, daughter
of Vasco I), and Margaret (Davies) Ayers.

JAMES ETHRIDGE BAYLOR— The Baylor
Picture Frame Corporation was founded by one
of Norfolk's youngest business leaders, James E.
Baylor, who lias also proved his qualities oi
executive leadership in the realty field, parking
lot management, and hardware sales.

Born April 30, 1928, in Norfolk, he is a son
of Robert P. W. and Lena (Jarvis) Baylor, both
of whom are also natives of Norfolk. Robert
Baylor, who is now with the real estate firm of
Ethridge, Baylor, and Hofheimer, is also secre-
tary and treasurer of the Baylor Picture Frame
Corporation. He served ill the navy in World
War 1, going overseas, and was discharged in
1918. He is one of Norfolk's veteran real estate
operators and a member of the Norfolk Real Es-
tate Board. He has also served on the city's
Selective Service Board.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

297

Reared in Norfolk and attending its public
schools, James E. Baylor graduated from Maury
High School in 1945. In 1947, before he had
reached the age of twenty, he entered the real
estate business, being the 3'oungest dealer in pro-
perties then active in the city, and he continued
active in his agency for a year and a half. In
1949 he left to found Baylor Picture Frame Corp-
oration, and he has since managed this firm as
its president.

As indicated above, his father, R. P. W. Baylor,
is its secretary-treasurer, and Paul B. Victorius
is vice president. The firm conducts a custom
picture framing business in all parts of the state
of Virginia; retails prints, art supplies, and greet-
ing cards; and does engraving. Eight people are
employed full-time at its headquarters, 241-243
York Street. This was once the site of a stable
owned by Mr. Baylor's grandfather, whose resi-
dence was at the present location of Mr. Baylor's
parking lot. This lot is operated by the Bute-
Duke Parking Lot Company, which Mr. Baylor
founded in 1950, and of which he remains the
owner. He has headed a number of other busi-
ness enterprises as well. He opened a photogra-
phic store in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in
1951, but disposed of it the following year. In
T953 he opened the Little Creek Hardware Store,
which he still operates as secretary-treasurer. Also
in 1953 he established the Baylor Manufacturing
Company, a firm acting as manufacturers' agent,
but this ceased operations in 1954. In 1955 he
bought the book store of William Treeman and
Son, which was closed in 1956.

Mr. Baylor is secretary-treasurer of the Nor-
folk Parking Association and is active in the
Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business
Bureau. He is a veteran of service in the United
States Marines, in which he enlisted in 1945. He
was separated from the service the following year,
but remained in the Marine Corps Reserves until
1951. His hobby is boating. He maintains a fish-
ing boat and is a member of the Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club.

On December 9, 1950, James Ethridge Baylor
married Marion Webb, daughter of Harry Earl
and Julia (Mountcastle) Webb. Her father was
born in Madison, New York, and her mother in
Weldon, North Carolina. He is an accountant by
profession and is a veteran of World War I. Mrs.
Baylor attended the College of William and Mary,
Norfolk Division and Williamsburg Division. She
is active in the King's Daughters and is eligible
for membership in the Daughters of the American
Revolution. The couple are the parents of one
child: Marion Lee, who was born on January 25,
1956. James E. Baylor is one of four children
born to his parents. His brother, Robert P. W.

Baylor, Jr., lost his life on Iwo Jima in February
1945. while serving in the Marine Corps. Richard
A. is an accountant in Norfolk, and he served
in the United States Army in World War II.
Lena Jarvis Baylor is the only daughter. Air.
and Mrs. James E. Baylor make their home at
6000 Eastwood Terrace, Norfolk.

CLIFTON LINWOOD PIERCE— For three
decades, the Pierce Tire Company has occupied
a prominent place on the Suffolk business scene.
It is still operated by its founder, Clifton Lin-
wood Pierce, and his son, Clifton, Jr. It is the
headquarters of Goodyear products for this area.

Mr. Pierce is a native of Nansemond County,
and was born at Myrtle on October 6, 1880, son
of William J. and Mary Frances (Cooper) Pierce.
His father was a lumberman, active in the states
of North Carolina and Virginia. Receiving his
education in the public schools of Nansemond
County, Clifton L. Pierce, Sr., pursued the oc-
cupation of farming until he was nineteen years
of age. At that time he became a fireman on
the Suffolk-Carolina Railroad, served in that ca-
pacity for about four years, and was then en-
gineer on the same line for five years. He left
railroading to enter the lumber industry, and
for three years was superintendent for a lumber
company in Sussex County. He later became a
partner in the firm of A. B. Hartz and Company
in Waverly, Virginia, manufacturers of keg
staves; and on first coming to Suffolk, worked
for the American Lumber Company.

Determining to enter business in his own
right, he left the lumber industry in 192G to
enter the tire retailing field, and since 1929 has
dealt exclusively in Goodyear tires and rubber
products. Entering the business with a firm be-
lief that service constitutes an integral part of
the tire business, he installed sectional molds
and provided his customers with road service.
He has since added recapping facilities. His son,
Clifton L., Jr., gained experience in the business
before the World War II period, and since his
return from Air Corps service, has become a
partner in the firm now known as Pierce Tire
Company.

Although he was formerly identified with the
Lions Club and the lodge of Benevolent and
Pro*ective Order of Elks, C. L. Pierce, Sr., has
now demitted from both. He remains active, how-
ever, in the work of his church, the Suffolk
Christian, and is currently serving as a deacon.
He is a Democrat in his politics.

On October 5, 1904, at Elizabeth City, North
Carolina, Clifton Linwood Pierce, Sr., married
Ether Brinkley of Suffolk, daughter of Felton
W. and Lizzie D. (Berrylea) Brinkley. The cou-

:yS

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

pie are the parents of one son, Clifton L., Jr.,
whose sketch accompanies.

CLIFTON LINWOOD PIERCE, JR.— Junior
partner in Suffolk's well-known tire dealership,
Clifton Linwood Pierce, Jr., has been active in
the management of the Pierce Tire Company
since he returned from wartime service in the
Navy Air Corps. He was born at Homeville, in
Sussex County, on March 22, 1918, son of Clif-
ton L., Sr., and Ether (Brinkley) Pierce. Re-
ceiving his education in the public schools of Suf-
folk, he graduated from high school there in 1939.

In his boyhood, he gained his first experience
in the tire sales firm, working on a part-time
basis under the expert tutelage of his father.
Following the completion of his high school stu-
dies, he worked full time in the wholesale and
retail tire agency. When this country entered
World War II, however, he left to enlist in the
United States Naval Air Corps. He spent four
years in uniform, of which two and a half years
were spent overseas in the Pacific Theater of
Operations. He distinguished himself in the serv-
ice of his country and won a number of decora-
tions.

After the w;.r he rejoined the business with
which he had "grown up," and is now a partner
in the Pierce Tire Company. V/ith his father
withdrawing gradually from active management,
C. L. Pierce. Jr., is now largely in charge of
operations.

As r. veteran of World War II, he is a mem-
ber of Suffolk Post No. 57 of the American Le-
gion. He also belongs to the Lions Club and the
lodges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks and Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
In Masonry, besides his membership in Suffolk
Lodge No. 30, he is identified with Mount Nebo
Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons No. 20, and
Commandery No. 5 at Portsmouth of the Knights
Templar. He is a member of Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He attends Suffolk Christian Church,
serves on the board of finance (of which he was
formerly *he chairman), and is also assistant
superintendent of the Sunday school.

It was at this church, on October 28, 1947, that
Clifton L. Pierce, Jr., married Mary Katherine
Allmond of Suffolk, daughter of Harry and
Gladys (Waddell) Allmond. The couple are the
parents of two daughters: 1. Katherine Lynn,
who was born on November 7, 1951. 2- Martha
\nn, born December 18, 1954.

IRVING B. KLINE— The president and treas-
urer of Kline Chevrolet Sales Corporation of Nor-

folk, Irving B. Kline was a pioneer in the auto-
motive field in Baltimore, Maryland. He has made
an important contribution to the automotive m-
dustry, with which he has been identified since
1912. A resident of Norfolk since 1920, he formed
his Chevrolet sales firm there five years later,
and has won a place in the ranks of the city's
business leaders, and in its civic leadership as well.

He was born May 20. 1894, at Baltimore. Mary-
land, the youngest of the three children of James
D. and Amelia (Schoolherr) Kline. His father
was a native of Germany, and in ln> early teens
came to America. He served in the Confederate
States Army from Greensboro. North Carolina,
and for many years prior to his retirement, was
a prominent building contractor of Baltimore. He
passed his last few years in Norfolk, where he
died in 1920. His wife, the former Amelia School-
herr, was born in Baltimore, and died in Norfolk
in 1932.

It was in Baltimore that Irving B. Kline parsed
his boyhood, and he attended Friends Quaker
School and Baltimore City College. When he tir=.t
entered the automotive field, in 1012, he began
selling motorcycles, and in the early years ot his
career, operated a sales agency for the Stanley
Steamer. He also sold other make- of automo-
biles of that period, when there were a great
many more manufacturers of motor cars than at
the present time. He was a pioneer in selling
motor cars on a time-payment plan. During the
years 1916-1917 he operated the Kline Motor Com-
pany of Baltimore, a Ford agency, which he sold
when he entered the Naval Aviation Corp- for
service in World War I. He remained in the serv-
ice of the Corps until 1919, and in 1920 came to
Norfolk. There he continued his activities in the
automobile sales field, and in 1925, organized the
Kline Chevrolet Sales Corporation, which opened
its doors in December of that year. He has held
the distributorship for this popular low-priced
car ever since. His first location was in the old
American Theatre Building and later at 731 dau-
by Street. In January 1933. Kline Chevrolet Sales
Corporation established its present sales and serv-
ice center at Monticello and 13th Street. In [951,
there was erected there one of the most modern
sales and service buildings in the Lower Tidewater
region. The agency began its existence under
Mr. Kline's direction with eight employees, and
its payroll is now in excess of one hundred and
fort). Highly trained personnel in both the sa!e>
and the service departments, plus the latest factory-
approved equipment for complete service to the
motoring public. The company's plant now covers
the entire block extending from 13th to 14th and
from Granby to Monticello Avenue. Through
gradual but steady growth, the agency has be-

e. £. GL

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

29Q

come one of Virginia's largest Chevrolet dealer-
ships. It owes much of its success to long-stand-
ing friendships in customer relationships, and to
employee loyalty.

Irving B. Kline has continued as president and
treasurer of the firm since its inception. In 1949.
his oldest son, Richard H., entered the firm, and
is now vice president and manager. In 1956 his
youngest son, James Martin Kline, became active
in the business as vice president and secretary.

Mr. Kline is honorary chairman of the Tide-
water Multiple Sclerosis Society, and honorary-
vice president of the American Humane Associa-
tion (national organization). He is a member of
the advisory committee of the Girls Club of Nor-
folk, director of the De Paul Hospital of Norfolk,
director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruel-
ty to Animals, committeeman of the Norfolk
Chapter, National Conference of Christians and
Jews, and a member and past director of the
Kiwanis Club of Norfolk, as well as a past di-
rector of Camp Kiwanis. He is a member of
Norfolk Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, and for the past twenty-five years has
been a member of Khedive Temple, Ancient Ara-
bic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at
Norfolk. He is also a member of the lodge of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in
that city, and a member and past president of
Consolvo Tent, Circus Saints and Sinners, mem-
ber and past president of the Hague Club; mem-
ber and past president of the Norfolk Chapter
of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals; president of the Fraternal Order of
Police Associates; Commodore of Lodge No. 3
of Norfolk; president of the Norfolk Citizens
Council for Traffic Safety; past chairman of the
Civitan Selection Committee for Outstanding City
Employees; past president and member of the
organizing committee, and currently director of
the Better Business Bureau of Norfolk; vice presi-
dent of the Retail Merchants Association of Nor-
folk: past director of the Izaak Walton League
of Norfolk; and past chairman of the board of
the Lynn Haven Hunt Club.

Prominent in automotive circles, Mr. Kline is
vice president of the Virginia Council, Automobile
Old Timers Club; is a member and past president
and secretary of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Auto-
mobile Dealers Association; is director of the
Tidewater Automobile Association and of the
Automobile Trade Association of Virginia; and is
a member and past director of the Virginia Chev-
rolet Dealers Association. He is a past director
of General Motors Dealers Conference (national),
and a member of the Virginia State Automobile
Dealers Association and the National Automobile
Dealers Association.

Of Jewish faith, Mr. Kline is a member of Ohef
Sholom Temple Congregation of Norfolk. Fond
of animals and especially of horses, he particularly
enjoys riding around his Riverlynn Farm in Prin-
cess Anne County. There he maintains a fine
stable of hunters. He is a member and former vice
president of the Norfolk Horse Show Association.

On October 8, 1925, at Norfolk, Irving B. Kline
married Isabelle Hofflin of that city, daughter of
Marcellus and Dessa (Brandtl Hofflin. She at-
tended Ward-Belmont College and Highland
Manor College. Active in civic and community
affairs, she served as a captain in the Women's
Auxiliary Motor Corps of Norfolk at the time
of World War II. Mr. and Mrs. Kline are the
parents of two sons: I. Richard Hofflin, born at
Norfolk on November 3, 1927. He graduated from
Maury High School in 1945, and in 1949 took
his degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Univer-
sity of Virginia. Since his graduation there, he
has been closely associated with the management
of the Kline Chevrolet Sales Corporation, being
vice president and manager. His record is to be
found elsewhere in these pages. On October 12,
1952, he married Sandra Pilzer, of Portsmouth,
and they are the parents of a daughter, Deborah
Kline. 2. James Martin, born September 9, 1930,
at Norfolk. He graduated from Maury High
School in 1948 and from the University of Virginia
in 1932, taking his degree of Bachelor of Science
in Psychology. Following his graduation he en-
tered the United States Naval Air Corps in 1952,
receiving his basic training at Pensacola, Florida.
He was commissioned a pilot at Corpus Christi,
Texas, in 1953. He was separated from active
service in 1956, with the rank of lieutenant, junior
grade, and that is his present rank in the United
States Naval Air Corps Reserve. Now active in
the management of the Kline Chevrolet Sales
Corporation, he holds the offices of vice president
and secretary. He is a member of Zeta Beta Tau
social fraternity, and is fond of all sports, especi-
ally horseback riding and hunting. On November
&. 1953, in Washington, D. C, James M. Kline
married Norma Gewirz of that city.

RICHARD HOFFLIN KLINE, vice president
and manager of the Kline Chevrolet Sales Cor-
poration of Norfolk, is a progressive young leader,
as well as a prominent figure in the city's business
circles. He was born November 3, 1927, at Nor-
folk, son of Irving B. and Isabelle (Hofflin) Kline.
His father, founder, president and treasurer of
Kline Chevrolet Sales Corporation, is the subject
of an accompanying sketch.

Attending the public schools of Norfolk, Rich-
ard H. Kline graduated from Maury High School

JOO

LOWER TIDFAVATFR VIRGINIA

in 1945, and from the University of Virginia, where
he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 194".
Since completing his formal education he has
been associated with the automobile agency which
his father founded. He attended the General
Motors Institute for two years, and has risen to
the position of vice president and manager of his
firm.

Constructively interested in local affairs, and
in making a better Norfolk through unselfish
service to hi-- fellows, he has held a number of
positions of trust in welfare groups. He served
as vice chairman of Norfolk Brotherhood Week,
and was co-chairman for the March of Dimes of
the city of Norfolk. He was vice chairman of the
Norfolk Sports Club's scholarship fund, and he
has been active in the fund-raising campaigns of
the Norfolk Community Chest, the Norfolk Gen-
eral Hospital Building Fund (whose efforts are
bearing fruit in the erection of a four-and-a-half-
million-dollar hospital addition), the Young Men's
Christian Association, and Radio Free Europe,
which combats communism through broadcasts
beamed behind the Iron Curtain. He has partici-
pated fully in the Anti-tuberculosis Mobile Unit
campaigns, the State Rodeo for Safe Drivers, and
the Joy Fund and other groups of progressive
aims. Active in the Junior Chamber of Commerce,
he formerly served on its board of directors.

He belongs to the Virginia Beach Lodge of
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Lafayette
Boat Club, the Fraternal Order of Police Associa-
tes, the Norfolk Sports Club, and the Hague
Club. He is interested in cultural affairs, and is
a member of the Community Concerts Association,
which brings world-renowned performing artists
to Norfolk audiences. He is also active in the
Alumni Club of the University of Virginia, and
is a member and past president of Pi Tan Pi fra-
ternity. He served on the Norfolk Azalea Festival
Committee, and is a member of the local Civil
Defense organization. His religious affiliation is
with Ohef Sholom Temple.

On October 12, 1952. Richard Hofflin Kline
was married to Sandra Pilzer of Portsmouth, and
they became the parents of one daughter, Deborah
Kline.

JOHN ARCHIE JOHNSON— In association
with his son. John Archie Johnson is proprietor
of Cavalier Clothes, at 2309 Hampton Boulevard,
Norfolk, a firm which he has built up from its
predecessor organizations over the past two de-
cades. A native of Northampton County, North
Carolina, he was born on April 21, 1885, son of
Thomas Goodwin and Mariah Lucrecy (Home)
Johnson. His father, who was a farmer, served

the Confederate cause for four years, was cap-
tured by Union forces, and spent a part of his
military life as a prisoner at Elmira, New York.
He died in [912, in his seventy-eighth year. His
wife, the former Mariah Lucrecy Home, had died
in 1898, at the age of forty-one.

John A. Johnson was reared on a farm in
Northampton County near the little country vil-
lage of Pendleton, North Carolina. He received
his education in local public schools and for one
year attended high school in Northampton County.
He left the farm in June 1906, and came to Nor-
folk to accept a position as shipping clerk with
the wholesale clothing firm of S. Frank and Son,
one of the few such establishments in that line
of business in the South at that time. He became
assistant manager in 1920, and remained with the
same firm until the spring of 1938, when he and
W. H. Frank, then its owner, liquidated the
company.

In the same year, Mr. Johnson organized his
own clothing firm with M. W. Abbitt as a part-
ner, beginning operations under the name of John-
son-Abbitt Company. This was a wholesale men's
and boys' clothing concern. Late in the year 1949
in association with his son, John Archie Johnson,
Jr., he bought Mr. Abbitt's share in the business,
which at that time had its headquarters at 317
Bank Street, Norfolk. A few months later the
name was changed to its present form, Cavalier
Clothes. Having outgrown its original location
in a congested downtown area, Mr. Johnson's
organization moved into a new and more spacious
building, designed for its needs, in the spring of
1954. This is at the present Hampton Boulevard
address.

Cavalier Clothes is represented among the re-
tail trade by four salesmen; and Mr. Johnson and
his son also serve the organization through mak-
ing such contacts. The firm's products reach the
retail merchants not only throughout the Norfolk-
Portsmouth area, but throughout eastern North
Carolina as far as the South Carolina line, and
all of southern Virginia as far west as Clarksville,
Gloucester and Mathews counties, and the eastern
shore as far north as Chincoteague. One salesman
covers the Norfolk-Portsmouth locality; another
is responsible for eastern North Carolina includ-
ing the Outer Banks. John A. Johnson, Jr.. takes
charge of the other duties excepting the office.
Its management is in charge of the capable Mrs.
S. G. Akers. Although a relatively small organiza-
tion of its kind, Cavalier Clothes has an excellent
reputation for quality of merchandise, and distrib-
utes its products to the best retailing firms of
the region. The firm stocks a complete line of
men's and boys' clothing, including sportswear.

Mr. Johnson does not take an interest in fra-

Cj uke^Ut, Qht^u^J

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

301

ternal organizations or clubs, although he gives
loyal support to every cause for community bet-
terment. His religious affiliation is with the First
Baptist Church of Norfolk.

At Pendleton, in Northampton County, North
Carolina, on December 28, 191 1, John Archie
Johnson married Clara Belle Stephenson, daugh-
ter of David Newsom and Lucy Goodwin (Gay)
Stephenson. The couple are the parents of one
son, John Archie, Jr., who was born on August
23, 1922. He graduated from Maury High School,
in 1940 and after one year at the College of
William and Mary, transferred to Virginia Poly-
technic Institute for one year. He left his studies
to enter the United States Army Air Corps, in
which he served as a technician for two years.
He remained in the Reserves on conclusion of
his active service. Returning to his college cur-
riculum after the war, he graduated from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute in 1946 with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
He then went to the University of Pennsylvania,
where he took graduate courses and received his
Master of Arts degree in 1948. Since that time
he has been a partner in Cavalier Clothes. John
Archie Johnson, Jr., married Betty Delia Wood
of Norfolk, daughter of J. \Y. Wood (q. v.) and
Carrie (Jones) W?ood. They have two children: i. J.
Archie Johnson, III, born November 18, 1951. ii.
Elizabeth Anne Johnson, limn November .30, 1955.

GEORGE C. WHITE— Owner and man-
ager of Preston's Pharmacy, at 1401 Poindexter
Street, South Norfolk, George C. White manages
a modern and scientifically operated enterprise in
the drug and sundries retailing field. He is a mem-
ber and past president of the Tidewater Retail
Drug Association, and widely known in phar-
macists' circles throughout his region.

He was born on June 15, 191 1, in the Berkley
section of Norfolk, son of John Earl and Rebecca
Frances (Dashiell) White. In both paternal and
maternal lines, his forebears were early settlers of
Norfolk. He graduated from Maury High School
in 1929 and entered Virginia Military Institute,
where he continued his academic studies for two
years. For his professional training he entered the
Medical College of the University of Virginia, at
Richmond, where he graduated with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 193.3.

He began his career as a registered pharmacist
with the A. V. Masters Pharmacy at Norfolk, and
was later associated with the Joseph P. Hall Phar-
macy at Suffolk. In 1942 he joined Preston's Phar-
macy in South Norfolk, and the following year
became a partner in this long-established store,
which had been founded by W. Dean Preston in

1912. In 1946 he acquired sole ownership, but has
continued the business under the original name.

Long active in the Tidewater Retail Drug Asso-
ciation, he was its president in 1953-1954, and he is
also a member of the Virginia Pharmaceutical As-
sociation and the National Retail Druggists Asso-
ciation. He is a member and past president of the
South Norfolk Better Business Club, and a member
of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. His only
business connection, besides the management of
his drug store, is membership on the board of
directors of the Chesapeake Building Association.
He is a member of Doric Lodge No. 44, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, holds the Thirty-
second degree in the Scottish Rite, and belongs to
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, and attends St.
Bride's Episcopal Church, where he is past senior
warden. He enjoys all outdoor sports, but is
especially fond of football.

On June 29, 194 r, at Richmond, George C. White
married Rita Price Jones, daughter of Granville
Price and Rebecca (Parks) Jones. Her family lived
on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Her mother is
deceased. Mrs. White is active in cultural and civic
affairs, and is a member of the Norfolk Women's
Club, Campostella Garden Club and St. Bride's
Episcopal Church. Air. and Mrs. George C. White
have two daughters: 1. Rita Joan, who took
her degree of Bachelor of Arts at Mary Baldwin
College, Staunton, Virginia, in 1953. She is now
a teacher in Norfolk's public schools. 2. Mary Cor-
bin, also a graduate of Mary Baldwin College where
she took her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954. She
now teaches in the public schools of Richmond.
She married William Thomas Johnson of that city,
a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and now a
medical student in the Medical College of Virginia,
at Richmond.

HERBERT NICHOLAS ALLEN, SR.— The
Peninsula'., Buick dealer Nick Allen — who is
much better known by that name than by the
fuller one which heads this sketch — has to his
credit nearly three decades of efficient and con-
scientious service in the automotive retailing
field. His agency is located at Thirtieth Street
and Huntington Avenue, Newport News. He is
well known in trade circles as well as through
his numerous civic and organizational connections.

Mr. Allen came to the Lower Tidewater area
from Ge- rgia, having been born in Savannah on
January 2, 1895, son of Charles Judson and An-
nette M. (Ilderton) Allen. His father too was
a native of Savannah, and became active in the
insurance and real estate business in that city.

302

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

He died in 1930 and his wife, the former Annette
M. Ilderton, is also deceased. She was born in
Sumraerville, South Carolina. Completing his pub-
lic school education in Savannah, Nick Allen en-
tered military service before beginning his busi-
ness career. Before World War I he served un-
der General Pershing on the Mexican border;
and he remained in service throughout World
War I. Spending seventeen months overseas, he
advanced to the rank of master sergeant.

In 1920, Mr. Allen joined his brother, C. Jud-
son Allen, Jr., in the management of the Allen
Tire Company in Savannah. They continued as
partners in this venture until 1924. For two years
thereafter he was a traveling auditor for General
Motors Corporation.

Mr. Allen settled in Newport News in 1928,
and that same year acquired the franchise for
the sale of Buick cars in that city. He has built
up one of the major automobile sales organiza-
tiDi.s on the Peninsula. His headquarters is a
modern two-story brick building at Thirtieth
Street and Huntington Avenue, where the spa-
cious showrooms, executive offices, repair and
service center and parts department are all lo-
cated. A used car lot is situated a half-block
distant, in the 2900 block. Mr. Allen has an ex-
cellent record for reliability in reconditioning
used cars so that customers can purchase them
w:th the assurance of many miles of troublefree
service. When World War II practically removed
new cars from the market. Mr. Allen made his
sales and service headquarters available to the
United States Army for use as an overseas post
office. Millions of pieces of mail for military
personnel abroad were processed here. When
peacetime brought normal conditions, the proprie-
tor thoroughly reconditioned the building, and
it is one of the most attractive and well managed
in the area. His sales volume has gone up steadily
in the decade since the war. Buick has sold
exceptionally well, even cutting into the large-
volume levels of the low-priced cars, and Mr.
Allen lias won his share of this business. His
agency has been known by its present name,
Nick Allen Motors, Inc., since September 1937.
He is president of the corporation, and his two
sons, H. N. Allen, Jr., and Charles J. Allen, are
associated with him in management.

Mr. Allen is a member of the Hampton-New-
port News Auto Dealers Association, the Vir-
ginia State Automotive Trade Association and
the National Automobile Dealers Association. He
is a life member of the Automobile Old Timers.
In his home city he belongs to the lodge of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
and the James River Country Club, and attends
the Trinity Methodist Church. Agricultural In-

terests constitute an important avocation, and he
owns and operates Allen's Ranch at Stuart, Flori-
da. There, on forty-two hundred acres, he has
over a thousand head of beef cattle. He is a
director of the Florida Cattlemen's Association.
Fond of out-of-door life generally, lie hunts,
fishes and plays golf.

At Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct ber 17, 1925, Her-
bert Nicholas Allen, Sr., married Belle Garrett
of that city, daughter of Jar.ies J. and Ethel
(Lassiter) Garrett. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are the
parents of two children: 1. Herbert Nicholas,
Jr. He is married, and the father of twin sons,
Herbert Nicholas, 3rd, and William Rickey, who
were born in March 1956. 2. Charks Jordan,
who married Miss Dorothy Mae Blanks. Both
sons are in business with their father.

EDGAR CLARENCE WHITE, JR.— Presi-
dent and manager of E. C. White, Contractor,
Inc., of Norfolk, Edgar Clarence White is one
of the Lower Tidewater's younger leaders in the
building field. He specializes in roadway, street
and highway paving, projects involving the lay-
ing of asphalt and macadam, and municipal im-
provements.

He was born June 7, 1925, in Norfolk, son of
the late Edgar Clarence and Hazel (Hartman)
White. His father, who died at Norfolk on June
15, 1954, was a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia,
and for many years was superintendent of the
F. J. McGuire Paving Company in Norfolk. Fol-
lowing the death of Mr. McGuire in 1948, he
remained active in the paving contracting business
under his own name until his death. His experi-
ence in the industry extended over a period of
forty years, and he was a pioneer contractor for
street paving in Norfolk, where a large propor-
tion of its more modern thoroughfares were paved
under his supervision.

His son, Edgar C. White, Jr., was educated
in the public schools of Norfolk, graduating from
Norview High School in 1942. He continued his
education by attending night classes at the Col-
lege of William and Mary, Norfolk Division. Dur-
ing World War II, he served in the United States
Army Air Corps, being with the 15th Air Force
as a tail gunner on a B-24. His unit was based
in Italy. At the time of separation from the
service in 1945, he held the rank of staff sergeant.

He began his career in the paving contracting
field in association with the McGuire Paving Com-
pany, and later worked in partnership with his
father. In 1954, the firm of E. C. White, Contrac-
tor, Inc., of Norfolk, was formed, and incorporated
with Edgar C. White, Jr., as its president and
treasurer, and William S. White, a brother, as

^^-f.7*c(%^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3°3

vice president and secretary. The firm is exten-
sively engaged in street and highway paving pro-
jects throughout the Tidewater area. Few con-
struction firms in this region can report as steady
growth in the volume of its contracting business
as E. C. White, Contractor, Inc. It holds organiza-
tional membership in the Virginia Road Builders
Association, the Virginia Asphalt Association, the
American Road Builders Association and the Nor-
folk Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. White is a member of the Hampton Roads
Post of the American Society of Military Engi-
neers, the Cavalier Beach Club, Lafayette Yacht
Club and the First Lutheran Church of Norfolk.

In September 1948, Edgar Clarence White, Jr.,
married Elizabeth Sclater of Richmond, daughter
of William P. and Anne ( Perkins) Sclater. She
is a member of the First Lutheran Church and
the Larrymore Acres Garden Club.

JESSE JACKSON McCLOUD is the founder
and owner of McCloud Building Supplies Com-
pany, at 4435 Bainbridge Boulevard, South Nor-
folk.

Born October 30, 1910, in South Norfolk, he is
a son of Jesse Harrison and the late Bessie (Camp-
bell) McCloud. In the paternal line he is descend-
ed from early settlers in Norfolk County. The im-
migrant forebear, Daniel McCloud, was born in
1710 in Scotland, and records show that he lived on
Catherine Street in Norfolk before the end of the
colonial period. His son John McCloud was among
the early shipbuilders of Norfolk, where he spent
his entire life. The son of this shipbuilder was
also named John McCloud, and he served in the
United States Navy as a boatswain's mate at the
time of the naval warfare with Tripoli, 1801-1805,
and again during the War of 1812, aboard the
U. S. S. "Wasp" and the U. S. S. "Independence."
Colonel John B. McCloud, his son, was born in
Norfolk in 1812, and died in 1865. He was elected
to the United States Congress in 1862, but never
served. His son was John Allan McCloud, who
was born in 1832 and died in Norfolk County in
1908. Jesse McCloud, son of John Allan, was born
on July 2, 1866, and lived his entire life in Nor-
folk County, where he died on October I, 1952.
He was a blacksmith in the Scufflin Town section
of Norfolk County, and married Annie Jackson
Gibson, who was born at Portlock, daughter of
Peter Harrison and Virginia Frances (Buxton)
Gibson. Peter H. Gibson was born in Camden
County, North Carolina, in 1819, and died at Port-
lock in 1896; while his wife was born in 1836, and
died in 1893, also at Portlock. Jesse Harrison Mc-
Cloud, father of the subject of this sketch, was a
son of Jesse and Annie Jackson (Gibson) Mc-

Cloud. Born January 7, 1888, in Norfolk County,
he has for many years been engaged in the lumber
manufacturing business, and since 1935 has owned
and operated the J. H. McCloud Lumber Company
on Bainbridge Boulevard. On December 6, 1906, he
married Bessie Campbell, also of Norfolk County
and daughter of Jacob Decatur and Martha Adelia
(McDaniel) Campbell. She was born at Columbus,
Ohio, on July 1, 1886, and died at South Norfolk
on October 28, 1953. On April 17, 1956, Jesse
H. McCloud married, second, Emma Jane (Gard-
ner) Bowman of Lynchburg, Virginia.

The second of his parents' six children, Jesse
Jackson McCloud attended the public elementary
schools and Portlock High School, and beginning
his business career at the time of the depression
of the early 1930s, worked at various jobs. He
finally secured a more permanent position as an
employee of the Ford Motor Company plant at
Norfolk. During the thirteen years he worked
there, he was laying the foundation for his own
business enterprise by arranging for the purchase
of a site on Bainbridge Boulevard, on terms of five
dollars down and five dollars per month until title
was secured. This became the site of his present
business, McCloud Building Supplies Company,
which he founded on July 17, 1945. From a very
modest beginning, it has expanded into one of
the most complete supplies firms of the region. In
1951, Mr. McCloud erected the modern building
which now houses the firm. He has entered the
manufacturing field, as producer of the Malta
window units, assembled in all sizes, which have
won a wide sale through both wholesale and re-
tail outlets. A man of mechanical talents, he has
himself developed an efficient airtight window unit
wdiich is also in popular demand.

His leadership in business made Mr. McCloud
a logical candidate for membership on the city
council, to which he was elected in June 1953.
Taking office in September of that year for a
four-year term, he has served two years as vice
mayor, and has taken a prominent part in the
formulation of policies leading to a more progres-
sive and efficient municipal government. He is
also a member of the South Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce, on the board of directors of the Better
Business Bureau, and a member of the Retail
Merchants Association of South Norfolk and the
Virginia Building Material Dealers Association.

Eight years ago, Mr. McCloud launched a sec-
ond business venture. Entering the building field,
he erected a number of homes in South Norfolk,
and his activities in this field resulted in the
founding of the Bainbridge Construction Com-
pany, Inc., in 1955. He is head of this firm.

Mr. McCloud is a member of Lodge No. 464 of

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the Loyal Order of Moose in South Norfolk, and
he attends the Rosemont Congregational Christian
Church in that city. He formerly served as treas-
urer of its John Morrison Bible Class.

At South Mills, North Carolina, on November
22, 1930, Jesse J. McCloud married Mildred Leigh
Bagley of South Norfolk, daughter of James C.
and Corriiie (White) Bagley. Mr. and Mrs. Mc-
Cloud are the parents of three children: 1. Mar-
jorie Millicent. She attended Lynchburg College,
and is married to James J. Anderson of Avon,
Virginia, a graduate of the University of Virginia
with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master
of Arts. Mr. Anderson is now working toward his
doctor's degree in chemistry at the University of
Virginia. The couple are the parents of a daughter.
Janie Anderson. 2. Mary Lou, who married Robert
V. White of South Norfolk. Mr. White is associat-
ed with the McCloud Building Supplies Company.
3. Jacqueline Leigh, attending elementary school
in South Norfolk.

LEO PECCI BLAIR— The legal profession has
always attracted to its ranks a class of men gifted
with keen perception and a logical turn of mind,
well fitted to cope with the intricate problems
which the practice of law presents. Such a man
is Leo P. Blair successful attorney practicing at
Portsmouth.

A native of that city, he was born on July 19,
1903, son of Samuel Edward and Mary (McDon-
ough) Blair. Both of his parents are now deceased.
His father was a locomotive engineer with the
Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Leo P. Blair received
his early education in Portsmouth, and graduated
from St. Paul's Academy there in the Class of
1918. He continued his education at Old Point
Comfort College, near Phoebus, and later at
Leonardtown Preparatory School, Leonardtown,
Maryland. He majored in law at the University
of Richmond and George Washington University,
where he took summer courses.

In 1924 Mr. Blair passed the Virginia State Bar
examination and in that year entered the general
practice of law at Portsmouth, in association with
his brother, J. Allen Blair. They formed the law
firm of Blair and Blair, a professional association
which continued until 1930. Since that time, Leo
P. Blair has continued in individual practice, with
offices in the New Kirn Building.

As a lawyer, he is a member of the Portsmouth-
Norfolk County Bar Association, and has served
as its president. He is also a member of the Vir-
ginia State Bar Association. In his own community
he belongs to the Portsmouth Chamber of Com-
merce, Lodge No. 82 of the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks and St. Paul's Roman Catho-

lic Church. During World War II he served as a
member of the Portsmouth Selective Service Sys-
tem.

On November 7, 1941, in Portsmouth. Leo P.
Blair married Mary Elizabeth Davis of Ports-
mouth. They are the parents of one daughter:
Mary Pat, born October 23, 1948. The family re-
side at East Ocean View, Princess Anne County.

R. LEE BONNEY— As president of Bonney
Motor Express, Inc., R. Lee Bonney heads a
large organization, centered at Norfolk, which
plays a vital role in linking this with other vital
commercial areas, by means of its large fleet of
trucks. The firm, which traces its beginnings
from the mid-i930s, has eighty-five refrigerator
trailer trucks, which ply the highways throughout
a territory extending up and down the East Coast
from New York to Florida and as far west as
Chicago and Kansas City. The building of such
an organization represents a most useful achieve-
ment as far as the Norfolk area is concerned and
is a tribute to Mr. Bonney's executive abilities
and foresight.

Born at London Bridge, near Virginia Beach,
on September 26, 1909, Mr. Bonney is a son of
Solon Ackis and Cora (Flanagan) Bonney. Both
parents were natives of Princess Anne County,
and Solon Bonney engaged in farming on acreage
in that county all his life. He died in 1941 at
the age of eighty-three. Mrs. Bonney died in 1929
in her fifty-sixth year. Receiving his education
in local public schools, R. Lee Bonney graduated
from Oceana High School in 1926 and then en-
tered Virginia Polytechnic Institute at Blacks-
burg. There he received his degree of Bachelor
of Science in business administration in 1930.

He began his career as a public accountant and
later became a salesman, an occupation which he
followed for three months. He then returned to
his father's farm and worked there for one year.
While there, he used bis father's truck to transfer
vegetables between this area and Baltimore and
Xew York and on this basis engaged in extensive
buying and selling. After two years he added
another truck and in 1935 started hauling fruit
and produce, including such varied crops as pea-
nuts, on a contract basis, between Florida and
Boston, Massachusetts. The fact that this modest
enterprise has grown into one of the largest and
most extensive privately operated trucking serv-
ices in the East must be attributed in large mea-
sure to Mr. Bonney's leadership abilities. He plow-
ed profits back into the organization, continuing to
purchase trucks, and used only the most modern
equipment, represented by his present fleet of
eighty-five refrigerated trailers, which serve an
ever-larger area of the country. The states of

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3°5

Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, In-
diana, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Min-
nesota, Iowa, and Kentucky are reached by this
network of routes. From the beginning, Mr. Bon-
ney has shipped fresh fruits and vegetables and
dairy products, successfully controlling that ele-
ment which is the bugbear of the industry —
spoilage. His cargoes include sucli other products
as peanuts and candy, meats, canned goods, frozen
foods, and sea foods. He employs well over one
hundred people. In addition to the headquarters
on Military Highway near Norfolk, Bonney Motor
Express, Inc., has branch offices at Suffolk; Phila-
delphia; Kansas City, Missouri; Chicago; Omaha,
Nebraska; and Albany, Georgia. The present
home offices were built in 1953. Besides Mr.
Bonney as president, executives of the corporation
are J. A. Colenda, vice president; Joseph A.
Daniel, Jr., treasurer; and Kline W. Smith, secre-
tary. The firm operates a complete service plant
for maintaining and repairing trucks.

Mr. Bonney is a member of the Norfolk Sports
Club, Princess Anne Country Club, and Cavalier
Lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
of which he is a past master. He is also a mem-
ber of Corinthian Lodge at Norfolk, and he is a
member of the higher bodies of the order, hold-
ing the Thirty-second degree and belonging to
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He and his family attend
Virginia Beach Methodist Church. Mr. Bonney
is a Democrat in his politics. His favorite sport
is golf.

On May 21, 1933, R. Lee Bonney married Mary
Thelma Spear, daughter of Charles Melvin and
Celia Spear, and a native of Elizabeth City,
North Carolina. They are the parents of two
children: 1. Robert Lee, Jr., born March 27, 1934.
He graduated from Maury High School in Nor-
folk and served three years in the United States
Army, holding the rank of sergeant. He is now a
student at William and Mary College in Norfolk
and resides at 502 Kenoshe Avenue with his wife,
the former Joan Stewart of Norfolk. 2. Wayne
Arthur, born September 4, 1937. He graduated
from Virginia Episcopal High School in Lynch-
burg and is now a student at the University of
Virginia. The Bonney family resides at no Sixty-
fifth Street, Virginia Beach.

WALTER JAMES WILKINS— As president
of the Norfolk Motor Company, Incorporated,
Walter James Wilkins heads the city's Cadillac
and Oldsmobile sales and service center at 1500
Monticello Avenue. An able exponent of the spirit
of his age, he has worked consistently for a better
automotive retailing system. At an early age he

displayed an ability to make use of all he had
learned, and this helps to explain his later success.
He owns and directs one of the finest and most
modern agencies anywhere. It is in a true sense
his own creation, the result of the combination
of courage, fidelity to high standards, and imag-
ination, plus many years' practical experience in
various phases of the industry.

Born June 14, 1897, Mr. Wilkins is a native of
Dclmar, Delaware, which takes its name from
the fact that it is situated on the Delaware-Mary-
land state line. He is a son of the late Virgil
Poole and Laura Catherine (Nichols) Wilkins,
both of whom were descended from prominent
families of the Eastern Shore of these two states.
Virgil Poole Wilkins was born at Salisbury,
Maryland, son of Levi James Wilkins, Sr. Both
were planters of Wicomico County, Maryland.
Virgil P. Wilkins was engaged in the lumber
manufacturing industry, operating sawmills in the
Eastern Shore district. In 1907 he moved the
seat of his operations to Spring Hope, North
Carolina, returning to Salisbury in 1916. He died
at Salisbury in 1951, and had for many years been
active in Grace Methodist Church in that city,
serving as a steward and as the teacher of the
Adult Bible Class for over twenty years. His
wife, the former Laura Catherine Nichols, who
died in 1941, was a descendant of families settled
there since colonial times, and holding original
land grants in the vicinity of Delmar, Delaware.
The Nichols descendants have continued their
family ties through the years, and today Walter
J. Wilkins heads this family's reunion organiza-
tion, which arranges annual meetings.

The second of four children, he received his
early education in Maryland and graduated from
Spring Hope High School in North Carolina in
1915. He then entered Elon College in that state
and attended for two years. Too young to be
drafted for World War I, he left college to help
in the war effort and interests, first in Hopewell,
Virginia, and later at the du Pont's Old Hickory
Plant at Nashville, Tennessee, where he took
special courses at Vanderbilt University, remain-
ing there until January 1919-

On several trips which he made through Nor-
folk, he was impressed by the seacoast town, and
its possibilities. Locating there early in 1919, he
entered the employ of the Naval Operating Base,
was placed in charge of its transportation supply
depot, and continued in that position for about a
year and a half. It was at that time that the
growing automobile industry attracted him, and
his first experience was in the sales and service
departments of the Buick agency in Norfolk.

With a good business background and a natural
mechanical talent, Mr. Wilkins laid the fouuda-

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

tion for an automobile dealership of his own. He
organized his own company on January 5, 1935.
The first agency he headed was located in Ports-
mouth, and was known as Wilkins Motor Com-
pany, Incorporated, where he sold and serviced
Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs at 1300 High Street.
He continued as its president and manager until
June 30, 1938, when he acquired the Norfolk
Motor Company, Incorporated. This Cadillac and
Oldsmobile dealership had been established in
1932. It was then, and has remained, the sales and
service center for these two quality cars in Nor-
folk, and the Cadillac distributorship covers the
territory of eastern North Carolina and south-
eastern Virginia, as well. Mr. Wilkins had his
first location at 905 Granby Street but as increas-
ing business necessitated expansion, he acquired
extensive properties between 14th and 15th streets
on Monticello Avenue, and has gradually moved
the seat of his operations to the new address.
Since 1947, the firm's used-car department has
been centered there, and in 195 1 the body shop
and lubrication plant was erected on the property.
In I955-I9S6, a new sales and service building
was erected on the Monticello Avenue property,
and was formally opened in the fall of 1956. It
is recognized as one of the most modern and
completely equipped dealerships in the United
States; but while keeping completely up-to-date,
Mr. Wilkins follows a tradition of friendly serv-
ice and techniques inculcated by long experience.
He has one hundred and sixty-three employees,
including department heads, salesmen and fac-
tory trained mechanics, who have studied at Gene-
ral Motors Automotive Institute; each a specialist
in his own field. As president, Mr. Wilkins is in
charge of overall operations. His three sons all
joined the organization after World War II serv-
ice, and two are still with him in executive capa-
cities, as indicated later.

A member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Automo-
bile Dealers Association, Walter J. Wilkins for-
merly served as its president. He is a member
and a past regional vice president and director
of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
An orrganizer of the Automotive Trade Associa-
tion of Virginia, he served as its president from
1943 to 1948. Under his leadership this organiza-
tion effected the enactment of the licensing law
for new and used car dealers. He has served on
the Oldsmobile Factory Dealers' Council and has
spoken before State Dealer conventions across
the country. In his own city, he belongs to the
Kiwanis Club, is a past president of the Ports-
mouth Kiwanis Club and a past lieutenant-gover-
nor of the Capital District of Kiwanis International
and has served as an International Committee-
man. He is a member of the Norfolk Chamber

of Commerce, serves on the board of directors
of the Leigh Memorial Hospital, and is a mem-
ber of the board of trustees of Elon College, also
serving in administering the College Foundation
Fund. In 1952, he was elected as the outstanding
Alumnus of the College. He has served two terms
as a member of the Virginia Advisory Committee
on Aviation and is currently serving as vice
chairman of this committee.

He is a member and deacon of Freemason
Street Baptist Church and serves as chairman of
the Public Affairs Committee of the church. He
is a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club.

For many years a golf enthusiast, today his
favorite pastime is deep-sea fishing, and his yacht,
"Jon Lee, II," built under his supervision, takes
him and his friends on frequent trips to the
waters off the Florida Coast, the Bahamas and
Cape Hatteras. In 1953 he personally supervised
and financed the construction of fishing piers,
restaurant and facilities for the benefit of fishing
enthusiasts at Cape Hatteras.

In 1918, at Bristol, Tennessee, Walter J. Wil-
kins married, as his first wife, Annie R. Ross of
that city. They became parents of four children:
1. Walter James, Jr. (died in childhood). 2. Wil-
liam Poole, born December 18, 1920. He attended
Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, and
graduated from Wilson High School at Ports-
mouth in 1939. His advanced studies were inter-
rupted by service in World War II. He entered
the United States Army in February 1942, and
served with the Supply Corps attached to the
Eighth Army Air Force in England, and later
attached to the Second Armored Division in
Europe. He resumed his studies after the war,
and in 1949 graduated from Elon College with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration. Since that time he has been as-
sociated with the Norfolk Motor Company, In-
corporated, and is now a vice president and general
manager. He has served as general chairman of
the March of Dimes Campaign and is immediate
past president of Norfolk- Portsmouth Alumni
Association of Elon College. He served as the
first president of the Suburban Kiwanis Club.
On July 18, 1952, William Poole Wilkins mar-
ried Billie Lea Dickerson of Greensboro, North
Carolina. 3. James Douglas, who was born on
October 24, 1923. He attended Hargrave Military
School and graduated from Granby High School
in 1941 and the following year entered the United
States Army Air Corps and served as a staff
sergeant with the 375th Troop Carrier Group,
58th Squadron, in the Pacific. Following the war
he entered the College of William and Mary at
Williamsburg, and graduated in 1949 with a de-

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3°7

gree of Bachelor of Science in Business Adminis-
tration. He has since been with the Norfolk Motor
Company, Incorporated, and is a vice president
and assistant general manager. 4. Jack Ross, who
was born on January 20, 1924. He is the subject ol"
an accompanying sketch.

On June 2, 1937, at Norfolk, Walter James Wil-
kins married Amelia Sue Jones, daughter of Lucie
Belle (Pool) Jones, and the late Herbert Leach
Jones, both of whom were descended from fami-
lies who figure prominently in the early history
of North Carolina and Virginia. By this second
marriage, Mr. Wilkins is the father of two child-
ren: 5. Walter J., Jr., born November 19, 1945.
6. Herbert Lee, born May 19, 1948. Both of
these children are attending Norfolk Academy.

JACK ROSS WILKINS— A prominent repre-
sentative of the younger generation of progressive
business men of Norfolk, Jack Ross Wilkins is
a member of a family well known in automobile
sales, and is now president and manager of Wil-
kins Chevrolet, Inc., the city's newest sales and
service organization.

He was born at Norfolk on January 20, 1924,
the youngest son of Walter James and Annie R.
(Ross) Wilkins. His father, subject of a biographi-
cal sketch in this history, is president of Norfolk
Motor Company, Inc., and his brothers are also
executives of that firm. Attending local schools,
Jack Ross Wilkins graduated from Maury High
School in 1943, then enlisted in the United States
Army Air Corps for service in World War II. As-
signed to the Eighth Air Force, based in England,
he is a veteran of thirty-one missions over Ger-
many as a tail-gunner on a B-24 Bomber. With
the end of the war and his return to civilian
status, he continued his education at the College
of William and Mary for one year, and at Miami
University in Florida for one year.

For a brief period he was engaged in the insur-
ance business in Miami, and from October 1947,
to January 1, 1956, was associated with the Nor-
folk Motor Company, Inc., becoming vice presi-
dent and manager. In January 1956, he organized
the Wilkins Chevrolet, Inc., of Norfolk, and as
its president and manager, has already made a
favorable impression in sales circles and among
Norfolk's citizens. He capably keeps pace with
the demands of retailing and servicing a best-
selling car, and has won respect for his qualities
of vision, perseverance and enterprise. He is a
young man with a splendid background of ex-
perience in the automobile sales and service field.
Presently located at 6940 Military Highway, Wil-
kins Chevrolet has already laid plans to expand
its modern facilities. In addition to Mr. Wilkins
as president and manager its management staff

includes Mrs. Gladys Webber, secretary and
treasurer.

Mr. Wilkins is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Automobile Dealers Association, the Vir-
ginia State Automobile Dealers Association and
the National Automobile Dealers Association. His
keen interest in the automotive industry, and his
determination to build an outstanding organization,
have left him little time for outside interests, but
he is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, is a member of the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, and attends the Ghent Methodist
Church.

At Miami, Florida, on October 25, 1947, Jack
Ross Wilkins married Alma Annette Ewing of
Hialeah. They are the parents of two children:
I. Kathleen Drue, born November 20, 1948. 2.
\\ alter James, II, born December 28, 1952.

J. ARTHUR HODGES— Norfolk County's
sheriff, J. Arthur Hodges, is well qualified for his
position by experience and qualities of leadership,
gained in the course of many years in public serv-
ice. He has performed the duties of his office in
a conscientious, fearless, and efficient manner.
His abilities, singleness of purpose, devotion to
the cause of justice, and constant vigil against
organized crime and vice have brought him wide
recognition. He has a thorough understanding of
the everyday problems of law enforcement in Vir-
ginia's most populous county and has been parti-
cularly effective, working in cooperation with the
commonwealth's attorney's office, in stamping out
illicit night club and gambling operations. The
vice squad working under him has helped create
a better, cleaner, and more law-abiding county.

A native of Norfolk County, Sheriff Hodges
was born in the historic Great Bridge community
on September 17, 1902, son of John Wesley and
Edith (Gordon) Hodges. His father was a farmer
in that community, where the family has lived
since 1727. The Hodges home farm, still in the
possession of the family, was originally a land
grant from King George II of England.

Sheriff Hodges was reared on this home farm
and graduated from Great Bridge High School
in 1919. The early years of his career were de-
voted to farming, and he retains his love for the
soil and for the independence and healthful en-
vironment of the farm. In 1938 he began his law
enforcement work, being appointed to the Nor-
folk County police force. He served until April
4, 1944, when he was appointed sheriff of Nor-
folk County by the late Judge A. B. Carney. He
has been retained in office by popular vote in
succeeding elections. The scope of his duties has
increased greatly in consequence of the tremen-
dous growth in the population of Norfolk County

TWVa. 35

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

during World War II, which continued to have
its effect in the postwar years.

Sheriff Hodges is a member of the Virginia
State Sheriffs' and City Sergeants' Association,
which he served as president in 1955. He is also
a member of the National Sheriffs' Association,
the National Jail Association, and the Tidewater
Chapter of the Virginia Police Association, As
a member of the Norfolk County Police Relief
Association, he has served as its president. He is
affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, being a member of Great Bridge Lodge
No. 257, and also belongs to Lodge No. 898. Loyal
Order of Moose, and the Great Bridge Ruritan
Club. His church affiliation is also in his native
community of Great Bridge, since he retains mem-
bership in the Oak Grove Methodist Church there.

It was at Great Bridge, on September 3, 1921,
that J. Arthur Hodges married Lelia Old of that
town. She is a daughter of Nathaniel Warden and
Alice (Grimes) Old. Sheriff and Mrs. Hodges are
the parents of two children: 1. Herman Leon,
born June 3, 1925. He graduated from Great Bridge
High School in 1942 and from Virginia Polytech-
nic Institute, with the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration, in 1950. In
the meantime he had served in World War II,
holding the rank of sergeant in the United States
Army Air Corps. He was separated from active
service at Langley Field in 1947. He is now a
Certified Public Accountant at Virginia Beach.
He married Nancy Agee, and they are the parents
of two children i. Kathy Lee. ii. John Lawrence.
2. William Howard, horn on April 18, 1929. He
graduated from Great Bridge High School in
1946, attended Randolph-Macon Academy, and in
1951 took his degree of Bachelor of Arts at Ran-
dolph-Macon College. He then enlisted in the
United States Coast Guard, in which he served
two years as a seaman with the Intelligence De-
partment. He was separated from active duty on
July 30, 1953. Resuming his studies, he prepared
for the law, and received his degree of Bachelor
of Laws at Washington and Lee University in
1956. He is now associated with the law firm of
Kellam and Kellam of Norfolk. William H. Hod-
ges married Anne Harding of that city, and they
are the parents of a daughter, Susan.

Sheriff and Mrs. Hodges make their home at
Great Bridge, and his offices are in the County
Jail Building in Portsmouth.

MARSHALL ANDREWS— During his thirty-
odd years of law practice, Marshall Andrews has
made Suffolk the center of his professional ac-
tivities, and he has also held office in positions of
public trust and in corporate connections. The list
of his professional and civic connections is long.

and he has played a useful role in the life of his
community.

Born at Windsor, Virginia, on January 27, 1899,
he is a son of William Henry and Janie (Mar-
shall ) Andrews. Both parents were born in Isle
of Wight County, and both are now deceased.
Beginning his education in the public schools of
Suffolk, where his family moved in his early years,
Marshall Andrews graduated from Suffolk High
School in 1916. He then entered the University
of Virginia, where he established an exceptional
scholastic record; for despite the interruption of
six months' military service in World War I, lie
completed requirements for his degree of Bachelor
of Arts there in three years, receiving the degree
in 1919. His wartime service was with the Coast
Artillery Corps, in which he held the rank of
second lieutenant. Mr. Andrews remained at the
University of Virginia after receiving his Bachelor
of Arts degree, studying at the Law School and
graduating there in 1923 with the degree of Bach-
elor of Laws. He served on the editorial boards
of the "Virginia Law Review" and "College Top-
ics," and was a student instructor in law.

Admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia
in 1923, he began practice in Suffolk, and has
continued there since, with a general practice
under his own name. His offices are in the Na-
tional Bank of Suffolk Building. He has been
admitted to practice before the United Stales
District Court of Virginia, and the Circuit Court
of Appeals.

From 1924 to 1942, Mr. Andrews capably filled
the public post of referee in bankruptcy for the
Eastern District of Virginia. He has served the
interests of various business corporations in the
course of his professional life, and is a director
of the Virginia-Carolina Peanut Storage Corpor-
ation. His leadership has been particularly con-
spicuous in bar groups. He is a past president of
the Suffolk Bar Association, and past vice presi-
dent of the Virginia State Bar Association. He is
a member of the American Bar Association and
the American Law Institute, the Order of the Coif
and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. He is also a
member of Phi Beta Kappa national scholastic
honor society, and the Raven Society of the
University of Virginia.

Affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons,
Mr. Andrews is a member of Suffolk Lodge, the
consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite, and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a Rotarian
and a member of the Suffolk Post of the American
Legion, the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Flks, the Commonwealth Club of Richmond and
the Princess Anne Country Club of Virginia Beach.
In practical agriculture, Mr. Andrews has found

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

309

a profitable avocation. He and his brother, Thomas
C. Andrews, who is associated with him in law
practice, own and operate historic Cherry Grove
Farm in Nansemond County. History, incidental-
ly, is another of Mr. Andrews' major interests. He
is also fond of athletics. He attends the Congrega-
tional Christian Church in his home city, and serves
on its board of trustees.

At Edenton, North Carolina, on December 4,
1054, Marshall Andrews married Elizabeth Bonner
Elliott of that city, daughter of Thomas W. and
Nina (Brown) Elliott.

NORMAN STARR BEATON, Jr.— Early in
his career, Norman Starr Beaton, Jr., joined an
affiliate of the General Motors organization; and
several years after his return from wartime serv-
ice as an Air Force officer, he began selling
the corporation's products at Franklin. He is
owner of Starr Beaton Chevrolet, Inc.

A native of Boykins, Southampton County, Vir-
ginia, he was born on December 18, 1914, son
o' Norman Starr, Sr., and Martha (Bradshaw)
Beaton. His father, who was also born at Boy-
kins, ha., been for some years superintendent of
tl-.c Mosquito Control Commission at Warwick
City. He is deeply interested in local history, and
is the author of a history of Boykins, which was
published in 1955. His wife, the former Martha
Bradshaw, is also still living. Attending Boykins
public schools, the younger Norman Starr Bea-
ton graduated from high school there in 193 1.
Later, after working for some years, he took Eco-
nomics courses at the University of Virginia,
leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in
Commerce, which he received upon graduation
in 1940.

After completing his college studio, Mr. Bea-
ton began his career with the General Motors
Acceptance Corporation, the automobile manufac-
turer's credit agency. He remained with the
firm for one year, prior to the time lie entered
military service.

He enlisted in June 1941, and received his com-
mission as a second lieutenant in 1942 after com-
pleting courses at Officer Candidate School. Dur-
ing World War II he served in Headquarters,
Army Air Force, Washington, D. C, and in the
Pacific Theater on Okinawa and the Philippine
Islands. He remained in service until May 1946,
and now holds a lieutenant colonel's commission
in the Air Force Reserve.

After the war he rejoined General Motors Ac-
ceptance Corporation, but after a year left to
enter the automobile sales field. He first joined
Robert Murphy, Chevrolet dealer in Westmore-
land County, Virginia, as his general manager.
He remained until 1954, when his initiative and

his experience in the business prompted him to
enter the sales held in his own name. He first
purchased a Chevrolet dealership in Buchanan,
Virginia, ana this he operated for one year be-
fore moving to Franklin. There he acquired the
B. B. H. Motor Company, and having the fran-
chise for the sale of Chevrolets in that city, be-
gan operations as Starr Beaton Chevrolet, Inc.
He has managed a successful business, attracting
his share of the trade in a market which has
consistently favored his car as a top-selling pro-
duct; anil his efficiency in commercial matters,
coupled with a high standard of ethical dealings,
has won him the confidence of his fellow citizens.

Mr. Beaton is a member of the Cypress Cove
Country Club at Franklin, and his fraternity is
Alpha Kappa Psi. He is a communicant of the
Methodist Church. In his political views he is
an independent.

In the chapel at Fort Mycr, Virginia, on May
16, 1943, Norman Starr Beaton, Jr., married Jean
Breyfogle, a native of Kansas and daughter of
Lewis W. and Ellen 1 Aiders) Breyfogle. Mr. and
Mrs. Beaton have three children: I. Bruce Wynne,
born May 3, 1946. 2. Ann Laurie, who was born
on December 27, 1948. 3. Norman Starr, 3rd,
born January 19, 1953.

RUSSELL B. HOGSHIRE— President of
Hogshire Tent and Awning Manufacturing Com
pany, Russell B. Hogshire heads a successful or-
ganization which has been on the Norfolk scene
since prior to the turn of the century. The firm
produces Hastings Alumi-Awnings, and also sup-
plies Venetian blinds and canvas goods products. It
had its beginning in 1808 when Russell B. Hog-
shire's father, Edward Hogshire. who had learned
the trade of sailmaking. turned his skills to supply-
ing the land-based and domestic market. He
founded the firm and operated it under its present
name until his death in 1932, at the age of sixty-
three. His wife was the former Miss Mattie M.
Blake, a native of Bena in Gloucester County.
Virginia. She survivies her husband, and makes her
home in his native city of Norfolk.

After receiving his education in the public schools
of Norfolk, wdiere he was born on November 30,
1903, Russell B. Hogshire joined his father in the
operation of the tent and awning manufacturing
firm. When the elder man died, he was well quali-
fied to assume management of an organization
which was steadily growing. Its products are now
distributed over a large part of Virginia, North
and South Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, and Ten-
nessee. Tents and awnings are also shipped to the
New York and New Jersey markets. The company
has produced awnings in a variety of styles, for

3io

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

house trailers as well as homes, and also manufac-
tures every type of tent, truck tarpaulins, marine
canvas, and ship sails of the type which the founder,
Edward Hogshire, learned to make early in his
career. The line has been extended to include
Venetian blinds.

Although represented by only one man on the
road, the Hogshire Tent and Awning Manufactur-
ing Company employs twenty-five people, chiefly
in its production processes. The plant on Hampton
Boulevard has seventeen thousand square feet of
floor space under its roof.

Besides this major business interest, Mr. Hog-
shire is part owner of the Norfolk, Baltimore and
Carolina Line, operating steamships and trucks.
Sailing is his hobby, and he maintains a sailboat,
which is also useful to him in his second outdoor
pastime, fishing. He is a member of the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club, the Sales Executives
Club, Circus Saints and Sinners, the Cosmopolitan
Club and the lodge of the Knights of Pythias. A
communicant of the Episcopal Church, St. An-
drew's, he serves on its vestry. He is a Democrat
in his politics.

On October 24, 1931, Russell B. Hogshire mar-
ried Margaret Johnston, daughter of W. C. and
Cora (Brooks) Johnston. Her mother was born
in Williamsburg and her father at Franklin Fur-
nace, Ohio. He was a newspaperman, and at one
time published a Williamsburg paper and the Suf-
folk "News-Herald." At the time of his death in
1948, at the age of seventy-eight, lie was still
active in the profession of journalism, being on the
staff of the "Peanut Journal." Mr. and Mrs. Hog-
shire are the parents of two children: 1. Russell
Beverly, who was born on September 22, 19.12. He
is a salesman with the Hogshire Tent and Awning
Manufacturing Company, Inc. He graduated from
Maury High School in Norfolk in 1951, and from
Virginia Military Institute, with the degree of
Bachelor of Science, in 1955. On February 5, 1956,
Russell B. Hogshire, Jr., married Evelyn Nichols.
2. Edward Lee, born April 14, 1943. Mr. and Mrs.
Hogshire make their home at 61 5 1 Powhatan Ave-
nue, Norfolk. She is active in the King's Daughters
and the Garden Club, and is eligible for member-
ship in the Daughters of the American Revolution.

MELCHOR FAMILY— The name of Melchor
has been associated witli the Pepsi-Cola bottling
interests from the early days of the manufacture
of that beverage. In 1903 Burton DeBerry Melchor,
Sr., entered the business at Winston-Salem, North
Carolina, and he is now the second oldest living
Pepsi-Cola bottler and distributor in the United
States. It was in 1907 that he first came to Nor-

folk to attend the Jamestown Exposition, and the
visit convinced him of the city's possibilities. He
continued his operation at Winston-Salem, how-
ever, until 1913. when he acquired a bottling fran-
chise and plant at Norfolk. This became the found-
ation of the extensive operations in the Tidewater
area today — one of the largest distributors in Vir-
ginia.

This firm has its main plants at 25th Street and
DeBree Avenue, Norfolk; 910 "G" Street, Hamp-
ton, and warehouse at Suffolk. A new plant is now
in its formative state at Portsmouth. The plants
serve Tidewater Virginia.

Throughout the years since that time, the elder
Mr. Melchor had continued as president of the
firm, and, as his two sons, Bruce Erringtou and
Burton DeBerry, Jr., grew to manhood, they be-
came associated with their father in the manage-
ment of the business; Bruce Errington Melchor is
vice president and Burton DeBerry Melchor, Jr.,
is vice president and treasurer of the firm.

In its various operations, the company today has
one hundred and sixty employees on its payroll.
It utilizes the most modern equipment available in
the bottling and distribution of one of America's
most popular beverages. When operations began
at Norfolk, an output of about twenty-four bottles
per minute was maintained. Today the firm's
machinery has a capacity of six hundred and fifty
bottles per minute.

Burton DeBerry Melchor, Sr., president of Pepsi-
Cola Bottling Company of Norfolk, was born July
21, 1879, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, son
of William Gibson and Sophia (Dry) Melchor. He
became interested in the production of Pepsi-Cola
when he was twenty-four years old, and has devot-
ed his career to the manufacture and distribution
of the beverage. He has turned over most of the
management responsibilities at Norfolk to his two
sons, but is still active in an advisory capacity.
He is a charter member of the Norfolk Lions Club.
For many years he has been active in the Virginia
Bottlers' Association and was its president in 1918.
He has a second business, Melchor, Inc., a real
estate and investment firm. He is a communicant
of the First Lutheran Church of Norfolk.

Burton DeBerry Melchor, Sr., married Ida Belle
Shoaf of Davidson County, North Carolina; she
died February 19, 1956. They became the parents
of three children: i. Bruce Errington, born Novem-
ber 9, 1901, at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He
attended the public schools of Norfolk and attend-
ed Maury High School. He then attended the
Shenandoah Valley Military Academy at Winches-
ter, at the end of which time he began his asso-
ciation with his father. Besides his duties as vice
president of these firms he is active in civic and

/&i+^ i Z^jZrA^ ^>&A TruAc-tL*-^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3ii

community affairs, being a member of the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, the Cosmopolitan Club of
Norfolk, and the Norfolk Bottlers' Association
which he serves as a director. He is affiliated with
Atlantic Lodge No. 10, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, the higher bodies of the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite, and Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
is also a member of the lodges of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of
Pythias, Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and the
Twenty-first Street Business Area Association. He
has served for many years on the council of the
First Lutheran Church of Norfolk. Bruce E. Mel-
chor married Miss Mary Christine Rogers, and
they are the parents of three children. Bruce
Errington, Jr. married Patricia Boyd and has two
sons, Bruce E., Ill, and Robert Boyd Melchor.
Bruce E. Melchor also has a daughter, Peggy Lee,
and a son James Rogers.

2. Burton DeBerry Melchor, Jr., was born July
J7. IO°3, at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The
family moved to Norfolk permanently when he was
ten years old. He attended the public schools of
Norfolk. For two years, he attended the Banking
and Business School of Norfolk. Like his brother,
he had spent his summer vacations working at the
bottling plant, and in 1924 entered the business on
a full time basis. He gained experience in various
phases of its operations and in 1947 assumed his
present duties as vice president and treasurer, hold-
ing the same offices in Melchor's, Inc.

Mr. Melchor served as a member of the Virginia
House of Delegates from 1942 to 1946. From 1949
to 1954 ne was a member and vice chairman of
the Norfolk School Board, and in the year
1956, he concluded a four-year term on the
Norfolk Recreation Commission. He has served
since 1954 on the Norfolk Citizens Safety Council
of the Department of Public Safety, and was elected
its vice president in 1956. He is a director of the
Tidewater Better Business Bureau, the Twenty-
first Street Business Area Association, the Civic
Affairs Committee of the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce, and the Norfolk Central Young Men's
Christian Association. He is also a director of the
Izaak Walton League, a member of the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club, the Virginia Club, the
Princess Anne Country Club and the Cavalier Yacht
and Country Club. He also holds membership in
the Kiwanis Club of Norfolk, Norfolk Executives
Club, Norfolk Sports Club and the lodges of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and An-
cient Free and Accepted Masons. His Masonic Blue
Lodge affiliation is Ruth Lodge No. 89, and he is a
member of the higher bodies of the order and of
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles

of the Mystic Shrine. He attends the First Lutheran
Church of Norfolk.

Widely known in beverage bottling and distribu-
tion circles, Burton DeBerry Melchor, Jr., is a
member of the Virginia Bottlers Association and
was its president in 1949. In the National Bottlers
Association he is currently serving as membership
chairman.

On February 19, 1927, Burton DeBerry Melchor,
Jr., married Miss Margaret Wood, daughter of
Captain Joseph D. and Ada Estelle (Burnell) Wood
of Norfolk. The couple are the parents of two
children: 1. Margaret Jo, born February 20, 1930.
She married John Homer Hackney, Jr., of Norfolk
on February 9, 195 1, and they are the parents of
two children: Dee Hackney and John Homer, III.
2. Burton DeBerry, III, who was born August 19,
1939. is now a student at Fishburn Military Acad-
emy.

The third and youngest child of Burton DeBerry,
Sr., and Ida Belle (Shoaf) Melchor, is a daughter,
Edythe Christanthia, who was born August 14, 1905,
at Winston-Salem. She married, first, Leonard
Mitchell of Norfolk and they had a son, Leonard
William, Jr., now in charge of the Hampton plant
of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Norfolk.
Edythe married, second, Dr. James Scott Landis
of Norfolk.

JOSHUA PRETLOW DARDEN, head of
Colonial Chevrolet Corporation and formerly ma-
yor of Norfolk, was born in Franklin, Virginia,
on October 20, 1903, son of Colgate W. and
Katherine (Pretlow) Darden. His father, a na-
tive of Mapleton, North Carolina, was a farmer
and banker, who served as president of the Mer-
chants and Farmers Bank at Franklin. He died
in 1946. at the age of seventy-six. Mrs. Darden,
who was also born in Southampton County, died
in 1936, at the age of sixty-three.

Receiving his early education in the public
schools of Franklin, Mr. Darden graduated from
high school there in 1922, then attended the Uni-
versity of Virginia, where he took his degree of
Bachelor of Science in 1926. In 1930, he founded
the Colonial Chevrolet Corporation, of which he
has since been the president.

Mr. Darden served on the Norfolk City Coun-
cil from 1946 to 1950, and as mayor of the city
during 1949-1950. He is a member of the Nor-
folk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and
served as president of the Norfolk Community
Chest in 1952. He is vice president of the Coun-
cil of Social Agencies, and is a member of the
board of the Norfolk General Hospital. He ser-
ves on the boards of directors of the National
Bank of Commerce, and the Norfolk Chamber

312

LOWER TIDI .WATER VIRGINIA

of Commerce, and also on the board of the Navy
Y.M.C.A. He is himself a veteran of naval serv-
ice, having been on active duty in 1943- 1945,
with the rank of lieutenant senior grade. An
Episcopalian, he serves on the vestry of lii-
church.

In Norfolk, on March 5, 1932. Mr. Darden
married Audrey Cecilia Hogan, daughter of Hun-
ter A. and Cecilia (Philbin) Hogan. Mr. and Mrs.
Darden have two children: 1. Audrey, born in
Norfolk on January 5, 1933. She is the wife of
Nicholas G. Wilson, 3rd. 2. Joshua Pretlow, Jr.,
born in Norfolk on October 11, 1936. In 1956 he
was a student at the University of Virginia. The
Darden family home is at 416 Commonwealth
Avenue, Norfolk.

SOL HARRY MEDNICK— The founder of
Globe Iron Construction Company at Norfolk. Sol
Harry Mednick was active as head of that firm
until the end of his life. His record of achieve-
ment as an industrialist lias greatly benefited his
region.

Mr. Mednick came to this country from his
native Russia in his boyhood. He was born at
Lubishov on March 10, 1892, son of Meyer Louis
and Zipora (Gotlieb) Mednick. His parents brought
him to the United States when he was very young,
and he first attended Public School No. 188 in
New York City, completing his courses there in
1907. In 1910 he graduated from Hebrew Tech-
nical Institute, also in New York City. He then
began his working career, but at the same time
carried courses at the Cooper Union, which con-
ferred on him the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Civil Engineering in 1915.

From 1910 to 1919. Mr. Mednick was employed
by several of the larger iron companies in New
York, in the capacities of draftsman, chief drafts-
man, and estimator. For a number of years in
his youth, he worked and studied a total of nine-
teen hours a day, to help support his family and
simultaneously to give himself an education.

He came to Norfolk in 1919 and accepted a posi-
tion as chief engineer of the Liberty Iron and
Wire Works. After remaining in that connection
until 1923 and gaining further valuable industrial
experience, Mr. Mednick left to organize the Globe
Iron Construction Company. An account of his
early efforts in building up this organization is
contained in a brief accompanying history of the
firm. His abilities assured it a place of leadership
among companies specializing in the design, fabri-
cation, and erection of structural steel, architec-
tural iron, plate, and nonferrous metals. He opera-
ted the company as a proprietorship and since his
death it has been incorporated. His sons and a
son-in-law are active in the management.

Earning his place in the professional ranks of
the engineering profession, Sol Mednick was a
member of the American Society of Civil Engi-
neers, the National Society of Professional Engi-
neers, the American Institute of Steel Construc-
tion, and the National Association of Ornamental
Metal Manufacturers. He served as a director of
the last-named organization, and also as director
of the Builders and Contractors Exchange. He
held membership in the Hampton Roads Engi-
neers Club. His religious affiliation was with Ohef
Sholom Temple.

In Xew York City, on May 28, 1918, Sol Harry
Mednick married Celia Lefkowitz, daughter of
Joseph and Ray (Freed) Lefkowitz. The couple
became the parents of three children: 1. Miriam
Rose, born March 27, 1921. 2. Maurice, born Feb-
ruary 10, 1923. His life story accompanies. 3. Law-
rence Lee, born July 14, 1929.

Mr. Mednick's death occurred on December 15,
1953-

MAURICE L. MEDNICK— A short time ago.
Maurice L. Mednick became vice president of
Globe Iron Construction Company. The firm,
which was incorporated at that time, is a leader
in the structural steel, architectural iron, and me-
tals construction field, as designers, fabricators,
and erectors. Mr. Mednick has other business in-
terests as well, and he has been active in a num-
ber of professional, fraternal, and civic groups,
in several of which he has held offices.

He was born in the same year bis company was
founded — on February 10. 1923. at Norfolk. He
is a son of Sol Harry and Celia (Lefkowitz) Med-
nick. The couple had another son, Larry, who is
a graduate of Yirginia Polytechnic Institute and
served three years in the United States Navy as
a lieutenant. Maurice L. Mednick attended Lee
Grammar School in his native city, and graduated
from Maury High School in 1940. He took his
advanced studies at Carnegie Institute of Techno-
logy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and on his grad-
uation there in 1944, received the degree of Bache-
lor of Science in Civil Engineering. Mr. Mednick
had also taken courses at Yale University, in IQ43-

After completing his studies, he entered active
duty in the United States Navy, being commis-
sioned a lieutenant in the Civil Engineer Corps of
the Xaval Reserve. He participated in the am-
phibious landings in the South Pacific in 1945-

From 1937 Mr. Mednick had worked part-time
and during summer vacations for the Globe Iron
Construction Company, and had gained experience
as mechanic, erector, and draftsman. In 1946 he
started with the firm full time. To gain a sound
groundwork in technical procedures, he worked

*/ \^<^JU^^tA^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3'3

successively as draftsman, estimator, and chief en-
gineer until 1954. In that year he was named vice
president and general manager. The firm retains
its place of leadership in the structural field, and
its record is more fully outlined in an accompany-
ing historical sketch.

Besides this major business connection, Mr.
Mednick is a director of Warehouse Distributors
Corporation and the Gicco Corporation. He is a
member of the American Society of Civil Engi-
neers, the American Welding Society, and the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers; and
as a member of the Virginia Society of Profes-
sional Engineers, he has served as president of
its Tidewater Chapter. He remains active in the
Civil Air Patrol, in which he has served as a pilot
with the rank of captain. In his home city of
Norfolk, he belongs to the Junior Chamber of
Commerce, of which he is currently the vice presi-
dent. He has been president of Beta Sigma Rho
fraternity, and is also a member of Alpha Phi
Omega. His other memberships include the Na-
tional Aviation Club, the Press Club of Virginia,
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and the
Trojan Club. He and his family attend Ohef Sho-
lom Temple.

In New York City, on June 23, 1956, Maurice
L. Mednick married Miriam Golub, daughter of
Samuel and Pauline (Drucker) Golub. The couple
are the parents of a son, Saul Bruce, who was
born on March 29, 1957.

GLOBE IRON CONSTRUCTION COM-
PANY was founded in Norfolk in 1923 by Sol
Mednick iq.v.), who had come to the city as an
iron worker four years before. During the first
year. Mr. Mednick himself was the only worker,
with a ten-foot-square office as his headquarters.
In 1926, as a result of his successful initial efforts,
he was able to rent a sixty-foot garage, and start
in the fabricating business with five men on his
payroll. In the beginning they handled smaller
contracts, and their largest project during that
period was Loew's State Theater, which presented
unique problems of a complex nature, discour-
aging other local contractors from bidding on the
job.

By 1929 the company had grown to such an
extent that new property was purchased and a
one-hundred-foot square plant was required and
constructed. Shortly afterwards the depression
came and progress was slowed. Throughout its
early history, most of the Globe Iron Construc-
tion Company's business came from those jobs
which were of a miscellaneous and difficult nature.
In later years the concern grew and developed its
area of operations. Since Norfolk and vicinity was
not an industrialized area, work was scarce and

competition keen, but by careful economy and re-
liance on the maxim of "Service to the customer"
the company was able to survive and grow.

In 1937 the building was expanded, and since
then, except for the World War II years when
it was not possible to get materials for this pur-
pose, there has been continuous expansion and
growth. The progress of the company from 1923
to 1945 had resulted largely from the individual
efforts of its founder-proprietor, Sol Mednick. Af-
ter World War II, his son Maurice (q.v.) and his
son-in-law Arthur Peregoff joined the firm to
work under his guidance. During World War II,
Maurice, an engineering graduate of Carnegie In-
stitute of Technology, served as lieutenant in the
United States Navy. Mr. Peregoff, an accounting
graduate of the University of Maryland, served
in the United States Army Air Force as a captain.
The founder's second son, Larry, graduated from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1952, and served
for three years as a lieutenant in the United States
Navy.

In 1953 Sol Mednick died, and the business was
changed from a proprietorship to a corporation,
in which his successors were his wife, his two
sons, and his son-in-law, all of whom play active
roles in the business. At present the company is
the largest structural steel fabricator in and
around the Tidewater area. It is also the largest
miscellaneous shop in that area, and has the largest
steel warehouse and the largest aluminum building
product sales. The company also maintains a pre-
fabricated building division, with agents through-
out the Eastern Seaboard.

At the present time, Globe Iron Construction
Company has two hundred seventy persons on
its payroll. The plant covers twelve acres, and
four of these acres are covered with buildings of
modern steel construction, with large crane ways
and modern mechanical equipment and facilities.
The additional eight acres are devoted to parking
and storage space, or are in reserve for future
development.

The work of the company is represented in
every part of the Tidewater area, and it has over
two thousand accounts among the contractors,
builders, and business firms of the area. Its work
program has been varied, and has included fabri-
cating contracts on schools, churches, office build-
ings, warehouses, industrial plants, powerhouses,
hangars, disposal plants, tanks, towers, and vari-
ous other types of structures. Some of its interest-
ing projects of past years have included the de-
velopment and construction of aircraft mainten-
ance stands for use by the United States Air
Force throughout the entire world, construction of
large tank farms for the United States Navy, air-
plane hangars for major airfields of the area, and

3'4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

specialized work for National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics at Langley Field.

Today, with approximately twenty welding
shops, fifteen fabricating companies, four steel
warehouses, and three tank-fabricating shops in
the Tidewater area, there is extreme competition
in this phase of industry. But Globe Iron Con-
struction Company remains the dominant organi-
zation in its field, and its place of leadership has
largely been assured through adherence to the
principles of the founder, Sol Mednick.

WILLIAM THOMAS DANIELS— All of Wil-
liam T. Daniels' career has been identified with
the automotive field. After long experience with
other agencies, he became Newport News' dealer
in Lincoln and Mercury cars in 1948, and heads
a sizable and well-managed agency at 4210
Huntington Avenue, Newport News. He also owns
and operates the W. T. Daniels Edsel Sales in
Warwick.

Born at Eastman, Georgia, on October 26,
1897, he is a son of James F. and Beulah (De
Ford) Daniels. Both of his parents were born in
Dodge County, Georgia. His father, a livestock
dealer, died on April 3, 1929. Mrs. Daniels sur-
vived her husband until April 15, 1952. Spend-
ing his boyhood years in Eastman, William Thom-
as Daniels attended the public elementary school
there, and received his high school education at
Chester, Georgia.

In 1914 he began working as a mechanic for
a Ford dealer in Eastman, Georgia, and in 1920
went to Cordele, in the same state, where he
began work as a salesman for the Lee Rowles
Motor Company, a Buick dealership. In 1922 he
joined forces with a Ford dealer at Cochran,
Georgia, and remained there as sales manager
until the following year.

At that time, Mr. Daniels received a franchise
to operate an agency in his own right, and headed
McRae Buick, at McRae, Georgia, for three
years. At the end of that time he took over
the Chevrolet dealership at Vidalia, Georgia,
which he operated as the Daniels Motor Com-
pany until 1931. From that time until 1938, he
was general manager for R. L. Walker Company
at Waycross, Georgia.

Coming to Newport News in 1938, he began
his automotive sales experience there with L. B.
Lumpkin, a Ford dealer, holding the position of
sales manager in his agency. A short time after-
wards, he left to form LTniversal Auto Sales,
a used-car agency; and in 1940 he took the
franchise for the sale of Packard automobiles.
Eight years later he changed his allegiance to
Lincoln and Mercury, and since that time has
sold these two high quality cars. He has con-

tinued throughout, the firm name of Universal
Auto Sales, and is president of the company,
which employs fifty-two people. Besides heading
this agency, Mr. Daniels is a partner with his
son, J. D. Daniels, in Daniels Motor Company
of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Lincoln-Mer-
cury dealer in that city, and also owns and oper-
ates the W. T. Daniels Edsel Sales in Warwick,
another division of Ford Motor.

He is a member of the National Automobile
Dealers Association, the Automobile Trade As-
sociation of Richmond, the Virginia Peninsula
sociation of Commerce and the James River Coun-
try Club. In his politics he is a Democrat, and
he attends the Baptist Church. Golf and fish-
ing are his favorite outdoor sports.

At Millen, Georgia, on September 10, 1918,
William Thomas Daniels married Gladys Black-
burn of that city, daughter of David and Susie
(Bell) Blackburn. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels have
four children: I. James David, who is associated
with his father in the management of the Char-
lotte agency. 2. Pauline, wdio is the wife of J.
1'. Williams. 3. Elizabeth:, now Mrs. Howard
Curtis. 4. Shelvar Jean. Mr. Daniels has ten grand-
children.

JACK WYATT HORSEMAN— The Lower
Tidewater has known Jack Wyatt Horseman all
his life as an active, aggressive youth and adult
accustomed to industry and success. His reputa-
tion now lies in the oil industry and the retail
floral business, and he holds such offices as presi-
dent of the Hunt Fuel Corporation and Pennant
Oil Corporation and manager of the Hunt Oil
Company, W. P. Hunt Company, and Peninsula
Oil Company, as well as being owner of Horse-
man's Florist. His floral business, operated for
him by his wife, is at 49 West Queen Street,
Hampton, and his headquarters is in the home
office of the Hunt enterprises, also in that city.

Mr. Horseman was born in Hampton on Febru-
ary 10, 1913, the son of Howard Campbell and
Grace (Wyatt) Horseman. His father has long
been a prominent citizen of Hampton. Born at
Deal Island, Maryland, on May 4, 1877, he was
in the seafood business in Hampton from 1913
to 1933- Then, from June 1939, to June 1954,
he was Hampton's postmaster. Today he is as-
ociated with the Hunt Oil Company. Grace
Wyatt Horseman, also well known in Hampton's
civic and social life, was born at Fox Hill on
March 23, 1890.

Jack W. Horseman first attended Hampton's
public schools. Following his graduation from
the Hampton High School in 1929, he entered
Virginia Military Institute, from which he was
graduated in 1933. There followed activities in

TWVa. 36

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3'5

various fields. In 1935 he became an employee of
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company, and he was with that concern through
the "national emergency" and the entire period
of World War II.

In 1946 Mr. Horseman resigned his shipyard
position to launch Horseman's Florists in Hamp-
ton. With his wife he operated this business until,
in 1949, he formed his association with William
Powhatan Hunt. Since then Mr. Horseman be-
came president of the Hunt Fuel Corporation. The
following year he also assumed the duties of mana-
ger of the Hunt Oil Company, W. P. Hunt Com-
pany, and Peninsula Oil Company. In 1953 he took
or. still another office in the Hunt enterprises,
that of president of the Pennant Oil Corporation.

Mr. Horseman's position in the business com-
munity and his interest in the development of
the city led to his election, in 1956, to the board
of directors of the Hampton Retail Merchants
Association. From 1947 to 1952 he was a mem-
ber of the Kiwanis Club of Hampton. He is now
active, also, in Hampton Lodge No. 366, Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks; the Hamp-
ton Roads German Club; the Newport News
Propeller Club; and the James River Country
Club. With his family lie worships in the First
Presbyterian Church of Hampton. He is a Demo-
crat. Golf is his favorite game.

On October 8, 1938, in Hampton, Mr. Horse-
man married Ann Masters, daughter of the late
Albert Ralph and Mary (Whiting) Masters.

MEADE RAY WELCH— Founder of the M.
R. Welch Company, Inc., of Norfolk, Meade Ray
Welch holds the offices of president and treasurer
of this industrial construction firm, which is a
leader in its field in the Tidewater area. It was
founded in 1948, and incorporated in 1949, and
has become increasingly prominent in the rental
of contractors' equipment, in truck and crane serv-
ice, heavy hauling and machinery setting.

Meade Ray Welch was born on July 29, 1924, in
the Northern Xeck region of Virginia, son of Wil-
liam Ray and Marie (Meade) Welch. His father
was also a native of the same section, where for
many years he has engaged in truck farming. He
has also been active in highway construction work,
entering that field before the days of paved roads.
He built some of the early graveled roads in his
home county. His wife, the former Marie Meade,
was a native of Norfolk.

Meade Ray Welch passed his early boyhood on
the home farm and attended the public schools
nearby. In his early teens, when other boys were
considering the problems of an education, he left

home and found work with a building contractor
in Richmond. He found he possessed both an in-
terest in this work, and an aptitude for it, and
gained a sound knowledge of the rudiments. He
earned his first wages mixing mortar used in build-
ing one of the first motels in the Richmond area.
When this work came to an end, young Meade
Welch, now on his own, found employment as a
service station attendant, working on the night
shift. As a boy of rural background, used to more
conventional hours of sleep, he was discharged
by his employer for falling asleep on the job.
For two weeks thereafter, he walked the length
of Broad Street in Richmond seeking employment,
and finally secured a position with a restaurant
chain. While advancing from dishwasher to cook
and finally to chef, he worked as relief man in
several centers where the chain had its restaurants.
He continued in this work for about a year and
a half. His next occupation was that of truck
driver, and this work was terminated by his en-
listment in the Construction Battalion- 1 "Sea-
bees") of the LJnited States Navy, for duty in
World War II. He began his period of active
service in February 1943, and served for a time
in the South Pacific, where the Seabees did such
important w7ork in rebuilding facilities and con-
structing new bases. In December 1944, he re-
ceived a medical discharge, after which he re-
turned to the farm on which he had passed his
boyhood.

However, his deep interest in matters mechan-
ical stimulated him to seek out another means of
livelihood. He had gained experience in the opera-
tion of heavy equipment while in the Construction
Battalions, and he now began supplementing this
with civilian experience as a truck driver. He later
worked with a construction firm in Richmond. His
determinaton to operate heavy equipment led him
to change employers several times. For a period
he was with the E. T. Gresham Company, Inc.,
of Norfolk (an organization which, with its chief
executive, is considered elsewhere in these pages).
He later worked as a crane operator at the Naval
Operations Base in Norfolk.

Following a major surgical operation, he en-
tered the real estate sales field in Norfolk with
the E. L. Marshall Real Estate Agency, and in
1947 was licensed as an independent real estate
broker. He was quite successful in this line of
work, in contrast to which he continued part-
time work as a crane operator. In 1948, with
accumulated savings, he bought his first piece of
equipment, a bulldozer tractor. He used his earn-
ings in the real estate business in acquiring addi-
tional equipment, and thus laid the foundation
for his present company. His goal was reached
when the M. R. Welch Company was formed,

3i6

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and incorporated in 1949. Continuing His emphasis
upon heavy equipment, lie now heads one of the
best-equipped firms of its type in the region. He
offers truck and crane service on a rental basis,
with trucks and cranes with capacities from eight
to thirty tons, and booms from twenty-five to
one hundred and sixty feet. The company owns
seven cranes in all, and is also well equipped for
heavy hauling services. It engages in industrial
construction, confining its operations to the Lower
Tidewater area.

M. R. Welch Company is a family corporation
in a true sense. Its only other executive besides
Mr. Welch (president, treasurer and general
manager) is his wife. Mary R. Welch, who holds
the office of vice president, has been a full partner
and an inspiration to her husband in bringing the
firm its success. Headquarters is at 3442 Azalea
Garden Road, just off Military Highway, Norfolk.

Happy in his work, Mr. Welch continues to
follow the formula which started him on the
road to success. He claims that his work isn't
hard, and that his enthusiasm for it carries him
along. Rather than financial success, he has em-
phasized community progress and rendering sin-
cere service to li is fellows in the field in which
he is best qualified to serve.

His hobby is aeronautics. He holds a private
pilot's license, enjoys flying his Piper "Tri-Pacer"
and is a member of the Norfolk Civil Air Patrol.
He is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, the Builders and Contractors Exchange,
the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of Khorassan,
and Corinthian Lodge No. 266, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He is a member of the Subur-
ban Christian Church, and serves on its board of
trustees.

Mr. Welch is married to the former Mary R. Stal-
lon of Gulfport, Mississippi, and Chicago, Illinois.
They are the parents of two children: 1. Meade
Ray, Jr., born on January 2, 1946. 2. Mary Rose,
born October 14, 1950.

WILEY CLEVELAND HARRELL— As a

pharmacist, Wiley Cleveland Harrell's entire pro-
fessional career has been centered in the Lower
Tidewater area. In the course of the past decade,
he has built up a chain of three pharmacies in Vir-
ginia Beach.

He is a native of Moyock, North Carolina, and
was born on June 4. 1904, son of William Lafayette
and Alice (Mathias) Harrell. His father, who is
now deceased, was a lumberman. Wiley C. Harrell
attended the public schools of Currituck County,
North Carolina and graduated from the Moyock
High School in his native city, in the Class of 1924.
He then enrolled at the University of North Caro-

lina at Chapel Hill. There he received his pro-
fessional training, and became a Graduate in Phar-
macy on completion of his courses there in 1929.

During the first decade and one-half of his career,
Mr. Harrell was employed as a pharmacist by the
Peoples Service Drug Stores. He advanced to a
management position with this Norfolk firm, and
gained experience valuable to him in the subsequent
phase of his career. On June 11, 1947, he opened
Ins first drug store under his own name. Known
as Harrell's Pharmacy, it was located at 19th and
Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach. On the third an-
niversary of its opening, June 11, 1950, he opened
his second store, at 34th and Atlantic Avenue. On
the same day in 1955, the third Harrell store was
opened, at 305-31 Street. He continues to operate
all three stores at the present time, and has a
total payroll of sixty-five, including six registered
pharmacists.

In his home city of Virginia Beach Mr. Harrell
belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, and he is
also a member of the Virginia State Chamber of
Commerce. He is a member and past president of
the Cosmopolitan Club of Norfolk, and a member
of the Norfolk Executives Club and the Princess
Anne Country Club. He attends the Baptist Church,
and is a Democrat. His hobby is boating.

On July 19, 1933, in Norfolk, Wiley Cleveland
Harrell married Margaret Cobb of that city, daugh-
ter of Ulysses Grant and Annie Forbes (Bishop)
Cobb. The couple are the parents of the following
children: 1. Wiley Cleveland, Jr., who was born
on June 11, 1934. He attended the University of
North Carolina and took his degree of Bachelor
of Science in Pharmacy. He is now serving in
France with the United States Army. Wiley C.
Harrell, Jr., married Betty Jane Gilbert of Prin-
cess Anne County. 2. Betty Ann, born August 30,
1939- She is attending Longwood College in Farm-
ville, Virginia.

IRVING L. FULLER— Newport News busi-
ness executive Irving L. Fuller was for several
years identified with the management of the Nehi
Bottling Company and Newport News Nash Cor-
poration and served as president of both com-
panies. He is now the manager of the Virginia
Peninsula Association of Commerce and has held
positions of trust in various civic and welfare or-
ganizations.

Born on a farm in Pittsylvania County, on
April 4, 1898, he is a son of the late Walter G.
and Lula (Collins) Fuller. The family moved to
No -folk in 1907, and Irving L. Fuller attended the
public schools of that city. In 1917 he joined the
Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, which became
Battery P, of the 29th Division at the time of

^c_

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3'7

World War I, and saw service overseas. Return-
ing to Norfolk in 1920, he entered the wholesale
fruit and produce business with his father. They
traded as the Fuller Commission Company.

In 1925, the year of his marriage, Irving L.
Fuller became associated with the Sir Thomas
Lipton Tea Company, an English concern, and at
the time of his resignation in 1939 held the posi-
tion of division manager. In that year he purchased
the Nehi Bottling Company. In 1946 he organized
the Newport News Nash Corporation.

On June I, 1954, Mr. Fuller became general
manager of the Virginia Peninsula Association of
Commerce. In addition to holding that position,
he continues on the executive board and as a
director of the Peninsula Industrial Committee.
For the past three years he has attended the
Southeast Institute for Chamber of Commerce
Executives, at the University of North Carolina
in Chapel Hill.

Mr. Fuller was chairman of the Warwick Sta-
dium Fund Drive for Newport News and was
four times chairman or co-chairman of the Pen-
insula Industrial Committee's fund-raising cam-
paigns. He is past secretary and director of the
Newport News- Warwick Red Cross chapter; past
campaign co-chairman and director of the New-
port News- Warwick Community Chest; and past
chairman of the Thirteenth District Key Clubs,
sponsored by Kiwanis International. A charter
member of the Virginia Club in Norfolk, he is
a former member of the Princess Anne Golf and
Country Club at Virginia Beach, the Norfolk Golf
and Country Club, and the Norfolk Yacht Club. In
addition he is currently a member of the James
River Country Club, the Kiwanis Club of Newport
News, and the Propeller Club. He was also one
of the original sponsors of the Peninsula Orchestra.

In 1925 Irving L. Fuller married Eleanor Cuth-
rell Nash, and they became the parents of two
children; 1. Jean Nash, born on May 13, 1929. She
is the wife of Thomas R. Watkins. 2. Irving L.,
Jr., born March 13, 1934. A grand-nephew, Richie
Fuller, also makes his home with the family. They
reside at 4 Douglas Drive, Warwick.

ROBERT MILTON SAUNDERS— A lawyer
who has practiced at Newport News since 1940,
Robert Milton Saunders is now senior member
of the firm of Saunders and Hornsby, with of-
fices in the First National Bank Building. He
has served capably on the bench as substitute
municipal, juvenile and domestic relations court
judge, and he is a veteran of World War II.

Born at Richmond on January 17, 1917, he is
a son of Joseph Henry and Lola (Beale) Saun-
ders. His father, who was born at Portsmouth

on June 21, 1876, was an educator whose career
was identified with the schools of Virginia. He
served as superintendent at Newport News and
died on February 9, 1940. Mrs. Saunders, the
former Lola Beale, survives her husband. She
was born in Southampton County on August 8,
1882.

Robert M. Saunders attended the public schools
of Newport News and graduated from high
school there in 1933. He was a student at the
College of William and Mary for one year, then
transferred to George Washington University,
where he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts
in 1937. He took his law training at the Univer-
sity of Virginia, and graduated there in 1940
with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. In 1939
he had been admitted to the bar of the state
cf Virginia, and on completing his courses, be-
gan practicing at Newport News. He left soon
after this country entered World War II to enlist
in the United States Naval Reserve. Called to
acthe duty as an ensign and later commissioned
as lieutenant, senior grade, he served in the Paci-
fic Theater of Operations for thirteen months. He
was separated from the service in November
1945-

On his return from wartime service he re-
sumed his practice at Newport News and in June
1955, formed the law firm of Saunders and Horns-
by, in which John William Hornsby, Jr., is the
ether partner. Mr. Saunders is a member of the
Newport News-Warwick Bar Association and is
a past president of that group. He also holds
membership in the Virginia State Bar Associa-
tion. He has been active in the affairs of the
Democratic party. Mr. Saunders has rendered val-
uable service as substitute judge in the various
courts of Newport News — the civil and municipal,
juvenile and domestic relations courts, at various
times between 1950 and 1955.

He has taken a lively interest in civic affairs.
He has served as chairman of the Newport News-
Warwick Chapter of the American Red Cross,
and has been active on behalf of the local Com-
munity Chest. He is past president of the Hamp-
ton Reads Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1949,
Mr. Saunders received the Distinguished Service
Award of the Virginia Peninsula, in recognition
of his public services. His fraternity is Theta
Delta Chi. He is a member of the James River
Country Club and attends St. Paul's Episcopal
Church, serving his congregation as vestryman.
His hobby is music.

At Virginia Beach, on May 27, 1954, Robert
M. Saunders married Mary Dunn Vandeventer
of that city, daughter of Braden and Eliza Phe-
lan (Ruffin) Vandeventer. Her father is de-
ceased, but her mother is living. Mr. and Mrs.

3i8

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Saunders have a daughter, Eliza Ruffin, who
was born on July II, 1955, and a son Robert
M., Jr., born March 25, 1957.

J. OWEN CAMPBELL— The place of J. Owen
Campbell, founder and president of Campbell's Pho-
to Service and Supply Company and Campbell's
Camera Center, is firmly established in the busi-
ness life of Norfolk, of which city he is a native.
In the field of pictorial photography he has a
nationwide reputation. For a number of years his
name has appeared in "Who's Who in Interna-
tional Pictorial Photography," and in 1937 he
won the Oscar Barnack Award, which was con-
ferred on only three in that year. Mr. Campbell,
who has proved himself a man of exceptional
enterprise and versatility, is a capable business-
man as well as photographer. Campbell's Photo
Service and Supply Company, founded about Janu-
ary 1, 1950, and Campbell's Camera Center, which
he founded about Easter 1950, have become two
of the largest and most complete establishments
of their kind in the Southeast. Campbell's Camera
Center, whose address is 117 College Place, won
for its proprietor the designation of "America's
Top Brand-name Photographic Dealer," conferred
by Brand Names Foundation, Inc., in 1955.

He was born at Norfolk on May 19, 1910, son
of the late John Thomas and Nellie Fidelia
(Owen) Campbell. His father, who died in 1941,
was prominently identified with ocean shipping
circles for many years, being active in stevedoring,
shipping and terminal operations at Baltimore as
well as Norfolk. Mr. Campbell's father was the
founder of National Stevedoring and Shipping
Company, parent organization of the John T.
Campbell Corporation in Baltimore and of Lam-
bert's Point Terminal Corporation at Norfolk.

Beginning his education in public elementary
schools and at Fishburn Military School, J. Owen
Campbell later attended Norfolk Academy. He
then entered the College of William and Mary,
where he majored in business administration. He
began his business career with the National Steve-
doring and Shipping Company in 1931 as assist-
ant secretary, and later became president of the
John T. Campbell Corporation in Baltimore. His
connection with the Lambert's Point Terminal
Corporation began in the capacity of treasurer and
member of the board of directors, but he later
became president of this organization as well until
1942, when his interest was acquired by Lambert's
Point Docks Corporation. Mr. Campbell also serv-
ed as president of the National Stevedoring and
Shipping Corporation for a time.

To leave an executive position in an industry
with an assured future and take a chance in the
field of one's first choice is never an easy decision

to make. But Mr. Campbell had most promising
indications, including the national photographic
award he had received in 1937, that he would be
able to achieve success in the field of photogra-
phy, coupled with the retailing of photographic
equipment. For about eighteen years prior to the
time he opened Campbell's Camera Center, he had
taken a vital interest in the profession, and had
proved himself an outstanding amateur, with nu-
merous trophies besides the Barnack Award to
his credit. He brought broad technical experience
to the businesses which he founded in 1950, and
during the years since, has met with gratifying
success. A key to this success may be found in
one of his remarks: "In setting up my business,
I wanted to treat amateurs and professionals the
way I would like to have been treated when I
was in their field." In explaining the business
methods which were described in his firm's book
entry in the Brand Names Foundation competition,
Mr. Campbell said that one practice which he
believed helped win the award was that of sending
an experienced photographer out to work with
persons who had purchased valuable cameras or
equipment, to help them derive the most benefit
from their investment. Campbell's representatives
continue to give such aid as long as it is needed,
and this also has the advantage of determining
that the camera itself lives up to expectations.
All of Mr. Campbell's associates are qualified
photographers in their own right. Robert H. Pat-
terson, manager of the retail store, went to the
South Pole with Admiral Byrd as one of the ex-
pedition's chief photographers. Another associate,
S. H. Rings, was head photographer for the Uni-
ted States Navy at Saclant for many years, join-
ing the staff of Campbell's at the conclusion of
his service in 1955. Other associates are Gill Jones,
executive vice president; Mrs. Gladys Routten,
treasurer; G. L. Upshur, who has had much ex-
perience in professional and industrial photogra-
phy; and C. R. Moore, in charge of outside in-
dustrial sales. The founder's son, J. Owen Camp-
bell, Jr., has also joined the firm, and is now
manager of the new branch located at 25th and
Atlantic streets, Virginia Beach. The parent or-
ganization, Campbell's Photo Service and Supply
Corporation, dealing at wholesale only, is located
;it 4401 Killam Avenue in Norfolk. The best-
known names among camera and equipment
manufacturers are represented at the store, among
them Minox, Leica, Bolex, Kodak, Rolleiflex, Ans-
co, Argus, du Pont and Polaroid.

Mr. Campbell is a member of the Virginia Pro-
fessional Photographers Association, the Virginia
Press Photographers Association, the National
Association of Dealers and Photo Finishers and
Brand Names Foundation, Inc. In his own city

m^e^~

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3'9

he belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and the
Retail Merchants Association, both of Norfolk,
the Rotary Club of Virginia Beach, Princess Anne
Country Club, and the Norfolk Yacht and Coun-
try Club. He is affiliated with Lodge No. 39 of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
Elizabeth Lodge No. 34, Ancient Free and Accep-
ted Masons. A member of the higher bodies of
Masonry, he is a member of Khedive Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, and he also belongs to the Royal Order
of Scotland. He attends Galilee Episcopal Church
at Virginia Beach.

Mr. Campbell's major avocational interest is
agriculture, and from 1942 to 1948 he was active
in stock breeding, operating a cattle farm in the
Valley of Virginia for the breeding of foundation
herds of pure-bred Herefords. He became widely
known in livestock circles, and won many awards
in Hereford competitions. He developed one of
the finest herds of these cattle in the common-
wealth, and his reputation in the sale of breeding
stock extended as far west as Wyoming, and
throughout the South to Atlanta and as far north
as Vermont.

In Forsyth, Georgia, on March 5, 1932, J. Owen
Campbell married May Mays, daughter of Jesse
Wade and Ada (Chambliss) Mays. They are the
parents of two children: 1. John Owen, Jr., born
December 6, 1932. He attended Fishburn Military
School, the University of Virginia and Rochester
Institute of Technology. He is now manager of
the Campbell's Camera Center branch at Virginia
Beach. Married to the former Miss Jean Patter-
son of Bremo Bluff, Virginia, he is the father of
a daughter, Martha Lynn, born March 14, 1956.
2. Charles Stratton, born August 14, 1944, now
attending Norfolk Academy. The family resides
at Linlier, Virginia Beach.

CECIL HENDERSON REED— One of Prin-
cess Anne County's business leaders, Cecil Hender-
son Reed devoted himself in the later years of his
life to the management of a motel. He was pro-
minent in public affairs, and in political circles as
a Democrat, and served as his party's committee-
man in Princess Anne Count}'. He had many
friends and always was generous in responding to
frequent requests for assistance — both financially
and in service.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on November
7, 1898, and was a son of Harry Henderson and
Annie ( Evans) Reed. His father, a member of one
of the long established families of the region, was
with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad throughout
most of his career. Cecil H. Reed attended local
public schools and graduated from Norfolk High
School.

Early in his career he turned his attention to
hotel management, and for a number of years was
assistant manager of the Monticello Hotel in Nor-
folk. In March 1943 he opened the Old Dominion
Motel in Princess Anne County at the intersection
of U. S. Routes 13 and 60, building twenty-two
units there, and operating an efficient and modern
tourists' hostelry, the first of its kind in the Nor-
folk-Princess Anne County area, and one of the
first in the State of Virginia. Mr. Reed was a mem-
ber of the National Hotel Association.

Mr. Reed held office as Democratic committee-
man of Princess Anne County from 1950 to 1958.
He was a member of the Cavalier Beach Club,
and a former member of the Princess Anne Rotary
Club and the Ruritan Club. He was a communicant
of the First Baptist Church of Norfolk, while Mrs.
Reed attends Our Savior Lutheran Church of Bay-
side, Princess Anne County.

She has been a recognized leader in civic affairs
for some time, especially in all charity fund rais-
ing campaigns and in conservation. Born Lucrezia
Covington, she is a daughter of Jefferson Davis and
Susan Elizabeth (Smith) Covington, of Covington,
Kentucky. Married to Mr. Reed in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, on November 16, 1937, she came
with him to Virginia in 1938 and from the time
he opened the Old Dominion Motel, assisted him
in its management. Both were members of the
Cavalier Club, the Princess Anne chapters of the
American Red Cross, National Foundation for
Infantile Paralysis ("Helping Hand"). American
Cancer Society, and the Norfolk Chapter of the
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Anti-
quities.

Mrs. Reed is a member of the Lake Joyce Garden
Club: The Virginia Tidewater Unit, National As-
sociation of Parliamentarians: Cape Henry Wo-
man's Club: Order of Cape Henry 1607; and a
former member of the Woman's Club of Princess
Anne County. In all of her activities she had the
full cooperation of her husband, and when goals
were not reached in charity drives, Mr. Reed's con-
tribution carried them over the top.

In recognition of excellent accomplishments in
all activities and particularly for her untiring efforts
in promoting the conservation and preservation of
the wild American lotus of Princess Anne County
— the last substantial growth to be found in the
United States — Mrs. Reed was named "Woman of
Outstanding Accomplishment of Princess Anne
County for 1955," by the local Business and Profes-
sional Women's Club. She also received the com-
mendation of the Virginia State Department of
Conservation and Development.

Mr. Reed's death occurred at his Princess Anne
County home on February 3, 1958. There are scores

320

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and scores of friends to whom he was kind and
loyal throughout the years who will not forget
him.

JOSHUA PRETLOW— A Suffolk attorney
with a decade's experience before the Virginia bar,
Joshua Pretlow is currently serving as Common-
wealth Attorney for Nansemond County. He was
born at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 5, 1919,
and is a son of Thomas Butler and Cynthia Anne
(Abbitt) Pretlow. His father, a native of South-
ampton County, died in 1929, and Mrs. Pretlow
died in 1933. She, like her son, was born at Ap-
pomattox.

The public schools of Nansemond County pro-
vided Joshua Pretlow's early education, and he
graduated from Chuckatuck High School in 1936.
He then enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
where he took the degree of Bachelor of Science
in 1940. He has also taken courses at Norfolk
College.

He was admitted to the Virginia bar on January
3, 1947, and since that time has practiced in Suf-
folk under his own name. His lias been a gen-
eral practice. He became Commonwealth Attorney
for Nansemond County by election to office in
1955, and is filling a four-year term.

Besides his professional and public duties, Mr.
Pretlow is a member of the board of directors
of The Farmers Bank of Nansemond. He is a
member of the lodges of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he belongs to
Chuckatuck Lodge No. 77, and is a member of
the chapter of the Royal Arch Masons and the
commandery of the Knights Templar. He holds the
Thirty-second degree in Masonry, and is a mem-
ber of Khedive Temple. Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Norfolk. He is
a member of the German Club of Suffolk and
the Chuckatuck Ruritan Club. He attends Wesley
Chapel, a Methodist Church at Chuckatuck, where
he is superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr.
Pretlow is a Democrat.

At Suffolk, on March 31, 1945, Joshua Pretlow
married Betty N. Cross of that city, daughter of
Harry L. and Jennie Lee (Williams) Cross. The
couple are the parents of the following children:

1. Joshua, Jr., who was born on October 7, 7946.

2. Anne Abbitt. born on January 18, 1948. 3. Thomas
Kirk, born October 20, 1951.

HERBERT A. HOLT. JR.— A native of the
Lower Tidewater, Herbert A. Holt, Jr., has be-
come one of its better known citizens. He is
president of the Holt Buick Company at Virginia
Beach, a part owner of a motel and a bank director.

and a leader in civic and service organizations.
In the political field he has served on the City
Council of Virginia Beach and is now chairman
of the city's Electoral Board and treasurer of the
Erosion Commission.

He was born at Portsmouth on July 3. 1908,
the son of Herbert A. and Mattie (Oakley) Holt.
His father, who was superintendent of terminals
for the Seaboard Airline Railroad for forty years,
died in April 1951, at the age of eighty-three. The
mother makes her home in Norfolk.

Herbert A. Holt, Jr., was graduated from Maury
High School, Norfolk, in 1926. He began his busi-
ness career immediately, but continued his educa-
tion at night, attending Norfolk College. His first
position was with R. G. Dun and Company, now
Dun and Bradstreet. After a short period with
this firm, he joined the plumbing firm of \ . R.
Stell of Norfolk. He learned the trade and re-
mained with this firm for eleven years.

In 1939 Mr. Holt went into the automobile busi-
ness as an independent operator. His first loca-
tion was Atlantic Avenue and Twenty-first Street.
In 1946, he built his present plant at Pacific
Avenue and Twenty-first Street. Two years later
he acquired the Buick franchise and changed his
firm name to Holt Buick Company. From his Vir-
ginia Beach headquarters he covers all of Prin-
cess Anne County, employing about twenty per-
sons. Long active in real estate transactions, he
has done much property development work. His
motel, a new venture, contains forty units. An-
other business interest is the Bank of Virginia
Beach, of which he is a director.

A Democrat, Mr. Holt served on the Virginia
Beach City Council from 1942 to 1948. As trea-
surer of the Erosion Commission and chairman
of the Electoral Board, he continues to serve his
fellow citizens. He is a past president of the Ro-
tary Club of Virginia Beach and is a director of
the Virginia Beach Chamber of Commerce and the
Virginia Beach Retail Merchants Association. He
worships in the Presbyterian Church. Golf is
his favorite diver-ion.

Mr. Holt married Mattie Midgette, daughter of
John and Cora (Brumsey) Midgette, in Virginia
Beach in October 1941. Mrs. Holt and her par-
ents were horn in Currituck County, North Caro-
lina. Her father farmed in that county until his
death in 11)25, at the age of fifty-six. Mr. and
Mrs. Holt have one son, Herbert A., Ill, born
in Virginia Beach in June 1945. Their home is at
Cavalier Drive and Pinewood Road, Virginia
Beach.

JAMES BEARFOOT OGLETHORPE— One

of the most colorful figures of Lower Tidewater

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

32<

Virginia is James Bearfoot Oglethorpe, whose life
represents a cycle that extends back into the very
origins of human life on the American Continent,
the Indians, through the Gay Nineties to the re-
markable changes of the automobile age, the age
of automation and into our present atomic and
space age.

As cannons boomed and fireworks filled the air
with a blaze of commemorative splendor, James
Bearfoot was said to have been "hatched out on
a stump" near Caddo, Oklahoma, in the early
morning of July 4, 1893. He was of mixed Shaw-
nee Indian and English parentage. He was the
son of James Bearfoot Whitecloud and Mary
(Oglethorpe) Whitecloud and later assumed his
mother's maiden name of Oglethorpe.

Early in life he learned the true meaning of
tolerance and democracy. His first twelve years
of life were spent on an Indian Reservation and
in the homes of German, Jewish and Russian
families. His educational opportunities on the re-
servation and elsewhere were limited, but young
James took full advantage of every means to im-
prove his mind and gain knowledge. He left school
with not much more than a basic foundation in
formal education, a strong and healthy body and
an equally strong and healthy determination to
overcome all obstacles and make the most of
himself.

The road he was forced to follow to reach his
goal was not an easy one. The first order of
business was to curb the wild streak inherent in
his nature. While still a youth he enlisted in the
United States Cavalry and was assigned to duty
on the Mexican Border. Six months after enlist-
ing he was able to transfer his services to the
United States Corps of Engineers and spent the
remainder of his enlistment in the South Sea Is-
lands, receiving an honorable discharge in San
Francisco in 1912.

Thereafter followed a gay and light-hearted
period in his life and the opportunity to travel
widely and gain both knowledge and experience.
His interests in the theater prompted him to try-
entertaining in vaudeville which led to a dramatic
career. He played Shakespearean roles on the
stage, traveling with theatrical troupes through-
out the United States and Canada during 1914-
1915. It was at this time, November 24, 1915, that
he married Nannie Clark Martin of Halifax Coun-
ty, Virginia. With marriage and the desire for a
more settled life and family, his thoughts centered
on means to obtain further education and a suit-
able vocation. He entered a University School of
Commerce and took courses in accounting in 1916-
1917, completing four years of work in eighteen
months.

America's entrance into World War I brought

him back to military service but this time in a
professional field. He was engaged in auditing and
installing accounting systems in connection with
military installations in and near Tidewater Vir-
ginia. It was during this period that he studied and
completed five correspondence courses in advanced
accounting and corporate finance. After the war
Mr. Oglethorpe resigned from his military work
and joined the accounting staff of a New York
firm, and later was engaged in this work in Nor-
folk. In 1920 he established his own accounting
firm in Norfolk and has since operated it as J. B.
Oglethorpe & Company. He has been joined by
his sons, James Bernard and Edward Kent Ogle-
thorpe, both of whom entered their father's office
upon completion of their schooling and return from
military service.

Thus the cycle of his life brought James Bear-
foot Oglethorpe from what is now known as Cad-
do, Oklahoma, although at that time this region
was still Indian territory, to the staid and distinc-
tive professional offices in the Wainwright Build-
ing of Norfolk, where he practices his profession
as Certified Public Accountant and presides as
senior member and founder of the well-known ac-
counting firm of J. B. Oglethorpe & Company.

Mr. Oglethorpe became a Certified Public Ac-
countant November 22, 1930, when he passed the
examination given by the Virginia State Board
of Accountancy. He has maintained the profession
of accountancy at its highest standards, and his
firm throughout the years has served a wide clien-
tele among commercial and industrial interests.
He has specialized in the field of Federal and
State Income Tax Laws and the preparation of
income tax returns but lays no claim to the nomen-
clature of "tax expert."

He is a member of the Virginia Society of Cer-
tified Public Accountants; the Norfolk Chamber
of Commerce; Owen's Lodge No. 164, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons; John Walters Royal
Arch Chapter No. 68 and the Grice Commandery
No. 16 Knights Templar; Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
The Scottish Rite Bodies, Tall Cedars of Lebanon,
Lafayette Yacht Club, The Norfolk Sports Club
and Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks.

WOLCOTT FAMILY— The Lower Tidewater
has seen three generations of the Wolcott family
rise to important stature in the legal profession.
Two members of the first generation led the family
into this profession in Norfolk in 1893. Today,
one member of the second generation and his son
are in practice, their firm being Wolcott, Wolcott,
and Payne. Edward W. Wolcott is a member of
the third generation in the legal profession.

TWVa. 37

3--

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

He was horn in Norfolk on April 27, 1921, his
father, James M. Wolcott, in Van Wert, Ohio,
on August 1, 1894. James M. Wolcott, the senior
member of the law firm of Wolcott, Wolcott, and
Payne, was brought to Norfolk by his parents
when he was one year old. His father, Edward
W. Wolcott, joined by a brother, Harry K. Wol-
cott, practiced law in the Lower Tidewater's lar-
gest city until their deaths. Harry K. Wolcott died
in the 1920s. Edward W. Wolcott in the early
1930s.

.lames M. Wolcott received his early education
in the public schools of Norfolk. At Maury High
School, from wdiich he was graduated in 1912, he
was captain of the football team. He was attend-
ing the University of Virginia when the United
States entered World War I. Leaving his classes,
he enlisted in the Linked States Army and served
overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces.
When he left the service after the Armistice of
1918, he resumed his classes at the University of
Virginia, where he took the degree of Bachelor of
Laws. Upon his admission to the Virginia bar,
he joined his father and uncle in the practice of
law. In World War II he was chairman of the
Ration Board for the city of Norfolk and on the
Appeal Board of the Selective Service System for
the city of Norfolk. As a member of this board
he was instrumental in considering registrations
for military service. Earlier in his career, he was
captain of the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. In
addition to practicing law, James M. Wolcott oper-
ates a farm at Moyock, North Carolina; is a mem-
ber of the Civil Service Commission of Norfolk;
and has been a member of the Electoral Board
for thirty-five years, of which he is presently chair-
man. He is a member of the Virginia, American,
and Norfolk-Portsmouth bar associations and sev-
eral Masonic bodies. He is a former deacon in the
hirst Presbyterian Church of Norfolk. Sailing is his
hobby. In politics he is a Republican.

James M. Wolcott married Nannie Baylor,
daughter of Richard and Isabelle (Mcintosh) Bay-
lor, in Norfolk in 1918. Richard Baylor, a native
of Kinloch, Essex County, was a planter all his
life. His wife was a native of Norfolk. Mr. and
Mrs. James M. Wolcott have two sons, both pro-
fcssional men. The older of the two is Dr. James
M. Wolcott. Jr., who was born in Norfolk on
March 18, 1920. He took the degree of Bachelor
of Science at Hampden-Sydney College in 1942
and that of Doctor of Medicine at the University
of Virginia School of Medicine in 1949 and is now
practicing his profession in Norfolk. He served in
the United States Navy in World War II. Dr.
Wolcott married Janice L. Smith of New Orleans
in September 1954, and they have one daughter,
Janice Lamar, born in Norfolk in July 1955. and
one son, James M., III.

Edward W. Wolcott, the younger son of Mr.
and Mrs. James M. Wolcott, was graduated from
Maury High School, Norfolk, in 1939, at the age
of eighteen. In 1943 he was awarded the degree
of Bachelor of Arts at Hampden-Sydney College
and soon afterward was commissioned in the Uni-
ted States Navy. He served not only through the
remainder of World War II, but for a total of
four years. He was both in the Pacific and in the
Caribbean frontier. Upon his release to inactive
duty, he entered the Naval Reserve, in which he
now holds the rank of lieutenant commander. In
1947 he entered the University of Virginia School
of Law, where in February 1949, he was granted
the degree of Bachelor of Laws.

For one year Edward W. Wolcott practiced his
profession as an associate of the law firm of Pit-
cher and Pilcher, Norfolk. Then he joined his
father. Since then they have practiced together. In
November 1955, with the admission of Daniel Har-
mon Payne to the firm, the firm name was chang-
ed to Wolcott, Wolcott, and Payne. Offices are
in Norfolk's Western Union Building. Like his
father, Edward W. Wolcott is a member of the
Norfolk-Portsmouth, Virginia, and American bar
associations. He also belongs to the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce, Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club, Virginia Club, Phi Alpha Delta, and Omega
Delta Kappa. He also is a former deacon of the
First Presbyterian Church. Another sailing enthu-
siast, he maintains a sailboat of his own.

Edward W. Wolcott married Clara Mitchell in
Norfolk on September 9, 1949- Mrs. Wolcott's
parents are M. P. Mitchell, a retired merchant and
farmer, and Alary (Garnett) Mitchell, who was
born at Horse Shoe Farm, Gordonsville, Mr. and
Mis. Wolcott have three children; 1. Anne Gar-
nett, born on October 24, 1951. 2. Edward W., Jr.,
born on August 9, 1953- 3- Elizabeth Brooke, born
on .March 24, 1956.

JOHN E. RAY, 3rd — After his return from
Air Corps service in World War II, John E.
Ray, 3rd, became identified with the Camp
Manufacturing Company of Franklin, which re-
cently merged with Union Bag and Paper Corp-
oration to form Union Bag-Camp Paper Corpora-
tion. He has advanced steadily over the past de-
cade to his present office of resident manager of
the Camp Division of this company. He served
a^ a member of the Camp board of directors
and also on the boards of two other corporations.

Born May 5, 1919, in Franklin, he is a son
of Burton J. and Sallie (Camp) Ray. His father,
a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, is now re-
tired, after a business career which brought him
executive duties as secretary and treasurer of the
Camp Manufacturing Company. John E. Ray at-

r/3u.&

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

323

tended the public elementary and high schools
of Franklin and graduated from high school there
in 1936. For two years he attended Woodberry
Forest School at Orange, Virginia, after which
he completed his advanced studies during three
years as a student at Cornell University in Ithaca,
New York.

At about this period, the United States became
involved in World War II, and Mr. Ray enlisted
for service in the United States Army Air Corps.
He spent one year overseas, in the European
theater, served as a pilot and attained the rank
of major. He was separated from the service in
August 1945.

On returning to his native area and to peace-
time pursuits, he joined the Camp Manufactur-
ing Company of Franklin. In March 1956, he was
named vice president and a member of the firm's
board of directors. He was also a director of the
Stocker Manufacturing Company of Netcong, New
Jersey, and is presently a member of the board
of Franklin Concrete Products in his home city.
He also has served on the boards of the Virginia
Manufacturers Association and the Virginia State
Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Ray is a member of the Lions Club and
the Commonwealth Club of Richmond. Fond of
golf, he also belongs to the Cypress Cove Coun-
try Club and the Princess Anne Country Club
at Virginia Beach. He is a member of Phi Delta
Theta social fraternity. He and his family attend
Franklin Baptist Church, and he serves on its
board of dccons.

At Franklin, on August 15, 1942, John F. Ray,
3rd, married Margaret Ellis Smith of Rio de
Janeiro, daughter of Thomas W., Jr.. and Mar-
g-ret (Ellis) Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Ray have
three children: 1. Margaret Shepard, born August
13. 1943- 2. John Burton, born April 28, 1947. 3.
Caroline Savage, born September 30, 1949.

WILLIAM ELDRIDGE SMITH— With many
years' experience in the insurance field to his
credit, William Eldridge Smith now heads his
own agency at Franklin, dealing in life insurance
and real estate. His offices are in the Farmers
Bank Building.

A native of Dublin, Georgia, he was born on
August 5, 1S97, son of Joseph Eldridge and Car-
rie Belle (Blackshear) Smith. His father was also
a Georgian bj birth, and was a farmer, who also
became a merchant and banker at Dublin. He is
deceased, but his wife, the former Carrie Belle
Blackshear, survives. William Eldridge Smith be-
gan his education in the public schools of Dublin,
and completed his preparatory studies at River-
side Military Academy in Gainesville. He then

entered Emory University, where he concluded
his education.

At the time of World War I, he enlisted and
;.ttended courses of the Student Army Training
Corps. After the war he joined his father in mer-
chandising and farming at Dublin, Georgia, where
he remained for five years. For two years, Mr.
Smith was a salesman for H. S. Storr Company,
working out of Raleigh, North Carolina. He ter-
minated that connection to go to Tampa, Florida,
and enter the insurance business as a general
agent for the Maryland Casualty Company. He
continued in this connection for a decade, after
which he spent six years as agent for Equitable
Life Assurance Society at Portland, Maine.

With a background of business experience at
the geographical extremes of the Eastern Sea-
board, Mr. Smith selected the middle ground of
Franklin, Virginia, as the likeliest place to settle
permanently. There, in 1948, he established a life
insurance and real estate agency in his own name,
and this he has successfully directed since.

He takes a vital interest in youth work in his
home region, and was formerly president of the
Old Dominion Area Council of the Boy Scouts
of America. He is a Rotarian, and a member of
Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Cypress Cove
Country Club, Commonwealth Club, Richmond,
Farming Country Club, Charlottesville, Tampa
Yacht Club, Tampa, Florida, and Portland Country
Club, Portland, Maine. Attending the Baptist
Church, he formerly served as chairman of its
board of deacons.

A; Franklin, on October 7, 1937, W. Eldridge
Smith married Elizabeth Fountain Camp of
Franklin, daughter of James L. and Caroline
(Savage) Camp. Her father was a founder of
the Camp Manufacturing Company, whose his-
torical record is to be found in these pages.

J. BARBOUR RIXEY— The law firm of Rixey
and Rixey is one of the best known in the Bar in
the Lower Tidewater. There are three Rixeys in
this firm — John Strode Rixey, whose lifestory ap-
pears elsewhere in this volume; James Barbour
Rixey and the latter's son, John Franklin Rixey.
The story of James Barbour Rixey, better known
as J. Barbour Rixey, appears herewith.

Born in Culpeper County on March 1, 1895, he
is the son of John Franklin and Ellen (Barbour)
Rixey, both of whom were also natives of that
county. John Franklin Rixey, a farmer and lawyer,
represented his district in the Congress of the
LInited States for twelve years. He practiced law
in Culpeper. For a time he was Culpeper's Com-
monwealth Attorney. He died in 1907, at the age of
fifty-two. He was still in Congress at the time.
His widow died in 1944.

3-4

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

J. Barbour Rixey spent the early years of his
life in Washington, D. C, and received his early
education in the public schools of the capital and
at a private school in Charlottesville, from which
he ua> graduated in 1912. Subsequently, he spent
a year at Hampden-Sydney College. He completed
his education at the University of Virginia, where
he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1917 and
that of Bachelor of Laws in 1920.

In 1917, after taking his Arts degree, he accepted
a commission in the United States Army Air Serv-
ice. He was a first lieutenant and flyer in that
pioneer military group. For a time toward the
end of World War 1, he was an instructor. In
December 1918, he was honorably discharged but
he remained in the Reserve as a captain until 1924.

Upon the completion of his law course in June
1920, and his admission to the Virginia Bar, Mr.
Rixey, joined by his brother, John Strode Rixey,
began his practice in Norfolk. The firm of Rixey
and Rixey, which maintains offices in the Citizens
Bank Building, was formed at that time. In ad-
dition to the three Rixeys in the firm, there are
also E. Pryor Wormington and Spencer G. Gill,
Jr. Besides his law practice, J. Barbour Rixey looks
after farming interests he acquired in Orange
County. He is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth and Virginia bar associations, Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce and Beta Theta Pi and Phi
Delta Phi fraternities. He is an elder in the First
Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, where he formerly
taught a Bible class. In politics he is a Democrat.

Mr. Rixey married Elizabeth Cornick in Nor-
folk on June 7, 1924. She is the daughter of Tom
and Mammie (Scott) Cornick, the former a native
of Norfolk, the latter of Elizabeth City. Mr. Cor-
nick. who was associated with the C. D. Kenney
Company, a coffee roasting firm, for many years,
died in 191 1. Mrs. Rixey is active in the Norfolk
Garden Club and in the Women's Auxiliary of the
Norfolk Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Rixey have two
children: 1. John Franklin, born on October 15,
1926. He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1949 and that of Bachelor of Laws in 195 1 at the
University of Virginia. To serve in World War II
he dropped out of school for fourteen months and
was with the United States Navy as an aviation
radioman third class until his separation from the
service on August 14, 1946. He has been with the
firm of Rixey and Rixey since 1951. He has been
a member of Virginia State Legislature since 1954.
He married Patricia Traugott and they have three
children: James Barbour, born in 1950; John Frank-
lin, Jr., born in 1953, and Maria, born in 1956. 2.
Anne Cornick, born on December 4, 1931. She is
the wife of Dr. Wilcox Ruffin. a physician who took
his professional degree at the University of Virginia

in 1950. They have one son, Wilcox Kirkland, born
in 1955. and live in Charlottesville.

CHARLES DREWRY BURFORD— Since the

World War 11 period, Charles Drewry Burford
(who is better known among his friends and
fellow citizens as Bing Burford) has been build-
ing a substantial reputation as an automobile
dealer. He came to Hampton in 1943, and now
owns the Buick agency there. He is a veteran of
military service in World War II, and has en-
gaged in useful community and organizational
activities.

He is a native of Norfolk, and was born on
June 13, 1909, son of Charles Lee and Daisy
(Jenkins) Burford. His father, who was also
born at Norfolk, was engaged in the retail gro-
cer}- business in that city for about thirty-five
years, and he died on April J^, 1943. Mrs. Bur-
ford died in June 1918. She was a native of
Gloucester, Virginia.

Reared in Norfolk and attending its public
schools, Charles D. Burford graduated from Blair
Junior High School and Maury High School
there, then entered the College of William and
Alary, attending evening classes at its Norfolk
Division, majoring in accounting. He began his
business career as stenographer with Southern
Railway System in Norfolk, and remained in the
employ of the railroad for eight years. He left
to accept a position as office manager with the
Nick Wright Motor Company, Chrysler distri-
butors in Norfolk, and he also continued with this
automobile sales organization for eight years. He
then became chief accountant for one of the
contracting firms on the Copeland Park Project,
but after eight months in that position, left to
enter service in World War 11.

He was assigned to the 260th Engineer Com-
bat Battalion, and served overseas for six months,
holding the rating of technical sergeant. His
overseas service was in the European theater.
After a total of thirty months in uniform, he
received his honorable discharge in September

1945-

When he returned to peacetime pursuits, Mr.
Burford re-entered the automobile sales field,
taking the franchise for Hudson at Newport News
and later added Hampton. He sold his agency
in Newport News in 1950, and remained in
Hamilton, where he received the franchise for
the sale of Buicks. He chose his car wisely, for
during the years since, it has become a major
seller in the medium-price field, and has been
third place in automobile sales throughout the
country for over two years. He operates his
agency, located at King and Lincoln streets, as

i^vuM 'ft /$u*£*X^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3-5

Burford Buick Corporation. It is a sizable firm,
giving employment to forty people.

Mr. Burford is active in the Virginia Peninsula
Association of Commerce and Newport News-
Hampton Auto Dealers Association. He is a mem-
ber of George Wright Lodge No. 346 of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Max ins and the lodge
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
at Hampton. Fond of the out-of-doors, his
favorite sports are fishing and boating. He is a
member of the Knox Presbyterian Church in
X or folk.

Charles Drewry Burford is married to the
former Kathryn Jane Murphy, daughter of the
late Thomas Murphy and Ella (Woodgate) Mur-
phy, of Washington, D. C. Mr. and Mrs. Bur-
ford reside at 4107 Chesapeake Avenue, Hampton.

GEORGE P. HYLTON, JR.— The legal pro-
fession, politics, and Baptist Church work are the
three major preoccupations — outside his home and
family — of George P. Hylton, Jr. A partner in the
law firm of Venable, Parsons, Kyle, and Hylton,
with offices at 700 Board of Trade Building, Nor-
folk, he is engaged in a general practice. On both
the state and local levels, he is a leader in the Re-
publican Party.

Mr. Hylton was born in Princeton, West Virginia,
on March 15, 1912, the son of George P. and Caro-
line (St. Clair) Hylton. His father, a native of
Tennessee, died in 1942 at the age of seventy-
nine. The mother, born in Montgomery County,
Virginia, died in February 1923. at the age of fifty-
eight. The senior George P. Hylton was an out-
standing citizen of Princeton and Mercer County,
West Virginia. A tax expert for a land company
at Princeton, be was also a merchant there. For
a time he served as deputy sheriff and assessor
of Mercer County.

George P. Hylton, Jr., attended Princeton's ele-
mentary and high schools. Graduated from high
school in 1929, he attended Georgetown College,
Georgetown, Kentucky, for one year and one sum-
mer semester, after which he returned to his native
Princeton to read law in a law office. He left this
activity to become a machinist's apprentice in the
employ of the Virginia Railroad, but subsequently
resumed his law studies in the same Princeton law
office.

Without abandoning bis resoultion to make a
career in the legal profession, Mr. Hylton once
more gave up the reading of law in 1939, at the
outbreak of war in Europe, and became a machinist
in the Norfolk Navy Yards. He worked there
throughout the nation's "national emergency" and
World War II. From 1946 to 1947 he was a ma-
chinist at the Naval Operating Base. Meantime,

he devoted all his spare time to the study of law.
In 1945 he resumed his formal studies at night at
Norfolk College of Law and in August 1947, was
admitted to practice as a member of the Virginia
State Bar.

For a year Mr. Hylton practiced independently
in Norfolk. Then, in 1948, he became an associate
of what was then the law firm of Venable, Miller,
Parsons, and Kyle. On January 1, 1954, he was ad-
mitted to partnership in the firm, the name of which
was changed at the time to Venable, Parsons, Kyle,
and Hylton. In the course of his practice, Mr.
Hylton has been active in civic and political affairs,
with the result that he has been named to the Vir-
ginia State Republican Central Committee and the
Norfolk City Republican Central Committee. He is
a member, also, of the Virginia and American bar
associations. At the Park Place Baptist Church of
Norfolk, Mr. Hylton is a member of the finance
committee and is director of the Training Union.
He regards politics as bis hobby. Fishing is his
favorite sport.

On August 18, 1932, Mr. Hylton married Helen
Broyles, a native of Monroe County, West Vir-
ginia, and daughter of A. G. and Josephine (Bal-
lard) Broyles. Her father was also born in Monroe
County, her mother in Kanawha County, West
Virginia. The mother died in 1945. Mr. Broyles, who
was a farmer in the Mountain State most of his
life, is now retired and makes his home with Mr.
and Mrs. Hylton. In 1956 he celebrated his seventy-
eighth birthday. Mrs. Hylton, a school teacher, is,
like her husband, active in the Park Place Baptist
Church. Her family has been in the New World
since Colonial Days, and members of it have been
in nearly all of the nation's wars, including the
Revolution. She and her family reside at 1321
Brunswick Avenue, Norfolk. There are three chil-
dren: 1. George 1'., Ill, horn on July 3. 1934. 2.
John A., born on November 18, 1936. 3. Robert
L., born on December 27, 1938.

DONALD H. BURLAGE— The activity of the
Burlage family in the automotive business has
made that name familiar to virtually every Lower
Tidewater resident. Donald H. Burlage operates
D. H. Burlage and Company, an automobile
dealership, and the Norfolk Auto Loan Corpora-
tion, of which be is president. Mr. Burlage, a
Naval veteran of World War II, operates in
other fields besides the automotive and enjoys an
avocational reputation in the fishing and flying
sports.

Born in New Vienna, Dubuque County, Iowa,
on September 28, 1918, Mr. Burlage is the son
of Alois and Cecelia (Schlichte) Burlage, both
also natives of the Hawkeye State. Alois Burlage, a

326

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

farmer in Iowa for many years, has lived in
Norfolk since his retirement in January 1944.
Donald Burlage is one of ten children, seven
of whom are living. He was educated in paro-
chial schools in New Vienna.

In 1936, he enlisted in the United States Navy.
Honorably discharged in 1940, he became a sales-
man for the City Motor Company, 861 Granby
Street, Norfolk. He was with this concern until
December 1942. At that time, he resigned to
form a partnership with E. H. Lawrence. Their
firm was known as The Granby Motor Company
and maintained headquarters at 1218 Granby
Street. In October 1944, Mr. Burlage returned to
active duty with the Navy and served until De-
cember 1945.

Upon his return to Norfolk, he resumed his
place in The Granby Motor Company, with which
he was associated until July 1951. In 1949, he
participated in the formation of the Granby Auto
Loan Corporation, which handled financing for
the Granby Motor Company. For a time he
served as president of the Granby Insurance
Agency, Inc.

In 1051, Mr. Burlage purchased his present
properties and formed his own companies, notably
the Norfolk Auto Loan Corporation and the D.
H. Burlage & Company automobile dealership,
both of which he has since been president. He
is also secretary-treasurer of the Universal Fi-
nance Company, Inc., of Norfolk. His headquar-
ters arc still at 1218 Granby Street.

Recognized as a leader in his field of business,
Mr. Burlage served four years as president of the
Independent Auto Dealers Association of Norfolk.
He is also a former chairman of that organiza-
tion's board of directors and is a member at present
of the board. Through one of his favorite sports
and his interest in nature, he is prominent in
the Izaak Walton League, of which he is a
former director. Another organization in which
he is well known is the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association. He is a licensed pilot, flies
his own plane and in 1956 formed the Norfolk
Flying Club, Incorporated, of which he is presi-
dent. Other groups to which he belongs include
the Lafayette Yacht Club, Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce and the Lakewood Civic League. In
politics he is independent and by religion a Catho-
lic. In addition to flying and fishing, he likes
boating, duck hunting and skeet shooting. His
home is at 1445 Waylon Avenue, Lakewood.

Mr. Burlage married Dorothy V. Bartol, daugh-
ter of Rudolph and Janie (Parr) Bartol, in Nor-
folk in May 1940. Her father, a native of Trieste,
Italy, was superintendent of the Norfolk Munici-
pal Hospital until his death in 1940. He is sur-
vived by Mrs. Bartol, who is a native of Nor-

folk. Mr. and Mrs. Burlage's five sons are: I.
Donald V, born on July 28, 1941. 2. Richard C,
horn on December 31, 1944. 3. Guy A., born on
June 29, 1950. 4. and 5. Dennis J. and Dean F.t
twins, born on November 19, 1953.

EDWIN PAGE PRESTON— The contribution
which the Preston family has made to progress in
Virginia is well known. One of the members of
the family currently engaged in the continuation of
that contribution is Edwin Page Preston. A part-
ner of his brother. John Baldwin Preston, in the
law firm of Preston and Preston, he has made a
reputation both in his profession and in community
affairs. He is a veteran of World War II.

Edwin Page Preston was born in Norfolk on
December 6, 1921, the son of Robert Baldwin Pres-
ton, Jr., a noted civil engineer, and Merle (Page)
Preston. The activities of the family have been
chronicled in a volume called "The Prestons of
Virginia." Robert Baldwin Preston, Jr., the father,
was a consulting engineer who served as Norfolk
County Highway Commissioner and as chairman
of the Hampton Roads Sewage Disposal Commis-
sion. He was county engineer of Norfolk County
in the late 1920s and early 1930s and in the early
period of the Public Works Administration served
on its advisory board for the State of Virginia.

Edwin Page Preston attended Virginia Military
Institute from 1939 to 1943. He was then com-
missioned in the United States Army Air Forces
and as a first lieutenant served with the Fifth Air
Force in the Pacific Theater of Operations until
the Japanese surrender in 1945. From 1946 to 1948
he prepared for the legal profession at Washing-
ton and Lee University, taking the degree of Bach-
elor of Laws in the latter year. He then followed
up with postgraduate work at George Washington
University, where he was awarded the degree of
Master of Laws in 1950.

From 1948 to 1952, Mr. Preston was engaged
in the practice of law at Kingsport, Tennessee. In
the following two years he served as a claim ad-
juster for the State Farm Insurance Company in
Richmond. Since 1954 he has been in general prac-
tice in Norfolk. His brother joined him on January
1. 1955. Their offices are in the Western Union
Building. In 1951, Edwin Page Preston was presi-
dent of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Kings-
port. He worships in the Galilee Episcopal Church,
Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Mr. Preston married Jeanne Haines Schoenewolf
of Emporia, Virginia, in 1946. They have three chil-
dren: 1. Margaret Marston, born in 1947. 2. Merle
Page, born in 1950. 3. William Tillar, born in 1952.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

327

Mr. Preston's home address is 119 Linkhorn Drive,
Virginia Beach, Virginia.

JOHN BALDWIN PRESTON— A variety of
experiences, including World War II military serv-
ice, behind him, John Baldwin Preston is now
practicing law in his native city, Norfolk. Associat-
ed with his brother, Edwin Page Preston, in the
law firm of Preston and Preston, he maintains of-
fices in the Western Union Building. Before enter-
ing the profession, he was active in the insurance
and automobile business, or a combination of both.
Born at Norfolk Protestant Hospital on Septem-
ber 9, 1924, Mr. Preston is the son of the late
Robert Baldwin Preston, Jr., long a leader in the
engineering profession, and Merle (Page) Preston.
The father, who specialized in civil engineering,
served Norfolk County as County Engineer and
County Highway Commissioner. He was chairman
of the Hampton Roads Sewage Disposal Commis-
sion for a period ending in 1939 and a member
of the Virginia State advisory board for the Public
Works Administration in the early 1930s.

John Baldwin Preston is a graduate of Meadow-
brook Elementary, Blair Junior High and Granby
High schools, Norfolk. In the year 1946-1947, he
attended the University of Virginia and in 1953 he
took the degree of Bachelor of Laws at the Uni-
versity of Tennessee, Knoxville. After his gradua-
tion from high school, he entered the United States
Army and until the end of World War II in 1945
was attached to the Infantry. At first with the
291st Regiment (Headquarters Company), 75th
Infantry Division, he served with the Second In-
fantry Division in the European Theater of Oper-
ations, seeing action in Normandy, Ardennes, Rhine-
land, Huertgen Forest, and Central Europe cam-
paigns and elsewhere and receiving five Battle
Stars.

Mr. Preston continued and completed his educa-
tion after returning to civilian life. Meantime, he
also worked for various firms. From September 1,
1947 to February 1, 1948, he was manager of the
Insurance Department of the Roughton Pontiac
Company in Norfolk. In the next four months he
was a salesman for this same firm. Then, on June
1, 1948, he was made field representative for the
General Motors Corporation in Norfolk. In March
1949, he was promoted to district manager. This
post he held until September 10, 1949. when he
began his legal studies in Tennessee. After taking
his law degree, Mr. Preston served as a claims
adjuster with the State Farm Mutual Insurance
Company, 1953 to 1955. On January 1, 1955, he
joined his brother in the practice of law in Nor-
folk. An account of the life and career of Edwin
Page Preston appears on other pages. A volume,

"The Prestons of Virginia," published some years
ago, gives further particulars of the family.

John Baldwin Preston married Carol Richard-
son, daughter of Frank Cummins and Margaret
(Little) Richardson, in Greenwood, Virginia, on
June 28, 1947. They have two children: I. Carol
Page. 2. Keith Baldwin. The family now resides
at Virginia Beach, Virginia, and attends the Galilee
Episcopal Church.

LEWIS HENRY CATHEY— A vice president
and director of The Coca-Cola Company, Lewis
Henry Cathey was in charge of its bottling opera-
tion at Suffolk, being manager of the Suffolk
Coca-Cola Bottling Works. His family has a long
record of service with the beverage producers, and
Mr. Cathey capably filled his present position
for a quarter of a century.

Born at Pan Creek, North Carolina, on Septem-
ber 9, 1897, he is a son of Alonzo F. Cathey,
whose biographical sketch is contained in this
work. A resident of Norfolk from his early years,
Lewis H. Cathey attended its public schools and
graduated from Maury High School in 1918. He
began his career in association with his father,
who managed Coca-Cola's bottling operation in
Norfolk, one of the oldest in the country.

With this background of experience, he came
to Suffolk in 1923 to assume duties as manager
of the plant there. He remained in that post
until his death, and also held office as vice presi-
dent and director of the parent company, as well
as manager of the local works. The modern plant
at Suffolk was erected in 1942, and forty-two
people are employed at this West Washington
Street location.

Mr. Cathey was vitally interested in civic af-
fairs and good government, and he served on the
Suffolk city council for eight years, retiring in
195 1, having been elected to the office on the
Democratic ticket. He was a director of the Tide-
water Automobile Association. He served on the
board of the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital in
his home city since that institution was built
and as treasurer of the Suffolk-Nansemond Tu-
berculosis and Health Association. He served on
the board of the local chapter of the American
Red Cross for over a score of years, and was
chairman of the chapter in 1956. During World
War II, he was vice president of the U. S. O.
Club in Suffolk.

The program of the Boy Scouts of America
was one of Mr. Cathey's major interests, and
he worked on behalf of this great national youth
organization for over three decades. For over
fourteen years of that time, he was Boy Scout
commissioner. He was a member of the Cham-
ber of Commerce for seventeen years, and held

}28

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

the office of president twice. He was a member
and past president of the Suffolk Rotary Club.
His lodge affiliation was with the Knights of Py-
thias. A communicant of the Presbyterian Church
in his home city, he was an elder of the con-
gregation.

On April 8, 1922, Lewis Henry Cathey married
Audrey Estelle Cocks of Norfolk, daughter of
S. O. and Lottie B. (Burnett) Cocks. Mr. and
Mrs. Cathey were the parents of three children:
1. Lewis Owen, who was born on November 21,
1923. He is now associated with the Suffolk
County Coca-Cola Bottling Works. 2. Forrest
Hugh, born on June 11, 1925. He too is with
the Suffolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, in the
capacity of assistant manager. Married to the
former Miss Mary Jane Brooks, he is the father
of two children. 3. Lola Mary, born on July 10.
1932. She is the wife of Roy G. Farless, and they
have two children.

Lewis Henry Cathey died at Obici Memorial
Hospital. Suffolk, February 20, 1958.

ALFRED SHAPLEIGH REILLEY— The early
experience of Alfred Shapleigh Reilley in the auto-
mobile business and his subsequent interest in
automobile financing had much to do with his
entering the banking world and the success he has
achieved in it. The third ranking officer of the
Southern Bank of Norfolk, he is its senior vice
president. He is a member of one of the nation's
oldest families, known throughout the South.

Mr. Reilley, who is in charge of his bank's
branch at 116-118 West Bute Street, Norfolk, was
born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 16,
1893. He is the son of James Eugene Reilley, who
was in the wholesale furniture business, and Laura
(Holmes) Reilley. He was only fifteen when, in
May 1908, he was graduated from the Charlotte
High School. He came to the Old Dominion to
attend Washington and Lee University, at Lexing-
ton, where in 1912 he received the degree of Bach-
elor of Arts.

In the next thirteen years Mr. Reilley was as-
sociated with various automobile agencies. From
1925 to 1929, he served as public relations repre-
sentative for the Federal Finance Company of
Charlotte, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia;
the Commercial Investment Trust Corporation;
and the Universal Credit Corporation of Norfolk.

In 1929 he was appointed manager of the auto-
mobile finance department of the Morris Plan Bank
of Norfolk. He served with this institution, now
the Bank of Virginia, through 1930. On March 4,
1934, he joined the staff of the Southern Bank of
Norfolk as head of the automobile and house trailer
finance department. He rose thereafter, step by

step, until he achieved his present high place in
tlie bank's organization as senior vice president in
charge of the West Bute Street Branch.

Mr. Reilley is a member of the Mayflower So-
siety of North Carolina and Virginia; Norfolk
Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks;
Lafayette Yacht Club (charter member); and Ep-
silon Chapter (Washington and Lee University)
of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He worships in
the Second Presbyterian Church of Norfolk.

On October 21, 1919, at Mount Vernon, New
York, Mr. Reilley, who had served as a sergeant
with the American Expeditionary Force in France
from February 16, 1918, to March 24, 1919, mar-
ried Dorothy Goodwin Coleman. Mrs. Reilley, a
native of Mount Vernon, New York, is the daugh-
ter of Frederick August and Sallie Leigh (Hard-
grove) Coleman. Mr. and Mrs. Reilley have one
daughter, Ruth Leigh, who was born at Winston-
Salem, North Carolina, on June 5, 1922. She was
married to Dr. Fontaine Graham Jarman, Jr., at
Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, on December 21,
1941, and is the mother of four children: 1. Dorothy
Coleman. 2. Sally Long. 3. Fontaine Graham, III.
4. Shapleigh Reilley.

JOHN RANDOLPH DAVIS— In practice for
nearly three decades, John Randolph Davis is a
member of the law firm of Phipps and Davis, with
offices in the Western Union Building, Norfolk.
In the World War II period, he was enforcement
attorney for the Office of Price Administration
in Norfolk. Outside the profession of law, he is
known for his interest in religious affairs.

Mr. Davis was born in Roanoke on February
27, 1905, the son of Flavius Eugene and Elizabeth
Thurzetta (Thomas) Davis. Both parents were
also natives of the Old Dominion, the father hav-
ing been born in Petersburg, the mother in Pulaski.
Flavius E. Davis, also a lawyer, practiced this pro-
fession for a time in Roanoke, but spent most of
his working life in the milling business. As a
miller he was a member of the firm of Gambill and
Davis, which became Lindsay Robinson and Com-
pany. This concern was headquartered in Roanoke.
Later Flavius Davis operated a similar business,
under the name of the Davis Milling Compan}-, in
Norfolk. He was president of this company at the
time of his death in 1941. Elizabeth Davis died in
1949.

John R. Davis began his education in the pub-
lic schools of Roanoke, transferring to those of
Norfolk when the family moved to that city. In
June 1923, he was graduated from Maury High
School, Norfolk. In the preparation he underwent
to enter the legal profession, he spent five years
in a combined pre-professional and law course at

TWVa. 38

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3*9

the University of Virginia. He received the degree
of Bachelor of Laws in June 1931, and in June

1929, was admitted to the Virginia bar.

Mr. Davis formed his first association with his
present partner, William M. Phipps, in the fall of

1930. They practiced together until June 1942, when
Mr. Davis was appointed enforcement attorney for
the Office of Price Administration. He held this
office until December 31, 1946. On January 1, 1947,
Mr. Davis and Mr. Phipps formed a partnership,
Phipps and Davis, and then carried on a joint
practice until it was dissolved on December 31, 1956.
Since January 1, 1957, he has been a member of
the firm of Davis and Boyd. Mr. Davis is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association and
the Virginia Bar Association. He is a member of
the vestry and is registrar of his church, which
is of the Episcopal faith, and is a Democrat.

Mr. Davis married Mary Harrison, daughter of
D. W. and Lillian (Steel) Harrison, in Norfolk
on December 19, 1931. Both of Mrs. Davis' parents
were born in Brunswick. Her father, who died in
'955, was at one time with the Seaboard Airline
Railroad. In the last years of his life he raised
tobacco in Brunswick County. Mrs. Davis is, like
her husband, active in Episcopal church work
and is a member of the King's Daughters. Mr.
and Mrs. Davis have four children: 1. Mary Eliza-
beth, born on August 16, 1933. She is a graduate
of Mary Washington College of the University of
Virginia. She is married to Robert Featherston
Barnes, of Enid, Oklahoma, who in June 1957,
was graduated from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Boston. 2. Nancy Adeline, born on
March 8, 1935. a graduate of Mary Washington
College. 3. John Randolph, Jr., born on January
15. T938. He was graduated from Maury High
School, Norfolk, in June 1956. 4. Martha Lillian,
born on November 12, 1943, a student at Blair
Junior High School, Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Davis
and their children live at 1435 Cedar Lane, Norfolk.

LEON E. WILLIAMS— Engaged in automobile
retailing since the beginning of his career, Leon
E. Williams heads his own agency, Williams
Pontiac, Inc., in Hampton. He is active in the
Hampton Retail Merchants Association, serving
on its board of directors, and takes a vital interest
in the programs of a number of other organizations.

Born at Stokesdale, North Carolina, on Novem-
ber 9, 1907, he is a son of John C. and Etta
(Powell) Williams. Both parents are also natives
of Stokesdale and are still living. John C. Williams
has spent his life as a farmer there. Attending
the public schools of the city of his birth, Leon
E. Williams completed his secondary studies at
Greensboro High School, graduating there in 1925.

He began his career in the automobile sales field.

For nine years he was employed by H. A. Moore
Enterprises in its Columbia, South Carolina, office,
and at the end of that time became manager of the
company's Columbia branch. On severing his con-
nection with that organization, he went to Georgia,
where he was for several years the Chevrolet
dealer at Toccoa.

On January 10, 1949, Mr. Williams purchased
his present agency at Hampton, Virginia, and
changed its name to Williams Pontiac, Inc. He
his since been the president of this organization,
which deals exclusively in Pontiac automobiles,
one of the more popular products of the General
Motors line. Both his showrooms and his service
facilities are at 23 North King Street, and the
used car department is located on Pembroke at
King Street in Hampton. His firm gives employ-
ment to thirty-six people.

Mr. Williams is an active member of the Pen-
insula Automobile Dealers Association, and serves
on the board of the Hampton Retail Merchants
Association. He is a member of the Lions Club,
Hampton Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks and Toccoa Lodge No. 309, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, which he joined while
in Georgia. He has advanced through the higher
bodies of Freemasonry, being a member of the
chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, the com-
mandery of the Knights Templar, and Yaarab
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, which is in Atlanta. He is also a
member of the Hampton Yacht Club and Ameri-
can Yachtmen's Association. He and bis family
attend the Methodist Church. Mr. Williams is a
Democrat in his politics.

At Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 8, 1927,
Leon E. Williams married Freda E. Thomas of
Fort Motte, that state, and daughter of Henry
and Lena (Howell) Thomas. The couple have a
son: Leon E., Jr., who graduated in architectural
engineering from Clemson College. He is now
associated with his father as vice president of Wil-
liams Pontiac, Inc. He married Mary N'ell Rothel.
Leon E. Williams is fond of outdoor pastimes,
particularly boating and fishing.

JAMES A. ALBANO— The president and treas-
urer, and general manager, of Albano Cleaners, Inc.,
of Norfolk, James A. Albano is not only a capable
business leader but a constructive force in civic
affairs as well. Representing the third generation
of the Albano family in Norfolk, he was born in
that city on December 29, 1914, son of Nicholas
and Annie (Moschette) Albano. His father was a
lad of five when he arrived from his native Italy,
in the company of his parents, Antonio and Anna
Rosa (Mazzei) Albano. That was in 1872, and
the family immediately settled in Norfolk. The

33°

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

following year, Antonio Albano entered the trade
of shoe cobbler, with an establishment on Park
Avenue in that city. He became a substantial and
respected citizen in Norfolk, where lie lived out
his life. He was a devout member of St. Mary's
Roman Catholic Church, as was his wife. He died
in 1927, and she in 1954.

Their son Nicholas, father of James A. Albano,
was reared and educated in Norfolk, and became
prominent in the restaurant business and in real
estate operations. He was a veteran of the Spanish-
American War, and although he never sought public
office, he was a man of considerable influence in
public affairs. Both he and his wife, the former
Annie Moschette, formerly of Richmond, were
members of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church,
and were active in charitable work. He died in
1955, and she, in 1953.

The only child of this couple. James A. Albano
received his elementary and high school education
in Norfolk, graduating from Maury High School
in 1931. He then entered Georgetown University in
\\ ashington, D. C, where he graduated in 1936
with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. On completing
his college education, he took over management
of the newly organized Albano Cleaners, Inc.,
which had been founded and incorporated late in
1035 by his father. Actual operation of the business,
however, was not begun until April 1, 193d, by
James Albano.

As president and manager of Albano Cleaners,
Inc., James A. Albano has carried the enterprise
forward in the intervening years, and it is now
the largest and the most progressive organization
of its kind in the region. It had its beginning in
a small location at 429 West Olney Road, where it
occupied only the first floor of the building. During
the first four years (1936-1940). growth was slow
and gradual. The firm then operated one truck,
which covered the entire city. In 1937, Albano
Cleaners, Inc., opened its first branch store, and
in the course of the next four years, the number
of branch stores was increased to five, and the
number of trucks proportionately. With this coun-
try's entry into World War II. and the opening of
army camps nearby, service was extended to Camp
Pendleton and Fort Storey, where tailor shops
were maintained on the posts. With the growing
demand for service there, it soon became necessary
to close the branch stores serving civilian cus-
tomers, and during this time the original cleaning
plant was completely remodeled and enlarged.
Early in 194-', Albano Cleaners, Inc., began work
for the Navy, and in the three years which follow-
ed, sixty-five per cent of the firm's total capacity
was devoted to processing navy foul-weather cloth-
ing. The firm is particularly proud of its part in the

war effort. It was the first plant in the country to
devote a considerable part of its processing capacity
to renovating navy clothing. This work included
not only cleaning but also waterproofing, repairing
and refinishing of leather and special fabrics. Al-
bano's was on annual contracts with the Bureau of
Clothing in Washington, and these contracts called
for the processing of forty-eight different items,
which included not only clothing, but arctics, sun
helmets and sleeping hags. During the war days,
the plant was open two shifts, which covered the
hours from seven in the morning until midnight.
Due to space limitations at the Olney Road plant,
it became necessary to transfer all repairing opera-
tions to another location. Two additional store-
rooms were also rented to house the volume of
work waiting to be processed.

At the close of the war. Albano Cleaners, Inc.,
again turned attention to building up civilian trade,
which had necessarily been curtailed. All of the
equipment of the plant was replaced during 1945-
10411 and rearranged to fit the need for civilian
custom. Additional routes were established, and
at present twelve trucks collect and deliver in all
sections of Norfolk, in which six branches are now
located. Customers are served throughout the
entire area with the exception of South Norfolk.

In January 1950, as the company began its
fifteenth year, a new plant was erected at 34 West
22nd Street — the firm's present headquarters. The
building had seventy-five hundred square feet of
floor space, with parking and yard facilities cover-
ing sixteen thousand square feet. In 1954, plant
facilities were increased to twelve thousand square
feet and shirt laundering facilities were added.
Now. twenty years after its founding, Alhano's is
considered one of the most modern organizations
of its kind. There are over seventy-five people on
the payroll. It has had the same ownership and
management since its founding, with Mr. James A.
Albano as president, treasurer and general manager.
Other officials of the company are Joseph S. Albis,
vice president, and Mildred J. Albano, secretary.
The management has taken pride in adhering to
its slogan, "Send with Confidence, Wear with
Pride," and owes much of its success to long-
standing friendships in customer relationship.

Mr. Albano is currently serving as president of
the Norfolk-Portsmouth Dry Cleaners Association.
He is a member of the Virginia Dry Cleaners As-
sociation, the Tri-State Dry Cleaners Association,
comprising the states of Virginia and Maryland,
and Washington, D. C, and the National Institute
of Dry Cleaners. His civic activities include his
membership in the 21st Street Area Association,
of which he was president in 1955, and the Norfolk
Civitan Club. He was president, in 1952, of the

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

33'

Ryan Club of Norfolk. One of the organizers of
the Lafayette Yacht Club, he has served on its
board of directors and as secretary-treasurer. He
is a member of the board of directors of St. Vincent
de Paul Hospital in Norfolk, and is currently vice
president of the Bureau of Catholic Charities.

During World War II, when his firm was en-
gaged in important war work, Mr. Albano him-
self was a member of the United States Coast
Guard Reserve. He is a past commander of the
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Fond of
ail outdoor sports, he is particularly partial to
boating. He is also an amateur floriculturist, suc-
cessful in the raising of azaleas and camellias.

On September 10, 1938, at Richmond, James A.
Albano married Mildred J. Albis, daughter of the
late Joseph S. and Grace (Stagg) Albis, formerly
of Richmond and now of Norfolk. Mrs. Albano
is active in civic and cultural affairs, and is vice
president of the St. Vincent de Paul Hospital
Ladie's Auxiliary. She was president of the Lake-
wood Garden Club for the 1956 term, and is a
member of the Daughters of the Confederacy.
She and Mr. Albano are the parents of three chil-
dren: 1. James A., Ir.. born September 25, 1940.
He is attending Norfolk Catholic High School.
2. Grace Anne, who was born August 28, 1942; a
student at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. 3.
Lynne Marie, born October 15, 1945; a student at
Christ the King Catholic School. The family are
members of the Church of Christ the King in
Norfolk

RAYMOND WALLACE BEVERIDGE—

With experience in the automobile sales field
dating back to the early years of his career,
Raymond Wallace Beveridge now operates his
own agency for the sale of Chevrolets at Hamp-
ton. He takes a particularly lively interest in
lodge activities in that city, and also in groups
whose members share yachting as a hobby.

He was born in the automobile city, Detroit,
Michigan, on March 20, 19 IS, son of Arthur
Raymond and Marie (Vezinaw) Beveridge. His
father, also a native of Detroit, was a tool and
die maker. He died in 1950, and is survived by
his wife, now living in West Palm Beach. Ray-
mond W. Beveridge attended the public schools
of Detroit and graduated from high school there
>n io33- For two years he was a student at the
University of Michigan.

Early in his career, Mr. Beveridge spent five
years in the Merchant Marine, and at the end of
that time went to Charleston, South Carolina,
where he joined his father-in law, Charles F.
Johnson, who operated a Chevrolet dealership
with branches throughout the Southeast. Their

association continued until June 1955, when Mr.
Beveridge opened his present agency, Beveridge
Chevrolet, Inc., which has its sales and service
headquarters at 202 West Queen Street, Hamp-
ton. It is an efficiently managed organization of
considerable size, employing fifty-five people.

In connection with his hobby of yachting, Mr.
Beveridge is a member of the Hampton Yacht
Club and the American Yachtsmen's Association.
He is a member of the lodges of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of
Moose and the Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons. His Masonic blue lodge is Pythagoras Lodge
No. 41 at Decatur, Georjia. He is a member
of the Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite at Atlanta, and as a member of
the higher bodies of the order, belonging to
Yaarab Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. Also at Atlanta, he is a
member of the Atlanta Athletic Club. He is a
communicant of St. John's Episcopal Church.

At Bowersville, Ohio, on September 4, 1938,
Raymond Wallace Beveridge married Mary Eliz-
abeth Stewart Johnson of Charleston, South
Carolina, daughter of Charles F. and Edith (Kib-
bler) Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. Beveridge have two
children: 1. Barbara Rae, born May 24, 1939.
2. Elizabeth Anne, born May 27, 1944.

EDWARD SPALDING FEREBEE— Member
of a family which has long been prominent in
the life of the Lower Tidewater region, Edward
Spalding Ferebee is an attorney and counsellor at
law, whose offices are in the Bank of Commerce
Building at Norfolk. He is a native of that city and
was born on July 19, 1905, son of M. C. and Nettie
(Spalding) Ferebee. His maternal grandparents
were Judge Edward and Angie (Barr) Spalding,
the former occupying the bench of the Court of
Hustings of Norfolk County for many years, and
before that time had practiced law in Norfolk. He
had served in the Union forces in the war, and
lived until 1919, when he died at the age of seventy-
seven. The lawyer's father followed the banking
profession, and was cashier of the National Bank
of Commerce for thirty years. He retired in 1920
and died in 1934.

Reared and educated in Norfolk, Edward S.
Ferebee graduated from Maury High School in
1921. Until 1925 he was a student at Virginia Mili-
tary Institute, and in that year received his degree
of Bachelor of Arts there. He was awarded the
second Jackson-Hope Medal to be conferred on
a student at that institute. He went on to profes-
sional studies at Harvard Law School, where he
received his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1928.

Admitted to practice in the state of Virginia,

33;

LOW I K I IDI \\ \ II R VIRGIN] \

he opened offices in Norfolk in partnership with J.
Walter White under the firm name of Ferebee and
White. They continued their professional associa-
tion until 1936, and Mr. Ferebee has practiced in-
dependently since that time. He was absent, how-
ever, at the time of World War II, entering the
United States Army in 1942 and serving until 1946.
He spent some time in the Pacific Theater of Opera-
tions, and participated in three major campaigns.
He completed his active service with the rank of
lieutenant colonel, and remained in the Reserve
Corps. Continuing his practice of law uninterrupt-
edly since the war, Mr. Ferebee is a member of
the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association, the Vir-
ginia State Bar Association, and the American
Bar Association.

He is a member and past president of the Norfolk
V.M.I. Club, and a charter member of the Optimist
Chili of that city, which he served as its first presi-
dent. He is also past president of Norfolk Good-
will Industries, Inc. He is active in the Young
Men's Christian Association, and is a member of
the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and the Sew-
ells Point Golf Club. Golf is his favorite outdoor
pastime.

Mr. Ferebee is also active in the work of his
church, the Epworth Methodist. He is a member
and past president of the Wesleyan Men's Bible
Class there, and has served on the board of stewards
since 1928.

Miss Gladys Pleasants Woodall of Baltimore,
Maryland, became the wife of Edward Spalding
Ferebee on April 14, 1936. She is the daughter of
James H. and Ida (Powers) Woodall. Her father,
who was born in Baltimore, was president of the
firm of William E. Woodall and Son, a shipbuilding
corporation in Baltimore. He died in 1934. Her
mother, the former Ida Powers, was the great-
granddaughter of James Pleasants, onetime Gov-
ernor of Virginia. She died in 1942. Mr. and Mrs.
Ferebee have no children. They make their home
at 417 Ridgeley Road, Norfolk.

LEWIS H. HALL, JR.— Now senior partner in
the firm of Hall, Martin and Smith. Lewis H.
Hall, Jr., has practiced at Newport News since
he was admitted to the bar about a decade
and a half ago. He was absent at the time
of World War II, serving in the Merchant
Marine.

Born at Battery Park, Isle of Wight County,
on October 5, 1907, he is a son of Levin Hen-
ry, and Mary Elizabeth (White) Hall. His
father, who was born in Somerset County, Mary-
land, was a seafaring man. At the time of his
death in 1954, he was in his ninetieth year. His
wife, the former Mary Elizabeth White, was

born at Dare in York County, Virginia, and she
is still living.

Receiving his early education in the public
schools, the younger Lewis H. Hall graduated
from Morrison High School in 1925. Some years
later he attended Wofford College, at Spartan-
burg, South Carolina, where he graduated with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1937. He re-
ceived his legal education at Fordham University
in New York City, which he attended for a
year and a half.

On July 18, 1942, Mr. Hall was admitted to
the bar, but the same year he entered wartime
service with the United States Merchant Marine.
He served at sea until October 1945, and was
commissioned chief officer of his ship.

Since his return to civilian life, Mr. Hall has
practiced law at Newport News. He joined W.
Worth Martin in the law partnership of Hall
and Martin; and with the recent admittance of
Douglas M. Smith as a member, the firm be-
came known as Hall, Martin and Smith. They
conduct a general practice in all courts, and
take special interest in cases involving insurance
and admiralty law. Offices are in the Law Build-
ing.

Active in the Newport News Bar Association,
Mr. Hall was its president in 1953. He is also
a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Vir-
ginia State Bar Association, the American Bar
Association, and the International Association of
Insurance Counsel.

Mr. Hall's fraternity is Kappa Sigma, and he
is a member of Lodge No. 317, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks at Newport News, and
of the James River Country Club. He attends
Aldersgate Methodist Church, serves on its offi-
cial board, and teaches a men's Bible class. His
political allegiance is to the Democratic party.
Fond of the ont-of-doors, Mr. Hall's favorite
pastimes are boating, fishing and gardening.

On July 5, 1941, at Denton, Texas, Lewis H.
Hall, Jr., married Isabel Thomas of that city,
daughter of Allie S. and Josie (Robertson) Tho-
mas. Mr. and Mrs. Hall are the parents of a
daughter, Isabel Thomas, who was born on De-
cember 22, 1944.

WILLIAM STANLEY WILDER— In an in-
teresting career centered entirely in the theater
industry, William S. Wilder of Norfolk advanced
on his own merits from a position as usher to
the ownership and management of several motion
picture houses. His fondness for the theater is
reflected in this commentary on his career by
Warner Twiford, appearing in a local newspaper:

The movies were his vocation — a vocation for which he
had both genius and aptitude — but for the stage he cherished

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

333

an impulsive affection that often moved him to take daring
financial risks, and often to sustain heavy losses in un-
successful ventures.

A native of Portsmouth, lie was born on Octo-
ber 31, 1890, son of Ernest Everett and Katherine
(Goodson) Wilder. Both of his parents were
like wise natives of Portsmouth. In the schools
of that city, William S. Wilder received bis edu-
cation, and at the age of seventeen, began his
career in the theater industry, in which he was
to remain active for nearly four decades. His
first job was as usher, a position he filled during
after-school hours at the Orpheum Theater.

He soon accepted a positon as head usher at
the Colonial Theater in Norfolk. When a vacancy
occurred in the post of advertising agent with
that theater, lie was called on to fill it. At that
time his position was a diverse one, and Mr.
Wilder not only sold the theater's product, but
participated in production as well. He operated
the spotlight system, and from time to time
appeared as supernumerary in standard vaudeville
acts. On several occasions he entertained as a
singer.

In such minor roles, he proved his aptitude
as an actor, and was offered a part in the cast
of Mclntyre and Heath's stage success, "The
Ham Tree." He turned down this and other of-
fers, however, and went to Ocean View to become
cashier of the Ocean View Ballroom. A short
time later he returned to Norfolk as a member
of the staff of the Wells Theater, at the time
when that former playhouse became a motion-
picture theater.

He later went to Richmond to manage the
Strand Theater, but returned to Norfolk not long
afterwards to assume management of the Granby.
In the years which followed he managed the
Strand and American theaters, on Granby Street,
and later the Norva, which had recently been
opened. With a change in ownership of the Nor-
va, Mr. Wilder left theater management for a
time and turned his attention to newsreel photo-
graphy. This work brought with it travel and
a modicum of excitement, but he considered that
there was a greater future in theater management,
and it was that phase of the industry which held
his consistent interest.

Accordingly, in 1928 he returned once again
to Norfolk and opened the Newport Theater. An
editorial in the pages of a local paper had com-
mented concerning this event: "Mr. Wilder's
opening of the Newport Theatre in 1928 is a kind
of local cinematic landmark, the symbolic begin-
ning of the around-the-corner movie house, which
has resulted today in more theatres in Norfolk
than in any other city in the state." Within a
few years' time he had built up a chain of theaters

which bears his name, erecting or acquiring the
Colley in Norfolk, the Gates, Virginia and Com-
monwealth, in Portsmouth, and the Warwick, in
Newport News. For a time he operated the Gran-
din, in Roanoke, and the Center Theater in the
U.S.O. Auditorium in Norfolk. The latter was
conducted as a wartime enterprise for armed
forces personnel, combining vaudeville with mo-
tion pictures.

For many years, Mr. Wilder was working so
hard building up his theater chain that he had
little time left for outside activities. In his later
years, however, he took a fuller part in organi-
zational connections. He was president of the
Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Virginia in
1936, and he held membership in the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club. Yachting was one of
his hobbies, and his craft "Shangri-La" was one
of the most attractive in the harbor. He was also
fond of horses. Active in Masonry, he was a
member of the local blue lodge, and of the
higher bodies of the order, including the Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
Khedive Temple, where he was serving as Po-
tentate at the time of his death. He also took
an interest in Lions International, and was a
former member of the Norfolk Lions Club and
a lifetime honorary member of the club at Ports-
mouth.

He was a devoted supporter of the program
of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, and had served several terms as its
president. An Episcopalian in his religious faith,
he attended the Church of the Good Shepherd.

At High Point, North Carolina, on July 6,
1914, William S. Wilder married Myde Brown.
Born in that city on September 30, 1895, she
is a daughter of Lewis Augustus and Julia (Myers*
Brown. Her father, a native of Danville, Virginia,
was a restaurateur. Mr. and Mrs. Wilder became
the parents of two children: 1. Keith, who was
born March 6, 1938. 2. Reid, born January 17,

1943-

Mr. Wilder's death occurred at his home near
Virginia Beach on May 22, 1946.

J. PAUL SMITH — Vice president and cashier of
the Merchants and Planters Bank of Norfolk, J.
Paul Smith also serves on its board of directors.

A native of the Mount Pleasant Community of
Norfolk County, be was born on June 15, 1902,
son of Joseph T. and Catherine (Halstead) Smith.
His father, who died in 1920, was a substantial
farmer of Norfolk County. His mother died in
1952 at the age of eighty-seven. Of the five chil-
dren born to this couple, J. Paul Smith is the
youngest. His boyhood was passed in South Nor-
folk, where his parents had made their home

334

LOWF.R TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

from 1905. He graduated from the South Xorfolk
High School in 1019, and in 1921 began his career
in the banking profession with the Merchants and
Planters Bank, of the Berkley section of Norfolk.
He joined the bank's staff as a runner, and con-
tinuing at its main office, won promotions to tel-
ler and assistant cashier. He held the latter position
in 1926 when he was transferred to the Campostella
Branch under the late Howard G. Martin.

In 1931, Mr. Smith was transferred to the South
Norfolk Branch of the Merchants and Planters
Bank, and for the past twenty-five years has played
a considerable personal part in its growth. In 1950,
he received the joint promotion to vice president
and cashier of the Merchants and Planters Bank,
to serve as officer in charge of the South Norfolk
Branch. In 1952, he was elected to its board of
directors.

Since 1943, Mr. Smith has served as a member
of the board of directors of the Atlantic Per-
manent Building and Loan Association, Inc. He is
secretary and a member of the board of directors
of the South Norfolk Bridge Commission, Inc. He
is a member of the Virginia Bankers Association,
the American Bankers Association, the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, the Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, and the Chesapeake Avenue Metho-
dist Church, where he has served on both the board
of trustees and the board of stewards.

On November 17, 1926, at Norfolk, J. Paul Smith
married Grace Armistead White, daughter of the
late John Earle and Rebecca Frances (Dashiell)
White of Norfolk. Mrs. Smith is a graduate of
Maury High School and Harrisburg Teachers Col-
lege. She is a member of St. Bride's Episcopal
Church. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of
three children: 1. J. Paul, Jr., born October 7, 1927,
at Norfolk. He served in the United States Army
in the closing years of World War II. He took
his degree of Bachelor of Arts at the University
of Virginia, and his degree of Doctor of Medicine
at the University of Virginia, where he graduated
in 1955. He is now serving his residency at Nor-
folk General Hospital. 2. Claude Armistead, born
October 3, 1931. He graduated from Maury High
School in 1949; in 1954 received his degree of
Bachelor of Arts after having taken the premedical
courses at the University of Virginia. He married
Jane Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar F.
Smith, III, of Norfolk. 3. George Halstead. born
January 7, 1946.

of naval service in World War II, and is quite
active in professional, civic ami fraternal groups.

Born at Newport News on February 27, 1913,
Mr. West is a son of Robert D. and Cary
(Dunn) West. Both parents are living. His fa-
ther is a native of Elizabeth City County, and
his mother of York County. Granger West was
reared in Newport News and attended its pub-
lic schools. He graduated from high school there
in 1930, and ia 1936 received his degree of Bache-
lor of Law.- at the University of Richmond. Ad-
mitted to the bar in 1935, he began practice
after his graduation, establishing offices in his
own name at Newport News. He continued in-
dependently, in a general practice of law, until
April 1937. At that time he became an associate
in the firm of Lett, Murray and Ford. In January
1947, the present firm of Murray, Ford, West
and Wilkinson was formed with Mr. West as
a partner.

He was absent from his practice and his city
at the time of World War II, serving in the
United States Navy for nearly three years and
holding a lieutenant's commission.

Mr. West is a member of the Newport News-
Warwick Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar
Association and the American Bar Association.
He is a loyal Democrat, although not an active
one in the sense of participating in party coun-
cils or seeking elective office. He enjoys mem-
bership in Lodge No. 315 of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and Peninsula Lodge
No. 278, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In
Masonry, he is a member of the higher bodies,
including St. John's Chapter No. 57, Royal Arch
Masons, and Hampton Commandery No. 17,
Knights Templar. Mr. West is also a member
of Phi Gamma Delta and Omicron Delta Kappa
fraternities, and in his own city of Newport
News, he belongs to the Lions Club and the
James River Country Club. His favorite sport
is golf. He is a member of the 24th Street
Church of Christ.

On July 13, 1934, Granger West married Helen
Wright of Moundsville, West Virginia, daughter
of C. C. and Katherine (Long) Wright. Mr.
and Mrs. West have two children: 1. Richard
Wright, who was born on June 3, 1938. 2. Sara
Katherine, born April 16, 1942.

GRANGER WEST— Practicing law in New-
port News for the past twenty years, Granger
West is now a member of the firm of Murray,
Ford, West and Wilkinson, with offices in the
First National Bank Building. He is a veteran

HERMAN McCOY JONES— President and gen-
eral manager of Tyree-Jones Motor Corporation,
at 1300 High Street in Portsmouth, Herman McCoy
Jones operates Tidewater Virginia's oldest Ford
dealership. He has been prominent in the automo-
bile sales field since 1922 and through the years has
made a significant contribution to its development
in his region. He was attracted to the then infant

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

335

automobile industry in boyhood days and became
active in it as soon as he had completed his edu-
cation. In the years since the founding of the Tyree-
Jones Motor Corporation in 1922, he has become
a leader in his field and also in civic affairs.

Born in Norfolk on September 5, 1897, he is a
son of Josiah Thomas and Daisy (McCoy) Jones
of that city. His father, who died in 1933, became
prominent in the operation of barber shops, operat-
ing a chain of them in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and
Richmond. He also engaged in the real estate busi-
ness.

Herman M. Jones passed his boyhood in Nor-
folk, where he completed his public school edu-
cation at Maury High School. During World War
I he served in the United States Marine Corps.
His experience in automobile sales predated his
military service, for he had been employed for a
time, after graduating from high school, by the
Ford Motor Car Company, a Ford sales agency
located at Granby and Olney Road in Norfolk.
After the War he re-entered the field as a sales-
man with the Johnston Motor Company of Nor-
folk, remaining with that firm until 1922.

At that time he joined William P. Tyree in
purchasing from Nathan Metzer the Ford Agency
in Portsmouth. This the partners renamed the
Tyree-Jones Motor Corporation. In 1926 Mr. Jones
acquired Mr. Tyree's interest in the agency and
has since continued as its owner, president, and
general manager.

At the sales and service center on High Street,
"Tidewater's Oldest Ford Dealer" maintains a fully
trained sales and service personnel and the latest
factory-approved equipment for complete service
to the motoring public.

Mr. Jones is a member of the board of directors
of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Automobile Deal-
ers Association. He is also a member of the Auto-
mobile Old Timers, Virginia Automobile Trade As-
sociation, and National Automobile Dealers Associa-
tion.

Active in other business connections besides his
agency, he serves on the Portsmouth board of the
Bank of Virginia and is secretary and treasurer of
the Portsmouth Insurance and Investment Corpora-
tion. He is also a member of the board of directors
of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, serves
as secretary of the Tidewater Development Coun-
cil, and is a member of the board of the Ports-
mouth General Hospital. He is a Rotarian, who
serves on the board of the local club, and is a mem-
ber of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the
Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club, and Sea-
board Lodge No. 56, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons. In Masonry, he is a member of the higher
bodies, belonging to Mount Horeb Chapter of the

Royal Arch Masons; and he also belongs to Wash-
ington Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. As a veteran of Marine Corps service in
World War I, he belongs to Post No. 37 of the
American Legion at Portsmouth.

Mr. Jones and his wife attend Monumental
Methodist Church at Portsmouth. He is fond of
outdoor sports, his favorite diversions being golf
and fishing.

Herman McCoy Jones married Margaret Loder
West of Norfolk, the ceremony taking place in that
city. Mr. and Mrs. Jones reside at Waterview Apart-
ments in Portsmouth and have a summer home at
Virginia Beach.

L. DOW LEDBETTER— A certified public
accountant, L. Dow LedBetter practices at Nor-
folk, and is a member of the accounting firm of
Edmondson, LedBetter and Ballard with offices
in the National Bank of Commerce Building. He
has been a member of the organization since 1941,
and since that time it has attracted as its clients
some of the major commercial and industrial
firms of the Tidewater area.

Mr. LedBetter was born on April 25, 1900, at
Mount Gilead, North Carolina, son of the late
Burwell Harris and Mary Ann (Williams) Led-
Better, who were likewise natives of the state and
of colonial ancestry. His father was a cotton fac-
tor, who died in 1935 at the age of seventy. Mrs.
LedBetter died in 1940 in her seventy-second year.
Both of Mr. LedBetter's grandfathers served in
the Confederate States Army.

Receiving- his public elementary and high school
education in the place of his birth, Mr. LedBetter
enlisted in the United States Army in 1916. Fol-
lowing his basic training at Columbus Barracks
in Ohio, he was assigned to Company H, Seventh
United States Infantry Regiment, stationed at
Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, for Mexican border
duty. When this country entered World War I,
in April 191 7, he was transferred with his unit
to Camp Colt, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and was
stationed there until his regiment was sent to
Camp Greene, Charlotte, North Carolina, to be-
come a part of the Third Division, Regular Army.
There he was among a group selected to com-
prise the Seventh Machine Gun Battalion, Motor-
ized, which served with the American Expedition-
ary Forces in France, arriving there in March
1918. With bis unit he participated in all major
campaigns in which our forces took part from
that time until October 4, 1918. He was then
selected for Officers Training School at Langres,
France. While in training there, he was stricken
with typhoid fever, and was a patient at the hos-
pital when the armistice was signed on November

336

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ii, 1918. Returning to the United States in March
1919, he was assigned to duty with the Port
Personnel Adjutant at Norfolk, was furloughed to
the United States Reserves in December, and re-
ceived his honorable discharge in June 1920.

Mr. LedBetter began his business career with
the Cotton Oil Refining Corporation in his native
city of Mount Gilead following his army service.
He also completed a business course at Kings
College in Raleigh, and from 1921 to 1923 was
employed as business secretary with the Young
Men's Christian Association at Richmond, Vir-
ginia, Augusta, Georgia, and Portsmouth, Virginia.
From 1923 to 1926, he was employed as office
manager by a truck-packing corporation at Church-
land, Virginia.

In 1926 he entered the practice of accounting
as a member of the staff of the late J. A. D. Par-
rish, who headed a prominent accounting firm
in Norfolk. He was admitted as a Certified Public
Accountant on passing the examination of the
Virginia State Board of Accounting in 1933.

Since January 1941, be has been a member of
the firm of Edmondson, LedBetter and Ballard.
He is licensed to practice before the United States
Treasury Department and the United States
Tax Court, and is a member of the American In-
stitute of Accountants and the Virginia Society
of Public Accountants.

Mr. LedBetter is a Kiwanian, and a member of
the Elizabeth Manor Country Club of Portsmouth.
He serves on the boards of directors of several
corporations, including the Bynum Finance Cor-
poration of Portsmouth. He is a member of the
Ocean Park Chapel Church, a nondenominational
congregation.

On March 22, 1924, L. Dow LedBetter married
Helen Gouding of Natick, Massachusetts. They
are the parents of two sons: 1. B. Harris Led-
Better, 2nd, who is in business in Warwick. 2.
J. Winslow LedBetter, M.D., a physician and
neurologist.

I. LEAKE WORNOM, JR.— A lawyer who has
practiced in Newport News since 1951, I. Leake
Wornom is now a member of the firm of Patten
and Wornom, with offices in the First National
Bank Building. He is also serving as assistant
city attorney. Mr. Wornom is a veteran of naval
service in World War II, and is active in a num-
ber of fraternal groups as well as civic organi-
zations.

He is one of the younger professional men of
Newport News, having been born in that city on
December 29, 1926, son of I. Leake, Sr., and
Florence (Moore) Wornom. Both of his parents
are natives of York County, Virginia. His father
has been engaged in the life insurance business in

Newport News. In that city, the attorney received
his public school education, and graduated from
high school in 1943. He went on to the University
of Richmond, and received his degree of Bachelor
of Arts there in 1947, completing his advanced
academic courses in the usual period of four years
despite the fact that he was absent for twenty-two
months serving in the United States Navy. He
served until August 1946. For his law studies, Mr.
Wornom entered Washington and Lee University,
where he took the degree of Bachelor of Laws
in 1950.

Meantime, in 1949, he had been admitted to the
bar of the state of Virginia. Since 1951 he has
practiced in Newport News, and on July 1, 1954,
became a member of the firm of Patten and
Wornom. His partner is Neal J. Patten. Mr.
Wornom is a member of the Newport News-War-
wick Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar Asso-
ciation and the American Bar Association.

He is now serving in his first public office at
the municipal level, as assistant city attorney of
Newport News. A member of the Junior Chamber
of Commerce, he holds the office of president. He
is a member of Kappa Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa
national scholastic honor society, and of Phi Delta
Phi legal fraternity and the Order of the Coif.
Being fond of golf, Mr. Wornom holds member-
ship in the James River Country Club.

In Hampton, on June 25, 1954, I. Leake Wornom,
Jr., married Jean Amory, daughter of Milburn
M. Amory, who has a biography in this work,
and his wife, the former Bessie Satchell. Mr. and
Mrs. Wornom have one son: I. Leake, 3rd, who
was born on July 21, 1955.

CLINTON E. THURSTON, JR., is now the

president of the Norfolk firm of C. E. Thurston and
Sons, Inc., which was founded many years ago
by his father. It engages in insulation and refractory
contracting, distribution of mill, marine and in-
dustrial supplies, and has its headquarters at 30-32
Commercial Place, Norfolk. Its present executive
head has proved his leadership not only in business
affairs, but in community and trade groups as well.
He was born on March 23, 1913, in Norfolk, son
of Clinton E., Sr., and Eulalia E. (Brown) Thurs-
ton. Both parents were born in King and Queen
County. His father received his education in the
schools of West Point, Virginia, and began his
career as an employee of the Norfolk City Health
Department, serving as custodian of the Norfolk
Smallpox Isolation Hospital for five years. He then
trained himself as a marine engineer, and worked
for the Merchant Marine until 1918. He was active
in coastwise shipping until 1919, when he became
an industrialist in his own right with the founding
of C. E. Thurston. Initiallv, he devoted his at-

TW'Va. 39

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

337

tention to the sale of packings and gaskets for
marine vessels, and as time went by, the firm be-
came increasingly interested in insulation and re-
fractory contracting. The firm is now divided into
two separate divisions, namely an industrial, marine
and contractors' supply division, and a division
devoted exclusively to insulation and refractory
contracting. The elder C. E. Thurston operated the
business independently until 1946, when his son,
L. D. Thurston, and his daughter, Mrs. Evelyn
T. Daughtry, took over active operation of the
company. The founder retired completely from
management responsibilities the following year, and
L. D. Thurston became president of the company.
It was incorporated on November 1, 1946. In August
1947, L. D. Thurston left the organization, but has
since returned as marine sales manager. Mrs.
Evelyn Daughtry had become secretary-treasurer
of the company in 1941, after fifteen years in the
teaching profession, and still holds that office. C.
E. Thurston, Jr., became president in 1947. This
firm operates in all parts of Virginia, eastern Xorth
Carolina, and in Maryland, Kentucky and other
Southeastern states.

Before we consider the career of the president of
the firm, a few words are in order regarding the
family. The elder C. E. Thurston was born April
8, 1876, son of Dunbar Thurston, a Confederate
veteran, and died January 1, 1948. His wife, the
former Eulalia E. Brown, survives him. She is
the daughter of James and Maria Louisa (Ball)
Brown, and was born in 1877.

Their son, Clinton E., Jr., was reared and ed-
ucated in Norfolk, and graduated from Maury High
School in 193 1. He then enrolled at Virginia Mili-
tary Institute, where he received his degree of
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1935.
Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Reserves,
he was called into active service in 1941, and served
throughout World War II as commanding officer
of the 224th Field Artillery Battalion. This unit was
a component of the 29th Division. Mr. Thurston
was wounded in the war. He was separated from
the service December 23, 1945: but during 1946-
1947, served as a commanding officer of a Virginia
National Guard unit, the mth Field Artillery Bat-
talion.

When he returned to civilian life he joined his
father's company, and as previously stated was
named president in August 1947. The firm has con-
tinued its steady growth and excellent record of
service in the period of nearly eleven years under
his leadership. It now employs one hundred and
fifty people, besides a staff of eight traveling repre-
sentatives. Branch offices are maintained in Rich-
mond and Roanoke.

Mr. Thurston is past president of the Associated

Asbestos Contractors of the Southern States, Inc.
He is a member of the board of directors of the
Builders and Contractors Exchange. Active in the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Chapter of Virginia Military
Institute Alumni, he formerly served as its presi-
dent, and is a member of the executive committee
of the General Alumni Association. He is inter-
ested in the program of the Boy Scouts of America,
and serves on the Tidewater Council. He is a mem-
ber of the posts of the American Legion and the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, is active in the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, and is currently serving as
vice president of the Kiwanis Club. He is a member
of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, Lafayette
River Yacht Club, and the Royster Memorial Pres-
byterian Church, which he serves as an elder. Golf
is Mr. Thurston's favorite outdoor sport.

On April 29. 1939, Clinton E. Thurston, Jr., mar-
ried Ann Fulcher, daughter of George and Edith
(Peele) Fulcher. Both of her parents were born
in Manteo, North Carolina. Her father was a police
officer in Norfolk, and died when Mrs. Thurston
was twelve years old. Mr. and Mrs. Thurston make
their home at 6006 South River Road, Norfolk.
She is active in the River Point Garden Club and
in the work of her church. The couple are the par-
ents of two children: r. Diane Fulcher, who was
born on November 10, 1942. 2. Leslie, born on
January 18, 1947.

FREDERICK LEWIS— A newspaper publisher,
a man whose influence among the citizens of the
Lower Tidewater was equalled by few others,
Frederick Lewis was an executive of Norfolk
Newspapers, Inc. He bad other publishing interests
in Petersburg and Richmond.

He was a native of Oil City, Pennsylvaia, and
was horn on February 15, 1883, son of Henry and
Sarah (Blackwell) Lewis. Spending his boyhood
years in Oil City, he received his education in pri-
vate schools. He also attended Cornell University
at Ithaca, New York. Shortly afterwards he moved
to Norfolk, where he entered the newspaper in-
dustry. In 1923 he joined S. L. Slover of that city,
in acquiring stock interest in the Richmond Times-
Dispatch. Five years later he purchased control-
ling interest in the Petersburg Progress-Index;
and he served as president of the Progress-Index
Corporation and of the Lewis-Huber Newspapers
Corporation. When the Ledger-Dispatch and the
Virginia-Pilot were consolidated at Norfolk in 1933,
Mr. Lewis was named vice president of the firm
which emerged to publish the new newspaper,
the corporation being known as Xorfolk News-
papers, Inc. He continued in that executive post
until his final illness, and was also a member of
the board of the Times-Dispatch in Richmond.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

337

tention to the sale of packings and gaskets for
marine vessels, and as time went by, the firm be-
came increasingly interested in insulation and re-
fractory contracting. The firm is now divided into
two separate divisions, namely an industrial, marine
and contractors' supply division, and a division
devoted exclusively to insulation and refractory
contracting. The elder C. E. Thurston operated the
business independently until 194(3, when his son,
L. D. Thurston, and his daughter, Mrs. Evelyn
T. Daughtry, took over active operation of the
company. The founder retired completely from
management responsibilities the following year, and
L. D. Thurston became president of the company.
It was incorporated on November 1, 1946. In August
1947, L. D. Thurston left the organization, but has
since returned as marine sales manager. Mrs.
Evelyn Daughtry had become secretary-treasurer
of the company in 1941, after fifteen years in the
teaching profession, and still holds that office. C.
E. Thurston, Jr., became president in 1947- This
firm operates in all parts of Virginia, eastern North
Carolina, and in Maryland, Kentucky and other
Southeastern states.

Their son, Clinton E., Jr., was reared and ed-
ucated in Norfolk, and graduated from Maury High
School in 1931. He then enrolled at Virginia Mili-
tary Institute, where he received his degree of
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1935.
Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Reserve-.
he was called into active service in 1941, and served
throughout World War II as commanding officer
of the 224th Field Artillery Battalion. This unit was
a component of the 29th Division. Mr. Thurston
was wounded in the war. He was separated from
the service December 23, 1945: but during 1946-
1947, served as a commanding officer of a Virginia
National Guard unit, the I nth Field Artillery Bat-
talion.

Mr. Thurston is past president of the Associated

Asbestos Contractors of the Southern States, Inc.
He is a member of the board of directors of the
Builders and Contractors Exchange. Active in the
Norfolk-Portsmouth Chapter of Virginia Military
Institute Alumni, he formerly served as its presi-
dent, and is a member of the executive committee
of the General Alumni Association. He is inter-
ested in the program of the Boy Scouts of America,
and serves on the Tidewater Council. He is a mem-
ber of the posts of the American Legion and the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, is active in the Norfolk
Chamber of Commerce, and is currently serving as
vice president of the Kiwanis Club. He is a member
of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. Lafayette
River Yacht Club, and the Royster Memorial Pres-
byterian Church, which he serves as an elder. Golf
is Mr. Thurston's favorite outdoor sport.

On April 29, 1939, Clinton E. Thurston, Jr., mar-
ried Ann Fulcher, daughter of George and Edith
(Peele) Fulcher. Both of her parents were born
in Manteo, North Carolina. Her father was a police
officer in Norfolk, and died when Mrs. Thurston
was twelve years old. Mr. and Mrs. Thurston make
their home at 6006 South River Road, Norfolk.
She is active in the River Point Garden Club and
in the work of her church. The couple are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Diane Fulcher, who was
born on November 10. 1942. 2. Leslie, born on
January 18, 1947.

FREDERICK LEWIS— A newspaper publisher,
a man whose influence among the citizens of the
Lower Tidewater was equalled by few others,
Frederick Lewis was an executive of Norfolk
Newspapers, Inc. He had other publishing interests
in Petersburg and Richmond.

He was a native of Oil City, Pennsylvaia, and
was born on February 15, 1883, son of Henry and
Sarah (Blackwell) Lewis. Spending his boyhood
years in Oil City, he received his education in pri-
vate schools. He also attended Cornell University
at Ithaca, New York. Shortly afterwards he moved
to Norfolk, where he entered the newspaper in-
dustry. In 1923 he joined S. L. Slover of that city,
in acquiring stock interest in the Richmond Times-
Dispatch. Five years later he purchased control-
ling interest in the Petersburg Progress-Index;
and he served as president of the Progress-Index
Corporation and of the Lewis-Huber Newspapers
Corporation. When the Ledger-Dispatch and the
Virginia-Pilot were consolidated at Norfolk in 1933,
Mr. Lewis was named vice president of the firm
which emerged to publish the new newspaper,
the corporation being known as Norfolk News-
papers, Inc. He continued in that executive post
until his final illness, and was also a member of
the board of the Times-Dispatch in Richmond.

33«

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

In his later year.-, he was board chairman of
Lewis-Huber Newspapers Corporation and the
Progress-Index Corporation, and was a director of
the National Bank of Commerce in Norfolk.

Concerning Mr. Lewis' qualities as a newspaper
publishing executive, a colleague who had worked
with him for some time wrote:

. . . Those who worked most closely with Mr. Lewis knew
best his modesty, his courtesy, his friendliness, and his personal
kindness. He enjoyed human contacts. He could surprise his
associates with exact knowledge about out-of-the-way facts
which would send most people running to dictionaries and
encyclopedias. Entirely unostentatious, he was also frank and
direct in expressing his views when the occasion demanded it ;
yet he had unusual patience with others and a willingness to
listen to their opinions. These were intimate qualities which
we think of now. The public achievement of greatest distinction
was Mr. Lewis' administration of his newspaper interests
in the endeavor to live up to the responsibilities they created.

Mr. Lewis was affiliated with the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, a member of Ruth Lodge
No. 89. He was a communicant of St. Paul's Epis-
copal Church. One of his avocations was travel,
an interest which contributed its share to a world
view which made him a more effective publisher.
He had toured Europe and the Orient extensively.

On December 8, 1910, Frederick Lewis mar-
ried Miss Mary Amerman of Scranton, Pennsyl-
vania, daughter of the late Lemuel and Mary
(Van Nort) Amerman. The couple were married in
New York City. Mrs. Lewis continues to main-
tain the family home at 556 Mowbray Arch, Nor-
folk. The couple were the parents of three child-
ren: 1. Mary, who married E. Paul duPont, Jr.,
of Wilmington, Delaware. They are the parents of
two children: i. E. Paul duPont, III. it. A. Felix du-
Pont, IV. 2. Thomas A. He married Natalia The-
baud of Greenwich, Connecticut. They reside in
Santiago, Chile, and are the parents of two child-
ren: i. Thomas A., Jr. ii. Anna Van Nort. 3.
Frederick, Jr. Now residing in Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania, he is married to the former Miss Patricia
Goodrich of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have
three children: i. Eric. ii. Mary Diane, iii. Melissa
Ann.

Mr. Lewis' death, on November 29, 1953, marked
the close of a most useful and influential career.
In the columns of one of his papers, the Norfolk
Virginian-Pilot, his place in the life of his region
was appraised in these words:

. . . His death . . . marks the end of a career of achievement
in modern newspaper publishing which in important respects
was unusual and almost unique in this State.

In this newspaper organization, and in a building which he
played a leading part in locating and supervising during its
construction, many men and women who valued Mr. Lewis
for his fine qualities feel especially the impact of this loss . . .
I His] combination of interests Mr. Lewis administered with
the precise care, administrative skill, and personal integrity

which were among his chief characteristics. He did so with
awareness of the public responsibilities involved in mjdern
newspaper I'ublishing . . .

WALTER L. DEVANY, JR.— With long ex-
perience in the practice of law in various cities
of Virginia, Walter L. Devany, Jr., has centered
his activities at Norfolk since shortly after World
War I. He has distinguished himself in a num-
ber of public offices, and now practices as a
member of the firm of Devany and Redfern, with
offices in the National Bank of Commerce Build-
ing.

Born at Wakefield, Virginia, on June 2, 1887,
he is a son of Dr. Walter L. and Anna (Wells)
Devany. His father, born in Southampton County
in 1 S(ii , was a physician who commenced prac-
tice in 1885, and served the people of Wakefield
and later of Dendron. He died in 1931. Mrs.
Devany, a native of Petersburg, died in 1935 at
the age of seventy.

Receiving his early education in private schools,
Walter L. Devany, Jr., attended Randolph-Macon
Academy and Randolph-Macon College, receiving
his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1907. He taught
school for a year, then entered the University of
Virginia to prepare himself for a career in the
law. At the end of two years there, he was ad-
mitted to the bar and began practice in 1910. His
first office was at Dendron, where his father
practiced medicine. He continued in practice there
until January 1, 1916, and from 1912 to 1915,
served as commonwealth attorney. He next moved
to Hopewell, and there was elected judge of the
corporation in 1916. serving to July 1917. He
remained in Hopewell until he came to Norfolk
in March 1919. At Norfolk, he continued his
record of capable and devoted service in public
office, serving as city attorney of South Norfolk
for one year. Since that time, however, he has
devoted himself to private practice. He continued
independently for some years, and in November
1953, formed his present partnership with Wil-
liam A. Redfern, Jr.

He is a member of the Virginia State Bar,
Virginia State Bar Association, and the Norfolk-
Portsmouth Bar Association, and of Phi Kappa
Sigma fraternity. Active in the fraternal life of
his city, lie has held membership in the lodges
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias and the Loyal Order of Moose.
He is a member of the local Chamber of Com-
merce, and is a Democrat in his politics.

On November 15, 1916, Walter L. Devany, Jr.,
married Jacqueline Segar Epes, daughter of Free-
man F. and Rebecca (Robinson) Epes. Both of
her parents were born in Kansas, and her father
became a fertilizer manufacturer in that state,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

339

where he lived until his death in 1916. Mrs. Epes
survived him until 1930. Mr. and Mrs. Devany
are the parents of four children: I. Anne, who
was born on March 31, 1919. She married William
E. Wood of Kempsville, a farmer and merchant,
and they have one child, William Breckenridge
Wood, born in January 1946. 2. Walter L., Ill,
born March 16, 1921. He took his degree of
Bachelor of Arts at the College of William and
Mary and his Bachelor of Laws degree at the Uni-
versity of Virginia. He is now working for the
Federal government in its anti-trust division. 3.
Frances, who was born on June 12, 1923. She
is the wife of L. C. Shackleford, who is a planter
in Montrose, Arkansas. They have four children:
i. L. C, Jr., born in August 1945. ii. Rebecca
Blanche, born in 1947. iii. Frances Wilson, born
in 1949. iv. Gladys, born in 1951. 4. Rebecca
Bland, who was born in 1926, and who is in
the Women's Army Corps with the rank of first
lieutenant. Airs. Devany is eligible for member-
ship in the Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion. She is active in the Presbyterian Church.
The family's residence is at 1342 Westover
Avenue.

FRANK WHITNEY GODWIN, D.D.S.— Al-
though he retired some years ago from his prac-
tice as a dentist, Dr. F. Whitney Godwin has re-
mained prominent in the affairs of Suffolk as a
business man, with the management of real estate
holdings as his major interest. He has been ac-
tive as a Legionnaire, and has gone abroad in
the service of his country.

Born at Chuckatuck, in Nansemond County, on
March 15, 1895, he is a son of Charles B. and
Martha Carroll (Whitney) Godwin. His father too
had been born at Chuckatuck, and his mother near
there, and both are now deceased. F. Whitney
Godwin attended public and private schools at
Chuckatuck, and Fork Union Military Academy,
where he was president of his class and captain
of his company of cadets. After graduating there
in 1914, he entered the University of Richmond,
and went from there to professional studies at the
Medical College of Virginia. After one year there,
he transferred to Baltimore College of Dental
Surgery, where in 1921 he received his degree of
Doctor of Dental Surgery.

Dr. Godwin's studies had, however, been inter-
rupted by military service in World War I. In
1917 he entered Officers Training Camp at Fort
Myer, Virginia, where he received his commission
as second lieutenant in the infantry. He was then
assigned to the Fifth Division, which was train-
ing at Camp Green in Charlotte. With this divis-
ion, he sailed for France in April 1918, and partici-

pated in action in the Anould Sector, the St. Die
Sector, the St. Mihiel offensive and the Argonne-
Meuse offensive. He was wounded at Bois-des-
Rappes, near Verdun, on October 13, while com-
manding Company F, 61 st Infantry. In June 1918,
he served with the French Army in the Sixth
Battalion, 226th French Alpine Chasseurs, in the
Vosges Mountains. After two and one-half months
in hospital recovering from his wounds, Dr. God-
win was reassigned to his old division, which was
then performing occupation duties, and he was
stationed on the Moselle River and in the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg. In July 1919, he returned
to the United States, and was later commissioned
a captain of infantry in the United States Army
Reserve Corps.

He then resumed his studies at Baltimore, grad-
uated in 1921 as mentioned above, and began his
dental practice in New York City, in association
with Dr. James Kendall Burgess. After one year
there, he returned to Suffolk, where he has re-
sided ever since. He practiced dentistry there from
1922 until 1939, when he retired. Since that time
he has devoted his attention to business interests,
particularly the management of his real estate
holdings, and has offices at 114 North Saratoga
Street.

Since his period of military service, Dr. Godwin
has continued to take a great interest in Legion
affairs. He was twice commander of Suffolk Post
No. 57; has been district commander, departmental
vice-commander, and national executive commit-
teeman from Virginia; and in 1936, at the St. Louis
convention, was elected national vice commander
and assigned a large territory, which included
supervision of the Departments of Ohio, Indiana,
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa and
Canada. In 1927 he toured Europe with the Ameri-
can Legion, and again joined their pilgrimage in
1937. He was a delegate representing the national
organization at the International Federation of
World War Veterans collaborating for world
peace, at Brussels in 1935, and at similar con-
gresses at Paris (1937) and Bucharest (1938). At
the third of these, he was elected international
vice president, and president of the American Sec-
tion. In 1939, all arrangements had been made for
him to attend the Belgrade Congress in Yugosla-
via, but four days before he was to sail, Hitler's
forces invaded Poland, and plans for the congress
win cancelled.

In July 1937, the United States Government,
through General Pershing and the national com-
mander of the American Legion, designated Dr.
Godwin a member of the official delegation headed
by the Hon. Josephus Daniels, former Secretary
of the Navy, to attend the dedication of all battle

34°

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

monuments erected by this government on Euro-
pean soil, in commemoration of World War I
military actions.

When it became evident that many veterans of
World War II would join the ranks of the Ameri-
can Legion, it was realized that more adequate
quarters would be needed, and Dr. Godwin was
appointed general chairman of a committee for
the purpose of building or purchasing a structure
suitable for this use in his own community. The
American Legion Home on North Main Street
was the result of this committee's efforts. In 1931,
he had been named general chairman of the Suf-
foIk-Nansemond County World War Memorial
Committee, organized to raise funds to erect a
memorial to the memory of the men of the area
who had lost their lives in the war. His efforts
were crowned by the erection of one of the most
impressive monuments in Virginia, and on the day
of its dedication he was tendered a testimonial
banquet by the community as a token of their
appreciation. He was also presented with a gold
watch and chain with the Legion emblem.

When Dr. Godwin was elected national vice
commander of the American Legion in 1936, he
was tendered a testimonial in Suffolk on his re-
turn home, and this proved to be one of the larg-
est ever witnessed in the community. The gover-
nor, and the state's senators and congressional rep-
resentatives were represented, as well as twenty
ex-servicemen who were members of the General
Assembly of Virginia, mayors of neighboring
cities, and high ranking army and navy officers
being present. Dr. Godwin's military awards in-
clude the Purple Heart, the Victory Medal with
battle clasps, the Occupation Medal (all United
States decorations), Soldiers Medal of Honor
(Greece), Medal of Verdun (France) and Cheva-
lier of the Imperial Order of St. Nicholas (con-
ferred by the Russia of the old regime). He was
recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross
in 1 9 18.

Dr. Godwin takes a great interest in local af-
fairs. He is a director and former vice president
of the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital; is a di-
rector, and member of the executive committee,
the trust committee, and the discount committee
of the American Bank and Trust Company; and
is president and director of the Riverview Land
and Investment Company, the focal point of his
realty interests. He was formerly a director of
the Farmers Bank of Nansemond. Interested in
floriculture, he was a director of the Suffolk Floral
Gardens, and is an honorary member of the Nanse-
mond River Garden Club. He was president of
the Suffolk Lions Club, and is a member of the
Portsmouth Executives Club, the Horse Associa-

tion of America, the Governor of Virginia's Mili-
tary Test Committee, and the American Legion.
He served as member and chairman of the Suf-
folk city school board.

In Suffolk, on November io, 1923, F. Whitney
Godwin married Judith Brewer of that city, daugh-
ter of Colonel Richard L. and Lelia (Vellines)
Brewer. Her father, born near Suffolk, was for
three terms speaker of the House of Representa-
tives and for twenty-two years represented Suf-
folk and Nansemond counties in the General As-
sembly of Virginia, and was an extensive real
estate owner. His wife, the former Lelia Vellines,
was born in Isle of Wight County. In 1921, Mrs.
Godwin was appointed by the Governor of Vir-
ginia to unveil the statue of George Washington
in Trafalgar Square, London. It had been pre-
sented to the Commonwealth of Great Britain by
the people of Virginia. While there, Mrs. Godwin
was presented at Buckingham Palace to Their
Majesties King George V and Queen Mary. Dr.
and Mrs. Godwin became the parents of two
daughters: 1. Martha Brewer, who was born on
April 26, 1926. She married Curtis Saunders, Jr.,
and they have two children: i. Whitney Godwin
Saunders, ii. Carson Brewer Saunders. 2. Judith
Whitney, born February 15, 1930, who is an artist
in New York City.

SAMUEL WALKER LYONS, JR.— An out-
standing banker and business man of Norfolk,
Samuel Walker Lyons, Jr., was a lifelong resident
of that city, where he was born on November 27,
1885, son of Samuel Walker, Sr., and Maud (Mar-
tin) Lyons. His father was born December 18,
1855, in Portsmouth, son of William H. and Sophia
(Walker) Lyons. William H. Lyons was born in
Pennsylvania in 1830, and died in Berkley, Nor-
folk, in 1910. He was superintendent of machinery
at the LInited States Navy Shipyard at Ports-
mouth for twenty years, and was a public official
as well. He served for some time on the Portsmouth
city council, and he was treasurer of the city for
a term of four years.

The elder Samuel W. Lyons was for many years
a draftsman at the Norfolk Navy Yard, and he
later took a position as gauger in the United
States Revenue Service. In 1883 he was elected
treasurer of Norfolk County, and served contin-
uously until his death in 1918. He was active in
Masonry, and was a Republican. On May 19. 1880,
Samuel Walker Lyons, Sr., married Maud Martin,
who was born July 10, i860, in Norfolk County,
daughter of Colonel James Green and Bettie L.
(Gresham) Martin. Maud (Martin) Lyons died
at Norfolk in 1938. She w-as descended from Major
General T. Joseph Martin, the progenitor of the

C^ZoJ.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

34'

family in America, who came from England about
1770 and settled in the Valley of Virginia near
Winchester. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons became the par-
ents of four children: i. William Henry, ii. Bessie,
iii. Samuel Walker, Jr. iv. Maud.

Receiving his earlj- education in the elementary
school at Berkley, Samuel W. Lyons, Jr., later
attended the old Norfolk Academy on Bank Street,
from which he graduated with high honors. He
later attended the University of Virginia. His first
business connection was with the Chesapeake Build-
ing Association, and he remained with that finan-
cial firm throughout his career, until failing health
forced him to retire in 1940. In the course of his
tenure of service, he held the offices of secretary
and vice president of this long-established institu-
tion, and for many years played a large part in
shaping its policies. During this time he organized
the Security Insurance Agency, Inc., a general in-
surance agency with offices on West Berkley Ave-
nue, Norfolk, which conducts a large insurance
brokerage business. He served as president of this
corporation from its founding until his death.

In February 1910, before he had reached his
twenty-fifth birthday, Mr. Lyons was elected a
director of the Merchants and Planters Bank of
Norfolk. He served continuously on its board there-
after, and during the greater part of that time,
tilled the office of secretary of the board.

After more than forty years with the Chesapeake
Building Association, he retired in 1949. In his
long connection with the Association, he had served
under three presidents: Alvah H. Martin, Colonel
J. J. Ottley and C. L. Old.

Mr. Lyons was endowed by nature with the
ideal characteristics required in his exacting pro-
fession. His fellow members of the board of Mer-
chants and Planters Bank paid him tribute in a
memorial resolution:

. . . We remember him ... as a genial companion, making
generous contributions to good fellowship at our meetings.
During that time he gave active and helpful advice on
important decisions, and did not hesitate, where he thought
it in order, to offer constructive criticism.

As an active republican he was prominent in
his party.

On August 3, 1912, at Norfolk, Samuel Walker
Lyons, Jr., married Florence Cornelia Ives, daugh-
ter of Judson Hume and Mary Anne (Keeling)
Ives. Her father was born in Norfolk County, and
was a farmer, cultivating acreage near St. Bride's
Station. In later years he moved to Norfolk, where
he lived the remaining years of his life. His death
occurred on October 15, 1907. He was a son of
Amos Ives, who was a prominent planter of Nor-
folk County. Mary Anne (Keeling) Ives was born
in Princess Anne County of colonial ancestry. Her

forebear Thomas Keeling came to Princess Anne
County with Adam Thorogood in 1635. He was
granted several hundred acres of land at the north-
ern part of Great Neck, now known as Great Neck
Point. His plantation was called Ye Dudlies. The
Adam Keeling home in Princess Anne County is
believed to be the second oldest residence in the
Tidewater country, and is prominently mentioned
in the volume entitled "Old Houses in Princess
Anne County," by Sadie Scott Kellam and V. Hope
Kellam. Mrs. Lyons was educated in the public
schools of Norfolk, and at Hollins College. She is
active in the cultural and religious life of Norfolk,
and is a member of the Second Presbyterian Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Lyons became the parents of a
daughter, Florence, who was born August 21, 1913.
She is a graduate of Norfolk Tutoring School with
honors, and of Wellesley College in Massachusetts,
where she was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa, hon-
orary scholastic society, in her junior year. She
also attended the University of Munich in Ger-
many as a Durant Scholar. She later took her
degree of Bachelor of Laws from the University
of Texas. She is a member of Kappa Beta Pi legal
fraternity, the Order of the Coif, honorary legal
organization, and Delta Zeta. She served as as-
sistant attorney general of the State of Texas
during the first administration of Governor Price
Daniel. Florence Lyons married, first, John D.
Couper Baldwin of Norfolk. She married, second,
Dwight Alexander Olds, son of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Isaac Edward Olds. He is a professor of
law at the University of Houston, having graduated
from the University of Kansas and received his
Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of
Michigan. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa
and the Order of the Coif, in addition to being
a member of the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.
Mr. and Mrs. Olds make their home in Houston.
The death of Samuel W. Lyons, Jr., on Septem-
ber 24, 1955, marked the passing of an outstanding
business leader, and the loss of a man who had
contributed much to his city and his region.

FRED W. BATEMAN— Identified with the
Newport News law firm of Newman, Allaun and
Bateman, Fred W. Bateman makes his home in
Warwick and has been a resident of the Peninsula
since 1950. He has become active in the civic and
political life of the region, and holds membership
in many organizations.

He was born in Roper, North Carolina, on
September 18, 1916, son of N. D. and Eloise
(Tarkenton) Bateman. Both of his parents were
born in Criswell, North Carolina, and both are
living. His father is a farmer. The public schools
of Roper provided Fred W. Bateman with his

34*

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

early education, and he graduated from high
school there in 1935. He entered upon his ad-
vanced studies at Wake Forest College, where he
took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1939. He
studied law at the University of North Carolina,
where he was a member of the Class of 1942, but
instead of entering practice at that time, he en-
tered the service of the United States Navy.
Commissioned an ensign, he saw active duty in
the United States and in the Pacific. He remained
in the navy on active duty until 1946, and is now
in the Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander.

Mr. Bateman was admitted to the bar in the
state of Illinois in 1947, and practiced there for
one year. In June 1950, he was admitted to the
Virginia Bar, and at that time began a general
practice in Richmond and Warwick. He was admit-
ted to practice before the Supreme Court of the
United States in March 1956. Until 1953, Mr. Bate-
man continued in his practice of law at Richmond
and Warwick. In February of that year he became
associated with the firm of Newman, Allaun and
Downing in Newport News; the firm name is
now Newman, Allaun and Bateman. This firm
has its offices in the Melson Building in Newport
News, and an office at 244 Warwick Road, War-
wick, Virginia. He is a member of the Newport
News-Warwick Bar Association, the Virginia State
Bar Association and the American Bar Associa-
tion.

A Democrat who has taken a vital interest in
party affairs, Fred W. Bateman has held office
as secretary of the Warwick electoral board. He
is a member of Gamma Eta Gamma legal frater-
nity, and of the Kiwanis Club, the Ruritan Club,
and Perseverance Lodge No. 59, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, at Plymouth, North Caro-
lina. He is also a member of New Bern Consistory
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite at
New Bern in that state. He is fond of sports.

In San Francisco, California, on June 12, 1944,
Fred W. Bateman married Frances Sondag of
Dunlap, Iowa, daughter of John and Mary (Von
Tersh) Sondag. The couple are the pare.its of
one son, Michael Stuart B:.teman, who was born
in Chicago, Illinois, on October I, 1946.

COLONEL RICHARD LEWIS BREWER,
JR., was descended from forebears who were among
the earliest settlers in this country, and the Euro-
pean lines have been traced considerably beyond
that. To quote from an old ledger:

The most ancient records show the Brewers to be in Wales
and in Somersetshire in England. The first mentioned to be
William, who was in such high favor with Richard the Cru-
sader King that he was one of the three men entrusted with
the Government of the Kingdom during the absence of his
Majesty on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. All of the
Brewers were sturdy pioneers and loyal to their high ideals

which brought them across a raging sea into an unknown
land. They did their part in constructing a firm foundation
for a new nation, in the battle field, and in the legislative
halls.

The first ancestor to land at Jamestown, John
Brewer, arrived prior to 1629, and he served in
the House of Burgesses from Warwick County,
1629-1630. John Brewer, 2nd, was a member of
the House of Burgesses from Isle of Wight County
in 1657-1658.

Richard Lewis Brewer, Sr., was born in Nanse-
mond County on December 10, 1827. He was edu-
cated at Wake Forest College, North Carolina, and
at the University of Virginia. Mr. Brewer early
entered the Confederate service. He was the first
superintendent of Nansemond County and Suffolk
schools, serving from 1852 to 1856, and in 1858
became the first mayor of Suffolk. He died No-
vember 29, 1902.

Richard Lewis Brewer, Jr., son of Richard
Lewis, Sr., and Judith Anne (Robinson) Brewer,
was born in Prince George County, Virginia, on
May 27, 1864. He was educated in the public
schools of Suffolk and at the Suffolk Military
Academy. Later he served his apprenticeship in
the jewelry trade in Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
and entered his family's jewelry firm in Suffolk,
known as R. L. Brewer and Son, becoming its
proprietor on the death of his father in 1902.

Although the jewelry business took much of his
time, Colonel Brewer evinced a deep interest in
the affairs of the community and diversified his
business interests, acquiring real estate holdings
and becoming interested in banking. His political,
church and civic interests were equally wide and
varied. He served for many years as a member of
the Suffolk Town Council and the school board,
and was elected mayor of Suffolk in 1902 at the
age of thirty-seven, serving for twelve years. Mr.
Brewer was appointed a colonel on Governor
Mann's staff in 1910. In 1912 he was elected a
member of the Virginia General Assembly where
he served for twenty-two years and was speaker
of the House of Delegates from 1920 to 1926.

Colonel Brewer enjoyed a gubernatorial boom
before becoming speaker, but he could not be pre-
vailed upon to enter the race. Incidentally, the
State Office Building in Richmond is a monument
to his efforts. Other men had for years recognized
the need for such a structure, but it was he who
was instrumental in making the building a reality.

He was the most potent influence in shaping the
fiscal affairs of the state during his membership
and as chairman of the Committee on Appropria-
tions for six years before his election to speaker-
ship. At this time the state had no executive bud-
get, and the Appropriations Committee chairman
had to make a guide for state expenditures. Colonel

^'e/t^x:< /C (&tJt^n^ J*

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

343

Brewer handled the difficult task in such a man-
ner as to leave the state with a comfortable bal-
ance in the treasury, and at the same time, to
serve the best interests of the state functions. It
has been said that as speaker of the House of
Delegates for six years without opposition, his
parliamentary procedure was unsurpassed, and
that he made an enviable record for fairness, the
prompt dispatch of business, and an enactment of
laws demanded by and in the interest of the people.
Even the members of the minority acknowledged
him to be a courteous and just presiding officer
and endorsed his administration.

While he was prominent in legislative bodies
for many years, the impress left by Colonel Brewer
was more forcibly felt from the Session of 1926,
when he returned as a member of the House after
voluntarily retiring as speaker. Quoting from a
Richmond newspaper:

Possessed of the respect, confidence and affection of both
House and Senate, the brilliancy of the Brewer leadership
during the 1926 session entitled the delegate from Suffolk to
the well-deserved admiration of both branches. He was com-
plimented by Governor Harry F. Byrd upon his masterful
management of measures entrusted to him. and acquitted him-
self of his labors in the house in a manner which reflected
credit even upon himself. All of the fine important Byrd bills
di .ilme. with revenue and the segregation tax bill were handled
by Colonel Brewer. In fact it is thought by some that the
passage of the fine measures . . . will mean more to the state
in tin interest of progress, of efficiency, and of economy than
has been compassed in any one day's achievement by Virginia
law makers.

In 1921 Colonel Brewer served as a member of
the commission representing Virginia in the pre-
sentation of the replica of the Houdon statue of
George Washington to the people of (ireat Bri-
tain anil Ireland by the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia in Trafalgar Square, London. Colonel Brew-
er was accompanied by Mrs. Brewer and his
daughter Judith, now Mrs. F. Whitney Godwin,
who unveiled the Washington statue. The mem-
bers of the party were presented to Their Majes-
ties King George V and Queen Mary in Bucking-
ham Palace, and elaborately entertained as guests
of the British Government for two weeks.

hi 1931, Colonel Brewer was urged to represent
the Second District in Congress, but lie had no
ambition for this post and due to his modesty re-
frained from seeking higher honors. He seemed
content to remain as the representative of Suffolk
and Nansemond County in the House of Delegates,
and satisfied to serve where he had been able to
render a real service to his district and state. He
assisted actively in the formation and passage of
the legislation which created the Highway Com-
mission of Virginia, and was highly recommended
and endorsed for the appointment by Governor
Pollard in 1933 to the State Highway Commission.

Colonel Brewer had every quality needed for the
legislator and the public servant. To a fine, sym-
pathetic personality were added diligence, keen
intelligence, the highest ideals, and an inexaustible
interest in the state of his birth. All of those who
labored with him were devoted to him, and for
the best of reasons. His courage matched his
character. Always he was reasonable, always ready
to hear the other side; but the General Assembly
of Virginia rarely had a man of like capacity as
little disposed to "crook the pregnant hinges of
tile knee, where thrift may follow fawning."

Toward the latter part of his life, he said upon
several occasions that his church duties would be
the last of his many activities that he would re-
linquish. While Colonel Brewer was an active
leader in its total program, as a founder, member,
and steward of Oxford Methodist Church, he was
especially interested in the children of the Metho-
dist Home in Richmond. For nineteen years he
served as president of the board of trustees of this
institution, and at all times was a staunch sup-
porter of the policies of the administration in ef-
forts to better conditions at the Home. He was
a lay delegate to the Uniting Conference in Kan-
sas City in 1939, and a member of succeeding
General and Southeastern Jurisdictional Confer-
ences. Under his tenure as district lay leader, the
Portsmouth-Newport News District made marked
progress in every phase of its work. Colonel Brew-
er was president of the Yorktown-Gloucester Ferry
Company, vice president of the American Bank
and Trust Company, and was a member of the
executive committee and the discount committee
of the bank from the time of its organization. He
was also chairman of the board of the National
Screen Company; secretary and treasurer of the
Riverview Land and Investment Company and
the Suffolk Floral Gardens: and president of the
Suffolk Fertilizer Company.

Colonel Brewer had served as president of the
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, and was a charter
member of the Rotary Club. For sixty years he
was a member of Suffolk Lodge No. 30, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, and was presented
the fifty-year pin in the Masonic order at a special
meeting. During World War I he served as food
administrator for his locality. In 1946, Colonel
Brewer resigned from the State Board of Public
Welfare, having served for thirty years. He was
placed on Suffolk's Honor Roll and regarded as
a First Citizen of Suffolk.

Colonel Richard Lewis Brewer, Jr., was first
married, in early life, to Lelia Jackson Vellines of
Isle of Wight County. They were the parents of
a daughter Judith, now Mrs. I7. Whitney Godwin.
After the death of his first wife, Colonel Brewer
married Belle Ashburn of Nansemond County.

TWVa. 40

344

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

There are two grandchildren: Mrs. Curtis Saun-
ders, Jr., nee Martha Brewer Godwin, and Miss
Judith Whitney Godwin.

Colonel Brewer was always able to keep pace
with changing thought and abreast of public opin-
ion. He was neither conservative nor radical, but
always progressive while avoiding extremes — a
stand which is America's greatest guaranty of
security. His death occurred on April 5, 1947.

OSCAR FROMMEL SMITH— In a life dis-
tinguished by many years of service to industry
and to his home city of Norfolk, Oscar Frommel
Smith came to occupy a unique position in its
affairs. He was a vigorous leader in the cause of
civic progress, a generous friend to education and
the arts, and a founder of enterprises, notably
Smith-Douglass Company, Inc., which have played
an important part in the economic life of the city.

Born October 25, 1891, at Bath, North Carolina,
he was a son of Joseph Griffin and Margaret
(Ratcliff) Smith, both natives of North Carolina.
As a lad of nine, he moved to Norfolk with his
parents and earned his first wages delivering the
Norfolk "Virginian-Pilot." At the age of thirteen,
lie left school and began work at fifty cents a day.

His first connection with the fertilizer industry
began at the age of nineteen, when he became a
foreman with the J. R. Young Fertilizer Company,
soon advancing to superintendent. In 1920 he and
Robert B. Rowland, Jr., set up a nitrogenous
tankage plant at Money Point. Later he formed
the Smith Reduction Company, which he operated
until 1927. In that year Ralph B. Douglass be-
came associated with him and the company name
was changed to Smith-Douglass Company. By
ordinary standards his rise in business success and
responsibility was phenomenal. Under his guidance
a small fertilizer firm employing six people grew
to an organization employing more than two
thousand. The organization which he founded has
its headquarters and main plant in Norfolk, with
other plants elsewhere in the nation, and it is
known as the world's largest manufacturer of
mixed fertilizers and chemicals for agriculture.
His development of the business was achieved by
hard work, intelligence, and business integrity.
Apart from his major career-long interest in the
management of Smith-Douglass Company, Inc.,
he was also president of Fertilizer Industries, Inc.,
a New York organization, and was a director of
the Seaboard Citizens National Bank of Norfolk.

The progress of Norfolk and Tidewater Virginia
was always of vital concern to him. For two years
in the 1930s he was a member of the board of
trustees of the old Norfolk Community Fund. He
was elected to the board of directors of the Nor-
folk United War Fund in 1943. He became vice

chairman of the Fund and was named its general
chairman and president in 1945. He also headed
a projected three-year capital accounts campaign
for improving the physical structures of fund
member agencies. Into the work he injected his
spirit of leadership, and in 1945 the organization
conducted a series of campaigns heavily oversub-
scribed, which brought in more than two million
dollars for operating and capital expenses. In 1945
he led a movement to shift the campaign to the
fall of the year and so directed two highly success-
ful drives in one year. He received a Presidential
Citation for his services to his country during
World War II.

A tireless worker for countless civic causes,
Mr. Smith is also particularly remembered for his
leadership in the Norfolk Port Authority. When
this Authority was created, he became its first
chairman and did much to make it an effective
medium for promoting the city's commercial ac-
tivity. He received much acclaim for the develop-
ment of Crestwood, a large housing project for
Negro employees of the local Smith-Douglass
plant; and in other ways he proved himself a
staunch friend of the colored people. Vitally in-
terested in the cause of education, he served on
the board of trustees of Elon College in North
Carolina, and in 1945 this institution conferred on
him an honorary degree of Doctor of Business
Science. He was a trustee of the Norfolk Mu-
seum of Arts and Sciences, president of the Leigh
Memorial Hospital, and a director of the Norfolk
Association of Commerce. Upon his outstanding
record of civic achievement, outlined above, he
was selected as Norfolk's First Citizen m 1947
by the Cosmopolitan Club, in recognition of his
continuous, "unselfish and unremunerative" work.

Mr. Smith was a member of the Virginia Club,
the Princess Anne Country Club, and the Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club. A member of the Rose-
mont Christian Church for forty-five years, he
was a prominent lay leader in the congregation.
In his personal traits, he was a companionable
man, a personality wdio stimulated everyone with
whom he was associated. While modest and never
a seeker of the limelight, he never shirked any
responsibility which his position in the community
placed upon him. He was interested in saddle
horses and owned a fine stable at his Carolanne
harm in Princess Anne County. Among them
were a number of small Shetland ponies, which
he kept solely for the pleasure of children from
the surrounding communities, and he employed
two capable instructors to teach the children riding.

On November 30, 1910, at Norfolk, Oscar From-
mel Smith married Miss Ruth Elizabeth McCloud,
who was born at Portlock, Norfolk County, daugh-
ter of Jesse and Annie Jackson (Gibson) McCloud.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

345

Mrs. Smith is descended from early colonial set-
tlers of Scotch origin, who located in Norfolk
County. She is a life member of the Clan Mac-
Leod Society of America and is a member and
past president of the Navy League of Norfolk.
During the couple's years together, their home at
1705 Cloncurry Road, Lockhaven, was always a
scene of hospitality. It is a stately residence, sur-
rounded by spacious lawns bordered by camellias,
azaleas, and old oak trees. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
became the parents of one daughter, Ann Mar-
jorie, who married Roy R. Charles, prominent
businessman of Norfolk and a member of the
board of visitors of the College of William and
Mary. They are the parents of Margaret Ann
Charles, born July 17, 1937.

Mr. Smith's death occurred on May 4, 1950,
at Sedgefield, North Carolina. In recognition of
his contribution to his community and to the
cause of education, the Oscar Frommel Smith
Higli School has been named in his honor. On
the occasion of its dedication, his friend Ben J.
Willis, Sr., spoke, and his words give us a fuller
picture of the character and personality of Mr.
Smith. He said in part:

. . . Oscar Smith was a humble man. and throughout his
lifetime he practiced those things that he learned at his
mother's knee. He was fond of quoting from the Bihle, and
those of us who knew him best realized that he shared with
the Almighty Father his worldly goods. His charities were
many, but more especially was he interested in the building
of men and women, for he made possible college education
for many young men and women who would not otherwise
have gone to college. Surely Oscar Smith was an example of
the eternal truth : "That the value of a life is measured, not
by years, but by what is accomplished in the lifetime."

His quiet helpfulness to those in need, his generous support
of his community and its projects, were only a small part of
his life . . . His most cherished possessions were his friends
and his love for life.

A generous man. who gave of his talents that the young
men and women of his community might grow to manhood
and womanhood to become better citizens and builders of a
community, especially this community, which he loved so much.

ALAN S. MIRMAN— The activities of Alan S.
Mirman as lawyer and citizen have made him a
familiar figure in Norfolk community life. His
reputation is among both the general citizenry of
the community and the Jewish population. A
partner in the law firm of Stant and Mirman, he
maintains offices in Suite 211-214, Board of Trade
Building. He is a veteran of World War II and
was wounded in action.

Born in Norfolk on February 23, 1925, Mr. Mir-
man is the son of Morris S. and Lillian (Cooper)
Mirman. His father is a native of Poland, his
mother of Montreal, Canada. Brought to the
LInited States at the age of eleven in 1910, Morris
Mirman lived for five or six years in New York
City and then moved to Norfolk. Until his retire-

ment in 1953, he was engaged in the grocery
business. He and his wife still make their home
in Norfolk.

Brought up in that city, Alan S. Mirman at-
tended the public schools. He was graduated from
Maury High School in 1942 and in the following
year was a student at Virginia Polytechnic Insti-
tute. In May 1943. he entered the United States
Army. Assigned to the Infantry, he participated
in many battles. At one time he suffered a slight
gunshot wound, from which he recovered quickly.
However, in subsequent battle action, he received
a wound which paralyzed his entire left leg. In-
capacitated by this wound, he was captured and
held in an enemy prisoner-of-war camp for three
months. When he was liberated, he was obliged to
spend eighteen months in hospitals before achiev-
ing full recovery. He was separated from the
service as a corporal in August 1946, and im-
mediately returned home.

In the Fall, he entered the University of Vir-
ginia, where, three years later, he was awarded the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. Continuing at the
university's School of Law, he took the degree of
Bachelor of Laws in 1951. He was admitted to the
Virginia Bar immediately thereafter and began
as an associate of Frederick T. Stant, Jr. They
formed their present partnership in February 1952.

Mr. Mirman is a member of the American Bar
Association, the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar As-
sociation and the Virginia Bar Association. He is
also active in Norfolk Lodge No. 1, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons; Arnold Gamsey Lodge No.
1 195, B'nai B'rith; Norfolk Lodge No. 38, Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks, and the La-
fayette Yacht and Country Club. With his family
he worships at Temple Israel of Norfolk. As a
voter he is an independent Democrat. For recrea-
tion he is interested in most sports.

Mr. Mirman married Virginia Meyerson, daugh-
ter of Louis and Rose (Weprin) Meyerson. Mrs.
Mirman was born in Norfolk, her father in Russia
and her mother in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Meyerson
operated a barber shop in Toledo, Ohio, after com-
ing to the United States. He is now engaged in
the same business in Portsmouth, where he and
his wife make their home. Mrs. Mirman is active
in Temple Israel and other Jewish affairs. She
is a member of the Norfolk Council of Jewish
Women and the Hadassah Sisterhood. She and
her husband reside at 2209 Abbey Road, Norfolk.
They have one daughter, Jill Anita, who was born
in Norfolk on February 23, 1955.

PEMBROKE DECATUR GWALTNEY, JR.—

whose career ended about two decades ago, gave
his name to one of the Lower Tidewater's out-
standing meat packing plants, which is also the

346

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

longest-established in this industry. It has main-
tained for over fourscore years its reputation for
producing Smithfield hams, which are sold in
all parts of the country. P. D. Gwaltney, Jr., who
represented the intermediate generation of the
family in the firm's management, played no small
part in winning for the firm its reputation for
quality and for efficient operation.

He was born September 3, 1861, son of Pem-
broke D. Gwaltney, Sr., and his wife, whose maiden
name was Martha Harris. Attending the schools
of his home region, he completed his formal educa-
tion at private schools and business college in
Richmond. In 1879 he purchased the retail farm
supply business from his father, P. D. Gwaltney.
Sr., who had invented peanut cleaning machinery
and started the firm of the Gwaltney-Bunkley
Peanut Company, and started a meat packing busi-
ness in conjunction with the retail store purchased
from his father. Familiarizing himself with the
details of its management in his early manhood,
the business, in due time, was incorporated and
he became president of the firm in 1929. At this
time the packing plant took the name of P. D.
Gwaltney, Jr., and Co.. Inc. which was changed to
Gwaltney Incorporated in 1957.

In addition, Mr. Gwaltney was president of the
Bank of Smithfield and of the Home Telephone
Company. He took a vital interest in all enter-
prises for the progress of his community and the
welfare of its citizens. He was a Methodist in his
religious faith, and active in his church.

In 1901, Pembroke Decatur Gwaltney, Jr., mar-
ried Miss Estelle Darden of Isle of Wight County,
and they became the parents of five children. 1.
Pembroke Decatur, 3rd. 2. Lucy, who died at
sixteen years of age. 3. Chester, who died at
twenty years of age. 4. Howard W. 3. Julius Dar-
den. Three of the sons are active in the manage-
ment of the firm today, and all three are the
subjects of accompanying biographical sketches.

The death of the packing executive and civic
leader occurred on February 9, 1936.

HOWARD W. GWALTNEY represents the
third generation of his family in the management
of the Smithfield packing firm of Gwaltney In-
corporated. He is also president of a bank and a
realty corporation, and is currently serving as
mayor of Smithfield.

A native of that city, he was born on January
20, 1908, son of P. D., Jr., and Estelle (Darden)
Gwaltney, and grandson of P. D. Gwaltney, Sr.,
who founded the family packing firm about 1870.
Its history is to be found in an accompanying
sketch. His father, P. D.. Jr., carried on manage-
ment of the firm, lie was not only a packing ex-

ecutive but also president of the Bank of Smith-
field. Both he and Mrs. Gwaltney are now deceased.

After attending the public schools of Smithfield
and graduating from high school there in 1925,
Howard W. Gwaltney entered Washington and
Lee University as a member of the Class of 1929.
He attended for three years, but did not remain
to graduate, joining his father in business in 1928.
He became vice president in 1932, and president
in 1935, following his father's death. In the same
year he also succeeded his father as president of
the Bank of Smithfield, and as chairman of its
board of directors.

Mr. Gwaltney is also president of the Gwaltney
Realty Corporation of Smithfield, and is a director
of the Home Telephone Company in that city. A
democrat in his politics, he was first elected mayor
of Smithfield for the term beginning in 1951,
and has held office continuously since that time.

Active in the work of the Trinity Methodist
Church in Smithfield, he has been a member of its
official board since 1929 and chairman of its
finance committee since 1935. He is a member
of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond, the
Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club in Ports-
mouth, and the Lafayette Yacht and Country
Club of Norfolk. His fraternity is Kappa Alpha.
Mr. Gwaltney's favorite outdoor sport is quail
hunting.

In his home city, on April 13, 1935, Howard
W. Gwaltney married Katherine D. Langhorne of
Smithfield, daughter of Maurice C. and Katherine
( Vanderslice) Langhorne. The couple are the
parents of three children: 1. Lucy L., born in
January 1937. 2. Howard W., Jr., who was born
in June 193S. 3. Katherine C, born in August 1939.

JULIUS DARDEN GWALTNEY— For the
past twenty-five years, Julius Darden Gwaltney
has been active in executive positions with the
firm of Gwaltney Incorporated, the well-known
Smithfield packing house. He holds offices in other
corporations as well, and is active in organizations,
church work, and the cause of good citizenship.

A native of Smithfield, he was born on March
21, 1911, son of P. D., Jr., and Estelle (Darden)
Gwaltney, and grandson of the founder of the
packing firm, P. D. Gwaltney, Sr. Attending the
public elementary and high schools of his native
town. Julius D. Gwaltney completed his secondary
studies at Randolph-Macon Academy, where he
graduated with the Class of 1929. For two years,
he was a student at the University of Virginia.

He left the classroom in 1931 to gain practical
business experience with the family firm, which
has been in existence for about eighty-five years.
Early in his busy career, he was made vice presi-

yrJ-ZVJV^tZxJ, JttxSZ^^l^

'l4fi&£tZCc<Y ^K^

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

347

dent of Gwaltney Incorporated, and has held that
position to the present time. He serves on the
boards of directors of the Home Telephone Com-
pany and the Gwaltney Realty Company, both of
Smithfield.

Politically, Mr. Gwaltney enrolls as a Dem-
ocrat but votes independently. He is a member
of the Lafayette Yacht Club of Norfolk and the
Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla No. 58, and is
active in the work of his church, the Trinity
Methodist of Smithfield, serving on its Official
Board and its Board of Trustees. He is fond of
the out-of-doors, and his favorite sports are hunt-
ing, boating and fishing.

At Leesburg, Virginia, on September 16, 1933,
Julius Darden Gwaltney married Henrietta Ramsay
Chapman, of a Smithfield family. Her father, now
deceased, was James Edwin Chapman, and her
mother is the former Henrietta Chadwick Ramsay.
Mrs. Gwaltney is active in the United Daughters
of the Confederacy and the Daughters of the
American Revolution. The couple are the parents
of two children: 1. Henrietta C, who was born
on December 30, 1935. 2. M. Florelle, born on
November 19, 1938.

PEMBROKE DECATUR GWALTNEY, 3rd,

Smithfield packing executive, represents the third
generation of his family to bear the name, and
to be engaged in the management of the packing
firm successfully carried on under family direction
for eighty-five years. He has other business in-
terests in the communications and banking fields,
and is a former member of the town council.

Son of P. D., Jr., and Estelle (Darden) Gwalt-
ney, he was born at Smithfield on January 3, 1903.
Attending the public elementary and high schools
there, he completed his preparatory studies at
Randolph-Macon Academy, where he was a mem-
ber of the Class of 1920. He is also a graduate of
Washington and Lee University, where he received
his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1924.

Mr. Gwaltney began his career with the pack-
ing firm of P. D. Gwaltney Jr. and Company, in
1924, and in 1929 when the business was incorpor-
ated he became secretary and treasurer. He is
chairman of the board of the Home Telephone
Company of Smithfield, and director of the Bank
of Smithfield.

Carrying his full responsibility in public affairs,
Mr. Gwaltney has served as a member of the
town council at Smithfield. He has also served on
the school board of Isle of Wight County. Polit-
ically, he identifies himself as an independent Dem-
ocrat. Although not now active in clubs or fra-
ternal organizations, he formerly held membership
in the Rotary, the Ruritan Club, and the lodge of
the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. The fami-

lv has consistently been identified with and active
in the Trinity Methodist Church, and P. D. Gwalt-
ney, 3rd, serves on its board of trustees. He is
fond of outdoor activities, particularly hunting and
fishing.

At Petersburg, Virginia, on October 12, 1927,
Pembroke Decatur Gwaltney, 3rd, married Mar-
garet Coke Atwill, daughter of the Rev. W. H.,
Sr., and Minnie C. Atwiil. Her father was a Meth-
odist clergyman. Mr. and Mrs. Gwaltney have three
children: 1. Margaret Darden, who is the wife of
Donald E. Hood. They have a child, Donald E.,
Jr. 2. Pembroke Decatur, 4th, who is now a lieu-
tenant in the United States Army. He married
Norma Lee Stephenson, and they have a daugh-
ter, Virginia Lee Gwaltney. 3. William Atwill,
who is serving with the United States forces in
Korea, with the rank of lieutenant.

GWALTNEY INCORPORATED— The Lower
Tidewater's longest-established firm of meat pack-
ers is Gwaltney Incorporated, at Smithfield. It
was founded in 1870 by P. D. Gwaltney, Sr., grand-
father of Howard W. Gwaltney, P. D. Gwaltney,
3rd, and Julius D. Gwaltney who now head the
firm.

From its earliest days the company has played
a prominent part in producing, marketing and
spreading the popularity of Smithfield hams. Its
Plant No. 1, for curing such hams, was built about
1890, and is still in use, although it was substan-
tially expanded in 1952. At the same time modern
curing coolers were added to control quality. Plant
No. 2, located on the shore of the Pagan River,
was built in 1936, and four large annexes have
since been added. In 1954 Gwaltney Incorporated
completed and occupied its newest plant, just north
of Smithfield on Highway 10. General offices are lo-
cated here. At this location are facilities for live-
stock yards, hog killing, cutting, by-product render-
ing, shipping, and lard refining, in addition to a
power plant. In 1957 the company produced over
sixty million pounds of pork products.

The company has been particularly interested
in quality control, a factor which has played a
large part in establishing its reputation. Research,
development and testing of all its products has
a conspicuous place on the company program.
Also emphasized is the building of good employer-
employee relationships. The firm has been liberal
in its labor policies, having cash bonus and profit-
sharing retirement plans, life and hospital insur-
ance arrangements, cafeteria service, ample sick
leave, and paid vacations and holidays. While ad-
hering to the traditions of the oldest of the region's
packers, Gwaltney Incorporated has kept complete-
ly up-to-date in such matters: in production tech-
niques; and in relations with the farmers who bring

34«

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

in the livestock, and with the consumer who conti-
nues to order Smithfield hams in increasing quanti-
ty. The company has always taken an outstanding
part in community affairs.

GORDEN E. CAMPBELI The reputation of

Gorden E. Campbell has been made in more than
one field. A lawyer in practice in Norfolk for
three decades, he is the principal stockholder in
three good-sized business concerns. In addition, he
is prominent in Masonry and Methodist Church
circles. As a lawyer, he maintains offices in the
National Bank of Commerce Building.

Mr. Campbell was born in Norfolk on Novem-
ber 16, 1905, the son of Daniel Ward and Minnie
(Roth) Campbell. His father was a native of Toron-
to, Canada, his mother of St. Paul, Minnesota. The
former died in 1928, at the age of seventy-two;
the latter died in 1950, at the age of eighty-two.
Daniel Ward Campbell entered the building con-
tracting business soon after arriving in Norfolk
about 1890. He spent the rest of his life in that
business, erecting numerous structures of every
type not only in Virginia, but in many other states.

Gordon E. Campbell was first educated in the
public schools of the city of Norfolk and Princess
Anne County. In 1926 he was graduated from Nor-
folk's Maury High School. He then matriculated
at the College of William and Mary, where he was
accepted in the law classes as a special student.
In 1929 he took and passed the Virginia Bar ex-
aminations and since his admission to the bar
that year has been practicing in his native city.
In addition to his practice, Mr. Campbell is active
in the business world, being principal stockholder
and vice president of the Building Materials Cor-
poration, principal stockholder and secretary of the
Building Materials Ready-Mix Corporation and
principal stockholder in the Tabet Manufacturing
Company.

He has held high offices in various organizations.
A past president of the Rotary Club of Norfolk,
he is also past master of Ruth Lodge No. 89,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and past dis-
trict deputy of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. He
is also a member of such other Masonic bodies as
Auld Consistory, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons; John Walters Chapter, Royal Arch Masons,
and Grice Commandery, Knights Templar. He
holds the thirty-second degree in the Masonic
order and the honorary degree of Knight Com-
mander of the Court of Honor. He also belongs
to the Norfolk Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, the Norfolk Yacht and Coun-
try Club, and the Norfolk Town Club. His pro-
fessional affiliations are with the Virginia State
Bar, Virginia Bar Association, American Bar As-

sociation, and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar
Association.

Besides the activities entailed by membership
in these groups, Mr. Campbell participates promi-
nently in the work of his church, the Epworth
Methodist of Norfolk. Now a member of the board
of trustees, he is a past steward and past president
of the Wesleymen Bible Class. In politics he is
a Democrat. In World War II Mr. Campbell
served four years as an officer in the Office of
Naval Intelligence attached to the Norfolk Naval
Base and to units in New York City and Wash-
ington, D. C. Released to inactive status after the
war, he retained his commission, that of lieutenant
commander, in the Naval Reserve until 1955.

On December 12, 1953, in Norfolk, Mr. Camp-
bell married Virginia Brinkley, daughter of Stark
and Elizabeth (Knight) Brinkley, both of whom
were born in Gates County, North Carolina. Mr.
Brinkley died some years ago, and Mrs. Campbell's
mother is now Mrs. R. C. Holton and living in
Norfolk. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have one daugh-
ter, Elizabeth Holton, born on April 13, 1955. Their
home is at 701 1 Mallard Drive, Norfolk.

ROBERT FRANKLIN EDWARDS has had

nearly three decades' experience in the practice
of law, and since 1944 has practiced at Smithfield.
He is a Lower Tidewater native, born in Isle of
Wight County on November 2, 1897, son of Nath-
aniel Macon and Elizabeth (Nelms) Edwards.
Both of his parents were also born in that coun-
ty, and both are now deceased. His father was a
farmer.

The public schools of Isle of Wight Courthouse
provided R. Franklin Edwards' early education and
he graduated from high school there in 1917. En-
tering the University of Richmond, he graduated
in 1921 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts; and
he continued with his professional course at the
T. C. Williams School of Law of that university.
There he took his degree of Bachelor of Laws in
1928.

Meantime, in December 1927, he had been ad-
mitted to the bar, and first entered the employ of
the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Com-
pany of Baltimore, Maryland, working in its claims
department in Tennessee and in Roanoke, Vir-
ginia, from 1928 until 1944.

In the latter year Mr. Edwards established
his general practice of law at Smithfield, and has
his offices in the Old Court House Building. He is
a member of the Virginia State Bar and the
Virginia State Bar Association.

He is a Democrat in his politics, and a member
of the Ruritan Club and of Smithfield Lodge No.
18, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Attending

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

349

the Baptist Church in his home city, he served
the congregation as a clerk and member of the
board of deacons.

At Johnson City, Tennessee, on October 24,
1929, R. Franklin Edwards married Arbee Helen
Rasar, daughter of Dr. Reuben B. and Anna Helen
(Dille) Rasar. Both of her parents are deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are the parents of a son,
Robert Brooks, born November 7, 1937. He at-
tended the College of William and Mary, and the
University of Richmond.

EARL THOMAS GRESHAM— The E. T.

Gresham Company, Inc., a general contracting
firm with headquarters on West 26th Street in
Norfolk, bears the name of an engineer and in-
dustrialist who has established himself as one of
the city's most successful business leaders. He
has also won recognition for his civic awareness
and achievements in community affairs. In 1951
he received the Cosmopolitan Club Medal, which
carries with it the title of "First Citizen of
Norfolk."

Although he was born at Galveston, Indiana,
E. T. Gresham comes of a Virginia family of
English and colonial ancestry in the paternal line.
Born November 12, 1892, he is a son of William
Watkins and Claudia (Thomas) Gresham. His
father was born in King and Queen County. His
paternal grandfather, Oscar H. Gresham, was
also a native Virginian and a planter in that
county. He served in the Ninth Cavalry, Con-
federate States Army. Members of the family in
earlier generations had likewise been planters,
and were prominently identified with public af-
fairs in Virginia. William W. Gresham engaged
in sales work early in life, and later became sec-
retary and treasurer of the E. T. Gresham Com-
pany, Inc. He died in Norfolk in 1933. Claudia
Beatrice Thomas, whom he married, was born
in Galveston, Indiana, daughter of Meredith Helm
Thomas, a native of Kentucky, who became prom-
inent in business at Galveston. He married Har-
riet Knowlton, a native of New York State.
Claudia (Thomas) Gresham died at Norfolk on
November 18, 1945.

The oldest of seven children, E. T. Gresham
was eight years old when his parents returned
to Virginia. He attended the public schools of
Bowling Green and Richmond Academy at Rich-
mond, where he was a member of Company A
of the Richmond Blues. He began his career in
the coal mining industry in West Virginia, as
an employee of the Wyatt Coal Company. He
remained with the firm for several years, work-
ing in the mines and in sales capacities. In 191 5
he came to Norfolk, and the following year
founded the E. T. Gresham Company, which was

incorporated in 1918. He originally engaged in
the heavy hauling contracting business, and later
expanded operations to include general contract-
ing, specializing in industrial construction. From
the modest beginning, the company under his di-
rection, as president and general manager, has
become one of the largest construction firms in
its field in the state of Virginia. With a record
of forty years of service in industrial construction,
the firm manages to confine most of its contract-
ing to the Tidewater section of Virginia. However,
as subcontractor, it has completed work in several
parts of the United States and for Canadian and
South American firms. In the equipment rentals
field, the firm renders a wide service, for it owns
a large quantity of such heavy equipment as
cranes with capacities up to thirty tons, air com-
pressors, tractors, heavy hauling equipment and
generators. The officials, besides Mr. Gresham,
are Judge Willis V. Fentress, vice president; E.
T. Gresham, Jr., treasurer; Wells Gresham, as-
sistant treasurer; O. J. Parker, secretary; and
Willis C. Fentress, Jr., assistant secretary.

Mr. Gresham's other business connections in-
clude service on the boards of directors of the
National Bank of Commerce of Norfolk, Com-
monwealth National Gas Corporation of Rich-
mond, Virginia Mutual Insurance Company, and
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. He is a
member of the Virginia State Chamber of Com-
merce. He is past vice president of the Virginia
Chapter of Associated General Contractors of
America; past president of the Virginia Highway
Users Association; and has served many years
as chairman of the Hampton Roads Sanitation
District Commission. A member of the Hampton
Roads Engineers Club, he served as its president
in 1947. In 1949-1950 he served as president of
the Norfolk Community Chest, and he has been
a member of the directors' advisory board of the
College of William and Mary, Norfolk Division.
A director of the Boys' Club of Norfolk, he served
for sixteen years as its vice president, and this
remains one of his major community interests.

His career has been characterized by a fine
humanitarian spirit, wdiich has had a positive in-
fluence in his management-employee relationship
and in his work for a better city. He is presently
serving as chairman of the building committee
in charge of the construction of an addition to
the Norfolk General Hospital, to be erected at
an estimated cost of five and a quarter million
dollars. In 1951 he received the Cosmopolitan
Club award, as noted above, for his continued
record of unselfish civic service over many years.

A Rotarian, he served as president of the Nor-
folk club in 1946-1947; and he is a member of
Ruth Lodge No. S9, Ancient Free and Accepted

35°

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Masons; Royal Arch Masons Chapter No. I at
Norfolk; the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club;
Princess Anne Country Club; and the First Bap-
tist Church, which he serves as a member of the
finance committee.

In 1916, Earl Thomas Gresham married Kath-
ryne Wells of Elm City, North Carolina. She
died in 1942. They were the parents of two sons:
I. Earl Thomas, Jr., a graduate of Virginia Poly-
technic Institute at Blacksburg, where he received
his degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engi-
neering in 1940. He served as a lieutenant in the
United States Navy in the Pacific during World
War II, and at the close of the war entered E.
T. Gresham Company, in which he is now treas-
urer. He married Doris Trimyer of Norfolk, and
they are the parents of three sons: i. Earl Thomas,
III. ii. William Albert, iii. Richard Wells. 2.
Wells, who attended the University of Virginia
where he majored in civil engineering. He left
his studies there to enter the wartime service of
the United States Navy as an ensign, and since
the end of the war has been associated with E.
T. Gresham Company. He is now assistant treas-
urer. He married Jane McMurran of Norfolk,
and they are the parents of two children: i. Ste-
phen Wells, ii. Kathryne Jane. In 1946, E. T.
Gresham married, second, Mrs. Ada (Dozier)
Garrett of Norfolk. By a previous marriage she
has two children: 1. Kathaleen Garrett, who mar-
ried Floyd A. Scott of Indianapolis, Indiana, now
of Norfolk. They are the parents of three children :
i. Margaret, ii. Jane. iii. Lee Scott. 2. Councill
D. Garrett. He served in the United States Army
Air Corps in World War II, being sent to the
China-Burma-India theater. He attained the rank
of captain. Now a business man in Norfolk, he
is married to the former Mary Faucett Ricks of
Littleton, North Carolina. They are the parents
of two daughters: i. Belinda, ii. Pamela Garrett.

HOWARD GRESHAM MARTIN— A leader
in the Lower Tidewater's banking circles, Howard
Gresham Martin was for many years identified
with the Merchants and Planters Bank of Berkley,
in which he advanced to executive vice president.
He was also a respected and useful citizen of Nor-
folk County, and a valuable worker in his church.

Born in the Berkley district of Norfolk on
February 2, 1894, he was a son of Alvah H. and
Mary E. (Tilley) Martin. The Martin family has
been prominent in Virginia since colonial times.
They are descended from Major General T. Joseph
Martin, who came from England and settled about
1770 in the Valley of Virginia near Winchester.
His son, Colonel George Martin, was likewise born
in England, accompanied his father to Virginia, and

later settled with him in Kentucky. He fought
under his father's command in the Revolutionary-
War, being an adjutant general but holding the
rank of colonel. After the war he came to Norfolk
County, settling in 1787 near Great Bridge. He
was a civil engineer by profession, and afterwards
became an extensive planter. He married Ann Old
of Princess Anne County a few years after his
arrival in Virginia, and died in 1799. Colonel James
Green Martin, son of Colonel George and Ann
(Old) Martin, was born March 11, 1797, and died
November 23, 1874. He attained his rank of colonel
serving in the War of 1812, and for many years
was presiding judge of Norfolk County. In 1817 he
married Maach Foreman, who was born on March
2, 1797, daughter of Alexander Foreman, a Revo-
lutionary soldier, and sister of General Nehemiah
Foreman who served in the War of 1812. She died
October 1, 1874. This couple's son, Colonel James
Green (2) Martin, was born at Mount Pleasant,
Norfolk County, on April 16, 1829, and died in
August 1880. He was made a colonel in the militia,
and practiced law in Norfolk. He was elected to
the Virginia Legislature for the 1859-1860 term,
and for a time served as a presiding justice of
the Norfolk County Court. He also served in the
Confederate States Army. He married Bettie L.
Gresham, daughter of Thomas B. and Love (Old)
Gresham, and they had three children: Alvah H.,
Maud, and George Gresham Martin.

Alvah H. Martin was born in Norfolk County
and received his early education under private tutors
and in the public schools. After completing a course
at Webster Institute, he studied law under his
father, and in 1880 became county clerk, appointed
to fill out an unexpired term. He was elected to the
office in May 1881, and served, by subsequent re-
election, for thirty-three years. He also became well
known in business and financial circles, and was
one of the founders of the Merchants and Planters
Bank. He became the second president of this
bank, serving until his death on July 5, 1918. He
was also president of the Chesapeake Building As-
sociation, the Cape Henry Syndicate, the Glencoe
Land Company and the Martin Corporation, and
he was a director of the National Bank of Com-
merce and interested in many other corporations.
He was active in the Chamber of Commerce: and
took a leading part in the planning and manage-
ment of the Jamestown Exposition in 1907, holding
office as director-general. He had extensive prop-
erty interests in Norfolk and Princess Anne coun-
ties, and valuable coal lands in West Virginia. He
served on the Republican National Executive Com-
mittee, and it was through his influence with Presi-
dent William Howard Taft that the Port of Nor-
folk was made a port of entry for Virginia. He

^/zrz<r^i^^a^^^^~~~-

TWVa. 41

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

35'

pioneered in the good roads movement in Norfolk
County, and was chairman of the first commission
for permanent road improvement in his county. He
was a communicant of Epworth Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and was an ardent sportsman.

On January 6, 1881, Alvah H. Martin married
Mary E. Tilley, daughter of E. M. and Eliza A.
( Hare) Tilley of Norfolk County. Howard G.
Martin, fifth of the six children born to this couple.
was educated at Norfolk Academy, Virginia Mili-
tary Institute and the University of Virginia. From
[915 to 1910 he served as deputy clerk of the
circuit court of Norfolk County, and at the con-
clusion of his tenure in 1919, entered the Merchants
and Planters Bank of Berkley as a bookkeeper.
Through the years which followed, he served the
bank faithfully as auditor, assistant cashier, cash-
ier and vice president, and at the time of his death,
held the position of executive vice president. When
the first branch of the Merchants and Planters Bank
was established, at Campostella, two blocks from
its present location, Howard G. Martin was select-
ed as its first manager. He took charge of its
operation when it opened, and remained in that
capacity until the time of his death. From the
beginning, his personal contact with the customers
of the bank in that community was always very
close, and he earned the confidence of all who knew
him. He was also in close touch with activities at
the main bank, and at its other branches and served
on the executive committee. The bank's board of
directors joined in a memorial statement which
paid tribute to his work and his personality:

Howard Martin should be especially remembered for his
unfailing interest and zeal in stimulating comradeship and
social contacts among the employees, officers, directors and
friends of this Bank. They will long remember the dinners
that lie promoted and organized, which were always enjoyed
by all who attended them, and which did so much to establish
the personal contacts which this Bank has always cherished.
His sound advice contributed a great deal to the financial
success of many business men and members of the community
who were patrons of this Bank.

But Mr. Martin's personality as well as his counsel will
be greatly missed by his community and banking circles
in this part of the country. His kindness, understanding and
quiet friendliness were not restricted to a select few, but were
extended by him to all with whom he came in contact. He
was always ready to listen patiently to the problems of others,
and although he was not a great talker, his cheerful dis-
position and thoughtfulness created a warm feeling of friend-
ship with those who worked with him.

His considerate ways and gentle manner will be greatly
missed by all of us.

Apart from his banking activities, Mr. Martin
was executor of the estate of Alvah H. Martin. He
was president of the Martin Corporation, the Glen-
coe Land Company and the Howard Land Com-
pany, and a director of the Chesapeake Building
Association and Security Insurance Agency, Inc.

He was a member of the executive committee of
the Virginia Bankers Association, and a member
of the American Bankers Association. Affiliated
with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, he
was a member of Owens Lodge No. 164; John Wal-
ters Chapter No. 68, Royal Arch Masons; and Grice
Commandery No. it). Knights Templar. He was
also a member of the Norfolk Chapter of the Vir-
ginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution,
and the Norfolk Vacht and Country Club and
Princess Anne Country Club. He was an earnest
worker in the Second Presbyterian Church of Nor-
folk, and was serving as chairman of its board of
deacons at the time of his death. He had become
a member of the church in 1920, and had served
as deacon for many years. His fellow members of
the diaconate said of him: "Mr. Martin was a man
of wide business experience and wisdom, and his
counsel was sought continuously in the financial
problems of the church, and always graciously
given. [He was] a radiant Christian and a blessing
to all whose lives touched his."

On October 1, 1919, in Norfolk, Howard Gre-
sham Martin married Alpine Douglas Catling,
daughter of Dr. George P. and Mary Wilson (Hol-
lowell) Gatling. Her father was a native of Spring
Hill, Prince George County, and a son of George
W. and Marceline (Pescud) Gatling. He attended
Guilford College, later studied pharmacy, and for
many years was a druggist in Petersburg and
Richmond. He later managed Gatling's Model
Pharmacy in the Monticello Hotel in Norfolk. He
retired as pharmacist in 1913, and was a represen-
tative of the Arlington Chemical Company of
Yonkers, New York, at the time of his death on
March 18, 1935. His wife, the former Mary Wilson
Hollowell, was a native of Elizabeth City, North
Carolina, and died June 5, 1917. He married, sec-
ond, Carlotta McCluer. Mrs. Howard Gresham
Martin is a graduate of Madison College, and
through the years has been active in philanthropic
work, particularly on behalf of Edgewater Home
for Girls and the Women's Board of the Leigh
Memorial Hospital. She is active in the Second
Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Princess
Anne Country Club and Cavalier Yacht and Coun-
try Club. Mr. and Mrs. Martin became the parents
of three daughters: 1. Mary, and 2. Alpine, twins,
born November 15, 1920. Mary died at the age of
ten months. Alpine is a graduate of Sweet Briar
College, where she took her degree of Bachelor of
Arts in 1941. She married Eugene Ferree Patter-
son of Lockport, New York, a graduate of Cornell
University, and they now reside in Puerto Rico,
where Mr. Patterson is engaged in the leather
manufacturing business. They are the parents of
three children: i. Lucy Brooke, born October 13,

35:

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

1943. ii. Fay Patterson, born August 25, 1946. iii.
Douglas Ross, II, born July 14, (949. 3. Fay, tin-
youngest daughter, was born on September 15,
1923. In 1943 she took her degree of Bachelor of
Arts at Sweet Briar College, and she is married
to Alfred duPont Chandler, Jr., of Guyencourt,
Delaware. He graduated from Harvard University
in 1940, and holds the degree of Doctor of Philo-
sophy in history. He is now associate professor of
history at .Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. and Mrs. Chandler have three children: i.
Alpine Douglas, born December 11, 1945. ii. Mary
Morris, born September jo, 1948. iii. Alfred duPont,
III, born May 2, 195 1.

Mr. Martin's death occurred on February 10,
1954, while he was attending a conference of the
American Bankers Association in New York City.

EDWIN CLAY KELLAM— Active in the pro-
fession of law and in civic and cultural projects,
Edwin Clay Kellam is well known in the Lower
Tidewater. As a lawyer he is the partner of his
brother, Richard B. Kellam, in the firm of Kellam
and Kellam, which maintains offices in the Board
of Trade Building, Norfolk.

Mr. Kellam was born in Princess Anne on Janu-
ary 4, 1907, the son of Abel E. and Clara O. (Eaton)
Kellam. The mother, a native of Princess Anne
County, still makes her home there. Abel E. Kel-
lam, who was born in Northampton County, was
a farmer and lumberman. For twenty-five years,
he served as clerk of the Princess Anne Circuit
Court. One of his prime avocational interests was
history and he was noted for the ownership of
one of the best libraries in the area. His love of
history is shared by his son Edwin. Education
and religion were also among his preoccupations.
Through four decades he served as steward of his
church, the Methodist, and was its Sunday school
superintendent for a quarter of a century. Such
was his interest in religious education that for a
time he served concurrently as both Baptist and
Methodist Sunday school superintendent, one
church conducting services in the morning, the
other in the afternoon. For twenty-five years or
more, he was a director of the Virginia National
Bank. He was seventy-six years old when he died
on January 1. 1926. In her home in Princess Anne,
his widow celebrated her eighty-sixth birthday in
1956.

Princess Anne was also the home of her son
Edwin until he was about eighteen years old. At
that time he was graduated from Oceana High
School. He left home to continue his education.
In io33. he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts
at Duke University, after which he spent a year
at the University of Oklahoma School of Law. In

1934, he returned to Duke University and in 1936
was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Laws there.

Admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1936, Mr. Kel-
lam began practice in Norfolk the following year.
Later, he joined the law firm of White and Davis
of Norfolk. In 1042, he was commissioned in the
United States Navy, with which he served through-
out American participation in World War II. He
was released to inactive status in 1945 with the
rank of lieutenant commander.

In 1946, Edwin Clay Kellam and his brother,
Richard B. Kellam, formed the law firm of Kel-
lam and Kellam. (The life of Richard B. Kellam
is reviewed elsewhere in these pages). Associated
in the firm with the brothers are Richard Tunstall,
James M. Pickrell, Austin E. Owen, Joseph J.
Lawler, Herbert Reid, and William Hodges. Edwin
C. Kellam is a member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth,
Virginia and American bar associations, Kappa
Sigma, Phi Delta Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa
fraternities; Naomi Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, and the Civitan Club of Norfolk.
He has been an officer in various organizations and
is now a director of the Civitan Club. He is a
Democrat and a Methodist. Work, he says, is his
hobby.

Mr. Kellam married Helen M. Owen, daughter
of Richard Clement and Judith (Berkley) Owen,
in Norfolk on April 15, 1944. Mrs. Kellam, like her
father, was born in that city. Her father is as-
sociated with Foote Brothers and Company. He
is the son of the Reverend Austin E. Owen, who
was pastor of the Court Street Baptist Church of
Portsmouth for many years and who, after his
retirement, was the organizer and owner of a girls'
school in Berkley. Mrs. Kellam, who is active in
religious and social circles, is a member of Saint
Paul's Episcopal Church and the Norfolk Garden
Club. Mr. and Mrs. Kellam have three children:

1. Edwin Clay, Jr., born on September 29, 1047-

2. Severn Frederick, II, born on September 13,
1950. 3. Sarah Fairfax, born on August 31, 1954.
Their home is at 1203 South Fairwater Drive,
Norfolk.

RICHARD B. KELLAM— A member of the
Virginia Bar a quarter of a century, Richard B.
Kellam is in practice both in Norfolk and Princess
Anne counties, with offices in the Board of Trade
Building, Norfolk, and Princess Anne Courthouse.
He is a partner in the law firm of Kellam and Kel-
lam, and a Commissioner in Chancery for Circuit
Court of Princess Anne County. He has long been
active in health and welfare work, such as that
conducted by the American National Red Cross,
Salvation Army and the Anti-Tuberculosis League,
and in other fields of human endeavor.

&Ju/t^ d-

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

353

Mr. Kellam was born in the community of Prin-
cess Anne on May 30, 1900, the son of Abel E. and
Clara O. (Eaton) Kellam. His father was a native
of Northampton County, his mother of Princess
Anne County; she still resides there. A. E. Kellam
died on January 1, 1926, at the age of seventy-
six. His widow celebrated her eighty-sixth birth-
day in 1956.

Richard B. Kellam received his early education
in Princess Anne County. After attending gram-
mar school at the county seat, he entered high
school at Kempsville and was graduated with the
Class of 1926. He then attended Davis-Wagner
Business College in Norfolk, after which he became
a clerk in the office of his brother, Judge Floyd E.
Kellam, whose professional activities were at the
time confined to a private law practice as he had
not yet been appointed to the bench. Richard Kel-
lam studied law under his brother and at night
attended law classes conducted by a Norfolk at-
torney. In 1933 he took the Virginia Bar examina-
tions and in December of that year was admitted
to the Bar. He first practiced as his brother's as-
sociate and finally as his partner. Their office was
in Norfolk.

In 1946, when Floyd Kellam was elevated to the
bench, Richard B. Kellam and another brother,
Edwin C. Kellam, formed the present law firm of
Kellam and Kellam, with offices in Norfolk and
Princess Anne. Associated with them in their firm
are six other attorneys — Richard Tunstall, James
M. Pickrell, Austin E. Owen, Joseph J. Lawler,
Herbert S. Reid, Jr., and William H. Hodges. Jr.

Richard B. Kellam served with the United States
Army in Europe in World War II. He was with
the Office of Strategic Services and later was a
paratrooper attached to the First Army Head-
quarters and afterward to the Twelfth Army Group.
Separated from the service in November 1945. he
resumed his law practice soon afterward. He has
been chairman of the fund campaign and an officer
of Norfolk Chapter, American National Red Cross,
and is now on the advisory board and board of
directors of the Salvation Army of Norfolk and
the Norfolk County Anti-Tuberculosis League,
respectively. He is a former member of the ex-
ecutive committee of the Democratic Party in
Princess Anne County and is currently serving on
the county's Sanitation Commission. At his church,
the Methodist, he is on the board of stewards and
teaches a young adults' Bible class. He is a past
president of the Lions Club of Norfolk. Among his
other organizations are the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar
Association, Virginia Bar Association, American
Bar Association: the Ruritan Club of Princess Anne
and the Cavalier Club at Virginia Beach.

In September 1947, in Princess Anne, Mr. Kel-

lam married Alice Malbon, daughter of P. J. and
Alice (Sauter) Malbon. Her father was born in
Norfolk, her mother in Albany, New York. Mr.
Malbon was a hardware merchant in Norfolk for
more than sixty years, operating a business which
his own father had founded. He served in World
War I as a Naval petty officer. Mrs. Malbon died
in 1924. Mr. and Mrs. Kellam have three children:
1. Richard B., Jr.. born on February 28, 1950. 2.
Martha Goffigan, born on September 17, 1951. 3.
Philip Jefferson, born May 26, 1956. Mr. and Mrs.
Kellam and their children live in the Princess Anne
home in which Mr. Kellam was born.

EDWIN TILGHMAN COULBOURN— In ad-
dition to his activities as an attorney, with offices
in the National Bank of Suffolk Building in Suf-
folk, Edwin T. Coulbourn has held executive posts
with a number of local corporations. He is pres-
ident of Greenfield Dairy, Inc., and has been active
in the lumber sales and building industries.

He is a native of Suffolk, and was born on
April 13, 1912, son of Goldsborough Greenfield and
Annie Katie (Tilghnian) Coulbourn. Completing
his public school education locally, Edwin T.
Coulbourn was a student at Washington College,
Chestertown, Maryland, from 1930 to 1932. He
then transferred to Washington and Lee University,
where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Laws in 1935.

Admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia in
that year, Mr. Coulbourn became associated with
G. A. Harris and later became a partner in the
firm of Harris and Coulbourn at Suffolk. He be-
came a partner in the firm of Coulbourn and
McLemore in 1942, and remained with that or-
ganization until 1951. Meantime, from 1941 to
1952, he was also active as a partner in Coulbourn
Brothers, operators of Coulbourn Lumber Com-
pany, Coulbourn Building Supply Company, and
the Greenfield Dairy. He was owner of the Green-
field Dairy from 1952 to 1953, and since it was in-
corporated in 1956, has been its president. He
served for one year in the United States Army
during World War II.

Mr. Coulbourn is chairman of the school board
of the city of Suffolk. He was a director of the
National School Boards Association from 1952 to
1955, and from 1949 to 1951 served as president of
the Virginia School Board Association, of which
he is still a member. He is a Rotarian, and was
president of the Suffolk Rotary Club in the 19.S.V
1954 term.

On February 27, 1937, Edwin Tilghnian Coul-
bourn married Martha Clifton Higgins. They make
their home at 406 Katherine S'reet, Suffolk, and
are the parents of the following children: 1. Jane

354

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Higgins. 2. Ann Tilghman. 3. Martha Rogers. 4.
Elizabeth Crichton. 5. Goldsborough Edwin.

SOL FASS — In a life distinguished by many
years of service in the public interest, Sol Fass
won both recognition and respect in Portsmouth.
Vs a businessman he headed the firm of Isaac
Fass. Inc., wholesale producers, packers, and ship-
pers of fish and oysters; and his city and the
Tidewater region knew him as a vigorous leader
in the cause of civic progress. It was said of him
by one of his fellow workers in community causes:

He is the kind of furtunate individual who not only has force
and enthusiasm but is somehow able to transmit those same
qualities to those who work with him in community under-
takings. He doesn't look for the popular cause. He has come
to the rescue of some good Portsmouth causes that were
failing, and made them popular.

The oldest son of Isaac and Jennie Fass, he
was born in Portsmouth on October 23, 1894. His
father was born on June 2, 1861, in Germany. In
his early youth Isaac Fass came to the United
States and settled briefly in New York before
coining to Portsmouth. In 1883, realizing the op-
portunities in the distribution of fresh fish and
seafood to inland towns, he founded the firm of
Issac Fass. Inc., which has continued under that
name to the present time. With foresight, he crea-
ted new markets for the fish abounding in Chesa-
peake Bay and its tributaries, and his organization
has grown into one of the largest and most modern
in its industry. It was incorporated in 1921, with
Isaac Fass as president. He died on August 26
of the following year. In his career were empha-
sized the motives of the builder and the philan-
thropist, and he was a tireless worker who put
his abilities to the best possible use.

He and his wife Jennie Fass were the parents
of five children: 1. Irene, who died in 1953, was
the wife of Mortimer Gordon, now of Portsmouth.
2. Sol, whose biographical record accompanies. 3.
Alfred Luie, subject of an accompanying sketch.
4. Pearl, who married Seymour Weil of Baltimore,
Maryland. 5. Ralph Marcus, also the subject of
a separate sketch.

Sol Fass received his early education in the pub-
lic schools of Portsmouth and graduated from
Norfolk Academy at Norfolk. In 1912 he joined
his father in the operation of Isaac Fass and, with
the incorporation of this firm in 1921, became its
secretary and treasurer. When his father died the
following year, he succeeded him in the presidency
and capably managed the organization until his
own death in 1956. In reviewing his career a news-
paper editorial commented:

He steadily expanded the business, added a large and modern
freezing plant, a large hshing vessel, the "Isaac Fass," and an

interi st in a number of other vessels that served as the Fass
fleet. Long before he died, he and his brothers had made
Fass a large name in the Atlantic Coast fishing industry and
in wholesale fish distribution for many states.

His abilities were effective in building up an
organization which today gives employment to
two hundred people, and he won wide recognition
in his industry, being elected a director from Vir-
ginia to the National Fisheries Institute. In his
own city his reputation rests as much upon his
vital contribution to civic life as upon his role in
industry. He w-as a past president of the Ports-
mouth Chamber of Commerce and had served in
many capacities, including chairmanship of many
of its committees. He was instrumental in or-
ganizing the Portsmouth Industrial Foundation,
and he had served as president of the Portsmouth
Area Community Chest and as president of the
Portsmouth Travelers Aid Society. A charter
member of the local Kiwanis Club, lie had also
headed that organization. He was widely known
for his leadership in Jewish affairs and had served
as district president of B'nai B'rith. with juris-
diction over seven states. He had also served as
vice president of the Supreme Lodge of the or-
ganization and as president of the Virginia State
Association of B'nai B'rith Lodges. The Ports-
mouth chapter is named in his honor. Mr. Fass
was also a leader in his own synagogue, Ohef
Sholom Temple and Temple Sinai.

In recognition of such achievements, he was
voted Portsmouth's First Citizen for 1948, by the
membership of Portsmouth's lodge of the Loyal
Order of Moose.

In 1926 Sol Fass married Katlierine Isear of
New York City, wdio survives him. They became
the parents of one son, Stanley Kenneth. A gradu-
ate of Churchland High School in Churchland,
Virginia, he received his degree of Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration from the Uni-
versity of Virginia and later attended Columbia
University. Since his return from service in the
United States Coast Guard, he has been associa-
ted with Isaac Fass, Inc.

The death of Sol Fass, on July 27. 1956, was
recognized as a severe loss to his community. He
had made a distinctive contribution, whose value
will continue to be apparent in the years to come.
In reviewing his career, one of his fellow towns-
men wrote of him:

He was a hard worker. To him life, whether in business or
in a civic activity, tended to be a serious matter. No one could
have built up a large business or been so active in a city
unless he had been, first, tireless. But while some hard-driving
people make enemies and raise up stumbling blocks, Mr. Fass
seldom or never did. He blended tact and diplomacy into the
desire to get things done and get them well one. He was not
a man to give his opinion quickly. His opinions, once slowly
formed in his own mind, always commanded respect . . . His

sM^ims

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

355

death at the age of sixty-one comes regrettably soon. The
shock is tempered only by the recognition that he had made
an excellent use of sixty-one years.

ALFRED LUIE FASS— Since his return from
service in World War I, A. Luie Fass has been
active in the management of the family firm, Isaac
Fass, Inc., and now holds the office of president.
A native of Portsmouth, he was born on Septem-
ber 26, 1896, son of Isaac and Jennie Fass, and
brother of Sol Fass, who headed the firm until
his recent death, and of R. Marcus Fass, still ac-
tive in its management. Isaac Fass was the foun-
der of the firm, which has earned a place of leader-
ship as a wholesale producer, packer, and shipper
of fish and oysters. Home offices are at the foot
of Columbia Street, Portsmouth.

A. Luie Fass received his early education in
the public schools of Portsmouth and graduated
from Portsmouth High School in 1914. He re-
ceived His degree of Bachelor of Arts from the
University of Virginia in 1918. While there he
was a member of Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity, being
one of the founders of the university's chapter.
After graduation, Mr. Fass entered the wartime
service of the United States Coast Artillery.

When he returned to civilian life in 1919, he
became vice president of Isaac Fass, Inc., and has
remained an executive of the firm since that time.
In his present position he is largely responsible
for directing its operations.

He is a member of the Portsmouth Chamber of
Commerce and is affiliated with the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, being a member of the
higher bodies of the York Rite and of Khedive
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Hague
Club and attends Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk.

On January 4, 1928, A. Luie Fass married Mar-
celle Kline of Baltimore, Maryland. They are the
parents of two sons: 1. Irving Luie, born on April
22, 1929. He is a graduate of the University of
Virginia. Following military service in World War
II, he joined Isaac Fass, Inc. 2. Arthur Marshall,
born on March 12, 1933, also graduated from the
University of Virginia. Following wartime service
in the LTnited States Navy, with the rank of
lieutenant, junior grade, he too entered the firm
of Isaac Fass, Inc.

RALPH MARCUS FASS— The youngest son
of Isaac and Jennie Fass, R. Marcus Fass has been
active since the beginning of his career in the firm
which his father founded. He is now its secretary
and treasurer.

A native of Portsmouth, he was born on Decem-
ber 13, 1902. He received his public school educa-
tion in his native city and graduated from Wood-

row Wilson High School in 1919. He then at-
tended the University of Virginia and, as an un-
dergraduate there, held membership in Phi Ep-
silon fraternity. He later attended Columbia Uni-
versity.

Since leaving the university in 1921, he has de-
voted his attention almost exclusively to the opera-
tion of Isaac Fass, Inc., Portsmouth's well-known
fish and oyster wholesaling firm. He has served
for many years as its secretary; and following the
death of his brother Sol, he assumed additional
duties as an executive. A fuller record of the
firm's history is to be found in Sol Fass' biographi-
cal sketch, which accompanies.

R. Marcus Fass is a member of the Portsmouth
Chamber of Commerce. A member of the Subur-
ban Country Club of that city, he served as its
treasurer in 1956. He is a member of the Ports-
mouth Chapter of the University of Virginia
Alumni Association and was president of the
chapter in 1955. He is also a member of the Hague
Club. A leader in Jewish affairs, he was one of
the organizers of the B'nai B'rith in Portsmouth
and is a member of Temple Sinai and Gomley
Chesed Synagogue of Portsmouth, as well as Ohef
Sholom Temple in Norfolk.

On August 20, 1941, R. Marcus Fass married
Dorothy Davidson of New York City. They have
no children.

VERNON T. FOREHAND— With office in
Norfolk and home in South Norfolk, Vernon T.
Forehand has become a leading citizen of both
communities. Attorney and Democratic leader, he
is active in business and in fraternal and other
organizations. He is currently serving as Com-
missioner of Accounts of the City of South
Norfolk.

Mr. Forehand was born in Norfolk on April
17, 191 1, the son of George W. and Huldah P.
(Howell) Forehand, both of whom were born in
Camden County, North Carolina. The father was
a farmer and grocer in South Norfolk until his
death in 1950, at the age of sixty. Huldah Fore-
hand now makes her home at Danville, Virginia.

Reared in South Norfolk, Vernon T. Forehand
received his early education in its public schools.
He was graduated from high school in 1928. As
he pursued his education, he took the degree of
Bachelor of Arts at Randolph-Macon College in
1939 and that of Bachelor of Laws at the Univer-
sity of Richmond in 1951.

Admitted to practice in the latter year, he en-
tered his profession actively in the office of the
Honorable G. C. Davis, Judge of Corporation
Court of South Norfolk. After one year with
Judge Davis, Mr. Forehand opened his own of-

356

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

n .ii .uo Board of Trade Building. He lias
been in independent practice since that time. He
has served since 1952 as assistant judge of the
Trial Justice Court of the City of South Norfolk
and became that city's Commissioner of Accounts
in 195 1, serving to date. He is a past president
of the South Norfolk Democratic Association. He
is now president of the Randolph-Macon Alumni
Association and 1- vice president of the South
Norfolk Loan Corporation.

In his other affiliations, Mr. Forehand is a past
president of South Norfolk Lodge No. 464. Loyal
Order of Moose, and of the Civitan Club of
South Norfolk. He is a member of the Lions Club
of South Norfolk, the Knights of Pythias and
various Masonic bodies, including Khedive Tem-
ple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic-
Shrine. Professionally, he is a member of the
Virginia State Bar, Virginia State Bar Associa-
tion, of which he is a member of the committee
on admissions, and the Norfolk and Portsmouth
Bar Association. He worships in the Methodist
Church.

On December 19, 1942, Mr. Forehand married
Irma House, daughter of William and Lottie
(Walker) House, the former a native of Alabama,
the latter of Norfolk. Mr. House, now retired,
worked for many years in the Navy Yard at Nor-
folk. In World War I be served with the United
States Marine Corps and was wounded in action
in France. Mr. and Mrs. Forehand have one son,
Vernon Thomas, Jr., who was born in Norfolk on
August 17, 1947. Their home is at 1134 Byrd
Avenue, South Norfolk. Mrs. Forehand, who is
a teacher in the South Norfolk school system,
was the first president of the South Norfolk
Woman's Club.

CLAUDE SCOTT McCALLUM-A- founder
and directing head of McCallum Inspection Com-
pany, a firm of inspection engineers and chemists,
Claude Scott McCallum played a significant per-
sonal part in the affairs of his city. A native of
Jacksonville, Florida, he was born on September
10, 1904, son of Hugh James and Ordelia Lester
(Scott) McCallum. His paternal grandfather was
Hugh Bowen McCallum, who was born in Knox-
ville, Tennessee on January 1, 1837. He was close-
ly identified with the early development of Jack-
sonville and founded a newspaper, the "Jacksonville
Union," predecessor to the present "Times-Union,"
the city's leading daily. Hugh James, son of Hugh
Bowen, was born in Jacksonville on October 25,
1866, and died September 28, 1933. His business
career was centered in Alachula County and Jack-
sonville, Florida. His wife, the former Ordelia Les-

ter Scott, was born December 29, 1872, in Fer-
nandina, Florida, and died in Jacksonville on Feb-
ruary 28, 1954. She was a great-granddaughter of
John D. Vaughn, a soldier of the American Revolu-
tion. According to Massachusetts records, John
D. Vaughn was thirteen years of age when he en-
listed as a drummer boy, but gave his age as six-
teen. Me served in Captain Wiley's Company, Colo-
nel Michael Jackson's Regiment, and was later
with Colonel Arnold's command at the battle of
Saratoga and with General Washington at Valley
Forge. He was honorably discharged at the close
of the war in 1783. He later served in the Indian
Wars in Captain Pierce's Regiment and in 1795
was commissioned a lieutenant of militia at Burnt
Fort, Georgia, retaining his command until Jan-
uary 1796. About that time he married Rhoda Ef-
fingham, niece of Thomas Harvey, owner of a
plantation at Peter's Point, near St. Mary's, Geor-
gia. In 1797 Lieutenant Vaughn received from the
Spanish government a grant of a large tract of land
on Amelia Island. He also received one hundred
acres of bounty land for service in the Revolution
and still another grant for service in the Indian
Wars. He again entered military service in the
War of 1812 and, after that conflict, spent his
years on his Amelia Island plantation, where the
rirst Sea Island cotton was grown.

Claude Scott McCallum received his formal ed-
ucation in the schools of Florida, and came to
Norfolk in 1923. In 1929 he founded the McCallum
Inspection Company of Norfolk, of which he re-
mained the sole owner and directing head. The
firm specializes in the inspection of timber and
creosoted materials and has its offices and laboratory
at 125 West Berkley Avenue. It has become na-
tionally and internationally known in its specialized
field and served many industrial firms in this coun-
try and abroad. His business enterprises included
operations in explosives, a field in which Mr. Mc-
Callum was a recognized expert. Besides his in-
terest in the management of McCallum Inspection
Company, Claude S. McCallum had considerable
real estate holdings.

In professional affiliations, he was a member of
the American Wood Preservers Association, the
Engineers Club of Hampton Roads, the Hampton
Road Chemists Club, the Railway Tie Association,
and the Virginia Public Utility Association. His
other memberships, indicative of a wide range of
interests, included the Virginia Club, the Chesapeake
Bay Yacht Racing Association, Norfolk Yacht and
Country Club, Lafayette Yacht Club, Cavalier
Beach and Cabana Club, United Commercial Travel-
ers, Izaak Walton League of America, United
States Power Squadron, and the Norfolk Executives
Club. He was a member of the Charles H. Con-

ig^y>-s^^

TWVa. 42

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

357

solvo Tent of Circus Saints and Sinners, and his
other lodge connections included the Fraternal
Order of Eagles and Doric Lodge No. 44, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry he was
a member of the higher bodies of the order, in-
cluding Ionic Chapter No. 46, Royal Arch Masons,
and Grice Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar.
He was a member of Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His
church was St. Bride's Episcopal.

A noted sportsman, Mr. McCallum had won
many trophies. As an avid yachting enthusiast, he
enjoyed the Virginia Cruise Regatta competition
on Chesapeake Bay. He traveled much by land,
sea, and air, but was never so happy as when he
was aboard his ketch, "Claudia." Fishing was an-
other of his favorite pastimes, and he also enjoyed
hunting and other outdoor sports.

By his first marriage, to Blair Lee Cox, of Nor-
folk, Claude Scott McCallum had two children: I.
Don Blair, who was killed in an accident on April
1, 1955. 2. Claude Lee, who lives in Haynes City,
Florida. On November 27, 1937, at Warrenton,
North Carolina, Claude Scott McCallum married,
second, Georgie Battley Walker of Norfolk, daugh-
ter of the late Frank Wilber Wooten and Julia
Sullivan (Battley) Walker. Her maternal grand-
mother was Lucy Lightfoot Carter of the James
River section of Powhatan County, Virginia, and
her maternal grandfather was Gerald T. Sullivan.
After Mr. Sullivan's death, she married George W.
Battley, a native and businessman of Norfolk, Vir-
ginia. Her paternal grandfather, John Lewis Wal-
ker, and her paternal grandmother, Caroline Vir-
ginia Mitchell, were married in Norfolk, Virginia
in 1872. Mrs. McCallum is a member of St. Bride's
Episcopal Church and is also a member of its
Women's Auxiliary and the Altar Guild. She lias
also been active for many years in the Virginia
Tidewater Area Council of the Girl Scouts of
America. Mr. and Mrs. McCallum became the
parents of a daughter, Claudia, who married Don-
ald B. Zarn of Norfolk. Mrs. McCallum makes her
home at 1002 Oaklette Avenue.

The death of Claude S. McCallum, at his Nor-
folk home on December 7, 1956, marked the pass-
ing of an outstanding businessman, civic leader,
and sportsman. Despite an untimely death, his five
decades had been filled with worth-while achieve-
ments seldom to be found in the records of those
who live a full and lengthy span of years. Norfolk
citizens will remember and honor these achieve-
ments.

ROBERT MARTIN HARCOURT— When
Robert Martin Harcourt left the United States
Navy after World War II, he joined the Norfolk

Police Department. In the next five years he stud-
ied law by correspondence and then took the Vir-
ginia Bar examinations. Today he is a lawyer in
Norfolk with a constantly increasing practice. He
is known for his interest in boys and the work
he is doing at his church on their behalf. He main-
tains bis law office in the Board of Trade Build-
ing, Norfolk.

Mr. Harcourt was born in Kansas City, Mis-
souri, on July 9, 1924, one of the five sons of Os-
car Pierre and Ida (Turrentine) Harcourt. His
father was born in Rock, Kansas, his mother in
Marionville, Missouri, both in 189.S. Oscar Har-
court, who died in December 1954, was with Swift
and Company for twenty-two years. For a time
he was assistant chief of the Swift and Company
police at the National Stock Yards in Chicago.
He served in the United States Signal Corps in
World War I and thereafter was active in the
American Legion and its Forty and Eight.
Through his pride in his five sons he gave them
the kind of guidance to which Robert Harcourt
attributes much of his success. At the time of his
death the family was living in East St. Louis,
Illinois. Ida Harcourt makes her home there today.

Robert Harcourt, who spent much of his early
life at East St. Louis, was graduated from junior
and senior high school in that community, though
for a time he also attended high school at Decatur.
Georgia. He received his diploma at East St. Louis
on June 10, 1942. He then eidisted in the United
States Navy and for the next three years served
as a Navy bombardier and gunner, chiefly in the
European Theater of Operations.

Separated from the service in September 1945.
he worked for Swift and Company in East St.
Louis until the latter part of 1948. He then was
associated in private detection work for some time.
He came to the Lower Tidewater area and on
February 13, 1949, joined the Norfolk Police De-
partment. In the next five years he devoted all
his off-duty time to studying law with the LaSalle
Extension University of Chicago. He was gradu-
ated on February 6, 1954, and soon thereafter
passed the Virginia Bar examinations. On April
I, 1954, he began his law practice. At the time he
became eligible to practice law in the Old Do-
minion, Mr. Harcourt publicly received the con-
gratulations of Deputy Police Chief C. J. Staylor,
Jr., who issued a statement saying the new attor-
ney "deserves a lot of credit and the police division
is proud of him. He established a good record as
a patrolman." It was recalled at the time that
Mr. Harcourt had received two commendations
for meritorius service — one from a private citizen
for his alertness in recovering stolen property and
one from J. Edgar Hoo\er, director of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Hoover's commenda-

35«

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

tion was for assistance rendered by Mr. Harcourt
as a radio dispatcher to G. N. Willis, special agent
in charge of the FBI at Norfolk, in setting up a
road block which resulted in the arrest of two
fugitives sought on Federal charges.

Besides his law practice and civic activities, Mr.
Harcourt devotes much time to religious work and
to what might be called a youth program at Fox
Hall Baptist Church. There he was coach and
manager of a Softball team, and now teaches a
young boys' class in the Sunday school. In 1954
he was named director of the Baptist Training
Union for two years. He also served on the church's
board of deacons. He is a member of the Virginia
State Bar, the Virginia Bar Association, Norfolk
and Portsmouth Bar Association, American Bar
Association and Fraternal Order of Police As-
sociates. His political affiliation is with the Demo-
cratic Party. Hunting and fishing are his favorite
sports.

On August 11, 1945. in Norfolk, Mr. Harcourt
married Betty Louise Brett, daughter of L. E.
Brett, Sr. and Louise (Johnson) Brett. Mrs. Har-
court was born in Portsmouth as was her father.
Her mother is a native of North Carolina. Mr.
Brett has been assistant general freight agent for
the Virginia Railway since 1954, having been with
this road since 1925. Mrs. Harcourt is, like her
husband, active in church work and was president
of the Fox Hall Missionary Union. She is also one
of the leaders in her Parent-Teacher Association.
The Harcourts have three children: 1. Robert Mar-
tin, Jr., born on July 11, 1946. 2. Jack Eugene, born
on November 28, 1949. 3. Lois K., born on January
19, 1955-

WILLIAM WELLINGTON JONES— A law-
yer practicing at Suffolk for the past decade,
William Wellington Jones also has to his credit
a good record in public office as trial justice and
commonwealth attorney, and distinguised service
to his country in the navy in World War II. He
is a native of Portsmouth, and was born on De-
cember 30, 1921, son of Roy and Margaret (Heflin)
Jones. His father, born in Nansemond County in
1892, is still living, and has been a farmer most
of his life. Mrs. Jones died on April 17, 1949. She
was born at Silver City, New Mexico, in 1893.

Attending the public schools of Nansemond
County, William W. Jones took his secondary
studies at Chuckatuck High School and graduated
there in 1939. He completed requirements for the
degree of Bachelor of Arts at the College of
William and Mary in 1943. He then entered the
service of the United States Navy, was commis-
sioned an ensign, and served for three years. At
the time of his separation from the service he held
the rank of lieutenant, junior grade.

When he returned to civilian life he resumed
his studies, re-entering the College of William
and Mary and taking his degree of Bachelor of
Civil Law there in 1947. Admitted to the bar of his
state in that year, he established private practice
in Suffolk, where he has since maintained offices
under his own name.

Mr. Jones became trial justice of Nansemond
County in July 1949, and served until August
1954. In that month he assumed duties as com-
monwealth attorney for Nansemond County, and
continued in these state responsibilities until Jan-
uary 1956. As a lawyer, he is a member of the
Suffolk-Nansemond County Bar Association, the
Virginia State Bar Association, and the Virginia
State Bar.

His fraternity is Kappa Sigma, and he belongs
to the Lions Club, the Ruritan Club, and Post
No. 57 of the American Legion in his own city.
An Episcopalian, he serves as vestryman of his
church. He is fond of the out-of-doors, and his
favorite sports are horseback riding and fishing.

At Driver on June 3, 1944, William Wellington
Jones married Elizabeth Hill, daughter of James
R. and Sudie (Williams) Hill of Sunbury, North
Carolina. Both of her parents are living. Mr. and
Mrs. Jones have two children: 1. William Welling-
ton, Jr., born November 29, 195 1. 2. Mary Margaret,
born July 8, 1954.

PAGE NOTTINGHAM GOFFIGON was, for
more than three decades, a well known and re-
spected figure and a leader in lower Tidewater's
vitally important shipping industry. He was the
founder and president of Cavalier Shipping Com-
pany, a firm of Foreign Freight Forwarders, Cus-
tom House Brokers and Charterers Agents.

Born at Norfolk, Virginia, on September 1, 1003,
he was the son of Cumpston and Mamie (Butt)
Goffigon. He received his entire education in the
local public schools, and at the age of sixteen be-
gan his career in the shipping business witli Af-
fleck & Company, Foreign Freight Forwarders.
He later became associated with Norton & Ellis,
Inc., as a stockholder and secretary of the firm,
with which he remained until 1931. At this time,
deciding to put his valuable experience to use in
an organization of his own, Mr. Goffigon formed
the Cavalier Shipping Company. He was president
of that firm until the end of his life. He was a
partner in the Cavalier Shipping & Storage Com-
pany, vice president of Virginia Forwarding Cor-
poration, vice president of Anchor Forwarding
Corporation of Virginia, manager of Alltransport
Agency, a partner in Tidewater Shipping Company,
and secretary of Hampton Roads Foreign Freight
Forwarders, Inc.

l.OWl R TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

359

Mr. Goffigon was active in the Hampton Roads
Maritime Association, and served as a member of
its board of directors as a representative of the
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. He was also
chairman of the Association's Commerce and
Transportation Committee and a member of its
Freight Forwarders Committee.

He held office as treasurer and member of the
board of governors in the Propeller Club and as
secretary of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Traffic Club.
He also held membership in the Export-Import
Association of Virginia, Hampton Roads Sales
Executives Club, Norfolk Executives Club, Cava-
lier Beach Club, Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
Virginia Club, and Ruth Lodge No. 89, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons.

For many years Mr. Goffigon was a member of
the Knox Presbyterian Church, and his minister,
Mr. George D. Heath, writes of his church life
as follows:

As a Deacon he served on the Steering Committee which
laid the financial groundwork for new facilities and as a
member of the Building Committee he worked for, and saw
completed, a new educational building to serve the members
and children of Knox Church. Elected as an Elder to the
Session of the church in 1956, Mr. Goffigon served as a
representative to Norfolk Presbytery, as a member of the
Nortolk Presbytery's Stewardship Committee, and a devoted
and interested supporter of the church's Squires Memorial
Scholorship Fund, and as Chairman of the Church's Board
of Annuities and Relief in the interest of ministers of Kimx
Church and its employees and ministers and employees of the
Presbyterian Church, U.S. Despite the success and achieve-
ment stories written of such men as Page Goffigon insofar
as their labor in this life is concerned, the true measure of
any man rests in his relationship to God.

Although he did not wear religion on his sleeve,
neither did he want the fact concealed that he was
a Presbyterian and very active in church life, al-
though some people first learned he was a Church
Elder at his funeral.

Like most men who live in ports, Mr. Goffigon's
knowledge of the world was extensive, and this
was of considerable help in his dealings with
many rough and seemingly impossible situations
which arose in dealing with people of many na-
tionalities. Such situations are best illustrated by
an example: on a rough and stormy night Mr.
Goffigon waited on a launch in the Norfolk Har-
bor for a freighter to arrive to deliver to his cus-
tody three sailors, one insane, one desperately ill,
and one dead; with his knack of bringing all prob-
lems to a successful conclusion, he delivered the
ill seaman to the hospital, where he soon recovered
and was returned to duty, the deceased sailor was
laid to rest with appropriate ceremony under the
flag of his country, and the insane sailor was com-
mitted to the hospital and later repatriated to his
homeland. Probably this particular situation arose
only once in Mr. Goffigon's lifetime, but it drama-

tizes the interest he took in the affairs of his clients
and evidences his keen interest in helping people
in all walks of life. He never seemed to lose sight
of the fact that he was dealing with people and not
simply carrying out a contract.

On October 21, 1933, Mr. Goffigon married
Miss Virginia Leonard Bledsoe, daughter of John
Francis and Harriet Edna (Seal) Bledsoe of Bal-
timore, Maryland. Their son. Page Nottingham,
Jr., was born on August 24, 1934, and is following
in his father's footsteps as a member of Cavalier
Shipping Company. He is married to Miss Susan
deWolff Carll of Washington, D. C.

A distinguished career of great value to the
commercial life of Norfolk and the Tidewater
area, as well as the shipping industry at large,
came to an end with the death of Mr. Goffigon
at Norfolk General Hospital on April 4, 1958.

EDGAR ALLEN MASSENBURG— As a mem-
ber of the bench and bar, Edgar Allen Massen-
burg has become a prominent citizen of his na-
tive Hampton, Virginia. In practice in Hampton,
be has served both the City of Hampton and the
Consolidated City of Hampton as city attorney
and is now a substitute Civil and Police Justice
and substitute Judge of the Domestic Relations
Court. He is a Naval veteran of World War II.

Mr. Massenburg, born in Hampton on August
15, 1925, is the son of George Alvin and Carrie
(Wood) Massenburg. A pilot in the Port of
Hampton Roads, Captain George A. Massenburg
is president of the Virginia Pilots Association.
The attorney received his early education in the
public schools of Hampton, being graduated from
high school in 1942. He then spent two years
at the Virginia Military Institute. In 1944, he
was commissioned an ensign in the United States
Navy. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific
Theaters of Operations until 1946, rising to the
rank of lieutenant junior grade.

Separated from the service in 1946, Mr. Mas-
senburg continued with his educaion. He pre-
pared for the Bar at the University of Virginia,
where he was granted the Bachelor of Laws
degree in 1949. Admitted to the Virginia State
Bar on August 25, 1949, he has since been in
practice in Hampton, maintaining his office at
10 South King Street.

In 1951 and 1952 he served as city attorney
of Hampton and in 1953 and 1954 as city at-
torney of the Consolidated City of Hampton.
Since 1954 he has been a substitute Civil and
Police Justice and substitute Judge of the Do-
mestic Relations Court. He is a Democrat and
a member of the Hampton Bar Association, Vir-
ginia Bar Association; Hampton Lodge No. 366,

i,6o

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and
Sigma Nu Plii, the legal fraternity. For a time
lie was also a member of the Kiwanis Club
of Hampton. He and his family worship at the
Hampton Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Massenburg married Dolores E. Cheno-
weth of East Orange, New Jersey, in that com-
munity on June 21, 1947. They have two chil-
dren: 1. Sharon, born on May 16, 1949. 2. Gayle
Allen, born on August 15, 1953.

HARRY ADMIRAL BRINKLEY— Together
with a distinguished career in the law, which he
practiced at Portsmouth for fifty-six years, Harry
Admiral Brinkley won a reputation on the bench,
serving as judge of the Juvenile and Domestic
Relations Court of Norfolk. He was a man of in-
tegrity, great energy, and intense civic pride, who
possessed likewise a large capacity for enjoying
life. His long }'ears of public service and private
professional activity constitute a record of achieve-
ment which will long be remembered.

Judge Brinkley was born in Portsmouth on April
25. 1877, son of the late Admiral Brinkley, a na-
tive of Nansemond County who was prominent
in the business life of Portsmouth as a whole-
sale grocer. Admiral Brinkley married Laura War-
ren, of Portsmouth.

Receiving his early education at Norfolk Acad-
emy, Harry A. Brinkley later attended Virginia
Military Institute, where he was a student for
three years. From there he transferred his credits
to the University of Virginia, where he graduated
with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1899. He
began his private practice of law in Portsmouth
and soon won wide recognition for his professional
attainments and public spirit. As a lawyer he
continued his practice in Portsmouth until his
death in February of 1956 — a total of nearly fifty-
seven years. For many years he was local counsel
for the Seaboard Air Line Railway Company. In ad-
dition to his private practice he served as the Uni-
ted States Commissioner for the Eastern District of
Virginia from 1918 until his death. He took office
as assistant judge of the Juvenile and Domestic
Relations Court in Norfolk from 1928 until the
end of his life. In addition to these posts of public
responsibility, he was also commissioner of ac-
counts for the Court of Hustings in Portsmouth.
This position he held for forty-three years. He was
likewise commissioner of chancery for the Circuit
Court of Hustings and the Circuit Court of Nor-
folk. He was last reappointed United States Com-
missioner for a term of four years on July 14,
1954. That term began on August 2 of that year.

Deeply interested in social welfare work, Harry
A. Brinkley believed that the juvenile problem was
far from a local issue, but of vital concern to the

entire nation. During his long years of service as
assistant judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Re-
lations Court, he never committed a youngster to
an industrial school unless there was absolutely
no other alternative.

As a lawyer in private practice, he maintained
his offices for many years in the New Kirn Build-
ing in Portsmouth, which was always the scene of
much activity. He was a member of the Virginia
State Bar Association and the Portsmouth-Nor-
folk County Bar Association, having served as
president of this group for many years.

In the early years of his career, Mr. Brinkley
had served as commanding officer of the historic
Grimes Battery. Captain Brinkley was commis-
sioned January 8, 1907, and commanded the battery
for about seven years. During the World War I
period, he served as a captain of the Norfolk Home
Guards. He was a grand-nephew of the hero of
the Battle of Sharsburg, in the War Between the
States — Captain Carey Grimes. Battery C, which
is now part of the 29th Division of the Virginia
National Guard, was named for Captain Grimes.
For his services in World War II, as a member
of the Selective Service Board of Appeals for
Portsmouth, Mr. Brinkley received the Presiden-
tial Certificate of Appreciation, and was active in
other worthy causes in furthering the war effort.

Mr. Brinkley was a member of the Farmington
Country Club of Charlottesville, Virginia; the
Princess Anne Country Club of Virginia Beach;
the German Club of Norfolk; and Phi Gamma
Delta fraternity. A man of limitless energy, he
always appeared youthful and cheerful. He led a
vigorous and useful life. Throughout his life he
was fond of travel, and made extended trips into
various parts of the United States. He also took
a two months' tour of Europe. When questioned
about what he had seen, he declared, "I saw noth-
ing as beautiful as the Confederate Monument at
Court and High Streets in Portsmouth." An in-
teresting conversationalist and story-teller, he was
able to draw from his own experience to provide
examples or anecdotes suitable to any occasion.
His close study of human nature enabled him to
meet all manner of people on their own ground
without any touch of condescension. He had a
consistent and well-thought-out philosophy of life,
to which he adhered in his business and profes-
sional relationships, as well as family man and
citizen.

Harry A. Brinkley was twice married. He mar-
ried, first, Miss Mamie Thompson of Baltimore,
Maryland. She died, and he married, second, in
1941, Miss Nancy Darden Jordan of Norfolk, who
survives him and resides in that city.

The death of the former jurist, and dean of the
Norfolk bar, occurred on February 19, 1956.

x//c»->-^-cV CLtfb-^i^lhJ^uf

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

361

ROBERT VULOSCO RICHARDSON— A
former law clerk of the Supreme Court of Ap-
peals of Virginia and a veteran of World War
II, Robert Vulosco Richardson is now practicing
law in Hampton. He serves on the Electoral
Board of the City of Hampton and on the board
of directors of the Merchants National Bank of
Hampton. As a lawyer he is a member of the
firm of Jamej, Richardson and James, with of-
fices in the Citizens Bank Building, Hampton.

Mr. Richardson was born in Hampton on Febru-
ary 2~, 1915, the son of Robert Vulosco Richard-
son, Sr., a building contractor who served as
postmaster of Hampton from 1921 to 1929, and
Kate (Litherland) Richardson. The father was
born in James City County, Virginia, and the
mother in the State of Illinois.

Robert V. Rchardson, the attorney, was gradu-
ated from Hampton High School in 1931. Four
years later he took the degree of Bachelor of
Arts at the College of William and Mary and
in 1938 the degree of Bachelor of Laws at the
University of Virginia. He was admitted to the
Virginia Bar in 1937. It was from 1938 to 1940
that he served as law clerk for the Supreme
Court of Appeals of Virginia. He served under
Justice C. V. Spratley.

From 1940 to 1946 Mr. Richardson was with
the armed forces. Commissioned in the United
States Signal Corps, he served as a signal of-
ficer at the Hampton Roads Port of Embarka-
tion and was discharged with the rank of ma-
jor in February 1946. Upon his return home, he
began the practice of law as an associate of E.
Ralph James in Hampton. This firm became
James and Richardson in 1947 and James, Ri-
chardson and James in 1950. His outside activi-
ties have taken him into service as a director
of the Merchants National Bank and as a mem-
ber of the Electoral Board. Additionally, he is
a member of Hampton Lodge No. 366, Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks; the Hamp-
ton Roads German Club; Phi Kappa Tan, the
social fraternity, and the Baptist Church.

Mr. Richardson married Barbara B. Baker,
daughter of James Carr and Genevieve (Shute)
Baker, in Newport News in July 1942. They
have three children: 1. Susan S., born in 1944.
2. Robert Vulosco, III, born in 1945. 3. James
B., born in 1947. Mrs. Richardson and the chil-
dren worship in the Episcopal Church.

EPHRAIM WESCOTT SMITH, JR.— After

some years' experience in the banking business,
Ephraim Wescott Smith, Jr., capably filled the
responsible public office of Commissioner of Re-
venue for the Virginia Beaches. He held that posi-

tion when his life came to its untimely end early
in 1958. He had already left a record of valuable
service to his community, as well as to his country
in time of war.

Born December 17, 1918, at Durham, North Caro-
lina, he was a son of Ephraim Wescott, Sr., and
Bertha (Parker) Smith. His father, a native of
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has worked for the
Southern Railroad most of his life and is now
retired. Mrs. Smith is deceased. She was a native of
Durham, North Carolina.

Attending the public schools of Chapel Hill, the
younger Ephraim Wescott Smith graduated from
high school there, and entered the University of
North Carolina, which he attended for two years.

In 1944, after receiving medical discharge from
the United States Army Air Corps, he joined the
staff of the National Bank of Commerce at Vir-
ginia Beach, worked for that organization for a
year and a half, then took a position as assistant
cashier of the Bank of Virginia Beach. He re-
mained in this second banking connection for seven
years.

In 1951, Judge Floyd Kellam appointed Mr.
Smith to the post of First Commissioner of Re-
venue of Virginia Beach. He held the position until
the time of his death, on January 21, 1958, filling
the post with competence and with devotion and a
high sense of responsibility to the public.

Mr. Smith was absent at the time of World
War II, serving in the United States Army Air
Corps, which he joined January 6, 1942. As a
pilot, he was commissioned a second lieutenant, and
he served as instructor stateside. After two and a
half years in service, he was given a medical dis-
charge in 1944.

He was a charter member of the Virginia Beach
Rescue Squads, and remained on active duty in
its program until the time of his death. He was
also a member of the posts of the American Legion
and the Forty and Eight. He was formerly a mem-
ber of the Virginia Beach Lions Club, and was a
communicant of the Methodist Church, being
active in its program.

At South Mills, North Carolina, on December
29, 1941, Ephraim Wescott Smith, Jr., married
Mary Forrester of Norfolk, daughter of the Rev.
George Thomas and Mamie (Wheeler) Forrester.
Her father was a Methodist minister. He was a
native of Northumberland County, and his wife,
the former Mamie Wheeler, of Nelson County. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith became the parents of three chil-
dren: 1. Terry Wescott, born July 28, 1946. 2.
William Coit, born December 12, 1949. 3. Yancey
Ladare, born May 13, 1952.

Mr. Smith had not reached his fortieth year at
the time of his death on January 21, 1958. He had

36:

LOW! R TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

to his credit, however, an excellent record of dren : Mildred Lee. Edwin Ivanhoe, Bettye Crea-
achievement, attained by few men granted a full sy, and Carolyn Ivy; and the grandparents of
life span twe've.

CHARLES EDWIN FORD— Since he returned

from service in the held artillery in World War
I, Charles Edwin Ford has practiced law at New-
port News, and is now a member of the firm
of Murray, Ford, West and Wilkinson. He has
served his fellow citizens lor two years as a
member of the Virginia General Assembly.

Mr. Ford is a native of Newport Xews and
was born on August i, 1896, son of Edwin I.
and Stella (Eastman) Ford. His father, who was
born in Goochland County, Virginia, was identi-
fied with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad dur-
ing most of his career, and advanced to a general
superintendency. He is now deceased, but is sur-
vived by his wife, the former Stella Eastman,
who is eighty-four years of age at the time of
writing.

After attending the public schools of Xewport
News and graduating from high school there,
Charles Edwin Ford entered Virginia Military In-
stitute, where he was a member of the class of
1916. He then completed law training at the Uni-
versity of Richmond, receiving his degree of
Bachelor of Laws in 1917, and being admitted
to the bar just before entering military service.
He was commissioned a lieutenant in the Field
Artillery, and was in uniform for one year.

When he returned to civilian life, he began
p~actice at Xewport News, where he has been
since. His firm of Murray, Ford, West and Wil-
kinson, which engages in a general practice, has
its offices in the First X'ational Bank Building.
Mr. Ford is a member of the Xewport News-
Warwick Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar
Association, and the American Bar Association.

A Democrat in his politics, he was his party's
choice as candidate for the state legislature, and
was elected to the Virginia General Assembly
in 1932, serving until 1934. He has not since
sought nor accepted public office, but devotes
the time he can spare from his professional pur-
suits to the quieter, home-centered interests. Fore-
most among these is his hobby of cultivating
roses, and salt water fishing. He is a member
of James River Country Club, Phi Gamma Del-
ta fraternity, and Delta Theta Phi law fraterni-
ty. He and his family attend the First Baptist
Church of XTewport News.

In that city, on June 11, 1919, Charles Edwin
Ford married Mildred Ivy Creasy, a native of
Newport News and daughter of Dr. W. F. and
Ella (Ivy) Creasy, both of whom are deceased.
Her father practiced medicine in XTewport News.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford are the parents of four chil-

DANIEL WINFREE WILKINSON, JR.—
Member of tne law firm of Murray, Ford, West
and Wilkinson, in Xewport Xews, Daniel W.
Wilkinson, Jr., has practiced in that city since
the late 10.50-. with the exception of the World
War II years, when he served as an officer in
the United States Navy. He is a native of the
city where he practices, born there on September
S, 1914, son of Daniel W., Sr., and Grace (War-
rington) Wilkinson. Both of his parents were like-
wise natives of Virginia, his father having been
born at Danville and his mother at Driver. The
elder Daniel \\". Wilkinson died Ma3- 8, 1944, but
Mrs. Wilkinson is still living.

Attending the public schools of Newport Xews,
Daniel W. Wilkinson, Jr., graduated from high
school there in 1931. For two years he attended
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he comple-
ted his prelaw courses, and he completed his
professional studies at Washington and Lee
University, where he received the degree of
Bachelor of Laws in 1938. Already, in 1937, he
had been admitted to the bar of the state of
Virginia.

He began his practice at Xewport News as
soon as he had graduated from law school, and
has been there since, with the exception of the
World War II period. In 1942 he enlisted for
service in the United States Navy, and served
until 1946, attaining the rank of lieutenant com-
mander. He spent most of his time in the Paci-
fic Theater of Operations. Returning to his law
practice in Newport XTews in 1946, he is now
a member of the firm of Murray, Ford, West
and Wilkinson, with offices in the First Xational
Bank Building. His partners are Philip W. Mur-
ray, Charles E. Ford and Granger West. The
firm engages in a general practice of corporation,
real estate, insurance, probate and trial law. It
acts as division counsel for the Chesapeake and
Ohio Railway, and as counsel for the Standard
Oil Company of Xew Jersey, Greyhound Lines,
Travelers Insurance Company, Metropolitan Lite
Insurance Company, United States Fidelity and
Guaranty Company, the State Highway Comniis-
ioner oi Virginia, Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone Company, and a number of nationally
known insurance firms.

Mr. Wilkinson is a member of the Xewport
News-Warwick Bar Association, the Virginia
State Bar Association and the American Bar
Association. He is a member of Phi Delta Phi legal
fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity,
and Lodge No. 315, Benevolent and Protective

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

363

Order of Elks; also the Kiwanis Club of New-
port News and the James River Country Club.
His favorite pastimes are fishing and golf. Mr.
Wilkinson and his family attend the Chestnut
Avenue Methodist Church. He is a Democrat in
his politics.

On November 1, 1941, in Newport News, Dan-
iel W. Wilkinson, Jr., married Virginia Orr of
that city, daughter of Thomas and Stella (Por-
ter) Orr. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson are the par-
ents of one daughter, Margaret Allyn, who was
born 0:1 Nov. ruber 4, 1943.

Virginia and Hampton Roads German Club. A
hobby of Mr. Seawell is photography.
He makes his home in Newport News.

PHILIP HAIRSTON SEAWELL— Practic-
ing law in Newport News for the past decade
and a half, Philip Hairston Seawell is with the
firm of Murray, Ford, West and Wilkinson. He
has proved himself a constructive worker in civic
causes and Catholic affairs.

Born at Newport News, he is a son of John
Tyler and Isabella Josephine (Brady) Seawell,
the former of Gloucester County, Virginia, and
the latter of Staten Island, New York. Both
parents are living. P. Hairston Seawell attended
public and private schools in Newport News,
after which he entered the College of William
and Mary. There he received his degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1937, and the degree of
Barhelor of Civil Law in 1939. Although admit-
ted to the bar in the latter year, Air. Seawell
did not immediately begin practice, but went to
New York City, where he was active in the
publications field.

Since 1941, he has practiced law at Newport
News. He is a member of the Newport News-
Warwick Bar Association and the Virginia State
Bar Association. He also retains membership in
the Wythe Law Club, which he joined while a
student at the College of William and Mary. He
is Government Appeal Agent of Newport News
Selective Service Board.

One of Mr. Seawell's major civic interests is
the Nev/port News Public Library, and he is cur-
rently serving as president of its governing body.
He is a member of the board of the Peninsula
Home for the Aged. He is also a member of
St. Vincent's Roman Catholic Church and O'f the
Knights of Columbus, and he has twice served
as president of the Bureau of Catholic Charities
of Virginia. He was a charter member of the
Hampton Roads Junior Chamber of Commerce
and has recently been appointed co-chairman of
the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

The study of history, particularly that of his
own region, has claimed a considerable share of
his attention. He is a member of the Virginia
Historical Society, Order of First Families of

JAMES MONCURE BLAND, M.D.— For near-
ly a half-century, Dr. James Moncure Bland prac-
ticed medicine at Boykins, Virginia. "Dr. Jim" was
held in universal respect by his fellow citizens,
and distinguished himself in public office.

Born at Shacklefords Post Office, in King and
Queen County, on April 3, 1882, he was the son
of the late James Thomas and Anna (Irby) Bland.
His father (1844-1915) was a native merchant and
farmer of Shacklefords, and his mother was born
in Hanover County. He had three sisters: Mrs.
\V. F. D. Williams of Cape Charles, and Miss
Rosalie Bland and the late Miss Alma Bland of
Shacklefords.

The Boykins physician began his education in
the one-room public elementary school at Shackle-
fords, completing his preparatory studies at Aber-
deen Academy in King and Queen County. At the
age of fifteen, he entered Virginia Polytechnic In-
stitute and was graduated with a Bachelor of Science
degree in 1902. For his professional studies, he
enrolled at the Medical College of Virginia where
he took his degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1905.
There he was a member of the Phi Chi medical
fraternity.

After practicing in his home town for three
years, he moved to Boykins on November 12, 1908
where he remained until his death on September
11, 1958. The citizens of Boykins were planning to
honor his fifty years of service to the community
with a special celebration in November. He had
combined a thorough knowledge of his profession
with a spirit of service to his fellowmen, to whom
his training and experience have been so valuable.
He was a member of the Tri-County Medical As-
sociation, the Virginia State Medical Association,
and the Association of Seaboard Airline Railway
Surgeons.

For twenty-seven years, Dr. Bland served on
the Southampton County Board of Supervisors,
and was chairman from January 1956 until his
death. He was a faithful communicant of the
Methodist Church, and the founder, first teacher
and loyal worker of the Young Men's Bible Class.
Since his death, this class has been renamed the
J. M. Bland Bible Class. A member of the Ruritan
Club since its organization, he was elected its first
National President in 1930, and had attended every
annual national convention. He was a past master
of the Boykins Lodge No. 287, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, and a member of the Woodmen
of the World.

Farming was his avocation, raising cotton, corn,

TWVa. 43

364

LOWER TIDKWATI R VIRGINIA

peanuts and livestock, and he was an avid sup-
porter of the Boykins Baseball Club.

Twice married, Dr. Bland chose as his first wife,
Miss Rosa Wilroy of Nansemond County. They
were married on November 27, 1907, and she died
in 1919. On January 18, 1921 he married Miss
Grace Knight of Boykins, and they became the
parents of one daughter, Catherine Moncure, who
is now the wife of Roy Allan Lassiter, Postmaster
of Boykins. This couple have three children: i.
James Bland, ii. Roy Allan, Jr. iii. Kitty .Lou.

WILLIAM L. CARLETON— A Newport News
attorney and former member of the Virginia
General Assembly, William L. Carleton has ser-
ved for some years as commonwealth attorney
for his city. He is a bank official and generally
active in the organizational life of his community.

He is ?. native of Middlesex, and was born on
July 24, 1903, son of John A., Sr., and Olive
(Browning) Carleton. His father, also born in
Middlesex, in 1881, died in 1955. Mrs. Carleton
was a native of Culpeper. Born in 1882, she died
in 1928. The attorney and public official attended
Middlesex public schools, and graduated from
high school there in 1919. He took extension
courses from the College of William and Mary
for two years, then entered the University of
Richmond, where in the course of five years'
studies, he completed his advanced academic cour-
ses and prepared himself for the legal profession.

Admitted to the bar of his state in 1928, Wil-
liam L. Carleton began his practice at Newport
News the following year. He practiced continu-
ously in that city until elected to the Virginia
General Assembly in 1938. He served with dis-
tinction until 1940. In 1943 he was appointed
commonwealth attorney for the City of Newport
News, has been re-elected in each election since
that time, and is now serving his fourth term.
His office is in the Court House at Newport
News. As a lawyer, he is a member of the New-
port News-Warwick Bar Association and for-
merly served as its president. He is also a mem-
ber of the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia State
Bar Association and the American Bar Associa-
tion.

Mr. Carleton is a director and trust officer
of the Bank of Hampton, in Newport News, as well
as serving as its attorney. A charter member of the
local Lions Club, he formerly served as its presi-
dent. He is also a member of Bremond Lodge
No. 241, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and
Portsmouth Consistory of the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite. He is a member of Sigma
Nu Phi legal fraternity. Mr. Carleton attends
the First Baptist Church with his family. He

serves as deacon there, and is also general su-
perintendent of its Sunday school.

Agriculture is his avocation. He owns six hun-
dred acres of farmland known as the Lee Hall
Dairy Farm, located near Warwick, and there
he has one hundred and twenty head of cattle.
He is fond of the outdoors, his favorite pastimes
being golf and fishing.

On November 5, 1932, at Newport News, Wil-
liam L. Carleton married Glenna Crawford of
that city, daughter of Ray A. and Sadie (Burcher)
Crawford, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and
Mrs. Carleton have two children: 1. William Ran-
dolph, who was born on July 24, 1941. 2. John
Glenn, born February 5, 1944.

CHARLES BERNARD GODWIN, JR.— One

of the state's leading attorneys, Charles B. God-
win, Jr., was well known through his practice in
Suffolk, his service in such public offices as com-
monwealth's attorney, and his leadership in the
Democratic party. A native of Chuckatuck, he was
born on August 24, 1897, son of Charles Bernard,
Sr., and Martha (Whitney) Godwin. Completing
his preparatory studies at Fork Union Military
Academy, he studied law at the University of Vir-
ginia and took his degree there. As an undergrad-
uate, he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma.

Admitted to the bar of his state in 1920, he
began practice at Suffolk the following year. In
1925 he was appointed Commonwealth's Attorney
for Nansemond County, and filled this office cap-
ably until his retirement in 1947. Throughout that
time, he was never opposed in his candidacy. The
personal traits by which the lawyer and public
official will be remembered were described thus in
the editorial columns of the Suffolk "News-Herald":

With his lanky figure, slow gait and ever-present pipe he
was the physical personification of the country lawyer that
he was. And he had all the virtues and good qualities of the
country lawyer, springing from an intimate knowledge of
those with whom he dealt.

His quarter of a century of reviewing the frailties of the
people of Nansemond County had not left him cynical, but
had rather endowed him with a mellow wisdom, deep under-
standing and had created a very humane man.

The defendant before the bar in Nansemond County might
veil find that the Commonwealth's Attorney knew just about
where he lived, probably the exact house, knew his economic
situation and was familiar writh the circumstances which had
resulted in his appearance in court.

This further characterization was contained in
a resolution of the Suffolk Lions Club:

Early in his career, he demonstrated marked talent as a
trial lawyer, which talent, combined with his friendly disposi-
tion, his quiet and unassuming demeanor and his unques-
tioned integrity, drew to him clients and matter?' of major
importance requiring the attention of an outstanding attorney.
The respect which the citizens of this area had for him as a
man and the esteem in which he was held as an attorney
caused him to wield a powerful and beneficent influence through-

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

365

out Suffolk and Nansemond County and also Eastern Vir-
ginia. He was full of humor and wit, as well as being genial
and of good cheer and always respectful to others, whatever
their station in life. In his dealings with his fellow men he
was honest and fair, exemplifying always the finest traditions
of Lionism . . . He was an entertaining companion, delightful
in his conversation and warm in his hospitality.

Concerning his activities as a Democrat, it
has been said of Mr. Godwin that he was "for
many years the single most powerful political
factor in the county." After many years of lead-
ership in party councils, he became chairman of
the County Democratic Executive Committee in
1948. He was a director of the National Bank of
Suffolk, was past vice president of the Chamber
of Commerce, was a member and past commander
of the American Legion, and took an active part as
layman in the program of St. Paul's Episcopal
Church in Suffolk, being senior warden of its
vestry in his later years.

In 1924 be married Margaret Whitfield Causey,
and they became the parents of three children:
Charles Bernard, 3rd, deceased; James Causey,
who is the subject of an accompanying sketch; and
Margaret Carrol, attending Randolph-Macon Col-
lege. Mrs. Godwin survived her husband by only
one month. He died on December 2, 1954. "His
life," wrote a fellow townsman familiar with the
man and his career, "was very full and rich in the
contribution that he made to the region he loved."

JAMES CAUSEY GODWIN, one of Suffolk's
younger professional leaders, is a member of a
family which has contributed much to the region,
in law practice, public office, civic, political and
business affairs, and in military service to the
country. Born at Suffolk on October 21, 1927, he
is a son of Charles Bernard, Jr., and Margaret
Whitfield (Causey) Godwin, and a grandson of
Charles Bernard, Sr., and Martha (Whitney)
Godwin. Beginning bis education in his native
city, he graduated from Suffolk High School in
1945, and entered the United States Navy while
World War II was still in progress. He remained
in the service for twelve months.

On his return to civilian life, he resumed his
education, and received his degree of Bachelor
of Arts at Randolph-Macon College in 1951. In
1954 he completed his professional courses at
Washington and Lee University, and graduated
there with the degree of Bachelor of Laws.

Admitted to the bar immediately afterwards, he
began practice in Suffolk, where he has since re-
mained. He is a member of the Suffolk-Nanse-
mond Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar
Association.

In his politics, he is a Democrat, and is already
taking a vital interest in the conduct of the party's
affairs. He is a member of Phi Delta Phi legal

fraternity and Phi Kappa Sigma social fraternity,
the Lions Club and the Episcopal Church. Fond
of the out-of-doors, his favorite sports are hunt-
ing and fishing.

On August 9, 1952, in Portsmouth, James Causey
Godwin married Ellen Brooks Gibbs of that city,
daughter of R. Stephens and Ruth (Parker) Gibbs.
Both of her parents are living. Mr. and Mrs.
Godwin have two children: 1. Ellen Brooks, born
on November 2, 1953. 2. Margaret Causey, born
April 22, 1955.

JONATHAN WHITEHEAD OLD, JR.— One

of the important public offices in Lower Tidewater
is city attorney of the city of Norfolk. Mr. Old
was city attorney from 194^ to 1955 and is now
legal adviser to the City Council of the city of
Norfolk. He is a former assistant commonwealth's
attorney for Norfolk City and served as an officer
with the United States Air Service in World
War I.

Born on July 30, 1887, at Edenton, North Caro-
lina, Mr. Old conies of an old Southern family
dating back to pre-Revolutionary days. His parents
were Jonathan Whitehead and Claudia (Paxton)
Old. His father was a business man.

After completing his public school education,
he entered North Carolina State College, then
North Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Col-
lege. He studied law in various law office-;, and
privately, in Virginia.

In 191 1, after taking the State Bar examination,
Air. Old was admitted to the Virginia Bar. He
began his practice in Norfolk in 1914, in associa-
tion with the late Honorable O. L. Shackleford.
This association continued until Mr. Old's enlist-
ment in the United States Army in 1917. Sent to
the Ground Officers' Training School of the Army
Air Service at Kelly Field, Texas, he was graduated
with the rank of first lieutenant, and in March 1919.
he was honorably discharged.

He then returned to Norfolk and resumed his
law practice in association with the Honorable O.
L. Shackleford. He remained there until 1922, when
his superior was appointed judge of Corporation
Court No. 2 of the city of Norfolk. At this
time Mr. Old was appointed assistant common-
wealth's attorney and in that capacity he served
until 1926.

During the next three years Mr. Old was engag-
ed in the general practice of law. In 1929 be was
appointed assistant city attorney of Norfolk and
in 1942 was promoted to city attorney, holding this
office until 1953. In 1955 he assumed the duties
of legal adviser to the Norfolk City Council.

He is a member of the Virginia State Bar. Vir-
ginia State Bar Association, Norfolk and Ports-

366

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

mouth Bar Association, Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, American Legion and Sons of the American
Revolution. He and his family worship in the Epis-
copal Church. His office is in the Norfolk City
Hall.

-Mr. Old married Flora Stuart Waller, 'laughter
of Robert Page and Virginia Pelham (Stuart)
\\ aller, in Norfolk on September 17, 1923. They
have two children: 1. Jonathan Whitehead, III,
born July 7, 1924. 2. Flora Waller, wife of Erie H.
Austin, Jr., born on December 19, 1926.

OSCAR LINWOOD GILBERT— From ap-
prentice plater to founder and president of the
Royal Silver Manufacturing Company, Inc., and
leadership in the business and civic life of the
Lower Tidewater is the story of the life of Oscar
Linwood Gilbert, one of Norfolk's outstanding
citizens. It is he who first made famous the Royal
Silver cutlery and then Allegheny Metal Royal
stainless steel cutlery. Now, because of advancing
age, somewhat inactive, Mr. Gilbert nevertheless
retains the presidency of his company and a lively
interest in its affairs, leaving the main burden of
management to his two sons, Oscar Linwood Gil-
bert, Jr., vice president, and Lloyd Martin Gilbert,
secretary, both of whom are also well known in
the life of the community. The senior Mr. Gilbert
continues his civic interests and his work as a
deacon of his church, the Larchmont Baptist.

He was born in Norfolk County on February
10, 1883, the son of John V. and Lenora (Sim-
mons) Gilbert, both also natives of this county.
Of English descent, John Y. Gilbert was a son of
Timothy Gilbert, a planter who served in the Con-
federate Army in the War Between the States.
John Y. Gilbert devoted his life to farming and
died in Norfolk County. His wife was a daughter
of John C, a large planter in Princess Anne
County, and Rebecca Simmons. She was first the
wife of Calvin D. Randolph. Some time after his
death, she was married to John Y. Gilbert. She
died in 1897.

Oscar Linwood Gilbert spent his early boyhood
on the home farm in Norfolk County and received
his education in a one-room country school nearby.
At the age of fifteen, he moved to Norfolk to enter
the employ of the old Bridgeport Silver Manu-
facturing Company. Here, for four years, he was
apprenticed in the trade of plater. He remained
with the firm even after it was acquired by Wil-
liam A. Rogers, Ltd., of Niagara Falls, New York.
Eventually he became head plater and worked in
this capacity until February 1007.

At that time. Air. Gilbert started in business for
himself, repairing and refinishing old silverware.

With a capital of two thousand dollars, he launched
this venture and in succeeding years developed it
into one of the largest industrial institutions in
Norfolk, which in a very real sense must be ac-
knowledged as his personal creation. The first lo-
cation of the business was on Fayette Street, be-
tween Water and Main streets, and in the begin-
ning his operations were confined to repairing and
replating silverware. A boy who assisted l.ini was
his only employee.

By 1909 Air. Gilbert, who had been operating
under his own name, was sufficiently encouraged
by the demand for his services and products to
incorporate the business under its present name.
He became president. In May 1909 he moved the
plant to larger quarters in the old Flatiron Build-
ing at Charlotte and Bute streets, where in addi-
tion to repairing and replating, the firm began
manufacturing cutlery. Further expansion forced
the company in 191 2 to move to still larger quar-
ters at Twenty-second Street and Colonial Avenue.
This was a plant built in accordance with Mr. Gil-
bert's own design. Manufacturing production was
gradually increased from seventy-five dozen pieces
per day to a gross of five hundred dozen a day by
1927.

In 1914, Air. Gilbert purchased from his former
employers, William A. Rogers, Ltd., the machinery
of this firm's Norfolk plant. The removal of this
machinery to and installation in the Royal Silver
plant enabled Mr. Gilbert to multiply his produc-
tion, and the business continued to grow and pros-
per. Beginning in 1927, Mr. Gilbert erected a series
of modern fireproof buildings at Arizona Avenue
and Virginia Railroad, in the Fairmount Park
section of Norfolk County. These now house the
manufacturing facilities of the Royal Silver com-
pany. Covering an entire city block, these struc-
tures have a total area of fifty thousand square
feet under roof. The plant at Twenty-second Street
and Colonial Avenue has continued in operation,
and since 1927 has specialized in restoration and
replating, with emphasis on antique silver and
marine chrome.

The Royal Silver Manufacturing Company, Inc.,
as manufacturers of table flatware, is widely known
throughout the nation and is recognized as repre-
senting the finest in its trade. In 1932, after several
years of experimentation, Air. Gilbert began pro-
duction of stainless steel flatware. He was among
the first to manufacture successfully this now
widely used type of tableware, using Allegheny
metal which is non-corrosive and non-magnetic.
At full production, the company employs about
two hundred persons and is equipped to produce
two hundred gross per day knives, forks and
spoons. At present there are one hundred twenty-

^,-^aU^T

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

367

five employees with daily output of one hundred
twenty-five gross per day, due to scarcity of skill-
ed help. Annual sales average from three-quarters
to more than one million dollars. Sales outlets
include restaurant supply houses, department
stores, wholesale jobbers, wholesale hardware
firms and the firm's own sales offices. The firm
has filled numerous cutlery contracts for the Uni-
ted States Army and the United States Navy. Air.
Gilbert's sons, who in school vacations and other
periods had gained valuable experience in all de-
partments of the business, entered the business on
a full-time basis when they completed their educa-
tions and today have almost full responsibility for
the management of operations.

The assumption of responsibility by the sons
has enabled Mr. Gilbert to "slow up" some of his
activities in connection with the business. In the
fall of 1939 he suffered a heart attack and on the
advice of his physicians he has since led a life of
greater ease. He continues in an advisory capacity
at the plant and as one of Norfolk's influential
citizens serves somewhat in the same capacity to
the community at large. Besides his activity as a
deacon of the Larchmont Baptist Church, he is a
member of Lambert's Point Lodge No. 106,
Knights of Pythias; the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce and other organizations. For recreation he
enjoys gardening.

On December 27, 1905, in Norfolk, Mr. Gilbert
married Sarah Ann Martin, daughter of Jonathan
and Drunette (Sharrett) Martin of Norfolk Coun-
ty. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert celebrated their Golden
Wedding anniversary in 1955, with numerous well-
wishers from every walk of life attending the re-
ception to pay them tribute. They are the parents
of five children, twelve grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren. The five children are: 1. Os-
car Linwood, Jr., who has been associated with
the Royal Silver company since boyhood and who,
following his graduation from Maury High School
in 1924, became a full-time associate of his father.
He has been vice president and active in the man-
agement since 1939. He is past vice president of
the Rotary Club of Norfolk and also belongs to
Lambert's Point Lodge No. 106, Knights of Py-
thias, and the Larchmont Baptist Church. He, too,
enjoys gardening. On July 8, 1930, in Norfolk, he
married Mary Margaret Nicholls. They are the par-
ents of four children and have two grandchildren:
Margaret Ann Gilbert, wife of Thomas H. Jones,
Jr., of Norfolk, and mother of Thomas H. Jones,
III, and Mary Stewart Jones; Mary Luella Gil-
bert, wife of John B. Dorsey of Aiken, South
Carolina, now residing in Atlanta, Georgia; Nancy
Louise Gilbert; and Oscar Linwood Gilbert, III.
2. Dorothy Augusta, wife of Wallace L. Gardner

of Norfolk and mother of WalL.ce L. Gardner,
Jr., and Katherine Gilbert Gardner. 3. Kathenne
Llewellyn, wife of Irving Lee Chapman, Jr., of
Norfolk and mother of Sarah Linwood Chap-
man and Irving Lee Chapman, III. 4. Sarah Ann,
wife of Commander Claude R. Phillips, Jr., of the
LTnited States Navy, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
They are the parents of Claude R. Phillips, III,
and Susan Gilbert Phillips. 5. Lloyd Martin Gil-
bert, active in Royal Silver since early youth. A
graduate of Maury High School in 1940, he studied
mechanical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute. He served for three years in the United
States Navy in World War II and upon his re-
lease to inactive status began his full-time associa-
tion with his father and brother in the company,
later becoming secretary of the corporation and
active in the management. He is a member of the
Sertoma Club of Norfolk and the First Baptist
Church. On August 5, 1950, he married Anne R.
Myers of Norfolk and they are the parents of
Anne Randolph Gilbert and Lloyd Martin Gilbert,
Jr.

The senior Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Linwood Gil-
bert maintain their home at 5215 Bluestone
Avenue, Norfolk.

GEORGE HINSON PARKER, JR.— With the
exception of his period of wartime naval service,
George H. Parker, Jr., has practiced law at Frank-
lin since the beginning of his career. He is senior
member of the firm of Parker and Clark and is
currently acquitting himself well in public office
as commonwealth attorney.

Born at Franklin on January 8, 191 1, the lawyer
is a son of George Hinson, Sr., and Hattie (Tur-
ner) Parker. His father was born in Isle of Wight
County, near Smithfield, on February 4, 1886. For
fifty-two years he has been a druggist in Franklin,
the proprietor of the Parker Drug Company. Hat-
tie Turner, whom he married, is deceased. Their
son attended the public schools of Franklin and
graduated from high school there in 1928. He
then entered Duke LTniversity in North Carolina,
where he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts
in 1932. For his law courses, Mr. Parker enrolled
at the University of Virginia and in 1937 received
his degree of Bachelor of Laws there.

Admitted to the bar of his state in 1938, he
began practice at Franklin and has been there
ever since, with the exception of his three years of
naval service. Spending nearly two years of that
time in the China-Burma-India theater, he held a
commission as lieutenant commander. He is now
senior member of the firm of Parker and Clark,
engaged in a general practice. On January 1, 1952,
Mr. Parker began tenure as commonwealth at-

368

LOWLR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

torney, a position he lias since held. He is a
member oi the Southampton County. Virginia
State, and American bar associations.

Active in the business affairs of his city, he
serves on the board of directors of the First
Federal Savings and Loan Association of Suffolk.
A Rotarian, he is past president of his club, and
he has held the offices of president and secretary
in the Cypress Cove Country Club which he now
serves as a director. He is a member of Phi Alpha
Delta legal fraternity and of Sigma Chi social
fraternity. He is a Democrat and attends High
Street Methodist Church, where he serves on the
board of stewards.

In Southampton County, on June 28, 1939,
George Hinson Parker, Jr., married Brooks John-
son of Drewryville, Virginia, daughter of Samuel
P., Sr., and Blanche 1 Westbrook) Johnson. Both
parents are deceased. Her father was a merchant.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker have two sons: 1. George
Hinson, 3rd, who was born on June 21, 1942.
_'. Westbrook Johnson, born November 9, 1947.

THE BANK OF WHALEYVILLE— One of
the oldest banking institutions in Xansemond
County, the Bank of Whaleyville was organized
in 1006, with the late Frank R. Ellenor as its first
president. It lias had a remarkable record of serv-
ice t<> tin- people of Whaleyville and the surround-
ing territory, both in Xansemond County and in
adjacent Gates County, North Carolina, over the
past fifty years.

Initially capitalized at ten thousand dollars, it
opened its doors for business on March 1, 1907.
Mr. Ellenor continued as chief executive of the
institution from its founding until his death on
May 28, 191 7. He was succeeded in the presidency
by Thomas Oliver Knight, who held office until
he too died on February 17, 1944. Dr. Isaac W.
Johnson became the third president of the Bank
of Whaleyville, and served until his death on April
26, 1955. He was succeeded by William Frank
Knight, son of the late Thomas Oliver Knight.
William Frank Knight began his connection with
the Bank of Whaleyville in 1908. in the capacity
of cashier, and for a number of years served as
executive vice president under Dr. Isaac W. John-
son, whom he succeeded in the presidency. Named
to that office in June 1955, he served until his
death on August 16, 1956. On October 1. P. Owen
Parker assumed the duties of president.

The Bank of Whaleyville has now rounded out
its first half-century of existence and its deposits
as of October 1. 1956. totalled over one and a
quarter million dollars. The institution is a mem-
ber of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
the Virginia Banking Association and the Ameri-
can Bankers Association.

Besides Mr. Parker, its officers are J. E. Ed-
wards, cashier and director, and O'Bryan Hayes,
Mills I-:. Godwin, Jr.. W. C. Knight, and X. T.
Poarcb, directors. Mr. Edwards was formerly as-
sociated with the Farmers Bank of Xansemond
Count\ at Suffolk, having twenty-three years'
tenure with that hank at the time he left on Oc-
tober 1. [956, to become cashier and director of
the Bank of Whaleyville. Mr. Hayes is a lumber-
man in Whaleyville. Mr. Godwin is a lawyer and
farmer of Suit. ilk, and a member of the Virginia
State Senate. Mr. Knight is a farmer and mer-
chant of Xansemond County. Mr. Poarch is area
manager of the Camp Manufacturing Company.
Inc., and ha- long been prominent in the affairs of
Xansemond County.

P. Owen Parker, president of the bank, began
his career with the organization in October 1919.
and has been continuously identified with it
since. He was bom June 27, 1898, in Hertford
County. North Carolina, son of the late Percy A.
and Xora E. (Darden) Parker. He is descended
from families which had long been established in
Xansemond County. His father was born near
Whaleyville in 1869. and in the early years of his
career was a railroad engineer on a line which
served the lumber industry. In his later years he
farmed two miles east of Whaleyville. and died
there in 1939. His wife, the former Xora E. Dar-
den. was born in 1872, and died in 1955. Both were
members of the Great Fork Baptist Church near
Whaleyville.

Mr. Parker received his early education in the
public schools of that city and attended old Rich-
mond College. He later took a business course at
Davis Wagner Business College in Xorfolk. In
( >ctober 1019, he began bis long tenure of service
with the Bank of Whaleyville as assistant cashier.
He had held the position of cashier for many years
prior to his election to the presidency in October
1956. Also for a number of years, he has been a
member of the bank's board of directors.

Active in civic and community affairs. Mr. Par-
ker served on the Xansemond County board of
supervisors from 1932 to 104S. He is a member
and past president of the Ruritan Club of Whaley-
ville. and as banking executive, is a member of
the Virginia Bankers Association and the Ameri-
can Bankers Association. He is affiliated with the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, being a mem-
ber anil past worshipful master of McAlister Lodge
Xo. T85 at Whaleyville. A communicant of Great
Fork Baptist Church, he formerly served on its
board of deacons.

On June 14, 1922, at Whaleyville. P. Owen Par-
ker married Helen Marie Hayes. She is a native
of that place, and a daughter of the late Robert
P.. and Kate (Owensl Hayes. Mr. and Mrs. Par-

7^^^^^^^^^<"

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

369

ker are the parents of three children: 1. Betty,
born on November 28, 1927. She married Allen H.
Allison of Norfolk, and they are the parents of
two children: Allen H., Jr., and James Parker
Allison. 2. Nancy Marie, born on April 22, 1931.
She became the wife of Robert J. Crocker of Suf-
folk, Virginia, and they now reside in Blacksburg,
Virginia. They have a daughter, Karen Hayes
Crocker. 3. P. Owen. Jr., born on May 6, 1940.
He is a graduate of Whaleyville High School.

MILLS EDWIN GODWIN, JR.— As an at-
torney practicing in Suffolk and in Nansemond
County since the late 1930s, Mills Edwin Godwin,
Jr., has represented the interests of some of the
largest corporations in the area. He is now serv-
ing as State Senator from the Fifth Senatorial
District, and was formerly a member of the House
of Delegates.

A native of Nansemond County, he was born
on November 19, 1914, son of Mills Edwin, Sr.,
and Otelia (Darden) Godwin. His father was a
truck farmer, who capably filled public office as
a member of the Nansemond County school board,
and also as a member of the county's board of
supervisors.

The younger Mills Edwin Godwin attended pub-
lic school in Nansemond County, then entered the
College of William and Mary. For his professional
studies he enrolled at the University of Virginia,
where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Laws in 1939. He holds an honorary degree of
Doctor of Laws from Elon College.

Mr. Godwin has been engaged in the practice of
law, with offices at Suffolk, since 1939. He was
formerly assistant commonwealth's attorney for
Nansemond County, and he serves as attorney for
several railroads, a number of insurance com-
panies and two banks, which with his other con-
nections has made him one of the most influential
lawyers serving varied interests in Nansemond
County of the Lower Tidewater. He is a director
of the National Bank of Suffolk; vice president
and director of the Bank of Whaleyville; and a
member of the boards of several other corporations.

In 1948 Mills E. Godwin, Jr., began his career
as a legislator, being elected to the House of Dele-
gates of the State of Virginia. He served until
1952, when he was elected to the State Senate
from the Fifth Senatorial District of Virginia,
comprising the City of Suffolk and the counties of
Nansemond, Isle of Wight and Southampton. Mr.
Godwin has served for some time as chairman of
the Nansemond County Democratic Executive
Committee.

He is a member of the board of trustees of
Elon College, in North Carolina. Active in Ruritan

National, he is a member and past president of
the club at Chuckatuck, and past district gov-
ernor; and he served as National President in
1952. He is currently serving as president of the
Portsmouth Executives Club, and is a member of
the Suffolk Rotary Club, and the Rotunda Club
of Richmond. He is also affiliated with the Free
and Accepted Masons, being a member of Chucka-
tuck Lodge No. yy. He also belongs to Welcome
Lodge No. 50, Knights of Pythias. He and his
family attend Oakland Congregational Christian
Church at Chuckatuck, in which he is active as a
deacon and Sunday school teacher, and he holds
positions of leadership in his denomination. He
and his family make their home in Chuckatuck.

Mr. Godwin finds time in a busy career for
the profitable avocation of farming. He operates
a large truck farm near Chuckatuck.

In Nansemond County, on October 26, 1940,
Mills Edwin Godwin, Jr., married Katharine
Thomas Beale, daughter of Fenton Parker and
Dilla (Bradshaw) Beale. The couple are the par-
ents of a daughter, Becky, who was born on Sep-
tember 27, 1953.

GEORGE WILLIAM JOHNSON, JR.— The

possessor of a progressive spirit and a keen sense
of service, George William Johnson, Jr., better
known in the Lower Tidewater as Johnny John-
son, has built his moving and storage business,
Delcher of Norfolk Compan3', into one of the lead-
ing enterprises in its field in the Southeast. All
this has been accomplished in an uncommonly
short time, with United States Navy and United
States Army contracts contributing to the growth
of the company, which, though founded and solely
owned by Mr. Johnson, operates as a representa-
tive of the Delcher Brothers Storage Company,
Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida, founded in 1895. A
veteran of World War II, Johnny Johnson gained
much valuable experience in military service for
the career in which he has been so successful. He
is active in veterans' circles and is well known
among business men in the Lower Tidewater.

Johnny Johnson was born in Marion County,
South Carolina, near the town of Nichols, on Oc-
tober 2, 1921, the son of George William and Ann
(Capel) Johnson of Roanoke, Virginia. His father,
now retired, is a native of North Carolina. For
many years he worked as a sales representative.
The mother, also born in Marion County, South
Carolina, is descended from early colonial families
of that region. She is a daughter of Thomas J.
Capel of Marlborough (now spelled Marlboro)
County, South Carolina, and Maggie May (John-
son) Capel of the area near Nichols in that state.
Maggie May (Johnson) Capel was a daughter of

37°

LOW I R TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Hugh R. and Margaret F. (Woodberry) Johnson,
also of the area near Nichols; her father was a
planter with huge holdings there. Margaret F.
i Woodberry) Johnson was a daughter of General
William Woodberry of Marion County, South
Carolina, and Sarali (Johnson) Woodberry of
H,hi \ County, South Carolina.

General Woodberry was a noted figure in his
day. Born on January 10, 1788, in Marion County,
lu- lived there his entire life; his death took place
on January 31. 1851. He filled several positions of
honor. He was bridgadier general of the Militia,
was elected several times to the South Carolina
State Legislature and was sheriff of Marion Coun-
ty from April 1833, to April 1837. He was a man
of great wealth. The Woodberrys were among the
colonial settlers of the low country of South Caro-
lina. The progenitors of the American branch of
the family were brothers, Richard and Jonah
Woodberry, who on their arrival in the New
World from England first settled in the Socastel
section of what is now Horry County. Later they
established themselves at Britton's Neck, Marion
County. Eventually Richard Woodberry settled in
what is now Woodberry Township, where he mar-
ried Lizzie Ballone of Black River. They had two
M«b, Richard Woodberry, Jr., and General Wil-
liam Woodberry. The original Woodberrys, Rich-
ard and Jonah, had a sister, who joined them in
Carolina Colon}'. She became the wife of General
Wade Hampton of Revolutionary War fame, who
is one of South Carolina's major heroes.

George William Johnson, Sr., and Ann (Capel)
Johnson became the parents of two children: 1.
Myril, now Airs. Winfred S. Helms of Roanoke.
2. George William, or Johnny, Johnson, the owner
of Delcher of Norfolk Company. He was educated
in the public schools of Roanoke.

On December 8, 1941, the day after the sneak
attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, Mr.
Johnson enlisted in the United States Marine
Corps and after basic training at Parris Island,
South Carolina, was assigned to the Fleet Marine
Force Transportation Unit of the First Marine
Division. He went overseas with his unit on April
4. i(»4J. Overseas, he served at New Zealand in
the South Pacific; Cape Gloucester, New Britain,
and later Peleliu Island in the Palau Island
group, and the Russell Island group in the West
Pacific. In December 1044, Mr. Johnson was re-
turned to the states and for a time was stationed
at Norfolk. Later he was transferred to the Marine
Barracks, Camp Elliott, near San Diego, Cali-
fornia, where he was separated from the service
on September 27, 1945.

His experience in Norfolk as a military man had
convinced him that this city was the place for his

career. He returned there after his discharge from
the Marine Corps and for several years was en-
gaged in the insurance business, as representative
of the l3eople's Life Insurance Company of Wash-
ington, D. C. Meantime he kept planning his
career in the moving and storage business, for
which he had received considerable preparation
when serving as vehicle dispatcher tor the Marine
Fleet Transportation Unit.

In 1940. lie gave up his insurance selling job to
become Norfolk branch manager for the Grey Van
Lines, Inc. He held this office until 1953. From
January 1953, to .March i, 1955, he was sales man-
ager of the Virginia Beach Transfer Company.
This position he resigned to organize his own
firm, Delcher of Norfolk Company, in April 1955.
He maintains headquarters and warehouse at 1029-
47 West Forty-fifth Street, Norfolk. It was not
long before Mr. Johnson's long experience, mili-
tary and civilian, in moving and storage showed
its effects, for the business began to grow in
popularity and in volume. He began with one
building which had about five thousand square
feet of storage space. Since then he has added two
fireproof units. His present storage space equals
twelve thousand five hundred square feet. The
buildings, which were erected as a single U-shaped
unit, were designed to meet the needs of the
modern pallet vault system in the firm's furniture
storage facilities. Mr. Johnson describes the pallet
vault system as basically one using large boxes
designed to contain three rooms, or two thousand
five hundred pounds, of furniture. This stream-
lined storage system, he points out, has many ad-
vantages in that it keeps individual assignments
of furniture together and avoids breaking and
scratching. In his short time in business Mr. John-
son has tripled his business and established his
company's reputation as among the best in the
moving and storage service in the Norfolk area.
Through the Florida concern with which he is
affiliated, he is able to render a nationwide service.
About seventy percent of the business of Delcher
of Norfolk Company comes from Government
contracts under which service families are moved
in and out of the Lower Tidewater.

Active in community affairs, Mr. Johnson is a
member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
Midtown Exchange Club, and Norfolk Post No.
3160, Veterans of Foreign Wars. He worships in
the Ocean View Methodist Church. The history
of the Johnson and related families is his hobby,
v.diile fishing and boating are his favorite sports.

Mr. Johnson married Dorothy Desmond, daugh-
ter of Leonard J. and Hattie (Deering) Desmond,
of Lexington, Kentucky, at Chesterfield, South
Carolina, on May 7, 1946. They are the parents

1 w \

Opt J (^t^L^^T^^yr'

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

37'

of three children: 1. Johnny Gayle, born on July
18, 1948. 2. Jennifer Lynn, born on May 16, 1949.
3. George William, III, born on February 6, 1955.

ALONZO FORREST CATHEY— The founder
of The Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.,
and its directing head for many years, the late
Alonzo Forrest Cathey built his organization from
small beginnings, with vision and courage, into
one of the region's major industrial enterprises,
now operated by his sons. He is honored as a
true pioneer in the beverage industry.

Born August 20, 1870, at Paw Creek, Mecklen-
burg County, Mr. Cathey was a son of William
Edward and Margaret (Allen) Cathey. He was
educated in the public schools of his native coun-
ty, and in the early years of his career became
a successful merchant in his community. It was
at about this time that Luther Snyder opened the
Coca-Cola bottling plant at Charlotte, and Mr.
Cathey was among his first customers. Mr. Snyder
sold his product for cash, while Mr. Cathey's
merchandise, of another sort, was usually sold on
credit. The greater security of such a cash busi-
ness appealed to the young merchant, and when
he expressed interest in the prospect of entering
the Coca-Cola distributing business, Mr. Snyder
suggested Greensboro, North Carolina, and Roan-
oke, Virginia, as likely locations. Accordingly,
Alonzo Cathey sold his mercantile interests, and
chose Roanoke, where in 1900 he entered the bot-
tling business. Three years later he sold his Roan-
oke plant and in 1903 acquired the Norfolk fran-
chise.

The original Norfolk territory covered a fifty-
mile radius around the city. The founding site
of The Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.,
was at Brambleton and Maltby avenues. A second
location for a plant was subsequently chosen at
Brambleton Avenue and Chapel Street, where
operations continued until the removal to Duke
Street and College Place. In 1921, the present
location in the seven-hundred block on Duke
Street, was chosen, and this has since been the
site of the Norfolk operating plant and the general
offices of the company. During the lifetime of
Alonzo F. Cathey, branch plants were established
at Exmore, Virginia, in 1921 ; at Suffolk in 1923;
and at Gloucester in 1925. The Portsmouth and
Norfolk County territory was formerly served
from Norfolk, and in 1953 the company erected
the Portsmouth plant to serve that area.

Alonzo F. Cathey left behind him an enviable
reputation as a husband and father, a successful
business man, a useful citizen, devout Christian
and loyal and ethical advocate of his product. He
was a quiet, modest and courteous gentleman, and

in all his dealings gave full consideration to the
moral as well as to the legal or technical aspects
of a problem. He always took an interested part
in every movement for community betterment.
He won wide recognition for leadership in his
industry, and maintained a keen interest in the
National Coca-Cola Bottlers Association, of which
he was president for two terms and a director for
a number of years. He was a founder, president
and director of the Virginia Manufacturers of Car-
bonated Beverages, and he also served as a direc-
tor of the Virginia Bottlers Protective Association.

In his own community he was president of the
Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery Corporation,
and was a member of the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce and the Norfolk Rotary Club. A com-
municant of the Second Presbyterian Church, he
served as elder for many years. He served as
treasurer of the Central Young Men's Christian
Association. His other memberships included the
Tidewater Automobile Association, Norfolk Lodge
No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and
Rathbone Lodge No. 56, Knights of Pythias.

Mr. Cathey was generous in his support of ev-
ery organization that had for its purpose the light-
ening of the burden of those less fortunate than
himself. He gave assistance, quietly and unobtru-
sively, to a number of struggling young business
men who were trying to make headway in the
community. His relationship to those who worked
for and with him was more than that of employer
and employee; it was personal, sympathetic and
understanding. He enjoyed the loyal support of
all his business associates, and these admirable
traits constitute a heritage which has been passed
on as a tradition in the business dealings of the
family. He was deeply devoted to his sons, and
saw that they were well trained in every aspect
of the family enterprise.

On April 12, 1892, Alonzo Forrest Cathey mar-
ried Annie C. Hipp, who was born in Mecklen-
burg County, North Carolina, and died July 13,
1942, at Norfolk. They became the parents of
five sons and three daughters: 1. Lola Mary, who
died in 1918. 2. Forrest F., now president of The
Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc. His
career is the subject of a separate sketch in this
volume. 3. Lewis Henry, now vice president of
the company in charge of the Suffolk plant. 4.
Rob Lee, who was secretary and treasurer of
the company until his untimely death on August
13. J9S4- 5- Mabel Allen, who married George E.
Walker, now manager of the company's Exmore
plant. 6. Ralph Alonzo, now executive vice presi-
dent of the company, with headquarters in the
general offices in Norfolk. 7. Nellie, who married
Robert Glenn Holloman, now office manager of
the Norfolk operations of the company. 8. William

37 =

LCnYER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Edward, now vice president and manager of the
company's Portsmouth plant.

The death of Mr. Cathey occurred on June 8,
1038, and marked the loss to the Tidewater region
of one of its outstanding business and civic leaders,
a devoted citizen, churchman and organizational
worker, and a revered husband and father. A self-
made man in the best sense of the term, he made
his career a record of achievement which will
stand as an example well beyond the span of his
own vears.

FORREST F. CATHEY— President of The
Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc., with
general offices in Norfolk, Forrest F. Cathey fol-
lows in the footsteps of his father, the late Alonzo
Forrest Cathey, one of the pioneers of the in-
dustry, who founded this bottling works in 1903.
In close association with his brothers, he has con-
tinued the remarkable success of the organization,
and expanded the firm's operations in many locali-
ties of Tidewater Virginia and eastern North Caro-
lina.

The oldest son of Alonzo Forrest and Annie C.
(Hipp) Cathey, Forrest F. Cathey was born on
April 30, 1895, at Paw Creek, Mecklenburg Coun-
ty. He is of Scottish descent, and among his fore-
bears were early settlers of the Paw Creek com-
munity in that North Carolina county, who had
the original land grants there dating back to coloni-
al times. Even before that, the Catheys had settled
in Pennsylvania, and migrated thence to Virginia
before choosing Mecklenburg County, North Caro-
lina, as a site for the family seat. It remains so to
this day, and for many years annual family re-
unions have been held the first Sunday of each
August at Paw Creek. These draw many descen-
dants of the original Catheys, from all parts of
the country.

Forrest F. Cathey received his education in the
public schools of Norfolk. He began his career
early by working during summer vacations in his
father's Coca-Cola bottling works in Norfolk. After
leaving the classroom, he entered the family busi-
ness on a full-time basis, familiarizing himself with
the various plant operations under the supervision
of his father.

With the entry of the United States into World
War I. in 19 17, Forrest F. Cathey, as a member of
the Fourth Regiment, Virginia National Guard,
went off to war. His unit became a component of
the J9U1 Division, and as first sergeant of a machine-
gun company, he served with the American Ex-
peditionary Forces in France, in the Alsace-Lor-
raine sector, and participated in the Meuse-Argonne
offensive. Mustered out on May 5, 1919, he re-
turned to Norfolk to resume his work with The

Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc. In 192 1
he took over the management of the firm's Exmore
bottling and distributing plant, serving the Eastern
Shore, and continued in that position until 1939.

Returning to Norfolk at that time, he assumed
responsibilities as executive vice president and gen-
eral manager of the company, and in 1942 was
elevated to the presidency. As part of the expansion
program carried on under his direction in recent
years, the firm acquired the site at 20th and Mon-
ticello Avenue extending to Armistead Avenue and
21st, and in 1954 erected the present building, up-
to-date and efficient in design and containing the
most modern automatic equipment. On the same
large site, the Norfolk bottling plant is located,
with one hundred thousand square feet of floor
space under its roof. The Norfolk Coca-Cola Bot-
tling Works, Inc., also has plants in Exmore, Suf-
folk, Gloucester and Portsmouth, and formerly
operated a plant at Newport News, which was sold
to other interests. In its overall operations the com-
pany serves Norfolk, Nansemond, Isle of Wight,
Northampton, Accomack, Gloucester and York
counties, and parts of Southampton, Sussex and
Surry counties, Virginia, and Gates County, North
Carolina. The firm also owns an interest in the
Coca-Cola bottling plant at Elizabeth City, North
Carolina. Today, The Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling
Works, Inc., has a volume of business totalling
three and one-half million cases annually, and em-
ploys four hundred and fifty people. In the opera-
tion of the business, Forrest F. Cathey is closely
associated with his brothers, Ralph Alonzo Cathey,
who is executive vice president and general man-
ager with headquarters in Norfolk, and Lewis
Henry Cathey, vice president in charge of the
plant at Suffolk, and William Edward Cathey,
who is vice president in charge of the Portsmouth
Plant. Rob Lee Cathey, who died August 13, 1954,
was secretary and treasurer of the company. The
brothers, and their father, are subjects of separate
sketches in this work. George E. Walker, a bro-
ther-in-law who married Mabel Allen Cathey, is
in charge of the Exmore plant, and Robert Glenn
Holloman, who married Nellie Cathey, is in charge
of office management at the Norfolk plant.

Forrest F. Cathey is active in the Virginia Bot-
tlers Association, of which he is a past president,
and is also a member of the National Coca-Cola
Bottlers Association. The firm holds organizational
membership in the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce,
the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce and the
United States Chamber of Commerce.

Quietly but in a very substantial way, Mr.
Cathey contributes his efforts to all programs for
community betterment, and he has made notewor-
thy contributions to the economic progress of

i* ^

/^ £^°*fy

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

373

the city. He is president of the board of trustees
of Leigh Memorial Hospital, is a past director of
the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, is past chair-
man of the Norfolk Chapter of the American Red
Cross, is past president and director of the Cen-
tral Young Men's Christian Association, and past
president of the Norfolk Community Chest. Among
his business connections, he serves on the board
of directors of the Seaboard Citizens National
Bank of Norfolk. He is a member and past presi-
dent of the Norfolk Lions Club, and a member
of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Vir-
ginia Club and the Norfolk Executives Club. Af-
filiated with Broad Water Lodge No. 76, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, he is a past master
of that lodge, and belongs to the higher bodies
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Hold-
ing the Thirty-second degree, he is also a mem-
ber of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a communi-
cant of the Second Presbyterian Church of Nor-
folk, which he serves as an elder. His hobby is
woodworking, and his favorite outdoor pastime
is fishing.

On December 27, 1922, at Exmore, Forrest F.
Cathey married Susan Bernice Robinson of East-
ern Shore, Virginia. They are the parents of a
daughter, Ann Frances, who was born on October
5. 1939- She graduated from Maury High School
in 1956, and is now a student at Randolph-Macon
College for Women at Lynchburg. The family's
residence is at 1026 Cambridge Crescent, Norfolk.

WILLIAM EDWARD CATHEY, II.— Bring-
ing to his executive posts long experience with
the beverage industry, William Edward Cathey,
II, is vice president of the Norfolk Coca-Cola
Bottling Works, Inc., and manager of the Ports-
mouth Coca-Cola Bottling Works, subsidiary of
the former organization.

Born December 29, 1910, in Norfolk, he is the
youngest of eight children born to the late Alonzo
Forrest and Annie C. (Hipp) Cathey. His father
is the subject of an accompanying sketch. Named
for his paternal grandfather, William Edward
Cathey, II, is a member of a family which has
long been prominent in the industrial life of the
region. He graduated from Maury High School
in Norfolk in 1928, then entered Washington and
Lee University, from which he graduated in 1933
with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry.
He then attended Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology, where he took advanced courses in chemis-
try for one year.

During his vacation periods, Mr. Cathey had
become acquainted with the various phases of
operations of the Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling
Works, Inc., under the guidance of his father,

who had founded the corporation in 1903. In 1934
he entered the organization on a fulltime basis
in charge of sales for the Portsmouth and Nor-
folk County territory of the firm. From 1938 to
1941, he was sales manager of the Suffolk plant
operations, and with the establishment of the
firm's warehouse in Portsmouth in 1941, he re-
turned to that unit to direct operations. He has
continued there to the present time.

In August 1953, the new local plant of the
Portsmouth Coca-Cola Bottling Works was com-
pleted— one of the most modern in the United
States. Located on Victory Boulevard and U. S.
Highway 58, in the Alexander Park section of
Portsmouth, it has thirty-six thousand square feet
of floor space, and a capacity to produce nearly
one and a half million cases of Coca-Cola annually.
The Norfolk Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.,
operating plants in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk,
Exmore, and Gloucester, all in Virginia, has come
a long way since its founding in 1903. Further
details of its history are to be found in the records
of other members of the Cathey family. The
company is proud of its progress since the days
when it conducted its operations with a foot-power
filler and crowner.

As vice president of the firm, and as manager
of the Portsmouth Coca-Cola Bottling Works,
William Edward Cathey, II, is carrying on the
high ideals established by his father. The Ports-
mouth Coca-Cola Bottling Works serves the city
of Portsmouth, South Norfolk and Norfolk County
in its operations.

Mr. Cathey is a member of the Virginia Manu-
facturers of Carbonated Beverages, the National
Coca-Cola Bottlers Association, the American
Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages, and the Ports-
mouth Chamber of Commerce. Apart from bis
trade connections, he is a member and second
vice president of the Portsmouth Lions Club, and
is a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club. He is now serving as an elder of the
Second Presbyterian Church of Norfolk.

On March 31, 1938, at Norfolk, William Ed-
ward Cathey, II, married Mat Lee Benton of
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. They are
the parents of the following children: 1. Marion
Faye. 2. Bruce Edward. 3. Sue Ellen.

WILLIAM NORMAN JONES— After more
than a decade and a half of experience in auto-
motive sales, William Norman Jones became a
partner in Chorey-Jones Motors, Inc., at Suffolk,
and is vice president of this Dodge and Plymouth
dealership. He was born in Perquimans County,
North Carolina, on August 20, 1903, son of Wil-
liam Thomas and Edwin (Berry) Jones. His mo-
ther was also a native of Perquimans County, but

374

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

his father had come from the Lower Tidewater
region, heing a native of Portsmouth. He was a
mechanic by trade. Both parents are now deceased.

William N. Jones was reared in Perquimans
County and received his education in its public
schools. Beginning in 1924, he followed the trade
of automobile mechanic, and gained a sound know-
ledge of the structure and operation of automobiles
between that time and 1928, when he turned his
attention to commercial pursuits. He entered the
grocery business, but also kept in touch witli the
automotive industry as proprietor of a garage at
Norfolk. He operated both establishments under
his own name.

In 1936, Mr. Jones joined the Peebles-Simpson
Motor Company, Ford dealers in South Norfolk,
and remained with that organization in the capa-
city of sales manager through 1952. He left to
purchase an interest in the Chorey Motors Com-
pany of Suffolk, and the name of this agency was
at that time changed to its present form, Chorey-
Jones Motors, Inc. It holds the franchise not
only for the sale of Plymouth and Dodge passen-
ger cars, but also for Dodge trucks, and has
attractive modern sales and service facilities at
800-802 West Washington Street. Mr. Jones has
been vice president and general manager since
the present partnership was formed.

He is a Democrat in his politics, and a member
of Ruritan National. He enjoys outdoor life and
his favorite sports are hunting and fishing.

At Norfolk, on October II, 1934, William Nor-
man Jones married Elizabeth Hall of that city,
daughter of Lee and Bettie (Williamson) Hall.
Both of her parents are deceased. The couple are
the parents of one daughter: Norma Elizabeth,
who was born on March 6, 1936. She is now a
student at North Carolina Women's College at
Greensboro.

JOHN WILLIAM HURST— The name of
Hur>t is a noted one in the industrial affairs of
the Lower Tidewater region. It is in particular
identified with the manufacture of canvas products.
Today, John William Hurst is president of the
firm of J. W. Hurst and Son Awnings, Inc., of
X 1. .folk.

Born in Norfolk on April 28, 1899, he is a son
of John William, Sr., and Adelaide (Bell) Hurst.
Of Scottish origin, the Hurst family of Virginia
first settled in Mathews County in the colonial
period, and in the early generations were fisher-
men and farmers. In the days of the sailing ships,
one of the forebears became a sailmaker, and since
that time the family has had a continued interest
in that trade. The elder John W. Hurst was born
on April 16, 1874, in Mathews County, and came
to Norfolk early in the 1890s. There he served his

apprenticeship in the ancient craft of sailn.aking,
a trade lie followed for the remaining years of his
life and in which lie earned a wide reputation. For
a tune, early in his career, he was a partner in
the firm of Hudgins and Hurst of Norfolk, and
later held an interest in the firm of T. C. Hurst
and Son in the same city. Following World \\ ar
I, John W. Hurst, Sr., formed a partnership with
his son, John William, Jr., and this organization,
known as J. W. Hurst and Son, was incorporated
in 1938. The elder man continued actively in the
business until his death on May 10, 1944. His wife,
the former Adelaide Bell, had died on December
20, 1931.

Following the death of John W. Hurst, Sr., his
son became president of the firm, and in more re-
cent years he has been joined in turn by his son,
Shirley Owens Hurst, who following his return
from military service in World War II, was
named secretary and treasurer of the corporation,
and manager of the firm's plant at 1001 West 27th
Street. Since 1924 the main plant and offices have
been located at 900 Camp Avenue.

The firm's president was reared in Suffolk, and
attended Patrick Henry Elementary School and
Maury High School. On his graduation in 1917,
he entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where
he continued his education for three years, major-
ing in mechanical engineering. During both his
high school and college days, he was very ac-
tive in athletics, especially football and baseball.
In 1917 he played left field for the Norfolk Tars,
a team in the old Virginia State League; but a
short time later a promising career in baseball was
cut short by a serious illness.

In 1924 he began his association with his father
in the firm of J. W. Hurst and Son on a full-time
basis, and after familiarizing himself with various
phases of manufacture — which was becoming con-
centrated in the production of yacht sails, awnings
and other canvas products — he took over respon-
sibility for sales operations.

With experience going back a half-century, and
with expanding modern facilities, J. W. Hurst and
Son Awnings, Inc., is today not only one of the
oldest business institutions in Norfolk, but also
one of the largest in its industry. It manufactures
"Anything made of canvas" — yacht sails, cockpit
covers, tarpaulins, awnings and curtains for boats;
and also "Anything for the window" — a category
which includes a variety of materials made of
canvas, aluminum, redwood, fiberglass. It is a pro-
ducer of Venetian blinds, transparent shades, dra-
peries, blinds and upholstering. These come in a
variety of styles, for commercial and industrial as
well as residential use.

During World War II, J. W. Hurst and Son
Awnings, Inc., was engaged chiefly in the inaira-

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

375

facture of canvas products for the United States
Army, Navy and Maritime Commission. It pro-
duced many thousands of army tents, navy bunk-
bottoms, tarpaulins, and a variety of less common
canvas items used by the Armed Forces. In con-
sequence of labor shortages in the Norfolk area,
the firm set up manufacturing facilities at Em-
poria, Virginia, and during peak operations there,
between the years 1942 and 1945, employed about
two hundred workers on its government contracts
alone, exclusive of the regular operations carried
on at the Norfolk plant. Another interesting side-
line of the war years was barrage-balloon repair
work, on behalf of the defense program of the
Eastern states. In the Korean War, the firm again
turned to government work; and even its peace-
time operations include a heavy schedule of pro-
duction of army tents and other canvas products
for the United States. The firm's long experience
and the cumulative technical skills of its employees
has made its work representative of the finest in
the trade.

One of the aspects of its present production re-
news the memory of the old days when the Hursts
were considered primarily skilled sailmakers. It
contracted for the manufacture of the running rig-
ging and sails to be used in the twentieth-century
replicas of the seventeenth-century ships, the "Dis-
covery," "Godspeed" and "Susan Constant," which
participated in the April 26, 1957, re-enactment of
the historic landing at Cape Henry. This was a
part of the celebration of the three hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the first English settlement
in the Western Hemisphere — the Jamestown Fes-
tival of 1957. Like his father before him, John W.
Hurst has an exhaustive knowledge of ancient
sailing vessels. He influenced the decision to pur-
chase the required eight thousand square feet of
flaxen sailcloth from Haywood and Company of
Somerset, England. Few firms make this product
today. The three vessels were constructed at the
West Norfolk Yard of Curtis-Dunn Marine In-
dustries, Inc.

Through his firm, Mr. Hurst is a member of
the American Awning Institute, Inc., and the Nor-
folk Chamber of Commerce. He belongs to the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, and through
the years has had a prominent part in keeping
Norfolk and Hampton Roads a center of interest
in sailing. This, incidentally, is his favorite sport,
and over the years he has won a number of tro-
phies from Bay yacht clubs. He is also fond of
fishing and all outdoor sports.

At Norfolk, on December 27, 1924, John Wil-
liam Hurst married Harriette Lucille Owens,
daughter of Alexander E. and Hattie May (Sykes)
Owens of Norfolk. The couple are the parents of
two children: 1. Shirley Owens, who was born on

October 9, 1925. He graduated from Maury High
School, and from the College of William and Mary,
where he majored in business administration. Fol-
lowing the completion of his high-school courses,
he entered the United States Navy and was as-
signed to the mine sweeper "Sustain," which oper-
ated in the Mediterranean and later in the Pacific.
Since 1950, he has been secretary and treasurer
of J. W. Hurst and Son Awnings, Inc., and man-
ager of its operations at 1001 West 27th Street.
•2. Harriette Ann. She is a graduate of Maury
High School, and attended the College of William
and Mary, later transferring to Mary Washington
College of which she is a graduate. She is now
teaching in the Stuart Elementary School in
Norfolk.

GREEN-GIFFORD MOTOR CORPORA-
TION— Recognized as one of the most modern
and successful automobile dealerships in the Nor-
folk area, Green-Gifford Motor Corporation was
founded April 11, 1939. as a Chrysler-Plymouth
sales and service agency. Located at Wards Corner,
162 East Sewells Point Road, Norfolk, the firm
has as its president William T. Green and as its
secretary and treasurer, Chester B. Gifford. They
have held those offices since the firm was founded.
Both in their early twenties at that time, and the
youngest owners and operators of an automobile
dealership in the region, they can now look back
on eighteen years of steady progress. Their first
location was at 1003-1005 Liberty Street, South Nor-
folk. The agency was just getting well established
when this country went into defense production,
and Chrysler Corporation curtailed motor car man-
ufacture. During the ensuing period, the partners
carried on with general automotive repairs and
used car sales, and succeeded in laying a firm
foundation for the years ahead. Following the war,
facilities were expanded several times to meet re-
quirements, but the original location was maintain-
ed until October 1, 1951, when Green-Gifford Motor
Corporation moved into its new plant at Wards
Corner, known as the "Times Square of the South."
In the new building, erected at a cost of one
hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, the company
has continued to expand its sales and service
facilities, and today has a total of over sixteen
thousand square feet of floor space with complete
facilities for sales and service.

Back in 1939, when it was founded, Green-Gif-
ford Motor Corporation had five employees. By
195 1 the number had increased to fifteen, and in
1956 there were seventy-four skilled sales and serv-
ice personnel on the payroll. While emphasizing
efficiency and carrying the latest factory-approved
equipment, the agency has also built its reputation

376

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

on friendly relations and ethical dealings. From
the time of its founding, Messrs. Green and Gifford
have worked as a team and achieved a high degree
of success through their efforts. Both rank among
the community's foremost business and civic lead-
ers.

William Thomas Green, who is known in most
of his community and business relations as Bill
Green, was born on February 14. 1010. in Nor-
folk, son of the late Henry Y. and Grace (Parker)
Green. His paternal grandparents were William
J. and Elizabeth Ann (O'Connor) Green. The
former, a native of Quebec, Canada, came to Nor-
folk in his youth, and was a partner in the steve-
doring firm of Dillon and Green. W. T. Green's
maternal grandparents were Thomas Walter and
Dora (Outland) Parker, both natives of North
Carolina. They came to Norfolk permanently in
1901. Thomas W. Parker was well known in lum-
ber manufacturing. Henry V. Green, father of the
automobile dealer, was a plumber by trade, and
continued activity in Norfolk until his death on
August 23, 1944. Grace Parker, whom he married,
was born in North Carolina, and continues her
residence in Norfolk. The couple had three chil-
dren, of whom William T. is the oldest.

Attending public schools and graduating from
Maury High School in 1929, he began his career
in the sales field, and was for several years in the
employ of the Colgate-Palmolive Soap Company.
He worked at its advertising department in Rich-
mond until 1934. On July 16 of that year, he joined
Luhring Motor Company of Norfolk, and during
his five years with that firm, had the best record
in the entire sales force for four years. He remain-
ed through March 1939, and on April 1 1 joined
Mr. Gifford in founding their automobile agency.

A civic-minded citizen, he has an excellent rec-
ord in community as well as business affairs. As a
member of the Hampton Roads Sales Executives
Club, he was awarded the annual plaque for ac-
complishment and leadership in 1955. He is a mem-
ber and past president of the Norfolk Sport Club,
and also served, in the 1955-1956 term, as presi-
dent of the Wards Corner Business and Profes-
sional Men's Association. He is a member of the
board of directors of the Tidewater Council. Boy
Scouts of America, and the boards of the Catholic
Charities of Norfolk and the Ryan Club of Nor-
folk. He is a member of the Norfolk-Portsmouth
Automobile Dealers Association, the Virginia Auto-
motive Trade Association, and the National Auto-
mobile Dealers Association. In his own city he
belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, the Op-
timist Club, the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
the Lafayette Yacht Club, and the Sewells Point
Commissioned Officers Golf Club. He is interested

in all sports, but particularly baseball. He and his
family attend the Roman Catholic Church of
Christ the King.

On February 15, 1041, in Norfolk, William
Thomas Green married Marguerite Antoinette
Gardner, daughter of George Samuel and Lillian
A. 1 West I Gardner of that city. Mrs. Green at-
tended Blackstone College in Virginia, and is ac-
tive in civic and cultural affairs. She was president
of the Optimist Mrs. Club for the 1956 term, is vice
president of the Lakewood Garden Club, and is a
member of the Virginia Women's Club. The couple
are the parents of the following children: 1. Wil-
liam Thomas. Jr., born August 6, 1941. 2. Kay
Antoinette, born December 3, 1944. 3. Carol Ann,
born July 31, 1946. 4. Marguerite Gardner, born
September 19, 1948. 5. Barbara Lee, born January
2^, 1954. Their home is at 5534 Lakewood Drive,
Norfolk.

Chester Brownell Gifford, co-founder and sec-
retary and treasurer of Green-Gifford Motor Cor-
poration, was born April 8, 1917, in Norfolk, son
of the late Dr. Chester Brownell and lone (Carney)
Gifford. His father, a dentist, was a native of New
York state, and received his degree of Doctor of
Dental Surgery at the University of Maryland. He
practiced at Norfolk until his death on June 28,
1943. For a time he served on the Virginia State
Dental Board. Also active in community life, he
was a member of the Kiwanis Club, Masonic lodge,
and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He attended Epworth
Methodist Church. The family is of English des-
cent, lone (Carney) Gifford was born at Church-
land in Norfolk County, and her forebears had
resided there from colonial times, on an original
land grant predating the Revolution. Dr. and Mrs.
Gifford became the parents of two children: Fran-
ces, who married A. Brooks Ta\rIor, Jr., of Nor-
folk, and C. B. Gifford.

The latter, better known to friends and business
associates as Buddy Gifford, attended the public
schools of Norfolk and graduated from Maury
High School in 1936. He then entered the College
of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, and re-
mained for one year, working to earn his expenses.
At the age of fifteen, as a high school student, he
had become familiar with salesmanship by clerk-
ing in various retail establishments, and on leaving
college, secured a sales position with W. W. Lee,
Florist, in Norfolk. He remained with Mr. Lee
until the formation of his partnership with Mr.
Green in April 1939.

He has been most generous of his time and
energies in working for civic causes, in which his
executive abilities have been much appreciated. He
serves on the board of directors of the Norfolk

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

377

Chamber of Commerce, and the executive board of
the Norfolk Chapter of the American Red Cross.
A Kiwauian, lie was president of the Norfolk Club
in 1954. The following year he served as chairman
of the Norfolk Chapter of the United Nations
Association. He is a director of the Retail Mer-
chant'- Association of Norfolk, a member and past
president of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Automobile
Dealers Association, and a member of the Virginia
Automotive Trade Association and the National
Automobile Dealers Association.

He has also served on the board of governors of
the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, and is a mem-
ber of the Lafayette Yacht Club. Boating is his
favorite pastime, although he is fond of all out-
door sports. Attending the Royster Memorial Pres-
byterian Church, he formerly served on its board
of deacons.

On February 10, lijao. in the First Presbyterian
Church of Norfolk, Chester Brownell Gifford mar-
ried Barbara Hasler of that city, daughter of the
late Robert T. and Mary (Blake) Hasler. Mr. and
Airs. Gifford reside at 5600 Huntington Place, and
are the parents of two children: 1. Audrey, bom
February 13, 1941. 2. Nancy, born May 7, 1945.

CECIL CALVERT VAUGHAN, 3rd, presi-
dent of Vaughan and Company, Franklin's oldest
banking firm, was born in that city on Novem-
ber 7, 1893, son of General Cecil Crawley and
Kate (Keith) Vaughan, and grandson of C. C.
Vaughan. Sr., the bank's founder. His father was
a distinguished military man as well as a banker.
Born July 8, 1868, on Homestead Farm, he at-
tended Suffolk Military Academy and Randolph-
Macon College at Ashland, and later took a course
in banking at Poughkeepsie, New York. He then
became cashier of Vaughan and Company, and
suceeded his father as its president, as detailed in
the accompanying record of the bank's history.
His military career dated from 1892, when he
joined Company I at Franklin. By the time this
country entered the Spanish-American War, he
was captain of that unit. He served with the army
of occupation in Cuba until the muster-out of
troops in April 1899. On the reorganization of the
old Virginia Regiment shortly afterwards, his old
Company I was the first to be reorganized, and
he again became its captain. When the Fourth
Virginia Regiment was reorganized in 1900, he
was made lieutenant colonel; and in 1906 succeeded
Colonel Higgins as that regiment's commanding
officer. On February 16, 1907, on unanimous se-
lection by officers of the Virginia regiments, he
was appointed by Governor Swanson as brigadier
general of the Virginia Volunteers, with three Vir-
ginia regiments under his command. When this

country entered World War I and the Virginia
Brigade was mustered into federal service, he was
i'.s commanding officer. It became a unit of the
29th Division, and General Vaughan was placed
in command of the 54th Depot Brigade, later being
transferred to the command of the 58th Infantry
Brigade. After several months of service at Camp
McClellan, he was disqualified physically, and re-
tired from the service with the rank of major gen-
eral in the Army of the United States. General
Vaughan was a leader in the planning of an ade-
quate highway system for his region. In 1907 he
mapped out a road from Norfolk to Petersburg,
and was later president of the Virginia Good Roads
Association and vice president of the Tidewater
Automobile Association. In 1921, he was unani-
mously elected by the Democratic district conven-
tion in Suffolk to succeed Lieutenant Governor
Junius E. West in the State Senate from the Fifth
District, and held his seat in the Virginia State
Senate thereafter until his death in 1929. He held
chairmanship of the committees on roads, finance.
and the World War I Memorial. The last-named
committee was responsible for erecting the caril-
lon at Richmond. General Vaughan also served
on the board of visitors of Virginia Military In-
stitute from 1908 to 1912. His wife, the former
Kate Keith, whom he married in 1883, was the
daughter of Alexander Hume and Sarah Ann
Penelope (Foree) Keith of Athens, Tennessee.
They became the parents of four children: 1. Cora
Antoinette, now Mrs. Charles Lee Smith of Ra-
leigh, North Carolina. 2. Sarah Penelope, now Mrs.
Clifford A. Cutchins, Jr., whose husband is an of-
ficial of Vaughan and Company. 3. Katherme
Keith. 4. Cecil Calvert, of whom further.

Mr. Vaughan received his early education in
Franklin Seminary, after which he was for two
years a student at Franklin Military Academy. In
1908 he enrolled at Franklin High School, where
he graduated in 1911. He received his college edu-
cation and additional military training at Virginia
Military Institute, graduating in 1916.

In March 1917, he entered military service, being
commissioned a second lieutenant in Company I,
Fourth Virginia Infantry. After two months' train-
ing at Camp McClellan, he was promoted to first
lieutenant. He went overseas with the 110th In-
fantry, 29th Division, in 1918, and took part in
the Meuse-Argonne offensive. When the National
Guard was reorganized after World War I, he
served with Virginia Brigade headquarters as in-
telligence officer on General Waller's staff until
September 1926. He was then transferred as aide
on the staff of the commander of the 29th Division.
His active military duties terminated in 1927, when
he was transferred to the National Guard Reserve.

At the age of twenty-one, Mr. Vaughan became

rWVa. 45

378

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

assistant cashier of the family bank, and except
for his leave of absence for military service, has
devoted his career to its management. He became
president in 1929.

He has earned a reputation as one of Franklin's
most public-spirited citizens. From 1916 to 1952,
he served as trustee of the Franklin Playground
Association, and has been president and a director
of the Southampton County Chapter of the Infan-
tile Paralysis Association since 1944. For a num-
ber of years he has been a member of the execu-
tive committee of the Old Dominion Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America. He has been actively in-
terested in the 4-H Club program. Improvement
of the county's agricultural resources, better liv-
ing conditions on the farm, better markets for
farm produce, and the improvement of dairy herds
and beef cattle are of vital interest to Mr.
Vaughan. He is a practical farmer himself, own-
ing a large, modern dairy farm near Franklin. He
was instrumental in organizing the Southampton
County Guernsey Breeders Association, and served
on its board of directors in 1945. He is also a mem-
ber of the Virginia Guernsey Breeders Association.
His agricultural interests can be traced to visits
made as a boy to Homestead Farm, the ancestral
plantation where his grandfather was born. This
twelve-hundred-acre farm, located on the fork of
the river near old Bethany Church, was inherited
by C. C. Vaughan, 3rd, at the death of his father.
There he developed a dairy farm with a large
herd of Guernseys. He sold the property in 1943,
but two years later began developing a three-
hundred-and-fifty-acre dairy farm on Route 58, a
few miles west of Franklin, where he has about
one hundred and forty head of Guernseys. Milk
produced there is marketed as Golden Guernsey
Milk, and is sold in bulk to the Pine Grove Dairy
in Portsmouth.

Since 1937, Mr. Vaughan has served as president
of the Franklin Housing Corporation. For several
years he has been a member of the board of di-
rectors of Raiford Memorial Hospital, and has as-
sisted materially in the improvement of its facili-
ties. A communicant of High Street Methodist
Episcopal Church, he served on its building com-
mittee in 1954, and contributed generously to the
construction of Frankfort Memorial Church House.
He has been a member of the church since child-
hood, and serves as a steward.

In 1931, Mr. Vaughan served as chairman of
the Southampton County Drought Relief Com-
mittee for handling loans to farmers. In 1941 he
was co-ordinator of the Franklin Civilian Defense
Council, and in 1944 was president of the Franklin
Community Fund. He served as chairman of the
budget committee of the Community Fund from
1953 to 1955. He is a former vice president of the

Franklin Chamber of Commerce, and a past presi-
dent of the local Rotary Club.

VAUGHAN AND COMPANY— Since it was
founded seventy years ago, the Franklin firm of
Vaughan and Company, Bankers, has continued
its record of consistent growth and usefulness to
the community under the direction of members of
the same family, in successive generations. Its
present executive head is C. C. Vaughan, 3rd, and
it was established in 1886 by C. C. Vaughan, Sr.
A native of Southampton County, the founder was
born on April 19, 1839, son of Thomas and Maria
(Cobb) Vaughan. His birthplace was Homestead
Farm, which was a part of the original colonial
grant to his ancestors. He remained on the farm
until he reached maturity, then entered business
in Nansemond County. Shortly afterwards, war
broke out between the North and South, and he
joined a local volunteer company known as the
Nansemond Rangers. After a few months he trans-
ferred to Company A, 13th Virginia Cavalry, a
Southampton command, and served throughout
the war, being in action with the Army of Nor-
thern Virginia in the states of Virginia, Maryland
and Pennsylvania. After the war he returned to
Southampton and for several years remained on
the farm. About 1873, he located in Franklin, where
he entered the mercantile business with his broth-
er-in-law, J. P. Gay, forming the firm of Vaughan
and Gay. The fire which swept Franklin's business
section in 1881 destroyed the partners' store and
stock, but they rebuilt, erecting three stores on
the same site. Mr. Vaughan also operated a cotton
gin at First Avenue and Franklin Street, and he
had an interest in a peanut-cleaning plant. He con-
tinued to manage all of these businesses until 1898,
when he withdrew from them to devote all his
time to banking.

He had served on the board of the old Bank of
Franklin, and when that institution was threatened
with extinction, he took over its management and
from it built the successful banking firm of
Vaughan and Company. His son, Cecil Crawley
Vaughan, Jr., was its first cashier and administra-
tive officer in charge of operation. The bank was
first located in the building now occupied by the
Franklin Fruit and Confectioner}' Store. The elder
C. C. Vaughan continued his career of useful serv-
ice to his community. When the town was char-
tered as Franklin, on March 15, 1876, he had be-
come one of its first councilmen. He continued on
the council for many years, and was mayor for
several terms. In 1896, he was elected supervisor
for Franklin District, and served for twenty-eight
years in that capactiy. He was elected chairman
of the County Board of Supervisors in January
1904, and held that office until his death.

^Y^tu^^^/c^A v^^U^t^y

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

379

Before lie entered the Confederate service, Cecil
Calvert Vaughan had married, on January 10, 1861,
Miss Antoinette Gay of Southampton, daughter
of William E. and Ann Gay. To this marriage two
children were born: I. Cora Antoinette, now- Mrs.
Robert Judson Camp. 2. Cecil Crawley Vaughan,
who succeeded his father in the management of
the bank. Antoinette ( Gay ) Vaughan died on Au-
gust i, 1914, and on April 21, 1915, Mr. Vaughan
married, second, Mrs. J. F. Bryant, widow of Dr.
J. Fenton Bryant. She was the former Miss Mar-
garet Gunter of Halifax County, North Carolina.
Mr. Vaughan's death occurred on July 27, 1924.

The bank which he had founded moved from
its original location to a site across the street, in
the early days of its existence; and in 1888 erected
a more suitable building at its present site. C. C.
Vaughan, Jr., left for service in the Spanish-Ameri-
can War in 1898. He was captain of the local
Company I, and later advanced to the rank of
general. In his absence, his father took full charge
of the banking business, in which he remained
active until his death in 1924.

From its original capitalization of twenty thou-
sand dollars, the bank grew steadily until it bad
accumulated a surplus of eight\ thousand dollars
and had deposits in excess of a million dollars as
of March 1922. At that time, its growth necessita-
ted larger quarters, and extensive remodeling of
the office building was carried out. At that time
the bank had the distinction of having three gen-
erations of the same family represented in its
management. The founder was still its president;
C. C. Vaughan, Jr.. was cashier; and C. C.
Vaughan, 3rd. was assistant cashier. Mrs. Sarah
Vaughan Cutchins, daughter of General Vaughan,
was also assistant cashier. General Vaughan him-
self succeeded to the office of president on his
father's death, and continued as cashier as well
until his own death on March 27, 1929. At that
time it was determined to incorporate the institu-
tion, which had already passed forty years of exist-
ence, and as the state had passed laws prohibiting
the further formation of private banks, it was
incorporated as a state bank. Its officers at this
time were C. C. Vaughan, 3rd, president and cash-
ier; W. T. Pace, first vice president; P. R. Camp,
second vice president, R. B. Turner, assistant
cashier, and Miss A. J. Eley, assistant cashier.

At the time the bank observed its fifty-second
anniversary in 1938, it remodeled its banking quar-
ters, presenting the public with the modern office
which they know today. By December 30, 1944,
its surplus account had increased to one hundred
thousand dollars, the same amount as the capitali-
zation, and the institution was accordingly placed
on the honor roll of banks. Its statement of that
date showed assets in excess of five million dollars.

By 1951, it stood 2,380th in size among the four-
teen thousand banks in the United • States — an
advance of two hundred and twenty-six places
within two years. Deposits stood at more than
seven and a half million dollars on December 30,
1950. Growth has continued steadily, and by the
end of 1954, deposits of 58,303, 135 were recorded.
Its officers, besides its president, C. C. Vaughan
3rd, are C. A. Cutchins, 3rd. who is great-grandson
of its first president (and who also fills the office
of cashier); and V. K. Daughtrey, Jr., and R. I',.
Punier, assistant cashiers. Director's are Mr C.
C. Vaughan (who is chairman of the board), 1'.
R. Camp, Georye H. Parker, Sr., S. W. Ravvls,
Sr„ B. J. Ray, R. B. Turner, Hugh D. Camp, W.
M. Camp, and C. C. Cutchins, 3rd.

LINWOOD F. PERKINS— The Henry Walke
Company is a Norfolk organization which through
more than seven decades has dealt in industrial
supplies, machine tools and contractors' equip-
ment, building up an excellent reputation through
its service to industry in the Lower Tidewater
region. The management of this long-established
firm is the major business interest of Linwood
F. Perkins, who has been with the company from
the early years of his career, and who became
its president in mi.i.

He is a native of Norfolk, and was born on
May 4, 1008, son of Lemuel F. and Edna (Nelson)
Perkins. His father, born in Camden County,
North Carolina, was a steamfitter by trade, active
in Norfolk for many years. He died July n, 1954,
in his seventy-fourth year, and is survived by
Mrs. Perkins, who still lives in that city.

Passing his boyhood years in Norfolk, Linwood
F. Perkins attended its public schools through
the junior high school years, then left his studies
to become a plumber's helper with the firm of
Billups and Ellington. He first joined The Henry
Walke Company in 1926 as an errand boy, and
has remained with the organization throughout
the three decades since. Learning the various as-
pects of the business, he was soon given a travel-
ing job, representing the firm and selling its line
of industrial supplies and machine tools over a
considerable territory, since The Henry Walke
Company distributes its products in most South-
eastern states. After amide experience in the
sales field, Mr. Perkins joined the management
ranks of the company as secretary, and later be-
came vice president and general manager, hold-
ing this dual position at the time he was elec-
ted to the presidency of the company on August

11. 1955-

The firm was founded in 1884 by the man
whose name it bears, and was incorporated in
1899. In addition to its Norfolk headquarters, it

380

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

today maintains branch offices in Charlotte and
Atlanta, and its products reach industrialists and
contractors throughout Virginia, the Carolinas,
Georgia and the eastern shore of Maryland.

In 1949 Mr. Perkins completed an advanced
management course at the Graduate School of
Business Administration at Harvard University.
He holds a place of recognition among Southern
industrialists, and is currently serving as a mem-
ber of the board of governors and the advisory
board of the Southern Industrial Distributors As-
sociation. He is a member and past president of
this organization. Fraternally, he is affiliated with
both the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
and the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He
is a member of the higher bodies of Masonry,
being a member of Auld Consistory of the An-
cient and Accepted Scottish Rite. He is a Thirty-
second degree Mason, and a member of the Tall
Cedars of Lebanon and Khedive Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He is a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Coun-
try Club, the Lafayette Yacht Club and Virginia
Beach Shrine Club. He is a communicant of the
Christadelphian Church.

In June of 1957, Mr. Perkins accepted appoint-
ment as Norfolk's seventh member of the City
Council to take the place of Ezra T. Summers
who was recently deceased. He continues in this
office to date, having been re-elected on June 10,
1958, for another four year term. Independent in
his politics, he votes for the man or the issue re-
gardless of party affiliation. Floriculture is Mr.
Perkins' hobby, and he is fond of fishing.

On August 4, 1926, Linwood F. Perkins mar-
ried Eveleen May Davis, daughter of John and
Trynie A. (Prins) Davis. Her father, a native of
Zuni, Virginia, was a plumber and operated a
business in Norfolk. He died in 1912 at the age
of thirty-two. Mrs. Davis survives him and re-
sides in Norfolk. She is a native of Michigan.
Mr. and Mrs. Perkins are the parents of one son,
Linwood F., Jr., who was born on April 27, 1931.
He received his degree of Bachelor of Science at
the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg
in 1952. He was at that time in the Naval Reserve
Corps, and thereafter entered active service with
a lieutenant's commission. He was junior communi-
cations officer aboard the carrier "Midway" and
was later transferred to the "Northampton." At
the time of his honorable discharge on May 8,
1956, he had been in the Naval Reserve Corps
for five and one-half years. He received his degree
of Master of Business Administration at the Uni-
versity of Virginia, June 10, 1958. Linwood F. Per-
kins, Jr., married Gwendolyn H. Batten of Smith-
field. She graduated from the College of William
and Mary at the same time as her husband, and

holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The couple
are the parents of one child: Gwendolyn Anne,
who was born on February 8, 1956.

THE HENRY WALKE COMPANY— Nor-
folk's well-known distributors of industrial sup-
plies, machinery and machine tools, and contrac-
tors' supplies and equipment, had its beginning
in the horse and wagon days. To be exact, it
was in 1884 that Thomas Elliott and Henry
Walke formed a partnership under the firm name
of Elliott and Walke, with offices and warehouse
located on Market Square, now known as Com-
mercial Place. At that time its trade was confined
to the local area, and the firm handled such sup-
plies as rope, blacksmiths' requisites, and hard-
ware and steamboat supplies. Norfolk's business
center was then in the vicinity of Market Square,
and most supply houses were located in that
area. In a reasonably short time, the business
had grown to such proportions that larger quar-
ters were required, and its headquarters was
moved to Roanoke Avenue and Water Street.

Thomas Elliott retired several years later, and
the name was then changed to The Henry Walke
Company, with Henry Walke as owner. The ex-
pansion continued, and when larger quarters were
required, the company moved to the northwest
corner of Water Street and Loyall's Lane, and
remained there until after the death of Henry
Walke in 1898.

After Mr. Walke's death, the firm was granted
a charter of incorporation on April 26, 1899, with
Richard Walke, brother of the founder, as its
president, Robert D. Parrott, Jr., as manager, and
Henry W. Seabury as secretary. The operations
progressed with new lines of merchandise being
added, and when larger quarters were required,
the company moved to the southwest corner of
the same intersection. On November 11, 1916, a
fire of considerable proportions, originating on
the opposite side of the street, destroyed the com-
pany's entire building. After a short stay in tem-
porary quarters, the corporation was relocated at
the southwest corner of Commercial Place and
Union Street, occupying a four-story building
with a basement and elevator. The basement was
used for storing roof coating and other commodi-
ties not previously carried. A short period after-
wards, a warehouse in LTpton's Lane, just a short
distance from the store, was acquired for ware-
housing larger quantities of rope, nails, pipe and
other heavy merchandise. These too were lines
which had not previously been carried due to
lack of storage space. This location, in a few
years' time, became too small for the increased
business and the company's next move was to

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

38,

407 Union Street. There the quarters were much
larger, and gave access tli rough to Water Street,
thereby providing facilities for unloading from
railroad track into warehouse.

At this time, 1. Walke Truxtun, nephew oi
Henry W'alke, was elected president. He con-
tinued in office until his election as city manager
of Norfolk in 1925, and was then succeeded by
Robert S. Page. On October .'4, [934, Mr. Page,
with his associates, Joseph Rickerts, Jr., Linwood
F. Perkins, Edward L. Norman and L. R. Shep-
herd, purchased the entire holdings of the Trux-
tun family and gained control of the company.

The quarters at 407 Union Street continued to
be occupied until June 1953, when larger and
better office and warehouse facilities were acquired
at 912 West 21st Street. This location provides
ample parking space for customers and employees,
with sufficient and more modern equipment for
handling merchandise from a private railroad sid-
ing, and for trucks loading and unloading heavj
machinery.

The Henry Walke Company has experienced
steady and impressive growth since its beginning
in 1884, with a horse and wagon to distribute its
wares, and perhaps one "drummer" calling on
local business. At the present time the company
has representatives covering territories on the
Peninsula of the eastern shore of Maryland and
Virginia, in the states of Virginia, North and
South Carolina and Georgia, and there is a branch
office and warehouse at Charlotte, North Carolina.

On July 20, 1955, Robert S. Page, who had
served the company as president for three de-
cades, died, and on August II, Linwood F. Per-
kins was elected president. Mr. Perkins has been
connected with the company since May 1926, and
has served in various capacities from clerk in the
store and warehouse through the positions of
sales representative and vice president. He re-
mains president of the company, and its other
officers are F. W. Waller, vice president and
treasurer; L. R. Shepherd, vice president and
secretary; W. J. Cashman, assistant vice president
and manager of the Charlotte, North Carolina,
branch office; P. A. Newberry, assistant vice
president and sales manager; C. C. Hudgins, as-
sistant vice president and branch manager; and
E. D. Moore, assistant secretary.

AUBREY H. PERRY, Sr.— Virginia's largest
Buick dealership is that operated by the Perry
Buick Company in a two-block plant on Granby
Street from Fourteenth to Fifteenth streets in
Norfolk. Founded in 1930 by Aubrey H. Perry,
who had previously had both Buick and Ford
experience, the company today holds a command-

ing position in the economic life of the Lower
Tidewater. Mr. Perry's position among automo-
bile dealers and in the General Motors family is
equal to that which he has won for his company
among Virginia's business firms. He is also well
known in recreational, social, fraternal and re-
ligious activities.

Mr. Perry was born in Norfolk on February
5, 1899, the son of Cranley H. and Mattie Grace
( Hughes) Perry. Both his parents were natives
of Richmond. Cranley H. Perry, long a labor
leader in Norfolk, was in the plumbing business
there for many years, later becoming a plumbing
inspector for the City of Norfolk. He served as
president of the Central Labor Council. His death
occurred in 1939, when he was sixty-six years
old. The mother died in 1913, at the early age
of thirty-four.

The automobile dealer was educated in the
public school system of Norfolk. When he left
Maury High School, he began his career in the
automotive field. His first work, in 1 91 5, was
with a Ford dealer, the Bell Motor Company,
later with the Ford Motor Company, which had
a branch in Norfolk. It was in 19 17 that Mr.
Perry's experience with Buick began. However,
his early affiliation with this make of car ended
soon after the United States became an active
participant in World War I. He entered the Uni-
ted States Army and as a member of the Motor
Transport Corps was stationed at the University
of Virginia until the Armistice of 1918.

Honorably discharged, Mr. Perry returned to
his work with Buick. In 1922 he organized the
Perry Motor Company, which for about a year
and one-half handled the now-almost-forgotten
Velie automobile and the Oldsmobile. In Decem-
ber 1923, Mr. Perry, giving up this business, re-
turned to the Motor Sale and Service Company,
the Buick dealer with which he had previously
worked, as sales manager.

In March 1930, Mr. Perry was granted a Buick
franchise of his own. He organized the Perry
Buick Corporation and in the course of the years
has developed it into the largest organization in
the Old Dominion in the Buick market, with
one hundred and twenty-five employees. In 1950,
the name became Perry-Buick Company, by
which name it is known today. His son, Aubrey
H. Perry, Jr., who joined him in the business
in July 1946, is now his partner. Together the
Perrys have, in the last decade, given further
impetus to the growth of their Buick dealership.
They have just opened a branch office at 960
Little Creek Road. Perry mechanics are trained at
the General Motors Training Center at Fairfax,
which is recognized as one of the best automotive
mechanical schools in the United States.

382

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

The senior Mr. Perry, now chairman of the
Buick Line Dealers Group of Virginia, served as
president of the Norfolk Automobile Dealers As-
sociation for several years. He was active for
many years on the General Motors Dealers' Coun-
cil and is again serving on this Council. He is
now also a director and member of the execu-
tive committee of the Norfolk Community Chest
and is active in the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, the Masonic fraternity and Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club. His church is the Ghent Metho-
dist of Norfolk.

Mr. Perry married Louise Maynard, daughter
of Walter Nimmo and Lena (Doran) Maynard,
in Norfolk in September 1918. Mrs. Perry's fa-
ther, a native of Princess Anne County, operated
a custom tailoring business in Norfolk which
was more than one hundred years old and which
had been owned by his father before him. Mrs.
Perry's mother was born in Ireland. Mr. and
Mrs. Perry have two children. Their older child
is Mary Margaret, born in Norfolk in September
1919, now the wife of Captain R. F. Barry, Jr.,
who is stationed at the Fifth Naval District Head-
quarters in Hampton Roads. Captain and Mrs.
Barry have four children: i. Richard F., Jr. ii. Joan
Louise, iii. Mary Margaret, iv. Carrol.

Aubrey H. Perry, Jr., is Mr. and Mrs. Perry's
younger child. He was born in Norfolk on May
20, 1922, and is a graduate of Belmont Abbey
Junior College in North Carolina and of the
University of North Carolina. Before joining the
armed forces in World War II he attended the
Norfolk Division of the College of William and
Mary. After entering the United States Navy, he
was sent to Cornell University for officer train-
ing and upon completion of his studies at Ithaca
was commissioned an ensign. He served on vari-
ous craft, principally LSTs, in the Pacific and
at the time of his release to inactive status was
holding the rank of lieutenant, junior grade. Al-
together he was in the service for three years and
eleven months.

In 1946, after his return home, Aubrey H. Perry,
Jr., became associated with his father in the
Perry Buick Company. To train himself thorough-
ly for a career in the automotive field, he en-
rolled at the General Motors Institute in Flint,
Michigan, where he spent two years studying
every phase of the business, from mechanical
through administrative. When he returned home,
he gave his father such assistance in the manage-
ment of the Perry Buick Company and its com-
plex operations that, as of December 31, 1949,
the senior Mr. Perry made him his partner in
the organization. He has functioned in that capa-
city since that time.

The younger Mr. Perry married Eunice Simon-

son of Flint, Michigan, in 1948. They have six
children: i. Aubrey Harrison, III. ii. Janine. iii.
Josephine, iv. James, v. Walter, vi. Christine.

WILLIAM JOSEPH MOORE HOLLAND,

JR. — The Holland family has to its credit a long
record of distinguished service in funeral directing.
Until his recent death, William Joseph Moore
Holland, Jr., represented the family in the business
at Franklin, Virginia, where the funeral home is
operated as W. J. M. Holland and Sons. Mr.
Holland was perhaps even better known to his
fellow townspeople as their mayor.

Born at Franklin on September 2, 1902, he was
a son of William Joseph Moore Holland, Sr., and
his wife, the former Essie Pretlow. The elder
W. J. M. Holland, who was born in Nansemond
County in 1867, became a funeral director in
Franklin in 1890, and remained active until his
death, October 18, 1942. He had begun his career
as a cabinetmaker. Essie Pretlow, whom he mar-
ried, was born in Southampton County, and she
is still living.

Attending the public schools of Franklin, the
younger W. J. M. Holland took advanced technical
courses at Coyne Electrical School in Chicago; but
having determined to follow his father's profession,
he studied at Renouard School of Embalming in
New York City. He had his first experience with his
father's organization in 1918, when he was sixteen,
and when his education was completed, his full-
time connection with the organization began. From
the time of the elder man's death in 1942, until his
own recent passing, he managed the funeral home,
known as W. J. M. Holland and Sons. He served
four years as district governor on the Board of
Governors of the National Funeral Directors As-
sociation; and for thirteen years as secretary of
the Virginia Funeral Directors Association. Affil-
iated in business with him were his brothers, Stan-
ley Thomas and Joel Cook Holland, and a sister,
Mrs. Maria (Holland) Matthews. The funeral home
is located at Second Avenue and Franklin Street.

First becoming a member of the Franklin town
council in 1946, Mr. Holland was subsequently
elected, from among the membership of that body,
to serve as mayor, and he held that office until
the time of his death. He was a Democrat in his
politics. His memberships included the Lions Club,
the Woodmen of the World, and Cypress Cove
Country Club. A communicant of Franklin Bap-
tist Church, he served faithfully on its board of
deacons. Mr. Holland's hobby was woodworking.

At Como, North Carolina, on June 20, 1928,
William Joseph Moore Holland married Helen
Jones Winborne of that place, daughter of Samuel
Pretlow and Jessie Orlean (Jones) Winborne.

I.OW'I R T1D1 WATER VIRGINIA

3*3

Her lather, a farmer, was a native of Hertford
County, North Carolina, while her mother was
bom in Churchland, Virginia. Air. and Mrs. Hol-
land became the parents of two children: I. Wil-
liam Joseph Moore, 3rd, who was born on Sep-
tember 2, 1930. He attended Virginia Polytechnic
Institute. For four years, during the Korean con-
flict, lie served in the United State.- Air Force and
received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.
_'. Samuel Winborne, who was graduated from the
University of Richmond, in 1956, with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in History.

E. ROBIE STURTEVANT— As managing di-
rector and owner of the Sturtevant Funeral Home,
at 91 j Court Street in Portsmouth, E. Robie Stur-
tevant heads one of the most modern and com-
pletely equipped establishments in Tidewater Vir-
ginia. In his professional work, he is carrying on
a family tradition established by his father, the
late Charles Henry Sturtevant, who owned and
managed the Charles H. Sturtevant Funeral Home
01. Middle Street in Portsmouth for many years.
E. Robie Sturtevant is recognized for his leader-
ship in his profession over a period of many years.

Born on September 21, 1877, in Portsmouth, he
i- a son of Charles Henry and Sarah Jane (Wil-
son) Sturtevant, both of whom were descended
from early families of Portsmouth and Norfolk
County. Fifth of thirteen children born to his
parents, E. Robie Sturtevant was educated in the
public schools of Portsmouth. He began his career
as an apprentice in 1894, with the old Elizabeth
Iron Works on Water Street in Norfolk. After
learning the trade of machinist, he followed that
trade in the Norfolk area for twenty-eight years.

In 1930, Mr. Sturtevant took over operation of
the Sturtevant-Pagent Funeral Home in Ports-
mouth, in partnership with Robert F. Pagent. In
1938 he acquired sole ownership of the business
and at that time the present name, Sturtevant
funeral Home, was adopted.

Tin- home, air-conditioned throughout, is equip-
ped with every comfort and convenience which
good taste, and the advancement of the mortuary
science, can provide. It offers every facility for a
complete and dignified service, and is particularly
responsive to the individual needs and requests of
families in bereavement. The firm employs three
licensed embalmers.

A member of the Tidewater Virginia Funeral
Directors Association, Mr. Sturtevant served as its
president in 195 1. He is a member of the Virginia
Funeral Directors Association and the National
Funeral Directors Association.

Active in civic and fraternal affairs, he served
on the Portsmouth City Council for twelve years,
and throughout the years since, has been active

in many civic projects for the development of the
city and the Tidewater region at large. For the
p?.st thirty years he has been a member of the
Portsmouth Kiwanis Club. He is a member and
past worshipful master of Seaboard Lodge No.
56, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, in Ports-
mouth; Royal Arch Lliapter No. 11; and Ports-
mouth Commandery X". 5 of the Knights Tem-
plar. He holds the Thirty-second degree in Scot-
tish Rite Masonry. He is likewise a member of the
lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and belongs to the Chamber of Commerce.

A consistent practicing Christian, Mr. Sturtevant
takes a full part in the program of the Wright
Memorial Methodist Church of Portsmouth. He-
has served as a member of its board of deacons
for over fifty years, and has been secretary of the
congregation for forty years. He formerly taught a
men's Bible class, and is a charter member of the
Men's Lunch and Bible Class.

E. Robie Sturtevant married Beulah Moore,
daughter of the late Augustus W. and Mary
(Thomas) Moore of Portsmouth. They are the
parents of the following children: 1. Charles Au-
gustus, born May 17, 1910. He is now assistant
traffic manager of the Norfolk Southern Railway
Company. He married Anne Mosely of Ports-
mouth, and they are the parents of two children:
Carol Anne and Charles Robie Sturtevant. 2. Mary,
born September 7, 1914. She married William R.
Gardner of Portsmouth, and they are the parents
of four children: Barbara Anne, Jean Elizabeth,
Richard, and William R., Jr. The residence of
Mr. and Mrs. E. Robie Sturtevant is at 915 Court
Street, Portsmouth.

EZRA TOLES SUMMERS— The late Ezra
Toles Summers could list among his accomplish-
ments successful activity in the insurance field,
a career of usefulness in public life, and a record
of wartime service in the Coast Guard. He was
commonly regarded as one of the most promising
of Norfolk political figures, was influential in the
government of his city, and held the position of
councilman at the end of his life.

A native of Norfolk, he was born on January
21, 1907, son of Robert Ernest Summers, who was
a member of the old Common Council of Norfolk.
His mother was the former Annie Grandy. The
family tradition hi public service dates back many
generations, for an earlier Ezra Toles Summers,
great-great-grandfather of his namesake, was at
one time mayor of Norfolk.

The public schools of his native city provided
Ezra Summers with his education and he gradu-
ated from Norfolk's Maury High School in 1923, at
the age of sixteen. He began his career as a pattern-

384

LOWER TIDEWATER YIRGENIA

maker's apprentice with a farm implement manu-
facturing firm in his home city, and his next posi-
tion was with Standard Oil Company, for which
he worked in the office as a mail clerk. In 1927
he joined the staff of Guaranty Title and Trust
Company of Norfolk as an insurance bookkeeper.

Learning considerable about the insurance busi-
ness while in this connection, Mr. Summers de-
cided that he would seek his livelihood in that
field. He was later made manager of Robert P.
Beamon and Co. Inc., Insurance and Security
Bonds. Joining others, he formed the agency known
as Lowenberg, Summers and Borum, and in 1939
acquired his partners' interests, thus becoming sole
proprietor of the firm, changing its name to its
present form, Ezra T. Summers, Inc.

In June 1939, Mr. Summers was raised to the
degree of Master Mason (the onfy Mason to be
raised on foreign soil) in Bermuda. This ceremony
was conducted under special dispensation of Needam
S. Turnbull, Jr., Grand Master of Masons in Vir-
ginia and the authority for holding this ceremony
at Bermuda came from the Grand Lodge of Scot-
land.

In 1942, Mr. Summers enlisted for wartime serv-
ice in the United States Coast Guard. He was as-
signed as port security officer in charge of the
Portsmouth Barracks, with about a thousand men
under his command. On July 1, 1945, he was desig-
nated Military Morale Officer for the DCGO, 5th
Naval District. He had entered the service with
a commission as lieutenant, junior grade, and held
the rank of lieutenant commander when he was
separated from active service in 1946. He was
elected commander of the Norfolk Chapter of the
Coast Guard League, the first group organized in
the 5th Naval District. He became interested in
the fighters under his command, worked with them
and later became president and matchmaker of
the Empire Sports Corp. The years following were
devoted to the management of his insurance agency.

An independent Democrat, Mr. Summers became
candidate for a seat on the city council in 1952,
stressing that he was running without obligation to
any political group. At that time he already had
to his credit a long record of participation in public
affairs. In 1932 he had joined forces with a group
which successfully campaigned to elect Colgate W.
Darden, Jr., to the Second District congressional
seat. Mr. Darden later became governor of the
state. In 1936 he joined Norman R. Hamilton, Ports-
mouth newspaper publisher, managing Mr. Hamil-
ton's successful campaign for the office of congress-
man. He served as his secretary for the two year
term. During his tenure on the city council, which
continued from 1952 until his death, Ezra Toles
Summers won praise from many quarters for his

integrity and ability. "His record as a councilman,"
commented The Virginian-Pilot, "showed he was
not afraid to stand alone when he thought some
government move was wrong." Upon his reelection
on June 12, 1956, he led the ticket. A colleague
on the council, L. L. Layton, remarked on the
occasion of his death: "Mr. Summers' sincere in-
terest in the welfare of his fellow citizens, his
human approach to the affairs of the city, and his
friendliness in dealing with the problems and de-
cisions of this council will be sorely missed by
those of us who have been associated with him."

Mr. Summers was a member of the Izaak Wal-
ton League, the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,
and Norfolk Lodge No. 38, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, in which he had once held
the office of Esteemed lecturing knight. He was
also a member of Owens Lodge No. 164, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons; Norfolk Chapter No.
1, Royal Arch Masons; Grice Commandery No.
16, Knights Templar; and Khedive Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He held membership in the Junius F. Lynch Post
No. 35, The American Legion, the Norfolk Cham-
ber of Commerce, and the Military Order of the
World Wars. He was also a member and director
of the Downtown Club of Norfolk; a director and
first president of Cavalier Yacht and Country Club
and a member of Norfolk Sports Club and Norfolk
Association of Life LTnderwriters.

He was active in the work of the Park Place Bap-
tist Church. He had served as a deacon, and was
chairman of the building committee for the erection
of the new house of worship. He had previously
served as a member of the finance committee, and
president of the Men's Bible Class. Dr. H. W.
Tiffany, pastor of Park Place Baptist Church, said:
"Our Church has lost a valuable member, he was
chairman of the Building Commission, planning our
remodeling program. Under his wise leadership we
had raised more than half of the $300,000 needed
for the extensive work. He was a man of clear
thought, conviction, courage and character. He was
a man of devotion to Christ, to his family, and to
his city."

At Ascension Episcopal Church, in Norfolk, on
September 10, 1927, Ezra Toles Summers married
Alice Bassett Lindsay of that city, daughter of
William Earl and Eva (Wharton) Lindsay. Her
father was in the towing and transportation busi-
ness on the waterways of the area. Mr. and Mrs.
Summers became the parents of one son, Robert
Ernest, who was born in Norfolk on June 9, 1930.
He attended Stuart Elementary School and Granby
High School, graduated in 1948, and went on to
Washington and Lee College, where he was a
student for one vear. At the end of that time

U?vt<ajU-^fj

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

385

lie transferred to Elon College, where he graduated
in 1952 with the degree of Bachelor of Science.
Robert E. Summers married Elizabeth Clements
of Peterburg. They have one son, Robert Ernest,
Jr., born June I, 1957.

Norfolk lost a dynamic and universally respected
leader when Ezra T. Summers died in that city on
June II, 1957. Resolutions were sent the family,
from the City Council, Cosmopolitan Club, Ameri-
can Legion, Downtown Club of Norfolk, and A.
C. Richmond, Vice Admiral U. S. Coast Guard
Commander. Mr. Summers was selected as one
of Norfolk's Ten Best Dressed Businessmen Sep-
tember 1956.

On Saturday. June 15, 1957, W. N. Cox in the
"Virginia Pilot." in the column Things to Remem-
ber paid tribute to Mr. Summers as follows, under
the title "At Review's End":

The historic week comes to a close today and some of
us who knew him will remember the climactic street parade
in the downtown area as the Ezra Summers Memorial.
City Councilman Summers worked hard to get the Inter-
national Navy off the water and down on the ground for
the rank and file to witness at least some of the dazzling
pomp and circumstance.

LEWIS ARCHER McMURRAN, JR.— En-
gaged in the real estate, property development and
investments business at Newport News from the
early years of his career, Lewis Archer McMur-
ran, Jr., has served since the late 1940s as a
member of Virginia House of Delegates. He was
a naval officer during World War II.

A native of Newport News, he was born on
April 11, 1914, son of Lewis Archer and Agnes
Barclay (Epes) McMurran. His father, born at
Portsmouth on March 12, 1886, was a lawyer,
practicing at Newport News, where he died on
January 12, 1930. His wife, the former Agnes
Barclay Epes, was born in Franklin County, Ken-
tucky, on April 6, 1888. She died November 30,
1949. Reared in Newport News, Lewis A. Mc-
Murran, Jr., attended its public schools and gradu-
ated from high school there. He then attended
Washington ;.nd Lee University.

He began his career in the real estate field,
and has played a prominent part in the develop-
ment of properties in his own right, as well as
arranging transfers and rentals. He also deals in
investments, as head of his own agencj', which
has its office at 5912 Huntington Avenue. He
is an official of the Bank of Warwick, a director
and currently secretary.

Mr. McMurran was absent from his home city
during the World War II period, serving for
four years in the United States Navy and ad-
vancing to the rank of lieutenant commander.
He was a member of the Joint Operations Re-

view Board in Washington, D. C, during a part
of that time.

In 1948 he was elected to the House of Dele-
gates on the Democratic ticket, to represent the
people of Warwick and Newport News. He has
been consistently active in the councils of his
party, being formerly chairman of the City Demo-
cratic Committee at Newport News, and past
president of the Young Democratic Clubs of Vir-
ginia.

Mr. McMurran is vice chairman of the Penin-
suU, Industrial Committee, and secretary-treasurer
and member of the board of the Citizens Rapid
Transit Company. He is a director of the Penin-
sula Association of Commerce, and served as the
chairman of the Virginia Three Hundred and Fif-
tieth Anniversary Commission, responsible for
directing the Jamestown Festival of 1957. He is
a member of the James River Country Club and
the Commonwealth Club in Richmond. Attend-
ing the Presbyterian Church in his home city,
he serves as a deacon.

At the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in
New York City, on January 17, 1953, Lewis Ar-
cher McMurran, Jr., married Edith Margaret Lea,
of Prince Edward Island. Canada. She is the
daughter of the late Premier of that province,
the Hon. Walter Maxfield Lea, and his wife, the
former Maude Rogerson. The couple are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Lewis Archer, III, who
was born on December 1, 1953. 2. Edit.i Lea,
horn March 17, 1955.

BENJAMIN JOHNSON WILLIS, SR.— The

story of Willis Wayside, of suburban Norfolk, is
in large measure the career record of Benjamin
J. Willis, Sr., and his brothers, Grayson K. and
John 3rd. B. J. Willis has been active in furniture
retailing, and much of that period has been spent
with Willis Furniture Company, Inc., operating
company of Willis Wayside. His personal influence
has been great in assuring the success of this
venture.

The name of Willis has been identified with the
retail furniture field since 1884, when John Willis,
Jr., father of Benjamin J. Willis, Sr., acquired the
Benjamin Johnson Furniture Store on Church
Street, opposite old St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
John Willis came from the Eastern Shore of Vir-
ginia in 1890, and began his career in Mr. John-
son's store. He worked as a clerk, saved his
money, and was able to purchase the elder man's
interest at his death. The firm name was later
changed to John Willis, Jr., and for some years
it continued operations at the same site. Later
Mr. Willis formed a partnership with William F.
Smith of Portsmouth and W. F. Crall of Norfolk,
who had been engaged in furniture retailing in

386

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

those cities. With the consolidation of interests,
the firm opened two stores in Norfolk, one in
Portsmouth and one in Hampton, with home of-
fices at Main and Church streets in Norfolk. In
igoS, Mr. Crall withdrew from the partnership to
become a pioneer in motion-picture theater opera-
tion in the same city: and in 1920 Mr. Smith too
left the furniture firm. John Willis, Jr., continued
as directing- head until the company was dissolved
in 1929.

In 1930 the present Willis Furniture Company,
Inc., was formed, with John Willis, Jr., as presi-
dent. His three sons became members of the new
organization. Benjamin J. Willis was its secretary;
John Willis, 3rd was vice president; and Grayson
Willis was treasurer. Although the founder con-
tinued as president until his death in June 1955, he
was not active in its management except in an
advisory capacity to his sons, who grew up in the
business under his guidance. When it began oper-
ations in 1930, the Willis Furniture Company was
located on Granby Street opposite the Flatiron
Building. In 1934, expanding operations dictated
removal to a new location at the corner of Main
and Granby. Over the next twenty years, until
December 31, 1954, this site continued to be oc-
cupied. Early in 1950 the Willis Realty Corpora-
tion purchased twenty acres of land on Virginia
Beach Boulevard at Thalia. There were two build-
ings located on the propert}' that had been used
as a tubercular hospital. The main building was
converted to use as a retail furniture store and
contained about sixty-five hundred square feet of
floor space. The present building contains about
thirty-five thousand square feet. In September
1950, Willis Wayside, on Virginia Beach Boulevard
at Thalia, was opened. With ample floor space
for display, as well as for a large stock of furni-
ture to appeal to a wide range of tastes, and witli
the most modern, attractive and efficient plan-
ning, the store has already established itself as a
model for the retail furniture trade. The company
sells quality furniture in the medium to higher
price ranges. It attracts customers from parts of
the state well beyond the Lower Tidewater area,
and many buyers from eastern North Carolina.

Recognized as an outstanding leader in hi- in-
dustry, Ben J. Willis. Sr., has appeared on the
speaker's platform at many national gatherings in
the merchandising field. He has been honored on
many occasions for his contributions to the ad-
vancement of the trade, and for his civic work as
well. A native of Norfolk, he was born on August
19, 1894, second of the children born to John Wil-
lis, Jr., and Pearl (Johnson) Willis. Mrs. Willis,
who was a daughter of Benjamin A. and Hannah
Johnson, died in July 1955. They were the parents
of seven children: 1. Rose Johnson Willis, who is

unmarried and resides in Norfolk. 2. Benjamin
Johnson, Sr. 3. John Willis, 3rd, who is president
of Willis Furniture Company. 4. Gladys, who died
in [923. She was the wife of Dr. Robert Hender-
son, a medical officer in the United States Navy.
5. Grayson K., now vice president of Willis Furni-
ture Company. 6. Frances, who married Colonel
Eldridge Walker. He holds an administrative post
at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne,
Pennslvania. 7. Mary Catherine, who married Stu-
art H. Russ, who is associated with Willis Way-
side.

Ben J. Willis attended the public schools of
Norfolk and Norfolk Business College. His entire
business career has been in retail furniture mer-
chandising. As outlined above, he joined his father
and brothers in the Willis Furniture Company,
serving as its secretary.

Mr. Willis' records of service and achievement
both in the furniture industry and in community
affairs are many. He received nationwide recogni-
tion when he was selected as one of eleven leaders
in merchandising to receive the designation of All-
American Merchant of 1952, on the basis of their
contributions to the furniture industry. In 1954 he
received the Furniture South Award of Merit, and
in the same year was named by the members of
the Southern Retail Furniture Association as the
.mt -landing retail furniture merchant of Virginia.
The Willis family are sponsors of a prize, the
John Willis, Jr., Award of Merit, an annual award
which goes to a retail furniture merchant in Vir-
ginia or North or South Carolina for outstanding
contributions to his community and to the advance-
ment of furniture merchandising. B. J. Willis has
held a number of official positions in organizations
drawing their membership from his industry At
the present time he is serving on the board of di-
rectors of the National Retail Furniture Associa-
tion. In 1955 he was elected president of the
Southern Furniture Association, and was re-elected
to succeed himself in the presidency in 1956. He
is the first man in the long history of the organi-
zation to be elected to a second consecutive term.
In 1928 and again in 1935 he was elected president
of the Retail Merchants Association of Norfolk;
and as a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Com-
merce, ue serves on its board of directors. He also
holds membership in the Virginia State Chamber
of Commerce.

Mr. Willis devotes a great deal of time to the
activities of civic and charitable organizations. He
serves on the board of directors of Leigh Memorial
Hospital, is a member of the school board of his
city, and is a director of the Boys' Club of Nor-
folk. Among his business connections, he is a
member of the board of directors of the Southern
Bank of Norfolk. He is a Rotarian, a member of

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

387

the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Prin-
cess Anne Country Club and the Virginia Club.
Affiliated with the Vnoient Free and Accepted
Masons, he is a member of Atlantic Lodge Xo. 2,
and Xorview Lodge Xo. 62, both Blue Lodges;
Xorfolk Chapter Xo. 1, Royal Arch Masons; Grice
Commandery No. 10, Knights Templar; and Khe-
dive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Lodge
Xo. 38, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
and the Xorfolk Chapter of the Virginia Society,
Sons of the American Revolution. During \\ orld
War II, Mr. Willis was a member of the First
Interceptor Command and participated in fund-
raising campaigns to help finance the war effort.

An active member of Ghent Methodist Church,
he serves on its board of stewards. He takes an
especial interest in fine saddle horses and show
horses, and is a memuei of the Tidewater Horse
and Pony Association.

On April 14, 1917, in Xorfolk, Benjamin John-
son Willis, Sr., married Miss Alice Robertson,
(laughter of the late Caswell Howard and Alice
Leola (Cheatham) Robertson of that city. Her
father was a livestock dealer. Mr. and Mrs. Willis
are the parents of two children: 1. Alice Johnson,
who was born on October 28, 1918. She married
James Blaine Denny, Jr., a building contractor of
X'orfolk, and they are the parents of three children:
i. James Blaine, 3rd. ii. Susan Willis, iii. Alice
Bruce. 2. Benjamin Johnson, Jr., horn on June 3,
1020. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney Col-
lege. During World War 11 he served in the Uni-
ted States Navy, first as an ensign and later with
the rank of lieutenant commander, and he is now
treasurer of the Willis Furniture Company, Inc.,
operating Willis Wayside. He is a member of the
Rotary Club of Xorfolk; is a member of the board
of directors of the Xorfolk Retail Merchants As-
sociation; is active in the Tidewater Council of
the Boy Scouts of America; and serves on the
hoard of stewards of Ghent Methodist Church.
He is a member of Princess Anne Country Club.

The elder Benjamin J. Willis makes his home
at 5303 Rofle Avenue, Norfolk.

WILLIAM MILTON HUTCHENS— One of
the major automotive dealers of the Lower Tide-
water area, who is distributor for the biggest seller
among General Motors products, William Milton
Hutchens is president of the Cofer Motor Company.

He was born on May 13, 1909, at Newport Xews,
son of Walter K. and Mary Hutchens. His father,
a native of Virginia, served the federal government
as an employee in the Internal Revenue Service for
many years. He is now deceased as is his wife, also
a native of Virginia.

Attending the public schools of Newport News,

William M. Hutchens began his career working for
hi- In other, Charles K. Hutchens, in Xewport Xews.
They operated a Chevrolet dealership there under
the name of the Xewport News Automobile Ex-
change. In the course of the decade he spent with
this organization, William M. Hutchens became
familiar with all aspects of sales and service agency
operation.

In 1940 he came to Smithfield to assume man-
agement of the Cofer Motor Company, and has
been the president of this Chevrolet dealership to
date. Offices, showrooms and service facilities are
located at 207 Main Street. Besides his own agency,
Mr. Hutchens is an official of the Merchants and
Farmers Bank of Smithfield, serving on its board
of directors. He is also a director, and currently
vice president, of the Virginia Chevrolet Dealers
Association.

Mr. Hutchens was absent from his customary
business activities, serving in the United States
Army in World War II. Assigned to the 1471b
Engineer Combat Battalion, he served as a staff
sergeant overseas, and was in the European Theater
for a year and a half. He received his honorable
discharge on XTovember 11, 1945, after a total of
two and one-half years in service.

Active in the American Legion, Mr. Hutchens is
a member of Post No. 49, and he also holds mem-
bership in the German Chili of Smithfield and in
the Rotary Club. He is a communicant of Trinity
Methodist Church. Fond of the outdoors, he is
particularly partial to boating and fishing.

At Newport News, on October 4, 1943, William
Milton Hutchens married Virginia Lee Stockley, of
Keller, Virginia, daughter of Nathaniel H. Stockley.
The couple have one son, William M., Jr., born
in Newport News on November 5, 1950.

EDWARD M. HARGRAVE— A native of Jack-
son Township, Northampton County, XTorth Caro-
lina, Edward M. Hargrave was born on October 6,
1891, son of John Fletcher and Sarah Wood Har-
grave of that County. His father, a farmer, died
in 1899. Mr. Hargrave was then eight years old.
Shortly thereafter he was placed in the Oxford
Orphanage, at Oxford, Xorth Carolina, where he
remained until he went to live with his uncle, Dr.
George B. Wood, a physician practicing in Em-
poria. Virginia. Reared in that city, Mr. Hargrave
received his education in the Emporia High School,
finishing in 1906, after which he began his business
career.

After leaving Emporia, his first position was
with the Home Telephone Company of Hender-
son, North Carolina. Later he was employed by the
Roanoke Power Company, at Roanoke Rapids,
Xorth Carolina, in the Construction Department.

3 88

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

In i mk) Mr. Hargrave came to Portsmouth,
where lie secured a position in the office of the
Car Accountant of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Company and, while in that office, took evening
courses in stenography, bookkeeping, and account-
ing. After completing the course in stenography,
he secured a position in the office of the Super-
intendent of Motive Power. His last position with
the Seaboard was that of Chief Clerk to the Elec-
trical Engineer. After leaving the railroad he was
employed by the Portsmouth Cotton Oil Refining
Corporation as private secretary to the General
Manager. Upon the completion of his course in
accounting, he was offered, and accepted, a posi-
tion with the Two State Package Corporation of
Portsmouth. Virginia, as General Auditor, a posi-
tion he held until shortly after the end of World
War I.

Mr. Hargrave, now a Registered Public Ac-
countant, with offices in the New Kirn Building,
Portsmouth, Virginia, formed his own accounting
business in 1919 and during the intervening years
has built up an enviable practice in the lower Tide-
water area, and his efficient service in accounting
and tax matters has won him recognition through-
out Virginia and neighboring states.

Mr. Hargrave holds a Treasury Card which
entitles him to practice before the United States
Treasury Department and the United States Tax
Court. He is a member of the National Association
of Cost Accountants and an associate member of
Tidewater Chapter of the Virginia Society of Public
Accountants. He has consistently striven to im-
prove the quality of his work and to elevate the
standards of his profession.

In his city, Mr. Hargrave is a member of the
Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. He is affiliated
with a number of Masonic bodies, namely: Ameri-
ca Lodge No. 330, Portsmouth Midday Lodge No.
132, Ancient pree and Accepted Masons; Ports-
mouth Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite (a Thirty-second degree Mason);
Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine, and the Portsmouth Shrine
Club. Mr. Hargrave is also a member of Ports-
mouth, Virginia, Lodge No. 82, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks.

Mr. Hargrave married Miss Edna Snapp, daugh-
ter of the late Professor C. E. Snapp and Annie
Harper Snapp. They live at 5 Court Street, Ports-
mouth, Virginia, and are members of Monumental
Methodist Church of that city.

WAVERLEY LEE BERKLEY, JR.— As presi-
dent and treasurer of the Security Insurance Agen-
cy, Inc., Waverley Lee Berkley, Jr., headed a gen-
eral insurance and real estate business which has

its offices at 222 West Berkley Avenue, Norfolk.
Born Pebruary 20, 1895, at Berkley in Norfolk
County (then an independent community but now
a part of Norfolk), he was a son of Waverley Lee,
Sr., and Judith Elizabeth (Ferebee) Berkley. He
was of English lineage, which in the paternal line is
traced to John Berkley, who came to the colony of
Virginia late in the seventeenth century and settled
in Fairfax County. There his descendants became
substantial planters, which they remained through-
out the antebellum period. The line of descent from
John Berkley comes down through William (1),
William (2), Benjamin, John Walker, Lycurgus,
and Waverley Lee Berkley, Sr. The Ferebee line
is also of English origin, and they were among the
early colonial families of Norfolk. John Ferebee,
land surveyor, laid out Norfolk Town in 1680, and
from him, the insurance executive descended
through Thomas, William, Thomas Cooper (1),
Thomas Cooper (2), and Judith Elizabeth (Ferebee)
Berkley. Lycurgus Berkley, for whom the town
of Berkley was named, was born in Fairfax Coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1827, and came to Norfolk in 1847.
For a number of years he was a partner in the
wholesale dry goods firm of Berkley, Miller and
Company. Following his marriage to Eliza Middle-
ton, only child of Captain John S. Middleton, a
seafaring man of Ferry Point, he moved his resi-
dence to that place. There he acquired considerable
land, laid out streets and town lots, and became
the outstanding leader in the town's development.
He gave sites for the building of churches of four
denominations, and also made generous financial
contributions to their establishment. When the
town was incorporated in 1870, it was named Berk-
ley in his honor, and in 1906 became a part of the
city of Norfolk. He died in 1881 and his wife in
1904. Their son, Waverley Lee Berkley, Sr., was
born August 18, 1861, at Ferry Point, Norfolk
County. A man of unusual abilities, he was a busi-
ness leader in Berkley for many years. In his early
career he was a retail dry goods merchant, and
later headed the retail furniture firm of W. L.
Berkley and Company. He retired several years
before his death on February 6, 1922. He had
served as vice president of the Merchants and Plant-
ers Bank, and as president of the Berkley Per-
manent Building and Loan Association, which in
recent years became the Home Federal Savings
and Loan Association of Norfolk. He was past
worshipful master of Doric Lodge No. 44. and
a member of Ionic Chapter No. 46, Royal Arch
Masons, the Commandery of the Knights Templar,
and Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Norfolk. He at
one time served as District Deputy Grand Master.
He was reared in the faith of the Methodist Church,

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

389

but following his marriage became a member of
St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Berkley, where he
served as senior warden. Judith Elizabeth Ferebee,
whom he married, was the daughter of Thomas
Cooper Ferebee of Currituck County, North Caro-
lina, who married Elizabeth Wallace of Norfolk
County, Virginia. She was born April 26, 18(15, and
following her death July 19, 1939, was buried
beside her husband in Magnolia Cemetery, Nor-
folk. Waverley Lee, Sr., and Judith Elizabeth
(Ferebee) Berkley became the parents of five chil-
dren: 1. Percy Cooper, born in 1887; died in 1929-
2. Judith Ferebee, who married Richard C. Owen,
who is with Foote Brothers and Company of Nor-
folk. 3. Helen Middleton, who married David Armi-
stead Dashiell, a retired business man of Norfolk.
4. Waverley Lee. Jr. 5. Fairfax M., assistant prin-
cipal of Blair Junior High School of Norfolk.

Waverley Lee Berkley, Jr., was educated in
private and public schools, and graduated from
Maury High School in Norfolk. He was briefly
associated with his father in business, and in 1914
entered the Merchants and Planters Bank in Berk-
ley as a runner. Later assigned to the bookkeeping
department, he continued there until his enlistment
in the United States Navy for World War I serv-
ice. From December 1917, until March 1919, he
served in the grade of chief yeoman.

In 1919 he began his career in the insurance
business as a partner of John W. Nash. They es-
tablished the general insurance and real estate firm
of Nash and Berkley, with offices at Berkley. In
1926, this agency merged with that of Samuel W.
Lyons, Jr., in forming the present Security Insur-
ance Agency, Inc., of Berkley. Mr. Lyons became
its president, and Mr. Berkley secretary and treas-
urer. At Air. Lyons' death in 1955, he was succeed-
ed in the presidency by Mr. Berkley, wdio also
continued as treasurer. The other executive officers
included J. R. Sears, vice president, and Miss E. V.
Grimes, secretary. The firm writes all types of
insurance policies except life, and serves clients in
Norfolk, South Norfolk, Portsmouth, and through-
out Norfolk and Princess Anne counties. It re-
presents Allied Lines, in fire, auto and casualty
insurance and surety bonds. The firm also engages
in the real estate business.

Besides heading this firm Mr. Berkley was vice
president and a director of the Home Federal
Savings and Loan Association of Norfolk. He was
a member of the Virginia Association of Insurance
Agents; Doric Lodge No. 44, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons; the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club; the Farmington Country Club of Charlottes-
ville; and the Church of the Good Shepherd (Epis-
copal) in Norfolk. He was fond of competitive out-
door sports, especially baseball and football.

In St. Paul's Episcopal Church, in the Berkley
section of Norfolk, on January 14, 1925, Waverley
Lee Berkley, Jr. married Clara E. McCoy, daugh-
ter of the late Henry F. and Evelyn (Colonna)
McCoy of Norfolk. Mr. McCoy died in 1910, and
his widow married, second, Oscar F. Smith, Jr.,
president of the Norfolk Dredging Company. Mr.
and Mrs. Berkley became the parents of three chil-
dren: 1. Evelyn Colonna, born November 28, 1925.
She attended the College of William and Mary
at Williamsburg, Virginia, and is married to Rob-
ert Drew Harrison of Philadelphia, wdio is vice
president of John Wanamaker, Inc., in that city.
They are the parents of two daughters; Nancy
Berkley Harrison, born October 16, 1952, and Eve-
lyn Lee Harrison, born November 14, 1957. 2.
Waverley Lee, III, born June 6, 1930. He received
both his Bachelor of Arts (1952) and his Bachelor
of Laws (1955) degrees from the University of
Virginia. Having served for three years in the
United States Marine Corps, he is now associated
with the law firm of Jett, Sykes and Coupland in
Norfolk. 3. John McCoy, born October 29, 1932.
Following three years' service in the United States
Marine Corps, he entered the LTniversity of Vir-
ginia, where he majored in business administration.
He is vice president of the Security Insurance
Agency, Inc., his father's old firm.

Waverley Lee Berkley, Jr., passed away on
August to, 1958.

FRED A. HAYCOX— Specializing in the field
of concrete construction and asphalt paving, Fred
A. Haycox of Norfolk and Virginia Beach has
built up his own successful organization, which has
its headquarters on Virginia Beach Boulevard, half-
way between the two communities. He has had over
thirty years' experience in the business, has won
recognition and confidence through the completion
of a number of important contracts, and has proved
himself as capable in business management as in
the techniques of construction. His leadership has
been in evidence in a number of community con-
nections.

A native of the Tidewater area, he was born
on April 5, 1898, son of Edward James and Millie
May (Addenbrook) Haycox. A resident of Nor-
folk and Virginia Beach for over fifty years, he
attended the old Seventh Ward Grammar School
on Park Place in Norfolk and completed his second-
ary studies at Maury High School.

From his boyhood years, Mr. Haycox has been
familiar with the construction industry, in which
he first worked in association with members of his
family. In the early 1920s he entered business in
his own name and in 1924 built the first concrete
road to Cape Henry. Also in the 1920s, he in-

39o

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

stalled concrete streets in Virginia Beach and the
north end of Virginia Beach, the seawall, and the
broadwalk. In 1929-1930 he constructed the first
reinforced concrete bridge in Norfolk, known as
the Larchmont or Colley Avenue Bridge.

Mr. Haycox accomplished the original work for
the Norfolk Ford Assembly Plant, following which
he did the work for the Philadelphia Ford Branch
at Chester, Pennsylvania. He has constructed num-
erous projects for private enterprises and for the
United States Government Army and Navy in-
stallations, over a period of many years. The present
firm of Fred A. Haycox Company, Inc., Concre-
tors, was founded in 1923, and he has been its presi-
dent since that time.

Respected throughout the industry, in which he
is one of the veteran contractors of the Tidewater
area, Mr. Haycox is currently serving as chairman
of the Virginia State Registration Board for Con-
tractors. A member of the Coastal Turnpike Au-
thority, responsible for the construction of Ocean
Highway, he has served as its vice chairman. Among
his business connections, he is a member of the
board of directors and one of the original organizers
of the Bank of Virginia Beach and is president of
the Beach Publishing Corporation, publishers of the
Virginia Beach Sun-News.

Mr. Haycox has been vitally interested in com-
munity affairs and serves on the board of United
Communities Fund. He is also a member of the
Tidewater Virginia Development Council. For the
past fifteen years he has been a member of the
Rotary Club of Virginia Beach, and he is a charter
member of the Cosmopolitan Club. His other mem-
berships include Lodge No. 266 of the Knights of
Pythias and the Blue Lodge of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He is a member of the higher
bodies of the Masonic order, and of Khedive Tem-
ple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, at Norfolk. Air. Haycox is also a member
of the Virginia Club and the Princess Anne Coun-
try Club and the Methodist Church.

On January 4, 1921, Fred A. Haycox married
Grace Cromwell, and they are the parents of two
sons: 1. Fred A., Jr., who was born on May I,
1924. He attended Augusta Military Academy and
served in the Corps of Engineers, LTnited States
Army, in World War II. He is now the president
of Asphalt Roads and Materials Company, Inc. 2.
William C, horn on August 24, 1925. He attended
the University of Virginia and was in the United
States Army Air Corps during World War II. At
the present time, William C. Haycox is secretary of
Asphalt Roads and Materials Company.

CHARLES KUNKLE HUTCHENS— Thirty-
seven years ago, Charles Kunkle Hutchens founded

the Newport News Automobile Exchange. The man-
agement of this Chevrolet agency has since been
his major business interest, and he has also been
for some time a member of the Virginia House of
Delegates, in which he has served for ten terms.
He was born on January 22, 1896, at Radford,
Virginia, son of Walter Kunkle and Mary Hutchens.
His father, a native of Virginia, was active in the
shipbuilding industry, working for some years in
the Newport News Shipyard. He also held public
office, serving as city councilman, and as deputy
collector of Internal Revenue under President
Woodrow Wilson. Both he and his wife are de-
ceased. Their son Charles K. Hutchens gained his
first business experience early in life, selling news-
papers at the gate of the Newport News Shipyard
at the age of nine years. During the years that
followed, while obtaining his more formal education
in the public elementary and high schools of New-
port News, he worked at various jobs, including
clerking at a soda fountain and selling candy in
local theaters. After completing his high school
studies, he worked for a year with the J. P. Gayle
Supply Company. He began his experience in the
automobile sales field in 1917 when he took a posi-
tion as salesman with the Messick Motor Company,
Newport News' agency for the old Studebaker.

Mr. Hutchens left that firm in 1921 to open a
used-car exchange, forming a partnership with John
H. Watkins. This was the first exclusively used-car
dealership in the city. At that time there was little
opportunity to obtain a franchise for the sale of
any of the popular makes of new cars; and in view
of the high mortality rate among this rather long
list of automobiles in the decade or so which fol-
lowed, it was probably to Mr. Hutchens' advantage
to be gaining his experience in used-car sales. He
foresaw the continued growth of the city to the
north; and he and Mr. Watkins selected a location
at 3400 Huntington Avenue as the site of their
business. The firm which began its existence there
on September 13, 1921, was named the Newport
News Automobile Exchange, and the partners be-
gan operations with one employee. Their policy of
fair dealing ami merchandising leadership won pub-
lic approval and a considerable and increasing vol-
ume of trade. It was not long before they made their
way into the new-car sales field, and they selected
a product with large popular demand and staying
power in the market — Chevrolet cars and trucks.
The new line required extensive alterations at the
plant, which were completed in time for the show-
ing of the 1923 models. The following year, adjacent
property at the present address was purchased to
offer facilities for sales and service. In 1928, a two-
story fireproof building was added at the rear of
the main building, increasing the available floor

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

39'

space to twenty thousand square feet. As business
continued to expand, additional lots were pur-
chased on Thirty-fourth Street, and in 1931 a serv-
ice station was erected on the north side of the
lots. In June of that year, Mr. Watkins died, and
Mr. Hutchens became sole proprietor of the com-
pany. Lots continued to be added at the original
location, comprising holdings with a frontage of
one hundred feet on Huntington Avenue, and ex-
tending back one hundred and twenty-five feet on
Thirty-fifth Street, and much of this space was
used as an open lot for used cars. In 1940 property
adjacent to the premises on Thirty-fourth Street
was cleared of all buildings and a new service shop
was added, together with the most modern shop
equipment and facilities available. A new service
station was erected at Huntington and Thirty-fifth.
From 1942 to 1945, with the curtailment of new-
car sales, Mr. Hutchens, as a public service, per-
mitted the use of his showroom by the War Price
and Rationing Board. A renovation program was
undertaken on the properties preceding the pickup
in normal business following the war. Also during
the war years, the Hampton Roads Port of Em-
barkation was allowed to use the large car lot of
the company for its purposes. Over the first twenty-
five years of its existence the company sold a total
of eight thousand new Chevrolet cars and trucks,
and fourteen thousand five hundred used cars and
trucks, and the sales volume has of course mounted
steadily in the decade since the above figures were
announced. It was even then the oldest automobile
dealership on the Peninsula under continuous
ownership. Mr. Hutchens has taken a partner in its
management in recent years, and he himself con-
tinues active as senior partner. Today eighty-nine
people are employed at the completely modern sales
and service center of Newport News Automobile
Exchange.

Active in the Tidewater Auto Association, Mr.
Hutchens currently holds the offices of vice presi-
dent and director, and he is a member of the New-
port News-Hampton Auto Dealers Association.
Among his business connections, he is chairman of
the board of the Citizens Marine Jefferson Bank and
director of the Mutual Home Savings Association.
He is director and treasurer of the Virginia Penin-
sula Association of Commerce, and is currently
treasurer and director of the Newport News Cham-
ber of Commerce, which he served in past years
as president. He is president of the board of River-
side Hospital.

On the Democratic ticket, Mr. Hutchens was
elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in No-
vember 1937, took his seat in 1938, and has been
returned to office each election since. Seven times
lie was elected without opposition.

He is active in fraternal connections, being a
member of the lodges of the Loyal Order of Moose,
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and
the Ancient Free ami Accepted Masons. In Masonry,
he is a member of Peninsula Lodge No. 278; the
consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Kite at Newport News; Khedive Temple (in Nor-
folk), Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine; and the Royal Order of Jesters. He
is also a member of the Peninsula Shrine Club. He
i-- a charter member of the James River Country
Club, the Propellor Club and the Commonwealth
Club, and he is a Rotarian. He is a communicant of
Trinity Methodist Church.

At Bristol, Tennessee, on August 19, 1918, Charles
Kunkle Hutchens, Sr., married Anne Elizabeth
McErlain, daughter of John and Catherine Mc-
Erlain. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchens have two children: 1.
Charles Kunkle, Jr. He married Agnes Malone of
Newport News, and they have six children: Karen.
Charles 3rd, Brian, Mary, Catherine and Claire.
2. Walter Lewis, 2nd. Both sons are graduates of
the University of Notre Dame, where Charles K.,
Jr., graduated cum laude. Both are associated with
their father in the management of the Newport
News Automobile Exchange.

HUNTER BOOKER ANDREWS— One of

the younger professional men of Hampton, Hun-
ter Booker Andrews is engaged in a general
practice of lav/, with offices in the Citizens Na-
tional Bank Building, as a member of the firm
of Downing and Andrews. He is a native of
that city, and was born on May 28, 1921, son
of Henry Stuart and Dorothy Whiting (Booker)
Andrews. His father, born in April 1894, in
Newport News, is now active in the coal indus-
try in West Virginia. Mrs. Andrews is a native
of Hampton, where she was born in 1896.

Attending the public schools of Hampton, the
attorney graduated from high school there in
1938, and entered the College of William and
Mary, where he took his degree of Bachelor
of Arts in 1942. As this country was by that time
involved in World War II, naval service inter-
vened before he could continue with his law
studies. Enlisting in the United States Naval
Reserve, he was commissioned a lieutenant, and
was in service four years, spending considerable
time in the Pacific. He was released from ac-
tive duty in April 1946.

Mr. Andrews then resumed Ins studies, and
in 1948 took his degree of Bachelor of Laws at
the University of Virginia. Admitted to the bar
in 194", he began practice as soon as he had
graduated from law school, first practicing with
a firm at Newport News. He remained there

392

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

four years, and since 1952 has practiced at Hamp-
ton. The present firm of Downing and Andrews
was formed in April 1957. He is a member of
the Hampton Bar Association, the Virginia State
Bar Association, and the American Bar Associa-
tion.

In his own community, he is known for his
activities in such groups as the Rotary Club,
James River Country Club, and the lodge of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Andrews is serving a term as a member
of the Hampton School Board. Since his under-
graduate days he has retained membership in
Kappa Alpha fraternity. He and his family at-
tend St. John's Episcopal Church.

Hunter B. Andrews was married at Hampton
on October 21, 1950, to Cynthia Collings of
Newport News. She is the daughter of George
B. and Bentle}- (Robinson) Collings. Mr. and
Mrs. Andrews have two children: 1. Hunter
Booker, Jr., who was born on April 1, 1952.
2. Bentley Robinjon, born March 16, 1954.

WILLIAM ALBERT COX, JR.— The Cox
family has been prominent in the New World for
nearly three centuries, its contribution having
been made especially in New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
the New England States and the Tidewater. Con-
tinuing that contribution, William Albert Cox, Jr.,
as co-founder and president-treasurer of the Cox-
Frank Corporation, Mechanical Contractors, and
as a leader in civic and military and defense af-
fairs, is participating in important construction ac-
tivities through the handling of air conditioning,
refrigeration and heating contracts for governmen-
tal, municipal, industrial, commercial and residen-
tial structures. He is active in professional engi-
neering circles in the Lower Tidewater and is also
known in other fields of interest.

Mr. Cox, wdio was born in Sewickley, Pennsyl-
vania, on June 17, 1913, is the son of the late Wil-
liam Albert Cox, who was director of the Port
for the Virginia State Port Authority for nearly
fifteen years, and Josephine P. (Pfingst) Cox. The
story of his life is not complete without at least
a digest of the story of his father's life. The senior
Mr. Cox was born at Indianapolis, Indiana, on
September 16, 1865, and died in Virginia Beach on
February 11, 1941. He was the son of William C.
Cox, a druggist of Indianapolis, and Frank Hun-
tington ( Mayhew) Cox. The Cox family, of English
descent, settled in New Jersey in 1668. Members
of the family were prominently identified with the
Colonial history of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and
New England. They migrated to Indiana in the
early days of the settlement of that state. Jacob
Cox, the great-grandfather of William Albert Cox,
Jr., was a noted painter. The Mayhew branch of

the family settled in Massachusetts in the Colonial
period.

William Albert Cox, Sr., was educated in the
public schools of Indianapolis. He began his career
as a messenger for the Cleveland, Columbus, Cin-
cinnati and Indianapolis Railroad, rising within
twelve years to the post of traveling freight agent.
Subsequently he held this position and then that
of general agent with the Chicago and Northwest-
ern Railroad. For a time, too, he was assistant
general freight agent for the latter line. But in
1913 he resigned to come to the Lower Tidewater
as traffic manager for the Norfolk Chamber of
Commerce. The following year he was promoted
to executive secretary of the Chamber and he
held this position until 1924. Then, until 1926, he
was in the real estate business in Norfolk.

It was in 1926 that, withdrawing from the real
estate business, Mr. Cox became director of the
Port for the State Port Authority of Virginia, with
offices in Norfolk and a branch in New York City.
As port director he played an outstanding part in
the development and growth of the entire Lower
Tidewater until his death. He labored with success
for years for legislation favorable to shipping in-
terests in the Hampton Roads area and in the
state and nation. He served as a director of the
National Industrial Traffic League and as a mem-
ber of the board of governors of the executive
committee of the Southern Traffic League, and
held posts in similar organizations. He represented
the Commonwealth of Virginia at the Brazilian
Centennial Exposition at Rio de Janeiro in 1922
and 1923. In World War I he was a "Dollar-a-
Year Man," serving on the National Council of
Defense, Port Facilities Commission of the United
States, and as Civilian Representative of the War
Department Ordnance Division.

Besides the organizations already named, the
senior Air. Cox was a member of the Propeller
Club of Norfolk, the Norfolk-Portsmouth Traffic
Club, the Associated Traffic Clubs of America, the
Norfolk Rotary Club; Ancient Landmarks Lodge
Xo. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of In-
dianapolis, and the LTnited Royal Chapter of Ma-
sons, of Norfolk. He was a member of the vestry
and treasurer of the Episcopal Eastern Shore Cha-
pel in Princess Anne County until his death at the
age of seventy-six in 1941. It has been said of him
that "his death marked the close of an important
phase in an era of great development of the port
facilities of Norfolk and Virginia, he having had a
prominent part in bringing about changes of last-
ing benefit."

William Albert Cox. Sr.. married Josephine
Anna Pfingst of Louisville. Kentucky, on January
11, 1905. She was born on March 24, 1875, and died
at Virginia Beach on November 17, 1954. Like her

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

393

husband, she was for many years a member of
the Eastern Shore Episcopal Chapel and was laid
to rest beside him in the Chapel's graveyard. To
Mr. and Mrs. William Albert Cox, Sr., were born
three children: I. William Albert, Jr., the engineer
and contractor. 2. Marion King, also a mechanical
engineer, who is associated with the engineering
firm of Jules Channing in Miami, Florida. 3. Frank
Huntington, who died in infancy.

William Albert Cox, Jr., received his early edu-
cation in the public schools of Norfolk City and
Princess Anne County. He was sixteen years old
when lie was graduated from the Oceana High
School in 1930 and then he matriculated at Vir-
ginia Polytechnic Institute, from which he was
graduated in 1934 with the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Mechanical Engineering. The award of
his commission as second lieutenant, Coast Artil-
lery Corps, Officers Reserve Corps, was delayed
until after the occurrence of his twenty-first birth-
day. He began his career with R. F. Trant Inc.
in Norfolk. He was with this firm from 1935
to 1940. Later he became a partner in the contrac-
ting firm of Robertson, Baker and Cox, also of
Norfolk.

Mr. Cox was ordered to extended active duty as
a first lieutenant, United States Coast Artillery
Corps, in January 1941. He was assigned to the
71st Anti-Aircraft Artillery which was for a short
period stationed at Fort Story, Virginia, later be-
ing transferred to the defense of Washington, D.
C. Stationed in the national capital for two and
one-half years, he was transferred during that
period to the 36th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade,
a- executive officer. In England this group was
attached to the British Second Anti-Aircraft Group
and the Ninth United States Air Force in "V-i"
defense of Southern England and Antwerp, Bel-
gium. He was subsequently assigned to the 30th
Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, as executive officer,
and proceeded overseas with that group. In the
course of his service overseas, Mr. Cox, constantly
rising in rank, was made executive officer to Colo-
nel Frederick C. Chamberlain of the Third United
States Army, under General George S. Patton. He
was in the Battle of the Rhineland and the Battle
of Central Europe, being at the end of the war in
Bad Tolz, Germany. In January 1946, he was
separated from active service with the rank of
colonel. He holds that rank today in the United
States Army Reserve and is chief of staff of the
2386 USAR Logistical Command (Training) in
Norfolk.

When he resumed his civilian life in January
1946, Mr. Cox and associates organized the Cox-
Frank Corporation, Mechanical Contractors, in
Norfolk. Headquarters are now at 5527 Virginia

Beach Boulevard. He has been president of the firm
since the beginning. Other officers are James V.
Powell, Jr., vice president, and William C. Pender,
one of Norfolk's prominent attorneys, secretary
and treasurer. The corporation serves the entire
Tidewater area and among structures in which it
has carried out air-conditioning, refrigerating and
heating contracts are the Saint Regis Paper Com-
pany mill at Franklin; the Lipton Tea Company
plant at Suffolk; the WTAR-TV Building in Nor-
folk; and the Naval Amphibious Base Headquarters
Building at Little Creek, to name only a few.

Mr. Cox served as president of the Builders and
Contractors Exchange, Incorporated, Norfolk, in
the year 1956-1957 and as president of the Virginia
Society of Professional Engineers in 1954. He is
also a member of the American Society of Heating
and Air Conditioning Engineers, the Engineers
Club of Hampton Roads, the United States Power
Squadron, the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the
Kivvanis Club of Norfolk of which he is now presi-
dent, the Cavalier Yacht and Country Club of
which he is past commodore (1957 and 1958), and
the Eastern Shore Chapel (Episcopal), London
Bridge, Virginia Beach. Wood working is his hobby
and boating, hunting and fishing are his favorite
sports. With his family he makes his home on Wye
Lane, North, Linkhorn Park, Virginia Beach.

On April 3, 1937, in Christ and Saint Luke's Epis-
copal Church, Norfolk, Mr. Cox married Susan
Howard Hume, daughter of the late Hartwell
Heath Hume and Susan (Howard) Hume of Nor-
folk. Mr. and Mrs. Cox became the parents of
four children: 1. William Albert, III, born on July
2?, 1941. 2. Michael Henry, born March 18, 1948.
3. John Hume, born January 14, 1950. 4. Frank
Huntington, who was born on October 27, 1954,
and died on April 13, 1955.

A. BYRON WILLIAMS— As an architect. A.
Byron Williams has to his credit over forty years'
experience in practice in Newport News. He has
designed structures of many types in the course
of his long connection with the firm of Williams,
Coile and Blanchard, and predecessor organiza-
tions. He is at present director of negotiations and
contracts for the firm.

Air. Williams was born in Wilmington, Dela-
ware, on October 11, 1893. He received his early
education in public and parochial schools of his
native city. He also prepared for his profession
there, through six years of private study under
Roscoe Cook Tindall. A resident of Hampton, Vir-
ginia, he began practice as an architect in Newport
News in 1915, and has since engaged in a general
architectural practice, including the design of pub-
lic, institutional, commercial and private buildings.

TWVa. 47

394

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

The firm which he organized was first known as
MacKee and Williams. Following World War I, it
became MacKee, Williams and Pettibone. In 1930
another change in membership led to a new desig-
nation: Williams, Coile and Pipino. Mr. Pipino
died in 1943, and the admittance of another partner
resulted in the present name: Williams. Coile and
Blanchard.

The company, which has offices at Newport
News, Portsmouth, and Washington, D. C offers
a full range of architectural and engineering serv-
ices. These include: complete architectural design
including site planning, building engineering, lay-
out and planning for all installed equipment; civil
engineering and structural design for highway, rail-
way, and airfield construction, water supply and
sewage systems, and waterfront structures; me-
chanical engineering design for heating plants and
systems, piping layouts, ventilation, air condition-
ing, industrial humidity control and refrigeration;
electrical engineering design for power generating
and transformer stations, transmission and distribu-
tion systems, and all building wiring systems; long-
range and master planning of airfield and military
installations, institutional, industrial and urban de-
velopment; and the preparation of reports, surve3'S
and appraisals. In recent years, housing projects
have brought the firm a larger share of its business
than any other single type of construction; but its
construction of schools, public and institutional
buildings, industrial and commercial structures, air-
field installations, and private construction has run
into many millions of dollars in each category. In
the Lower Tidewater area, the Magruder Elemen-
tary School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary
School in Newport News, and the George Wythe
Junior High School and Hampton High School,
both at Hampton, are examples of its construction
for educational purposes. It was responsible for
designing and building the City Jail and Police Ad-
ministration Building at Newport News; the Court
House in that city: Riverside Hospital; stores and
shopping centers: and such major housing projects
as Kecoughtan Courts at Hampton; Ferguson Park
at Warwick; Harbor Homes, Marshall Courts and
Orcutt Homes, all at Newport News; Lassiter
Courts in that city; Jeffery Wilson Homes at Ports-
mouth; John H. Ridley Place and Dickerson Courts
in Newport News; and Ida B. Barbour Park, Ports-
mouth. By far the largest of such projects, however,
is Copeland and Newsome Parks, at AYarwick and
Hampton, Virginia, comprising over five thousand
dwelling units and costing twenty-one and a half
million dollars. Williams, Coile and Blanchard has
also had a part in the construction of airfield in-
stallations, including Patrick Henry Airport and
Langley Air Force Base. On some of its projects

in other parts of the country and abroad, the firm
has been closely associated with Ballard and Allen
of New York City, and Ignazio Gardella of Milan.
Italy. In international operations, these associates
function as International Technical Associates.

As senior partner in this long-established or-
ganization, Mr. Williams is active in the American
Institute of Architects. His firm is a corporate
member of the Virginia Chapter, and he served as
president of that chapter from 1948 to 1950. He has
been chairman of the Hampton Roads Tunnel Com-
mission, and a director and member of the executive
committee of the Peninsula Industrial Commission.
Himself a resident of Hampton for many years, he
has been a strong advocate of the consolidation of
the peninsula communities into one municipality.
In many respects, the various subdivisions function
as one community unit, and Mr. Williams feels
there will be further progress in co-ordinating them
politically, in the near future. He is vitally inter-
ested in public and political affairs. A Democrat, he
served as campaign manager for former Speaker
of the House, G. Alvin Massenberg, and for former
State Senator Victor P. Wilson.

Mr. W'illiams is registered as an architect in the
states of Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. He
is a member of the Engineers' Club of the Virginia
Peninsula, the James River Country Club, and the
Knights of Columbus, of which he was state deputy
in 1930. He is a communicant of St. Vincent's Ro-
man Catholic Church in Newport News.

On August 18, 1915, A. Byron Williams married
Laetitia M. Golterman of Wilmington, Delaware,
daughter of George R. and Sarah Golterman. The
couple became the parents of five children: 1.
Ursula, who is now the wife of James H. Richard-
son. 2. Josephine, who married Louis G. Plummer.
3. Eileen, now Mrs. Frederick B. Jorgensen. 4.
Laetitia, who married Thomas B. Edmonds. 5.
Byron F., a graduate of Catholic University, where
he studied architecture. There are fifteen grand-
children.

KENNETH GORDON CUMMING— A mem-
ber of the Virginia State Bar since 1939, Ken-
neth Gordon Cumming has practiced his profes-
sion continuously in Hampton since that year,
except for the three-year period in which he
was in the armed forces in World War II. He
is a member of the law firm of Montague, Cum-
ming and Watkins, with offices in Suite 405,
Citizens Bank Building, Hampton.

Mr. Cumming was born in Washington. D. C,
on August 23, 1913. He is the son of the late
Samuel Gordon Cumming, an attorney, and Mit-
tie Anne (Jester) Cumming, both of whom were
born in Hampton. The father practiced law in

TfrOsnjL 0. J#yyia££y_

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

395

Hamilton for many years. He died in 1919 and
is survived by the mother.

Kenneth G. Gumming, reared in Hampton, at-
tended that city's public schools. In 1932, he was
graduated from the Hampton High School. Seven
years later he took the degrees of Bachelor of
Arts and Bachelor of Commercial Law at the
College of William and Mary. Since his admis-
sion to the Bar soon thereafter, he lias been
practicing in Hampton. He took time out from
his practice to serve three years with the Judge
Advocate General's Department of the United
States Army in the Far East. He held the rank
of first lieutenant. As a partner in Montague,
Cumming and Watkins. Mr. dimming engages
in general practice. He is a member of the
Hampton Bar Association, Virginia Bar Associa-
tion, the James River Country Club and Kappa
Alpha fraternity. He worships at St. John's Epis-
copal Church of Hampton. He is a Democrat.
Boating is his hobby.

Mr. Cumming married Carolyn Howard of
Newport News, daughter of J. Morris and Helen
(Ward) Howard, in that city on August 26,
1950. They have two children: 1. Lawrence Gor-
don, born on May 28, 1951. 2. Elizabeth Howard.
born on February 21, 1955.

FRANK D. TARRALL, JR.— As an engineer,
Frank D. Tarrall, Jr., has for the past decade headed
his own firm, with offices in Norfolk and Virginia
Beach, and also at Princess Anne Court House. He
is an official of other organizations as well, is cur-
rently president of the Virginia Beach Chamber of
Commerce, and is serving on the state board for
the licensing of architects, engineers and surveyors.

He is a native of Norfolk and was born on June
5, 1907, son of Frank D. and Mary Virginia (Orr)
Tarrall. Both parents are now deceased. His father,
who was born in 1869, was an employee of the city
of Norfolk during much of his life. The younger
Frank D. Tarrall attended the public schools of
that city, and graduated from Maury High School in
1926.

Until December 1941, he was employed by the
City of Norfolk Department of Public Works, and
in the course of that connection gained valuable
experience in various phases of the engineering pro-
fession, including surveying. He put this experience
to good use when, at the end of that time, he joined
John M. Baldwin, a civil engineer of Norfolk, as
a surveyor associate. They continued their pro-
fessional association for five years.

In 1946, Mr. Tarrall opened his own office in
Norfolk, and established a partnership with Nor-
man Z. Ball under the firm name of Frank D. Tar-
rall, Jr., and Associates. This engineering and sur-

veying firm he has managed to date, and as the
volume of business has grown, he has opened two
offices in addition to the one in Selden Arcade in
Norfolk. He has occupied that location since 1955,
and the branch offices are at Virginia Beach and
Princess Anne Court House. Frank D. Tarrall, Jr.,
and Associates is a large organization of its kind,
employing thirty workers.

In addition to his duties in connection with its
management, Mr. Tarrall has other business in-
terests, including positions as treasurer of the Con-
tractors Paving Company, and director of the Bank
of Virginia Beach, Tidewater Linen Corporation,
and Varied Corporation, a real estate development
firm.

Governor Stanley recently appointed him a mem-
ber of the state board whose function is to examine
engineers, architects and surveyors for certification.
He is serving a five-year term which will end June
30, 1962. A member of the Tidewater Chapter of
the Virginia Association of Surveyors, he is also a
delegate to the state body at the present time. He
is a member of the Hampton Roads Tost of the
Society of American Military Engineers, and the
Engineers Club of Hampton Roads.

Mr. Tarrall has held a number of responsible pub-
lic posts in his area. He is chairman of the build-
ing and site committee of the Virginia Beach-Prin-
cess Anne County Library; is one of the trustees
representing the City of Virginia Beach for the
Tidewater Historic Drama Association; and is a
member of the advertising board of the City of
Virginia Beach. A Democrat, he was elected in
June 1952, to the city council there. He is chairman
of the Virginia Beach High School Band Fund;
is president of the Virginia Beach Memorial Stadi-
um Assocation; and is president of the Police and
Fire Pension Fund of Virginia Beach, and honorary
chief of the Virginia Beach Volunteer Fire Depart-
ment. He is an associate member of the Fraternal
Order of Police.

Another of Mr. Tarrall's interests is the Boy
Scouts of America, and he serves on the executive
board of its Tidewater Council. Active in the Vir-
ginia Beach Chamber of Commerce, he was elected
its president for the 1958 term. He is a Rotarian,
and a member of the Princess Anne Country Club,
the Cavalier Yacht and Country Club, and the Vir-
ginia Club of Norfolk. A communicant of the First
Baptist Church, he has been active in its program
as a deacon and teacher of the Berean Men's Class,
as well as a member of its finance committee, and
as chairman of the "Budget Booster Committee."

In his native city of Norfolk on June 5, 1936,
Frank D. Tarrall, Jr. married Elizabeth Clark of
that city, daughter of Captain Joseph M. and Mary
(Kelly) Clark. Both of her parents are now de-

396

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

ceased. Her father founded the Joseph M. Clark
Tugboat Company. The couple are the parents of
one son, Frank U. 3rd, who was born on February
24, 1938. lie is now attending Norfolk Division of
William and Mary College.

BERNARD RIVIN— The executive vice presi-
dent and manager of Portsmouth's store for wo-
men known as The Famous, Bernard Rivin has
won a place in the front rank of the city's busi-
ness, civic and social leaders. He possesses the
foresight and practical abilities which, combined
with good employee relations, have built a success-
ful commercial enterprise. He has co-operated
wholeheartedly with community projects and or-
ganizations.

Born November 27, 1918, at Boston, Massachu-
setts, he is one of four children of Hyman and
Bella (Woolf) Rivin. His father is the owner of
a chain of retail groceries, operated under the firm
name of Rivin Brothers. Its headquarters are in
Sioux City, Iowa. Reared in the Midwest, Bernard
Rivin received his early education in the schools
of Scotland, South Dakota, and graduated from
high school there in 1936. He then entered Harvard
University, where he graduated with the degree of
Bachelor of Science in 1940, having majored in
economics.

Mr. Rivin is a veteran of World War II, having
enlisted as a private on January 12, 1942. Assigned
to the Quartermaster Corps, he was stationed at
Camp Lee and at Columbus, Ohio, and at the
time of his separation from the service on May
16, 1946, held the rank of chief warrant officer.

In the summer of that year he came to Ports-
mouth to assume his duties as manager of The
Famous. This store was founded in 1916 by Mr.
and Mrs. Isaac Goodman and was incorporated
under its present name in 1948. The present of-
ficers of the corporation are Belle B. Goodman,
president: Bernard Rivin, executive vice president
and manager; Elsie Leviton, vice president; Helen
Hearst, treasurer; and Zelma Rivin, secretary.

Since 1939 The Famous has been located at
High and Court streets, the most prominent busi-
ness intersection of downtown Portsmouth. For
fashion shopping, The Famous is indisputably
Tidewater Virginia's foremost women's apparel
store and draws its trade from all parts of the
region and eastern North Carolina as well, with
about seventy per cent of its volume of trade
being drawn from the Greater Portsmouth area.

Mr. Rivin has demonstrated a broad and gen-
uine interest in community affairs. He is a direc-
tor of the Portsmouth Retail Merchants Associa-
tion, a past director of the Portsmouth Chamber
of Commerce, and a member of the board of the
Portsmouth Public Library. He is also a director

of the Portsmouth Industrial Foundation and a
member of the board of directors of Portsmouth
General Hospital.

He is a Kiwanian and a member of Phi Beta
Kappa, national scholastic honor society. Taking
a vital interest in the affairs of his faith, he is a
member and past president of the Portsmouth
Jewish Community Council, a member of Ports-
mouth District of Zionist Organizations of Ameri-
ca, and a member and president of Temple Sinai
of Portsmouth. He retains his Masonic member-
ships in Scotland, South Dakota, his boyhood
home town, and also belongs to Acca Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, at Richmond.

On August 30, 1941, at Portsmouth. Bernard
Rivin married Zelma Goodman, daughter of the
late Isaac and Belle (Blachman) Goodman of
Portsmouth. Mr. and Airs. Rivin are the parents
of four children: I. Richard Andrew, born January
o, 1046. 2. Anne, born May 9, 1948. 3. Rosalind,
born March 10, 1952. 4. Jonathan, born December
!9, 1955- The family resides at 418 Rockridge Road,
Portsmouth.

CHARLES ROLLIN GRANDY (April 9. 18,-1-
June 10, 1932) was born in Norfolk, Virginia, the
son of Cyrus Wiley and Mary Seidell Grandy. He
attended the Norfolk Academy and Bellevue High
School and from the University of Virginia (1889-
1892) received his Bachelor of Arts degree and his
degree of Doctor of Medicine. After interning in
New York City at Bellevue and the Hudson Street
hospitals, he studied pathology for two years in
( iermany.

In 1898, Dr. Grandy returned to Norfolk and
became a leader in the fight for the prevention of
tuberculosis, organizing the Anti-TB League of
Norfolk in 1906, five years before the State As-
sociation was founded. Dr. Grandy carried on this
work without compensation. The sale of Christ-
mas seals and private contributions provided the
necessary funds. Beds exclusively for tubercular
patients were provided at the City Home. A sum-
mer camp for children with tubercular tendencies
was founded at Cape Henry, and another at Wil-
loughby. At the Welfare Center several buildings
were used for tubercular patients. This treatment
center was named in Dr. Grandy's honor in 1932.

In [899, Dr. Grandy was the author of the first
comprehensive public health law for Virginia. His
articles on malaria and similar diseases were pub-
lished in many medical journals. He was an active,
tireless champion of better education in Norfolk,
and served as chairman of the School Board from
1919 to 1931. Dr. Grandy was president of the
Norfolk County Medical Society (1900-1901), a
member of the Seaboard Medical Association and

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LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

397

the American Medical Association and president
of the Medical Society of Virginia in 1931. Dr.
Grandy was a fellow of the American College of
Physicians and a member of the American Public
Health Association, the American Child Health
Association and the National Tuberculosis As-
sociation.

He held membership in the Norfolk Rotary Club,
the Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Club, the
Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and the Prin-
cess Anne Country Club. He was a communicant
of Christ Church.

On January 16, igot, Dr. Charles R. Grandy
married Mabel Elkin Dickman of Cleveland, Ohio,
daughter of Franklin J. and Ann Eliza Neal Dick-
11. an. Their children were Julia Selden (born April
3, 1903) and William Selden (born March 22,
1907). Mabel Dickman Grandy died in May 1914.
Dr. Grandy married on June 10, 1916, Elizabeth
Norfleet Neely of Portsmouth, Virginia, daughter
of Robert Johnson and Elizabeth Norfleet Ridley
Neely.

The following is quoted from an editorial at the
time of Dr. Grandy's death.

For more than twenty-five years and until his health com-
pelled a temporary cessation of daily and nightly activity, Dr.
Grandy gave — literally gave — his trained, experienced, learned
and altruistic services to this community.

of Horace C. Buxton of Falls Church, Virginia;
Matilda, wife of Captain Samuel W. Smithers, Jr.,
of the United States Army; and Edwin Ralph, Jr.,
a law student at the University of Richmond.

EDWIN RALPH JAMES was born March 20,
1896, at Dendron, Virginia. He received his early
education in the local public schools, and was
granted the Bachelor of Science degree by the Col-
lege of William and Mary in 1916. Thereafter, he
served with the United States Army during World
I, and taught in the Richmond Public Schools for
four years. He received his Bachelor of Laws de-
gree from the University of Richmond in 1924, and
was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1925.

He began practice in Hampton in 1926 and is
now senior member of the law firm of James, Ri-
chardson and James of that city. His partners are
R. V. Richardson and L. Eldon James. They are
engaged in general practice, including corporation,
insurance, real estate, and probate law, and are
trial counsel for a number of nationally known
clients.

Mr. James is a former assistant to the Attorney
General of Virginia; and is a Baptist, a Mason, past
departmental commander of the American Legion,
and a member of the Hampton, Virginia, and
American bar associations, the Kiwanis Club, and
Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He is past president
of the Virginia State Bar and of the Hampton
Kiwanis Club. He has been a member of the Gen-
eral Assembly of Virginia since 1952.

He is married to Matilda McLeod Robinson of
Hampton, and they have three children: Ann, wife

R. KENNETH WEEKS— Broad technical edu-
cation and experience has formed the background of
the career of R. Kenneth Weeks, who heads the
consulting engineering firm of R. Kenneth Weeks,
Engineers, with principal offices in Norfolk. The
firm, with its staff of experienced and qualified per-
sonnel, renders complete engineering services in
the sanitary, civil, mechanical and electrical fields.
Where architectural or other services are required,
the firm assumes responsibility for contracting in
association with other recognized firms. Water sup-
ply and purification; sewerage and sewage treat-
ment; municipal investigatons; surveys, appraisals
and reports; and dams, bridges, streets and high-
ways have all been included in the scope of its pro-
fessional services.

The firm has completed work on an impressive
number of projects since its organization in early
1954. Some of the major projects for which it has
provided engineering services include: major ex-
pansion of sewerage and water systems for the
Town of Franklin; advance planning and final
design of numerous military projects for the Fifth
Naval District and Corps of Engineers in Norfolk;
improvements in the main water pumping station,
booster stations and distribution system for the
City of Virginia Beach; surveys and preliminary
investigations for a new plant of the Nestle Choco-
late Company, at Suffolk; a community swimming
pool, bathhouse and water filtration system in Suf-
folk; sanitary sewers and sewage treatment for the
City of Suffolk; preliminary investigations, design,
and supervision of construction for the City of
Portsmouth's dams and reservoirs located on the
Nansemond River and Speight's Run; topographical
surveys and mapping of the City of Suffolk; ex-
tensive work on the northern approaches to the
Hampton Roads Tunnel; work on the Richmond-
Petersburg Turnpike; site improvements, and water
supply, sanitary sewers and sewage treatment pro-
jects for various communities in the Norfolk area;
sewage treatment works, additional water supply,
storage and distribution, and four river bridges for
the City of Waynesboro; preparation of annexation
data for municipalities; design of sanitary sewers
and sewage treatment works and water supply and
distribution for the Town of Onancock; concrete
dam for additional water supply, elevated storage,
filtration and distribution for Chesterfield County,
Virginia; extensive sewerage improvements in the
City of South Norfolk; and a role in the design of
numerous churches, schools, municipal buildings,

398

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

shopping centers, drive-in banks, housing, and
streets, highways, and utilities tor urban redevelop-
ment projects. The firm of R. Kenneth Weeks, En-
gineers, is engaged primarily in the design of
sewerage and sewage treatment and waterworks
for a considerable number of cities, counties and
communities in the state of Virginia, whose rapid
growth makes this type of service imperative.

Mr. Weeks is a young man to be in charge of
such responsible work. He was born on February
'5, 1923, at St. George, South Carolina, son of
Richard L. and Lettie (Maree) Weeks. Mrs. Weeks
survives and now makes her home in Florence,
South Carolina. The Weeks family has long been
prominent in the state. Richard L. Weeks, who
died in 1938, practiced law at St. George. Mr. Weeks
was noted as a brilliant trial lawyer, served in the
South Carolina Senate from Dorchester County,
and was much in demand as a public speaker. He
was a son of Captain Robert Singleton Weeks, a
substantial planter of that county and a veteran of
service in the Confederate States Army. Lettie
( Maree) Weeks is descended of a family long es-
tablished in Berkley County, South Carolina, and
is a daughter of Paul Durant Maree, a rice planter
there. Paul Durant Maree served as a sergeant in
the Confederate States Army, which he entered at
the age of sixteen.

After attending the public schools of St. George
and graduating from high school there in 1939, R.
Kenneth Weeks entered The Citadel at Charleston.
In 1943 he graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Science in Civil Engineering, was designated an
honor graduate, and listed in "Who's Who in Ameri-
can Colleges and Universities." In 1948, he was
awarded the degree of Civil Engineer by The Cita-
del. He served in the armed forces from 1943 to
1946, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in
the Corps of Engineers, United States Army. Later
transferring to the Marine Corps as an engineer
officer, he attained the rank of captain. He served as
instructor and officer-in-charge of surveying and
basic engineering schools, and as engineer in charge
of design and construction for roads, airfields, and
water and sewerage facilities for a number of in-
stallations. He was separated from the service in
April 1946, but retains the rank of captain in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve.

From 1946 to 1948, Mr. Weeks was a design en-
gineer for the association of Frederic R. Harris
Engineering Corporation of New York, and Greeley
and Hansen, Engineers, of Chicago. He designed
water and sanitary sewerage systems, and also
worked on the structural and hydraulic design of
flood-control projects, continuous concrete and rigid-
frame bridges, tunnels and channels. In 1948, he
joined the Augusta, Georgia, firm of Patchen and

Zimmerman, Engineers, where until 1951 he served
as a project engineer in responsible charge of in-
vestigation^ project planning, design and super-
vision of construction for water and sewage treat-
ment works for municipalities and governmental
agencies.

Mr. Weeks came to Norfolk in 195 1 to join the
firm of Myron Sturgeon, Engineers, and later was
associated with Sturgeon, Clark and Buhr, Archi-
tects and Engineers. With these organizations he
was in responsible charge of the design and super-
vision of construction of all sanitary projects, which
included water supply and purification facilities and
sewage collection and treatment works for munici-
palities and U.S. Naval Facilities.

With this background of valuable experience, he
became a partner in the firm of Causey and Weeks,
Engineers, on February 10, 1954. In February 1955,
the organization became R. Kenneth Weeks, En-
gineers, with Mr. Weeks as its directing head.

Keeping his professional connections active, Mr.
Weeks holds state registrations as a Civil Engineer
in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
He is president of the Norfolk Branch of the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers, and holds member-
ship in the Society of American Military Engineers,
the Federation of Sewage and Industrial Wastes
Associations, American Water Works Association,
and the National Society of Professional Engineers.
In his own city he is a member of the Chamber of
Commerce and the Rotary Club. His favorite out-
door pastime is fishing.

At Florence, South Carolina, on July 21, 1945. R.
Kenneth Weeks married Mildred Ann Siler of
Knoxville, Tennessee, daughter of the late James
S. and Mary (Hamlin) Siler. Mrs. Weeks served in
the Marine Corps' Women's Reserve in World
War II. The couple are active members of the Tal-
bolt Park Baptist Church in Norfolk, where Mr.
Weeks serves on the board of deacons and teaches
in the Sunday school. He is a member and past
president of the Men's Brotherhood of the Church.
Mrs. Weeks teaches in the Sunday school and the
Training Union. The couple are the parents of
three children: 1. Beverly Ann, born April 18, 1946.
2. Robert Kenneth, Jr., born November 13, 1948. 3.
Lynda Maree, born August 31, 1953.

COLONEL JOHN B. PINNER— Suffolk is
nationally known as the capital of the peanut in-
dustry, and one of the men who helped make it
so was the late Colonel John B. Pinner. As presi-
dent of the Suffolk Peanut Company, he was at
the head of the largest single peanut cleaning and
shelling plant in the world for some years before
his death. It was he who first conceived the idea
of such a plant at Suffolk, and he is accordingly

UjflOiA

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

399

held in great respect in his industry as one of its
pioneers.

Born on April 30, 1861, he was a son of John
F. and Margaret Patience (Beale) Pinner, and his
forebears in the paternal line had lived in Nanse-
niond County for several generations.

Colonel Pinner received his education in local
schools, and began his career in the real estate
business with his father, their firm being known
as the John F. and John B. Pinner Company. It
was founded under that name in 1888. An account
of Colonel Pinner's career appearing in the columns
of the Norfolk "Virginian Pilot" at the time of his
death in 1938, relates how he was first attracted
to the peanut industry, late in 1897:

Sitting in his real estate office one day just before the
turn of the century. Col. Pinner . . . saw some carts piled
high with bags of peanuts on their way to Smithfield. "Why
not a plant for Suffolk?" he asked himself. "Why should all
these peanuts go to Smithfield?"

He talked over his idea with the late William Jones,
cashier of the Farmers Bank. Mr. Jones encouraged him, and
Colonel Pinner entered a partnership with the late John King,
of Windsor, who had one of the early cleaning plants in that
town. Mr. King's machinery was said to have been powered
by mules. At the insistence of Colonel Pinner. Mr. King
brought the machinery to Suffolk. Colonel Pinner's $5,000.00
invested in the plant, founded on the South Saratoga Street
site where it is today, brought him a manifold return. The
plant grew and prospered, and it retained the name of the
Suffolk Peanut Company.

It became the largest plant of its kind in ex-
istence, and played its part in making Suffolk the
foremost center of the peanut trade. Colonel Pin-
ner also found time to continue in his real estate
enterprise to the end of his life.

At one time, Colonel Pinner served as mayor
of Suffolk, and lie also held office as city coun-
cilman. He took a constructive and helpful interest
in every type of worth-while community and wel-
fare work, including the charity programs, the Boy
Scouts, Salvation Army, and Red Cross. In Scout-
ing, he was a director of the Old Dominion Area
Council. He was also a member of the Suffolk
Post of the Travelers Protective Association. A
member of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, he-
had held office as its president and remained on
its board of directors. He was a director of the
Tidewater Automobile Association, and sponsor of
many of its safety conferences. He was also a
charter member and past president of the Suffolk
Lions Club. His title of colonel came through
his service on the staff of Governor Henry C.
Stuart.

A communicant of the Suffolk Presbyterian
Church, Colonel Pinner served as senior elder of
the congregation, and taught a men's Bible class.
He was a generous contributor to the church.

Regarding the significance of his career, the
article in the Norfolk "Virginian Pilot" commented :

Colonel Pinner was known through Virginia for his work
in worthy causes, but Suffolk knew him best as a gracious
gentleman and as the founder of the industry that has made
the city the largest peanut market in the world . . . One of
Suffolk's most civic-minded citizens, his active interest in and
generous contributions to all types of uplift work . . . made
him a leader in the Town's affairs throughout his mature lite.

Colonel John B. Pinner married Miss Willie
Jordan. The couple became the parents of the fol-
lowing children: 1. John Franklin, whose record
follows. 2. Katherine Peebles.

Colonel's Pinner's distinguished career in in-
dustry and community service ended with his
death on August 29, 1938, in his seventy-eighth
vear.

JOHN FRANKLIN PINNER— Continuing the

management of an enterprise which his father
founded, and which has made an incalculable con-
tribution to Suffolk's economy, the late John
Franklin Pinner guided the Suffolk Peanut Com-
pany to greater growth and achievement. He
was also a lawyer, and an official of other business
enterprises, including the long-established family
real estate firm.

A native of Suffolk, he was the son of Colonel
John B. Pinner, whose biographical sketch ac-
companies, and his wife, the former Miss Willie
Jordan. Attending Norfolk Academy and complet-
ing his preparatory studies there, John Franklin
Pinner went on to advanced studies at the Univer-
sity of Virginia. He received his degree of Bache-
lor of Laws from the university's Law School.

Admitted to the bar. he practiced law in Suf-
folk until 1914, and at that time joined the Suffolk
Peanut Company. When his father died in 1938,
he became its president, and capably managed the
growing company until his own death nearly two
decades later. He was also president of the John
F. and John B. Pinner, Inc., real estate firm, in
which his father and grandfather had become part-
ners in the 1880s. He was vice president of Supeco
Storage Corporation of Suffolk, and also vice presi-
dent of the Holland Lee Company, another firm
active in the vital peanut industry for which the
region is famous. He served on the board of di-
rectors of the Farmers Bank of Xansemond.

Mr. Pinner held few memberships in organiza-
tions of a fraternal or civic nature during his life-
time, although he gave generous and effective sup-
port, in both time and money, to all programs
whose aim was the improvement of the community
and the welfare of its people. A communicant of
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, he served as a mem-
ber of its vestry.

John Franklin I 'inner married Laura Etheredge.
The couple became the parents of two children:
1. John B., who is the subject of a separate bio-

4<><>

LOWER TIDFVYA 11 R VIRGINIA

graphical sketch. 2. A daughter, who is the wife of
A. H. Graham of Durham, North Carolina, and the
mother of four children: i. Margaret E. ii. Alex-
ander H., 3rd. hi. John Pinner, iv. Laura Pinner
< .1 aham.

A distinguished career in industry and com-
munity service came to a close with the death of
John Franklin Pinner, on September 4, 1957.

JOHN B. PINNER represents the third genera-
tion of his family interested in the management of
one of the nation's foremost enterprises in its in-
dustry— the Suffolk Peanut Company. A com-
munity leader, he also has other business interests;
and he is making a contribution to the commercial
and civic life of his city commensurate with the
responsibilities and expectations placed upon him.

A native of Suffolk, he was born on August 22,
1912. and is a son of John Franklin and Laura
(Etheredge) Pinner. His father, a lawyer and suc-
cessor to the founder in the presidency of the
Suffolk Peanut Company, is the subject of a sep-
arate sketch accompanying. John B. Pinner com-
menced his education in the public schools of
Suffolk, and attended Episcopal High School in
Alexandria, Virginia. Entering the University of
Virginia, he graduated there in 1935.

Since that time, Mr. Pinner has been with the
Suffolk Peanut Company, He began his connec-
tion as a salesman, and was later promoted to
traffic manager and sales manager. He later joined
the executive ranks as secretary of the corporation,
and was vice president at the time of his father's
death in 1957. He was then chosen president. He
is also president of Supeco Storage Corporation of
Suffolk, and John F. and John B. Pinner, Inc.,
real estate and insurance firm in Suffolk. In this
latter organization, he represents the fourth gen-
eration of family management, for it was founded
by his grandfather and great-grandfather over
seventy years ago.

Mr. Pinner was absent at the time of World
War II, serving with the United States Army
overseas for nineteen months.

Although he is not active in clubs or fraternal
organizations, .Mr. Pinner participates fully in the
program of the Episcopal Church. He is also a
dependable and most useful supporter of every
worthwhile civic project.

On June 2, 1943, John B. Pinner married Helen
Kathryn Burke of Cleveland, Ohio, daughter of
Theodore Burke. The couple are the parents of
three children: 1. John F., 3rd, who was born on
April 12, 1944. 2. Christopher E., born October 1,
1946. 3. Kathryn M., born January 21, 1948.

as a member of the firm of Jones, Blechman, Woltz
and Kelly.

He was born at Oxford, Pennsylvania, on June
20, 1905. the son of Julius, a retired merchant, and
Eva Blechman. Franklin Owen Blechman com-
pleted his law studies at the University of Virginia,
being graduated with the degree of Bachelor of
Laws in 1927. Admitted to the Virginia Bar, he
began practice at Newport News and is a member
of the firm of Jones, Blechman, Woltz and Kelly.
This organization engages in a general civil practice,
with offices in the Melson Building. Mr. Blechman's
partners are Allan D. Jones, Arthur W'. W'oltz, and
Herbert V. Kelly. The firm represents a large num-
ber of insurance firms and such varied corporations
as Beck's City Bakery, Stuart Gardens Corpora-
tion, States Construction Company, Rollins Motors,
and Parker T. Host, Inc., Shipping Agents.

Mr. Blechman is a member of the American Bar
Association, the Virginia State Bar Association,
the Newport News Rotary Club, and the lodges of
the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks, and B'nai B'rith.
He attends Ohef Sholom Temple. Among his busi-
ness interests is Citizens Marine Jefferson Bank of
Newport News, on whose board of directors he
sen es.

At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 1933,
Franklin Owen Blechman married Marie C. Penn,
daughter of Leo G. and Rosa H. Penn. The couple
are (he parents of the following children: 1. Judith
Ann, born May 22, 1939. 2. Elizabeth Rose, born
August 13, 1943. 3. Franklin Owen, Jr., born July
7. !047-

FRANKLIN OWEN BLECHMAN is engaged
in the general practice of law at Newport News,

ARTHUR W. WOLTZ— For a little over two
decades, Arthur W. Woltz has practiced law at
Newport News. He is a partner in the firm of
Jones, Blechman, Woltz and Kelly.

Born at Galax, Virginia, on December 8, 1905,
he is a son of Albert Wiley and Flora (Lundy)
Woltz. Both of his parents were native Virginians,
his father born in Carroll County and his mother
in Grayson County. Albert W . Woltz, a cabinet-
maker by trade, died in 1954, surviving by many
years his wife, the former Flora Lundy, who died
I lecember 20, 1905, just twelve days after the
birth of their son. Arthur W. Woltz attended the
public schools of Galax, and graduated from high
school in Newport News, in 1025. He prepared
himself for his profession through private study,
and courses with LaSalle Extension University.

Admitted to the bar in 1935, he has practiced
at Newport News since, and, in 1948, he became
a member of the firm of Jones, Blechman, Woltz
and Kelly. The firm is engaged in a general practice
of civil law, having among its clients the Citizens

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

401

Marine Jefferson Bank, Hampton Roads Sanitation
Commission, Retail Merchants Association, Stuart
Gardens Corporation, and a number of insurance
companies. Sketches of the partners, Franklin O.
Blechman and Herbert V. Kelly, accompany this
record.

Mr. Woltz is a member of the American Bar As-
sociation, the Virginia State Bar, the Newport
News-Warwick Bar Association, of which he is a
past president, and the Hampton Bar Association.
He is a Kiwanian, and a Democrat in his politics.
Attending the Aldersgate Methodist Church, he
serves as a lay leader there. He is fond of the
out-of-doors, particularly of hunting and fishing.

At Richmond, on November 3, 1930, Arthur W.
Woltz married Rosalind Darlington of Williams-
burg, Virginia, daughter of Curtis and Lula (Binns)
Darlington, and member of an old Virginia family.

HERBERT VALENTINE KELLY— Return-
ing from Air Corps service in World War II, Her-
bert V. Kelly began his practice of law at Newport
News and is now a partner in the firm of Jones,
Blechman, Woltz and Kelly. He has taken an in-
terest in public affairs, having headed the city's
electoral board, and he holds membership in a num-
ber of community organizations.

Born February 14, 1920, in Brunswick County,
Virginia, he is a son of William Herbert and Mary
(Lundy) Kelly. 1 1 is father was chief of police at
Williamsburg. After attending the public schools of
that city, Herbert V. Kelly entered the College of
William and Mar}-, where he took his degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1941. Two years later he re-
ceived his Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the
same institution. After graduation from law school,
he entered the Army Air Corps in 1943, and won
his commission as a captain, serving in the China-
Burma-India Theatre from 1944 to 1946. When the
war was ended he put his legal training to good
use for the government, participating in the war-
crimes trials for a period of eight months.

Honorably discharged from the Army Air Corps
in 1946, Mr. Kelly came to Newport News to be-
gin his career as an associate in the law firm of
Jones, Blechman and Jones. In 1950 he became a
partner in the firm, which is now known as Jones,
Blechman, Woltz and Kelly. The partnership has
a number of important corporate clients in the area,
including the Citizens Marine Jefferson Bank. Of-
fices are in the Melson Building.

Mr. Kelly began his service as chairman of the
electoral board, City of Newport News, in 1950, and
served through 1955. Besides the local, state and
national bar associations, he is a member of Sigma
Pi fraternity, which he joined while a student at
the College of William and Mary. He is a member

and past president of the Rotary Club of Newport
News, and is currently serving as president of
Peninsula Community Fund, Inc. He and his fam-
ily are communicants of St. Andrew's Episcopal
Church in Warwick, where they make their home.
Mrs. Kelly is the former Beverly Elizabeth
Peebles of Hampton, daughter of Hubert Kenneth
and Dora Lee (Gray) Peebles. The couple were
married on April 17, 1948, and are the parents of
two children: 1. Herbert Valentine, Jr., born Decem-
ber 18, 1950. 2. Priscilla Lee, born February 20,
1952.

WILBUR TALMADGE LEARY— A leader in
the pharmaceutical profession in the Portsmouth
area, Wilbur Talmadge Leary is the owner of Cra-
dock Pharmacy, Inc., at 56 Afton Parkway, and
Leary's Pharmacy, at George Washington High-
way and Victory Boulevard. Both are leading con-
cerns in drug and sundries retailing. Besides his
business interests, Mr. Leary takes a constructive
part in civic and public affairs. He has served as
a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from Norfolk County and South Norfolk since 1950.

The oldest of three children of his parents, Wil-
liam Henry and Grace (Halstead) Leary, the drug
store executive and legislator was born July 23,
1912, in South Norfolk. His father, who died in
1952, was a carpenter at the Norfolk Naval Ship-
yard and son of William Leary, prominent farmer
of Edenton, North Carolina, who served in the
legislature of that state. Grace (Halstead) Leary
is still living, and continues to maintain the family
home in South Norfolk.

Wilbur T. Leary passed his boyhood in that
community, and graduated from South Norfolk
High School in 1929. He then entered the Medical
College of Virginia, attending classes in its phar-
macy branch, and became a graduate in Pharmacy
m 1933. He began his professional career with the
People's Service Drug Stores, at this company's
store on High Street in Portsmouth, and acquired
valuable experience there over a period of six years.

In 1939, he acquired the interests of W. I. Mon-
roe, who owned Monroe's Cradock Pharmacy in
the Cradock Community. At the time he bought
the business, he changed its name to the present
form, Cradock Pharmacy, Inc. In 1941 the store
was moved to its present location, 56 Afton Park-
way. In the years since, this progressive and capa-
bly managed concern has taken a conspicuous
place among pharmaceutical and sundries distrib-
utors of the area. It has nine employees.

In further expanding his business operations in
February 1956, Mr. Leary founded Leary's Phar-
macy, located in the shopping center at George
Washington Highway and Victory Boulevard. This

4"-

LOVVER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

scientifically managed enterprise is one of the- most
modern of its kind in the Portsmouth Suburban
area, and it too employs nine people in its opera-
tions.

As a pharmacist, Air. Leary is a member of the
Tidewater Retail Druggists Association, the Vir-
ginia Pharmaceutical Association, the American
Pharmaceutical Association and the National Re-
tail Druggists Association. His interest in good
government led to his candidacy for membership
in the Virginia House of Delegates, to which he
was first elected in 1050. By succeeding re-elec-
tions, he continues to represent the people of Nor-
fulk County and South Norfolk in the General
Assembly of Virginia. He is a member and chair-
man of the Library Committee, and serves on the
Roads and Internal Navigation Committee and
the Retrenchment and Economy Committee.

Mr. Leary has a secondary business interest in
the banking field, serving on the board of directors
of the Bank of Cradock. One of the organizers of
the Cradock Retail Merchants Association, he has
served as its president. He was also one of the
organizers, and is a past president, of the Cradock
Sports Club. Fraternally, lie is affiliated with the
lodges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose and the Inde-
pendent Order of Old Fellows. He has given his full
support to many civic projects for the develop-
ment of Tidewater Virginia and the welfare of
its people. A communicant of the Cradock Baptist
Church, he has served on its board of deacons. His
hobbies are model railroads and stamp collecting.

At Richmond, on November 20, 1935, Wilbur
Talmadge Leary married Mary Katherine Lee.
daughter of Isaac Rhoads and Maria Thurston
(Smith) Lee. The couple are the parents of four
children: 1. Richard Lee. 2. Thomas Rhoads. 3.
Katherine Lee. 4. William. The family resides at
5 Morris Street. Portsmouth.

JAMES LEONIDAS CAMP, SR.— One of the

Lower Tidewater's influential industrialists of past
years, James Leonidas Camp, Sr., was a founder
of the Camp Manufacturing Company; headed the
Marion County Lumber Company in South Caro-
lina: and was also an official of mining, manufac-
turing, banking, and railway corporations. He was
a responsible citizen of the Franklin area, where
he made his home, taking a constructive part in
the promotion of community, educational, and re-
ligious activities.

Born in Southampton County on December 28,
1857, he was a member of a family descended from
early Virginia settlers. He was a son of George
Camp and his second wife, Sallie (Cutchins) Camp
of Isle of Wight County. George Camp was born

in 1793, and his wife in 181. s. They were married
in 1837. He died in 1879 and she in 1888. George
Camp was the son of George and Hannah (Wright)
Camp. The elder George Camp was born in Glou-
cester County, but moved to Southampton Coun-
ty, where he married Hannah Wright on March 1,
1792. He was a son of Thomas Camp, who served
in Colonel Charles Harrison s Regiment of Artillery
in the Revolutionary War. Thomas married Mary
Tomkins on September 26, 1755. He was a son
of William Camp, who registered in Glou-
cester County in 1730 as a witness, and who re-
ceived a patent of land in Isle of Wight in 1741.
The name of his wife is not recorded. William was
a son of William Camp, who came to Virginia in
1663 as one of the company of fifty headed by
William West who settled on land between Cur-
retucke Creek and the Poquoman River.

Receiving his early education in elementary
schools near Franklin, James L. Camp, Sr., was
later a student at a business college in Baltimore,
Maryland. As a youth, he gained experience in the
lumber industry, and in the management of prop-
erties owned by his father. In 1878, he went to
Hertford County, North Carolina, where he joined
his brother, Paul D., in the firm known as P. D.
Camp and Brother. That firm operated several
small lumber mills. In 1887 it moved its head-
quarters to Franklin, Virginia, and in the same
year the firm was incorporated as the Camp Manu-
facturing Company. James L. Camp, Sr., assumed
duties as vice president and general manager at
that time. In 191 5, he took over the duties of secre-
tary and treasurer as well; and when Paul D. Camp
died in 1924, James L. became president of the
company, an office he had held for a year at the
time of his death.

In 1910, he became president of the Marion
County Lumber Company, a South Carolina or-
ganization in which controlling interest was ac-
quired by the Camp Manufacturing Company in
1920. In 1904, he joined others in organizing the
Seaboard Bank of Norfolk, predecessor of the Sea-
board-Citizens National Bank. He served as second
vice president and a director of this bank from
190.S through 1907. In 1925, Mr. Camp became
president of the Albion Mining and Manufacturing
Company of Ocala, Florida, which he had pie-
viously served as secretary, treasurer and director
from 1895. In addition to the above connections,
he was vice president and director of the Roanoke
Railway Company, and a director of Charles W.
Priddy and Company of Norfolk, manufacturers
of commercial fertilizers.

Mr. Camp served on the board of directors of
the National Lumber Manufacturers Association,
and he was one of the organizers of the North

TW'Va 48

jB^Y

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

403

Carolina Pine Association, subsequently holding
office as it- president. This organization later
merged with the Southern Pine Association. The
eminent industrialist took a vital interest in the
cause of higher education. From 1901 until the
time of his death, he served as a trustee of the
University of Richmond. He was for over twenty
years a deacon of the Franklin Baptist Church.
From iij.:i to 1925 he was a trustee of the South-
ern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,
Kentucky, In politics, he was a Democrat.

On October 21, 1884, at Como, North Carolina,
James Lconidas Camp, Sr., married Caroline Foun-
tain Savage, daughter of Robert Risop and Rowena
(Vann) Savage. Her father was a clergyman. The
couple became the parents of the following chil-
dren: 1. Robert George, who was born on August
12, i88s. 2. Carrie Lee, born on October 12, 1886.
3. Carlton, born in 1888. 4. Rowena Savage, who
was born on October 12, 1891, and who married
Sol Waite Rawls. 5. Sallie Shepherd, born on
January 12, 1893. She is the wife of Burton Justice
Ray. 6. James Leonidas, Jr., born on June 7, 1895.
He married Mary Frances Clay of Selma, Alabama,
and is the subject of a separate biographical sketch
accompanying. 7. Elizabeth Fountain, born on July
9, 1897. She married William Eldridge Smith. 8.
William McCutcheon, born on January 24, 1900,
married Edith West Clay of Selma Alabama. His
record accompanies. 9. Hugh Douglas, born on
April 4, 1903, married Ada Coleman of Selma,
Alabama.

Mr. Camp's death occurred at Franklin on De-
cember 4, 192.=;.

JAMES LEONIDAS CAMP, JR.— The motivat-
ing purpose underlying the industrial career of
James Leonidas Camp, Jr., of Franklin, may be ex-
pressed in the phrase which is his company's motto:
"Turning today's visions into tomorrow's lumber
and paper achievements." He succeeded his late
father as head of Camp Manufacturing Company,
and since its consolidation to form Union Bag-Camp
Paper Corporation, has been vice chairman of the
board of the emergent organization. His effective
efforts have not been confined to his business con-
nections, however. He has provided valuable lead-
ership within the lumber industry; and has rendered
important civic service through such groups as
the J. L. Camp Foundation.

A native of Franklin, he was born on June 7,
1895, son of James Leonidas, Sr., and Caroline (Sav-
age) Camp. His father's record is contained in a
separate account, which also notes the distinguished
family background of the Camps. After completing
his secondary studies in the public schools of his
region, the younger James L. Camp entered Wake

Forest College in North Carolina, where he took
his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1914. During the
succeeding year he took graduate courses at Colum-
bia University.

In 1915 he joined the Camp Manufacturing Com-
pany as a lumber plant worker. In 1919 he was
transferred to the sales department, and was named
vice president in charge of sales in 1921. His father
died in 1925, and with the beginning of the follow-
in year, James L. Camp, Jr., assumed duties as
president and acting chairman of the Camp Manu-
facturing Company. He continued in the presi-
dency until March 1956, and was chairman there-
after until July 12, 1956, when the company was
consolidated with Union Bag and Paper Corpora-
tion. Since that date he has been vice chairman of
the board of Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation.
The predecessor Camp Manufacturing Company-
was until 1937 engaged entirely in the lumber
business, with plants in Virginia and North and
South Carolina. Since it was engaged in cutting
second- and third-growth timber on lands accumu-
lated over the years, the management thought it
advisable to enter the wood fibre business in order
to fully utilize the forests they were growing. Ac-
cordingly, a paper mill was built in 1937. The saw-
mill at Franklin is still operated, but the company
lias disposed of its other sawmills and is con-
centrating operations in the Franklin area. At its
site there, continuous sawmill operations have gone
on since 1856, with the exception of a few years
during the Civil War. and this one-hundred-year
record is probably unique in the country.

Mr. Camp has been a consistent and devoted
supporter of the cause of conservation. His firm
hi- provided forest management advice to all in-
terested parties, has distributed seedlings free for
planting, and has itself planted one and three-
quarters trees for each one it has harvested. Mr.
Camp was one of the founders of Virginia Forests,
Inc., whose purpose is to educate private timber-
land owners throughout the state in efficient meth-
ods of timber cutting. He is a director of this or-
ganization and of the National Lumber Manu-
facturers Association. He is a trustee of the Ameri-
can Forest Products Industries, Inc., and is vice
president and a member of the executive committee
of the American Paper and Pulp Association. He
is also a director of the National Association of
Manufacturers. In his home area, he has busi-
ness interests apart from his executive role in the
lumber and paper firm. He is currently the president
and acting chairman of Franklin and Carolina Rail-
road, director of the National Bank of Commerce
of Norfolk, and director of Franklin Concrete Prod-
ucts Corporation.

He is president of the Camp Foundation, and

4"4

LOWKR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

lit the .1. I.. Camp Foundation which he established.
Through this medium, he has made a significant
contribution to welfare programs and local causes
worths of support. He also sponsored and founded
a Young Men's Christian Association organization
in Franklin to establish and coordinate local rec-
reational activities. Taking an intense personal in-
terest in the cause of higher education he has
greatly assisted a number of talented students, and
has offered several scholarships without any obliga-
tion as to future employment. He has sent local
educators to national conferences to broaden their
horizons. He is a trustee of the University of Rich-
mond, the University of Virginia Graduate School
of Business Administration, The Virginia Founda-
tion for Independent Colleges, the National Fund
for Medical Education, and Virginia Baptist Chil-
dren's Home. Upon the occasion of his being
chosen Citizen of the Year, The Franklin Busi-
ness and Professional Women's Club presented the
First Citizen Award of 1955 to James Leonidas
Camp, Jr., with the following tribute:

For long, continued, humanitarian interest in, and out-
standing service to, civic, social, cultural, educational, and
charitable activities in the community and state revealed
by life and example in a modest and unassuming manner
inspiring others to be of commendable service.

Another citation which bears testimony to his
place in community life, is here quoted in part
from "The Paper Maker":

HONORS TO — J. L. CAMP, JR.— for adding to the
august traditions of a Southern timber, lumber and paper
enterprise which enjoys the stature of a Southern institution
— for his four-square devotion to his home town, to his
state, to his country and to his industry — for living an
intensely active life muted by a beneficent modesty — for ever
hewing to the sturdiest virtues in the American grain — tor
his strong stand in the spiritual ground of his forebears,
placing religion and ethical principles high above all other
tilings — for his recognition of cutural values in the round-
ing out of a true gentleman . . .

Mr. Camp is a Rotarian, and a member of the
Country Club of Virginia, Princess Anne Country
Club, Commonwealth Club, The Canadian Club of
New York, The Union League Club, Cypress Cove
Country Club, Farmington Country Club, Virginia
Club, and The Merchants Club. His fraternity is
Phi Kappa Sigma. A communicant of the Frank-
lin Baptist Church, he serves his congregation as
a deacon. In politics he identifies himself as "a
Democrat in Virginia, a Republican nationally."

On May 21, 1918, James Leonidas Camp, Jr.,
married Mary Frances Clay, daughter of Jefferson
L. and Edith (West) Clay. They are the parents
of one son: James Leonidas Camp, III, M.D. He
is now on the staff of the Medical School, Uni-
versity of Virginia, at Charlottesville. He is mar-

ried to the former Miss Jane Geuting of Philadel-
phia, and they have one son, James Leonidas, IV.

WILLIAM McCUTCHEON CAMP— Member
of a family long identified with leadership in the
Lower Tidewater's lumber industry, William Mc-
Cutcheon Camp has brought vision and ability to
the considerable number of offices he has held,
in business connections and among his follow in-
dustrialists. He was vice chairman of the board of
Camp Manufacturing Company at the time of its
merger to form Union Bag-Camp Paper Corpora-
tion, and is now a director of the latter organization.
He has filled other corporate posts; has been a lead-
er in Virginia Forests, Inc., and other lumbermen's
groups; and has worked effectively on behalf of the
causes of education and community welfare.

Born at Franklin on January 24, 1900, he is a son
of James Leonidas and Caroline (Savage) Camp.
His father, a founder of Camp Manufacturing Com-
pany, is the subject of a separate biographical
sketch in this work, as is his brother, James L.,
Jr. After beginning his education in the public
schools of Franklin, William M. Camp entered
Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, where he
was a student from 1915 to 1919. While there, be
played on the football team in 1917-1918, and
was manager of the basketball team in the latter
year. He was also a member of the school's glee
club and choir. From 1919 to 1923 Mr. Camp at-
tended the University of Virginia. While there he
was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, the
Fli Banana Social Club, the P. K. Social Club,
and the Glee Club, and was assistant manager of
the baseball team in 1922.

In 1923 he began his connection with the Camp
Manufacturing Company at its Marion, South Caro-
lina, plant. He became vice president and a director
of the corporation in 1925, and filled both offices
until 1955. During much of that time he continued
bis residence in Marion, and while there was in
charge of the woods and lumber operations of the
Camp Manufacturing Company. In 1937 he was
appointed to the State Forestry Commission of
South Carolina by Governor Bernard R. Maybank,
and served on the board until his return to Virginia
in 1943. He also served as a director of Southern
Hardwood Producers, Inc., Southern Pine Associa-
tion, and was a member of the Southern Hardwood
Defense Committee, with headquarters in Wash-
ington, D. C, from 1940 until the end of World
War II. Also while living in Marion, he served on
the school board; as chairman of the board of
deacons of the Marion Baptist Church; as member
of South Carolina's board of the Boy Scouts of
America; as a member of the South Carolina Demo-

Wendell Powell Studio

Wendell Towell Stuilio

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

405

cratic State Committee; and as a director of the
Marion National Bank.

When he came to Franklin in 1943, he assumed
duties as vice president in charge of land, timber
and lumber operations, a position he held until
1955. At that time he was named vice chairman of
the board of Camp Manufacturing Company, and
continued in that post until May 1956, when the
company merged with the Union Bag and Paper
Corporation to form the present Union Bag-Camp
Paper Corporation, with which he continued as a
director.

The place of leadership which he has long held
in the lumber industry, and the vision he has
brought to the solution of its problems, are re-
flected in the following paragraphs from an article
concerning him in the pages of the magazine Wood
ant! Wood Products, April 1955, issue:

One of the first lumber companies in America to recognize
that the rapid growth of new lumber more than otfset the
cost of taxes on the land was Camp Mfg. Co., Franklin.
Va. Closely associated with the firm's reforestation program
and now fully in charge is W. M. "Bill" Camp, vice presi-
dent in charge of the Lumber Division, responsible for
timber lands, forestry, logging and wood procurement . . .
Bill Camp has not limited his foresight to an intelligent for-
est management policy governing his own company's hold-
ings. He has carried the gospel to others while serving
on the boards of Southern Hardwood Producers, Inc., and
Southern Pine Association, and as a board member and
vice president of Virginia Forests, Inc., an organization sel
up for the alvancement of forestry and conservation 111
\ irginia.

Under his guidance local farmers plant pine seedlings
under tlie direction of Camp foresters and find a lucrative
market for their natural stands of pine which they saw into
5 ft. lengths and deliver by truck to the Camp yards.

Bill Camp has been equally foresighted in "lightening
the load" wherever possible. He believes in up-to-date methods,
whether they entail using a tractor instead of a mule to
skid logs, the installation of more up-to-date kilns, or re-
placing the rail method of getting logs out ot the woods
with trucks, trailers and river barges . . .

In regard to the Southern Pine Association, Mr.
Camp served on its board of directors from 1947
to 1954. Since 1950 he has been vice president and
a director of Virginia Forests, Inc. He has been
interested likewise in promoting the overall in-
dustrial progress of his area and the South general-
ly. He is a member of the Committee on Southern
Development of the National Planning Associa-
tion, with headquarters in Washington, D. C,
and is a director of the Atlantic Rural Exposition,
with headquarters in Richmond. He is a member
of the board of trustees of The Tidewater Virginia
Development Council, with headquarters at Nor-
folk. His business interests, apart from his execu-
tive connection with the Union Bag-Camp organ-
ization, include service on the boards of directors of
Tidewater Teleradio, Inc., and Vaughan and Com-
pany, Bankers, at Franklin. Since 1942 he has been

a director of the Franklin-Carolina Railroad. He is
vice president and director of the Franklin Cham-
ber of Commerce.

Another of his major interests is the cause of
education. He was president of the Alumni As-
sociation of Woodberry Forest School from 1946
to 1948 and served on the board of trustees for
Woodberry Forest School from 1946 to 1950. From
1948 to 1954, he was a member of the board of
managers of the University of Virginia Alumni
Association. Much of his effort in the direction of
welfare work has been channeled through Camp
Foundation, of which he has been a director since
it was established in 1942. He has also served as
chairman of its Committee on Community and
Recreational Work, and in that capacity has work-
ed with the town and schools on recreation, and
with Negro ministers and church groups. He
formed the Carrie S. Camp Foundation in 1948,
in memory of his mother, which Foundation is
also charitable.

When a plaque was unveiled at the Franklin
Public Swimming Pool on August 19, 1949, its
inscription paid tribute to his efforts:

This plaque erected by the grateful citizens of Franklin
111 appreciation of the leadership of the Franklin Junior
Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of the generosity and
interest ot Camp Mfg. Co., and especially its representative,
William M. Camp, making possible this recreational facility
for the Franklin Community.

Active in the Franklin Baptist Church, Mr. Camp
joined its board of deacons in 1948, and was chair-
man of the board in 195 1. Farming is an avocation
of the industrial executive. He has six hundred
acres at Holliknoll, where he has developed a
herd of three hundred head of registered Guernsey
cattle.

On January 2, 1923, William McCutcheon Camp
married Edith West Clay, daughter of Jefferson
Leon Clay and Edith West Clay. The couple are the
parents of two children: 1. William McCutcheon,
Jr., who was born on November 6, 1927. He mar-
ried Shirley Steinbach on November 28, 1954, and
they have two children: i. Carrie Luanne, born
October 16, 1955. ii. Francis Hollis, born April 3,
1957. 2. Leon Clay, born October 8, 1930. On June
5, 1952, he married June Page, and they likewise
have two children: i. Leon Clay, Jr., born May 9,
!953- ii- June Page, born September 30, 1954.

HUGH DOUGLAS CAMP— Executive vice
president of the Union Bag-Camp Paper Corpora-
tion, was born at Franklin, Virginia, on April 4,
1903, son of James L. and Caroline (Savage) Camp.
His father, one of the founders of the company
whose record accompanies, and its vice president

4.06

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and general manager in its early years, died in
December 1925.

Beginning his education in the Franklin public
schools, Hugh D. Camp attended the high school
there before entering Woodberry Forest School to
complete his secondary studies. For three years he
was a student at the University of Virginia, and
he also took courses at Philadelphia Textile School.
He did not immediately enter the family business,
but began his career in the textile field, joining The
Simmons Company at Roanoke Rapids, North Caro-
lina. In the course of his eleven years with this or-
ganization, he advanced to a vice presidency, and
was general superintendent of its Roanoke and
Patterson textile mills.

In January 1937, Chesapeake-Camp Corporation
was formed and incorporated, and two weeks later
he joined this firm as general manager of paper
production. Under his capable direction the com-
pany made rapid strides in increasing the volume
of its paper production. It resumed the name of
Camp Manufacturing Company (by which it had
been known in the early years of its existence), in
1945. Meantime. Hugh D. Camp had advanced to
a vice presidency, and was made executive vice
president in 1954. He became president of the
firm in March 1956, and was also a member of its
board of directors. Since July 12. 1956, when the
firm became Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation,
Mr. Camp has been its executive vice president.

Mr. Camp is likewise a director of the First Mer-
chants Bank of Richmond and the Vaughan and
Company Bank in Franklin.

He is a Rotarian, and a member of the Com-
monwealth Club of Richmond and Phi Kappa
fraternity. As a devotee of golf, he holds member-
ship in the Richmond Country Club, Farmington
Country Club, Cypress Cove Country Club and
Princess Anne Country Club. He is also fond of
boating. He is a communicant of the Episcopal
Church, and serves on its vestry.

At Selma, Alabama, on April 20, 1927, Hugh D.
Camp married Ada Norris Coleman of that city,
daughter of Frederick and Louise (Compton) Cole-
man. Mr. and Mrs. Camp have a daughter, Caroline
Compton, who is now the wife of Frank R. Motley
of Abingdon, Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Motley have
two children: Mary and Hugh Camp Motley.

CAMP MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC.

— Beginning its existence seventy years ago as
Camp Manufacturing Company, continuing in the
mid- 1930s and 1940s as Chesapeake-Camp Corpora-
tion, the firm now known as Camp Manufacturing
Company is a major industry of Franklin and the
Lower Tidewater region. It gives employment to
over a thousand persons, and manufactures lumber

ami ;i varietj of products derived from the forest.
The name of Camp is still prominent on its man-
agement roster. James L. Camp, Jr., is its presi-
dent, Hugh D. Camp, executive vice president and
William M. Camp, vice president. It was founded
by three other bearers of the name — Paul D.,
James I., and Robert J. Camp — on November 2,
1887, shortly after the purchase of a mill from John-
son Neely. It was on that day that the first meeting
of stockholders was held and the corporate charter
issued. Paul D. Camp became president; James
L. Camp, vice president and general manager; and
Robert J. Camp, secretary and treasurer. The mill
which they took over had been operating as a pine
sawmill since 1850, and is today probably the old-
est such mill in continuous operation at the same
location in the United States. Robert Johnson Neely
and his older brother William had built it, and be-
gan lumber operations there as the R. J. and W.
Neely Lumber Company.

Under the management of the Camp Manufac-
turing Company, additional lands were acquired,
and in 1891 the mill was remodeled to develop a
capacity of about seventy-five thousand feet of lum-
ber per day, with "a planing mill in connection
therewith for the manufacture of dressed lumber,
such as flooring, weatherboarding and other smooth,
finished lumber." In May 1896, the firm took its
first step in expanding outside the Franklin area.
A mill was established at Arringdale, Virginia,
twenty miles to the west on the A. and D. Railway.
Its productive capacity enabled the company to
greatly increase output of lumber from the two
hundred and fifty million feet of timber which it
then owned. Six years after the Arringdale plant
had opened, another sawmill was established at
Holdsworth Siding in Dinwiddie County, and was
known as the Butterworth Plant. The three mills
had a combined daily capacity of over three hundred
thousand feet by 1907. In addition, the company
was heavily invested in mills at Marion, South
Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. It em-
ployed a total of over eighteen hundred persons.
An affiliate, Wiley, Harker and Camp Company,
was organized as a wholesale distributing firm with
headquarters in New York City, to place the out-
put of North Carolina pine on the market in various
states.

In 1914, R. J. Camp, who had been secretary and
treasurer of the firm since 1887, died. The death
of Paul D. Camp occurred in February 1924; and
with the death of James L. Camp in December of
the following year, the organization lost the last of
its founding partners. Prior to 1925, the following
members of the family had joined the organization :
J. M. Camp, son of P. D. Camp, in 1905; Robert
G. Camp, son of J. L., in 1907; P. R. Camp, son

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

407

of P. D., in January 1909; George F., son of B. F.,
in 1910; Vaughn Camp, son of R. J., in 1913; James
L., Jr., on September 1, 1915; and William M., an-
other son of James L., Sr., in 1922. Meantime, in
1914, the Camp Fear plant had been moved to
Wallace, North Carolina. Four years later the But-
terworth mill was closed, and in 1922, operations at
Arringdale ceased after twenty-six years. In their
places new mills were established, two being at
St. Stephens and South Marion, in South Carolina.

In 1936, the decision was made to enter the pulp
and paper business at Franklin, and on December
11, a charter was granted to a new firm known as
the Chesapeake-Camp Corporation. It engaged in
the manufacture, buying and selling of wood pulp,
kraft paper, and wood, timber and paper products.
On January 15, 1937, construction of a new mill
began, and two weeks later Hugh D. Camp, young-
est son of James L., who had been an official of a
North Carolina textile firm, was employed as gen-
eral manager of the new paper operation. On Jan-
uary 1, 1938, the corporation began operating the
pulp and paper mill with a capacity of one hundred
and fifty tons per day. In 1940, decision was made
to consolidate interest in the Franklin properties,
and arranged purchase of Chesapeake Corporation's
jnterest in Chesapeake-Camp. A merger followeG
this transaction, and the old Camp Manufacturing
Company was merged into Chesapeake-Camp Cor-
poration. Further consolidation, in 1943, led to
closing of mills at St. Stephens and Marion, South
Carolina.

In 1945, with all operations under one manage-
ment, the name of the firm was changed to its
present form, Camp Manufacturing Company, In-
corporated. The following year, paper production
was stepped up to one hundred and ninety tons per
day. In 1947, the company became affiliated with
Stocker Manufacturing Company of Netcong, New
Jersey, and began supervision of finished paper
products at that place. Production of kraft paper
had increased to three hundred and fifty tons per
day by late 1950. Three years later the company
effected merger of the Wortendyke Manufacturing
Company, and closing of this transaction in March
1953. gave the company control of the entire pro-
duction process from growing timber to sale of
finished paper products. Afterwards a bleaching
plant was completed and operations were begun
there in November 1953.

By 1955, as the industrial plant across the Black-
water River from Franklin drew close to the com-
pletion of a full century of operation — two-thirds
of it under Camp management — the company was
employing over a thousand persons at that location.
Ownership of stock has been widely distributed,
and there are as many stockholders as employees.

The plant occupies an area six times the size of
the original Neely purchase a century ago. The
lumber division produces a thousand feet of lum-
ber per day; the paper division, three hundred and
fifty tons of brown and white paper daily.

The present management roster of the Camp
Manufacturing Company includes the names of
James L., Jr., Hugh D., and William M. Camp
(president, executive vice president and vice presi-
dent respectively); Walter C. Shorter, vice presi-
dent; John C. Parker, general counsel and secretary
and treasurer; S. A. Lipscomb, Jr., controller and
assistant secretary; and John M. Camp, Jr., assist-
ant treasurer.

FRANK DUDLEY LAWRENCE— President

of the American National Bank of Portsmouth,
Frank Dudley Lawrence has been one of the no-
table figures of the Tidewater area during the past
half-century. Banker, civic leader, and sportsman,
he is one of Portsmouth's first citizens in com-
munity service, having devoted a great deal of
tireless effort to the development of it- commercial
and organizational life.

Mr. Lawrence was born on March 15, 189 1, in
Portsmouth, son of John Wesley and Virginia
( Hobday ) Lawrence of that city. Both parents are
now deceased. The banker attended the public
schools of Portsmouth, and graduated from its high
school in 1907. In June of that year he began his
banking career as a runner at the Merchants and
Farmers Bank of Portsmouth. After eleven and a
half years there, he resigned to organize the Amer-
ican National Bank of Portsmouth. To place the
new organization on a sound financial footing, he
sold capital stock of a quarter of a million dollars
in ten days.

When the bank opened its doors in 1919, Mr.
Lawrence began as cashier. He advanced to the
vice presidency in 1929, and was elected president
'n 1943, the position in which he has served ever
since. He has been a major force in assuring the
success of the bank, one of the stronger financial
institutions in the Tidewater area.

The American National Bank is a successor to
the old Bank of Portsmouth, the conversion oc-
curring on June 23, 1919, with resources totalling
only a little more than a million dollars. Under
the new name and management, its history has
been one of steady progress. As of the close of
business on December 31, 1958, total resources had
reached more than twenty-five million dollars, and
deposits nearly twenty-four million dollars — a sub-
stantial gain even as compared with figures reached
on the same date in 1955. The bank at present has
capital stock of five hundred thousand dollars, sur-
plus of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars,

408

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and undivided profits of three hundred thousand
dollars. Besides Mr. Lawrence, the officers of the
American National Bank are Edward C. Allen,
senior vice president; Virginia L. Hall, vice pres-
ident; John E. Scott, vice president; Richard B.
Ames, vice president; Maurice Gonipf, cashier;
John E. Adams, George D. Foreman, Raymond J.
Lawrence, Joe E. Daughtrey. Madeline E. Gibson
and Annie W. Cross, assistant cashiers; and Clyde
\Y. Cooper, and William B. Spong, Jr., attorneys.
Directors are Frank D. Lawrence, Clyde W.
Cooper, R. E. Hawks, M. H. Rapoport, Norman
R. Hamilton. E. C. Allen, George H. Carr, Jr., H.
E. Dorin, W. T. Goode, Jr., L. W. I'Anson, S.
Lasting, William R. Spong, Jr., and J. H. Sykes.

Portsmouth's only national bank, this institution
has also been the longest in continuous existence,
and is the largest of the city's banks. It has com-
plete banking facilities, and is a member of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Virgi-
nia Bankers Association, and the American Bankers
Association. The main office is at 234 High Street,
and there are drive-in locations at 1107 High
Street, 2421 Airline Boulevard, and 1530 Wash-
ington Highway ( Cradock Branch).

Mr. Lawrence is also a director of the Citizens
Trust Company of Portsmouth. Besides his acti-
vities as a banker, he has long played a constructive
part in the general life of the city and Tidewater
Virginia. He was designated Portsmouth's First Cit-
izen in 1942, in recognition of his civic accomplish-
ments. His personal vigor and business acumen
have been reflected in all the endeavors in which
he has participated. In 1919 he organized the Ki-
wanis Club, and in 1921 became its second pres-
ident. He has been active in. and served in 1919
as president of the Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation, and is interested in work with underpriv-
ileged children.

From 1936 to 1947. Mr. Lawrence served on the
Portsmouth City Council, and he was recognized
as one of its most active members and hardest
workers. He was an organizer and early supporter,
one of the mainstays, of the Portsmouth Chamber
of Commerce and the Portsmouth Industrial Foun-
dation, serving on their boards of directors for a
number of years. He has been active in all Com-
munity Chest campaigns, has served as co-chair-
man in war bond drives, and has participated in
countless other undertakings for the benefit of
community or country.

[nterested in sports from the beginning of his
career, Mr. Lawrence has taken a particular in-
terest in baseball for nearly a half-century. He was
president of the Portsmouth Cubs, in the Piedmont
League, and, in 1943. was selected as the outstand-
ing minor league baseball official of the year. At

ceremonies in the Portsmouth Stadium, over eight
thousand of his fellow citizens paid him tribute
when the plaque was presented. Among them was
Governor Darden, who particularly praised Mr.
Lawrence for his activities on behalf of war-bond
sales. He was forced out of baseball in 1955 because
of major league invasion of minor league territory
and has a $250,000.00 suit pending against the Ma-
jor Leagues and Commissioner Ford Frick in the
Xew York Federal Courts.

In Portsmouth, on January 31, 1928, Frank Dud-
ley Lawrence married Margarette C. Peed of that
city, daughter of the late James Neville ami the
late Martha Ann (Corbitt) Peed of Southampton,
Virginia. They have three children: 1. James N. P.,
physicist at Los Alamos, New Mexico. 2. Doris,
who is now the wife of Gerald Hendry of Long
Beach, California. 3. Ann Elizabeth, now Mrs. Ro-
bert Stephenson of Richmond. Three other sons by
a previous marriage are: Frank Dudley, Jr., a
businessman in Portsmouth; Raymond J., assistant
cashier of the American National Bank of Ports-
mouth; and John W., a businessman in Norfolk.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence make their home at Pine-
hurst, in Norfolk County; known as "Home Plate''
because of Mr. Lawrence's activities in baseball.

WILLIAM RALPH VAN BUREN, JR.—

Newspaper publishing has been the major inter-
est of William Ralph Van Buren, Jr., since the
early years of his career. As secretary and assis-
tant treasurer of The Daily Press, Inc., of New-
port News, he holds a responsible post in the
organization which publishes both the "Daily
Press" and the "Times Herald." He is also an
executive of the Hampton Roads Broad.asting
Corporation.

Born at Norfolk on August 21, 19 14, he is a
son of Captain William Ralph Van Buren. His
father, who earned his rank in the department
of supply of the United States Navy, is now
president of Daily Press, Inc. The younger Wil-
liam R. Van Buren attended St. Albans School
in Washington, D. C, completed his prepara-
tory courses there with his graduation in 1933.
He then entered the College of William and
Mary, which he attended for three and one-half
years.

Early in his career, Mr. Van Buren joined
The Daily Press, Inc. He gained valuable ex-
perience working in its various departments be-
fore be was named assistant secretary and assis-
tant treasurer in 1942. He has retained the
assistant treasurership, and was later named
secretary of the corporation. The Newport News
"Daily Press," from which the corporation takes
its name, is a morning paper, and the firm also

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

409

publishes the city's evening paper, the "Times
Herald." As is so often the case, the newspaper
publishing interests also control the local broad-
casting facilities, and Mr. Van Buren holds the
offices of assistant secretary and assistant trea-
surer of the Hampton Roads Broadcasting Cor-
poration. In addition, he is secretary and assis-
tant treasurer of the Southern Colorprint Cor-
poration.

Air. Van Buren was absent from his execu-
tive chair in the news publishing firm at the
time of World War II. He entered the United
States Army in 1942 and served until 1946, at-
taining the rank of master sergeant.

Consistently a hard worker for community
causes, Mr. Van Buren received the Young Man
of the Year Award of the local Junior Chamber
of Commerce in 1948. At the present time he
is a director of the Virginia Peninsula Associa-
tion of Commerce. He is a member of the Lions
Club of Hampton, and was its president in 1948.
He is also active in Masonry, being a member of St.
Tammany Lodge No. 5, and Newport News Con-
sistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite. He holds the Thirty-second degree and is
a member of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is
also a member, and past president of the Penin-
sula Shrine Club. His fraternity is Pi Kappa
Alpha. He and his family attend St. John's
Episcopal Church in Hampton. Mr. Van Buren's
hobby is photography.

On June 23, 1951, in Edinburg, Virginia, he
was united in marriage with Anna Lee Hite
of that city, daughter of M. Lloyd and Anna
Hite.

LEONARD H. DAVIS— As city attorney of
Norfolk, Leonard H. Davis is continuing a long
period of public service begun when he took office
as assistant police justice of the city in 1941.
Before assuming his present office he was police
justice and an officer in the armed forces in World
War II. As a lawyer he was in private practice,
alone and with partners, for a few years.

Mr. Davis was born in Portsmouth on January
16, 1909, the son of Leonard H. and Lula L.
(Allen) Davis. His father was born in Williams-
burg, his mother in Henrico Comity. The senior
Mr. Davis, who died in 1925 at the age of sixty-
six, was with the Portsmouth City Water Depart-
ment for many years and then for five years with
the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corpora-
tion. Lula Davis now makes her home in Ports-
mouth.

The city attorney received his early education
in Portsmouth. Graduated from high school in

1925, he then attended Washington and Lee Uni-
versity for five years, taking his degree of Bachelor
of Laws in 1930. He started his practice in Norfolk
and has remained there through the years. In 1937,
he formed a partnership with S. Burnell Bragg.
Later he, Harvey E. White and Louis Lee Guy
formed the law firm of White, Guy and Davis. In
1940, this firm became White and Davis. On Sep-
tember I, 1941, Mr. Davis was appointed assistant
police justice of Norfolk, but he continued his
private law practice.

In 1943 Mr. Davis took a military leave from
both his judicial post and his law firm and went
on active duty with the United States Army Air
Forces. He served overseas as an officer until
released to inactive status in November 1945- In
January 1944, when he was still in the armed forces,
Mr. Davis was elected police justice but his milit-
ary leave was extended. On January 1, 1946, he
began actively serving as police justice. He retained
this judicial post until July I, 1954, when he was
appointed assistant city attorney. On January I,
1955, he was elected city attorney for a four-year
term. His office is in the Norfolk City Hall Building.

Mr. Davis is a member of the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth Bar Association, the Virginia Bar Associa-
tion, American Bar Association; Cosmopolitan Club
of Norfolk, the Virginia Club and the Pyramid
Club of Norfolk. In politics he is a Democrat and
in religion an Episcopalian.

On April 30, 1938. in Norfolk, Mr. Davis mar-
ried Alice Covington, daughter of the Reverend
Dr. Henry H. and Marie L. (Lee) Covington,
both of whom were born in South Carolina. Dr.
Covington, who early in life studied law but
later heeded the call to the ministry, was for
many years rector of Saint Paul's Episcopal
Church. Norfolk. He died in 1932. His widow, who
is a native of historic Sumter, continues to make
her home in Norfolk. Mrs. Davis, who has long
been active in social and club circles, is a past
president of the King's Daughters of Norfolk. She
and her husband have one daughter, Lucy Lee,
who was born on February 14, 1950. Their home is
at 1415 West Princess Anne Road.

JOHN DAVID CORBELL, 3rd— In addition
to the capable performance of his duties as chief
clerk of the city of Norfolk, and his work as a
member of municipal bodies, John David Corbell,
3rd, has distinguished himself as a civic leader
and historian.

He was born at Surry Court House. Virginia,
on October 4, 1897, son of the late Dr. John David
Corbell. a beloved physician of that place, and his
wife, the former Belia Dearing. Receiving his early
education in the public schools, John D. Corbell,

410

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

3rd, went on to the College of William and Mary
.a Williamsburg. He came to Norfolk in 1918,
and served as deputy city clerk from April 1, 1921,
until his elevation to city clerk on June 30, 1930.
He also serves as executive secretary of the Nor-
folk Port Traffic Commission, City Planning Com-
mission and Advisory Commission on Public
Health, and is past vice president of Leigh Memor-
ial Hospital.

His memberships include the Cosmopolitan Cluh,
Virginia Club, Norfolk German Club, Norfolk
Yacht and Country Club, and Ruth Lodge No. 89,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Norfolk.

Maintaining a lifelong interest in Virginia his-
tory, he owns one of the finest private collections
of volumes on this subject to be found in the state,
comprising many rare first editions and works
long out of print. Mr. Corbell serves as historian
for the Order of Cape Henry No. 1607. The an-
nual Cape Henry pilgrimage, held each April, ob-
serves the initial landing of the first permanent
English settlers in America, in 1607. The Norfolk
city clerk takes a particular interest in maintain-
ing the observance of such events, and fostering
recognition of the region's history-rich past. He
was a dominant figure in the programming of
the 1957 observances of the three hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.

On October 4, 1941. in Norfolk, John David
Corbell, 3rd, married Miss Louise Gibbs Kerr,
formerly of Savannah, Georgia.

H. WALTER WHICHARD— A significant fig-
ure in Norfolk's civic and business life over the
past half-century has been H. Walter Whichard.
Co-founder of Whichard Brothers Company, Inc.,
wholesale dry goods firm, in 1900, he has been its
president through most of the intervening years.
He is active in community organizations and in
the work of his church.

Born on March 23, 1875, at Whichard, in Pitt
County, North Carolina, the merchandising execu-
tive is a son of the late Willis Randolph and Mary
Ann Amanda (Gurganus) Whichard. His father,
a farmer and merchant, exercised considerable in-
fluence in county and state political affairs. One of
seven sons, H. Walter Whichard passed his boy-
hood on the family farm and, following his early
education in the public schools of Pitt County, at-
tended Greenville College, Greenville, North Caro-
lina. In the early years of his manhood, he divided
his time between serving as postmaster of Whichard
and operating his father's country store. For a
time he worked on the staff of the Greenville Daily
Reflector as a journalist.

In 1900 Mr. Whichard came to Norfolk to live
and, in July of that year, joined his brother, the

late Claude L. Whichard, and two other Norfolk
businessmen, H. M. Hardee and Merriweather
Winston, in founding the Winston, Hardee & Whi-
chard Company. The original location of the com-
pany was on Commerce Street between Main and
Water streets. By the time a new location was
chosen on Main Street, at the head of Randolph
Street, seven years later, the Whichard brothers
were in sole charge; they having bought the other
partners' interests and assumed the present firm
style of Whichard Brothers Company, Inc. Three
years later, in 1910, they erected a four story brick
building at 108-110 Randolph Street, which has been
the headquarters of the firm ever since.

Claude L. Whichard was secretary-treasurer and
financial manager of Whichard Brothers Company,
Inc.. until his death in 1931. Since 1907, when the
company took its present name, H. Walter Whi-
chard has been president and merchandise manager,
and, since 193 1, he has performed both functions.
As one of the region's older business institutions.
Whichard Brothers serves people living in Virginia
and eastern North Carolina, and owes much of its
success to long-standing friendships and favorable
customer relationships established in its early days.
It adheres to high standards in the wholesale dry
good trade.

Having worked long and effectively in building
up the organization, H. Walter Whichard in recent
years has delegated some of the responsibilities of
management to W. T. Hatfield, a young business
man of Norfolk, who has advanced to the position
of executive vice president.

Throughout a most interesting period of Nor-
folk's growth and development, Mr. Whichard's
contributions and efforts have been woven into the
fabric of the city's life. He is generally regarded as
one of its most useful citizens. A member of the
Chamber of Commerce, he is past chairman of its
naval and armed forces committee. He helped to
organize the old Board of Trade, and also the Nor-
folk Community Chest and the Young Men's Chris-
tian Association. He is a charter member of the
board of directors of the Bank of Virginia, formerly
the Morris Plan Bank and now one of the largest
financial institutions in the state.

For many years a communicant of old St. Paul's
Episcopal Church. Mr. Whichard has served as
senior warden of the church several terms, and is
now serving as chairman of the endowment board.
He has also held for several terms a seat on the
executive board of the Episcopal Diocese of South-
ern Virginia. The oldest member of the Norfolk
German Club, he formerly served as its president:
and he is a charter member of the Norfolk Kiwanis
Club. He is a member of the Virginia Club, a char-
ter member of the Princess Anne Country Club.

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

and a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country
Club.

Over the past fifty years, Mr. Whichard has been
affiliated with the Masonic order, and is now an
honorary life member of Ruth Lodge No. 89, An-
cient Free and Accepted Masons. Also belonging to
the higher bodies of the order, he is a charter mem-
ber of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

On October 25, 191 1, at Raleigh, H. Walter Whi-
chard married I'attie Carroll, daughter of Owen
Judson and Mary Ann (Sutherland! Carroll. Mrs.
Whichard is a direct descendant of Charles Carroll
(I73/-i^3->. American patriot, signer of the Dec-
laration of Independence, and resident of Carrollton
Manor, Maryland. In the maternal line, she is a
direct descendant of the Duke of Sutherland in
Scotland. Her father was born on the Carroll Plan-
tation in Simpson County, North Carolina. He serv-
ed with the Confederate States Army in the closing
years of the war, and became prominent in the
public affairs of Raleigh, where he died in 1900. His
wife, the former Mary Ann Sutherland, died in that
city in 1925.

Mrs. Whichard is a graduate of St. Mary's Jun-
ior College of Raleigh and throughout the years has
been active in philanthropic work, children's wel-
fare causes, and social and cultural affairs, including
the program of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern
Virginia. She is a life member and past president of
St. .Mary's Junior College Alumnae. Engaged in
social service for nearly three decades, she served
the Norfolk Chapter of the American Red Cross,
and has been active on behalf of Travelers Aid, the
Norfolk Community Chest, and the Children's Wel-
fare Board. In cultural directions, she is a member
of the Virginia Poetry Society, and the Society of
the Arts, in Norfolk. As a communicant of old St.
Paul's Episcopal Church, she is active in its af-
fairs, and she has also served as president of the
Women's Auxiliary of the Episcopal Diocese of
Southern Virginia.

Mr. and Mrs. H. Walter Whichard are the par-
ents of two children: 1. Carroll, a graduate of Vas-
sar College in New York State, who married the
late Elliot MacSwain, a native of Berkeley, Cali-
fornia. A son, Bruce, was born of this marriage;
and by a previous marriage, Mr. MacSwain had
another son, Duncan. 2. Rev. H. Walter, Jr., now
rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Suffolk,
Virginia. He graduated from Maury High School,
and attended the University of Florida for two
years. He then transferred to George Washington
University, where he majored in history and inter-
national relations. On graduation he received his
degree of Bachelor of Arts, and immediately after-
wards took a position on the staff of the Washing-
ton "Evening Star," becoming a reporter and also

working in the paper's library. He left the "Star"
to enter Virginia Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria,
where he studied for two years. Before taking his
third and final year at the seminary, be went to the
Southwest for a year and a half as a missionary.
He was first at the Good Shepherd Mission at Fort
Defiance, Arizona, where he worked among the
Navajos and in an orphanage, later going on to
Phoenix and Tucson, from whence he covered five
missions on the desert and also an army camp
near Florence. Also while in Arizona, he did mis-
sionary work for the Japanese internment camp at
Casa Grande. The Rev. H. Walter Whichard, Jr.,
received his degree of Bachelor of Divinity at Vir-
ginia Episcopal Seminary, and was ordained in Oc-
tober 1944 as a deacon, the ordination being con-
ducted at his home church, St. Paul's, by Bishop
William Brown. In May 1945 he was ordained into
the priesthood at Good Shepherd Church in South
Richmond, by Bishop Brown. He was then called
to Mecklenburg County, where he was given six
churches. Later, returning to the Southwest, he
became assistant rector of St. Philip's in the Hills
at Tucson, and chaplain of Episcopal students at
the University of Arizona. Still later lie served as
rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Brady, Tex-
as, for five and a half years, after which he became
rector of Christ Episcopal Church at Blacksburg,
Virginia, and chaplain of students at Virginia Poly-
technic Institute. Since June 1955 he has been rector
of St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Suffolk, Virginia.
The Whichard family home is at 603 Redgate
Avenue, Norfolk.

CLAUDE LINDEN WHICHARD, SR., was a

native of Pitt County, North Carolina, born at
Whichard the son of Willis Randolph and Mary
Ann Amanda (Gurganus) Whichard. He was a
descendant of John Whichard (d. 1772) who set-
tled in 1750 in Pitt County, then part of Beaufort
County, within a short distance of where some of
his posterity still reside. John Whichard was born
in Princess Anne County, Virginia, the son of a
sheriff and justice of that county and the great-
grandson of James Whichard who settled there in
1654. John Whichard married Joyce, daughter of
William Langley, granddaughter of James Thela-
ball, an early Huguenot settler, and great-grand-
daughter of Lieutenant Francis Mason, officer of
militia, churchwarden, sheriff, and justice of Lower
Norfolk as early as 1637, who came to Virginia in
1613.

Claude L. Whichard passed his boyhood years on
the Whichard ancestral farm, receiving his educa-
tion in the county's public schools in which he later,
taught for several years. Taking a business course
at Louisville, Kentucky, he came to Norfolk in the
early 1850s and was employed for a time as a

TWVa. 49

4i:

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

bookkeeper in the cotton brokerage firm of C. C.
Cobb. He later held a similar position with the
general insurance firm of George W. Dey and Sons
of Norfolk. In July 1900 he joined his brother, H.
Walter Whichard (q.v.), in founding the wholesale
dry goods firm now so well known as Whichard
Brothers Company, Inc. It is one of the oldest bu-
siness enterprises in continuous existence to this
day in Norfolk. Claude L. Whichard continued as
secretary-treasurer and credit manager, successfully
conducting the firm's finances, until his death on
January 13, 193 1.

He was very active as a member of the Free-
mason Street Baptist Church from 1895, serving on
its board of deacons for twenty-five years, and as
church clerk for thirty years. He was a member of
Ruth Lodge No. 29, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, serving as its master in 1910, and was a
member of Khedive Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

On December 4, 1901, Claude Linden Whichard,
Sr., married Annie Wortham Dey. She is the daugh-
ter of George W. and Mary Jane (Toy) Dey. and
granddaughter of William and Margaret Catherine
(Walters) Dey and of Thomas Dallam and Amelia
Ann (Rogers) Toy, all of Norfolk. Mrs. Whichard,
who survives her husband and continues to main-
tain the family home in Norfolk, is a graduate of
the Norfolk College for Young Ladies (1887), a
life-long member of the Freemason Street Baptist
Church, and a charter member of the Norfolk City
Union of the King's Daughters. George W. Dey
was active for many years in the management of
his own insurance firm, George W. Dey and Sons,
of Norfolk. He was also a banker. He died in Nor-
folk on March 1, 1925, at the age of eightv-nine.

Claude L., Sr., and Annie Wortham (Dey), Whi-
chard became the parents of three sons: 1. Rogers
Dey (q.v.). 2. Claude Linden, Jr., born July 13,
1909, who attended local grammar and high schools
and, from 1927 to 1930, the University of North
Carolina, where he was a member of Delta Kappa
Epsilon fraternity. He is a former member of the
Order of De Molay, and he had been a private in
Company G. 34th Infantry, Citizens' Military Train-
ing Camp, in 1927. From 1942 to 1945, he was a
member of the Ground Observer Corps, United
States Army Air Corps. He has been engaged in
various mercantile pursuits in Norfolk since 1931.
3. George W. Dey, born January 23, 1914, in Nor-
folk, who completed his formal studies at the Bliss
Electrical Institute in Tacoma Park, Maryland, and
began his career as a technician for the Virginia
Electric and Power Company at Norfolk. During
the World War II period, he served with the United
States Navy, attaining the rank of chief petty offi-
cer. From 1940 to 1941 he was aboard the battle-
ships U. S. S. "Texas," on North Atlantic patrol

and convoy, and from 1942 to 1945 he served aboard
the destroyer U. S. S. "Stevenson," engaged in sev-
eral Pacific amphibious compaigns. Following this
he was an instructor in the electrical shop at the
Naval Air Station in Norfolk, and he is now en-
gaged in the sale of mobile homes in Orlando, Flor-
ida. .Married to the former Miss Lottie Alligood of
Washington. North Carolina, he is the father of a
son, George W. Dey Whichard, Jr.

WILLIAM MORTON DEY, Ph.D.— Though
not a resident of Norfolk for over fifty years, Dr.
William Morton Dey still has close ties here, both
family and otherwise. He was born in Norfolk on
June 23, 1880, son of George W. and Mary Jane
(To3T) Dey, and received his early education locally,
including graduation from the historic Norfolk A-
cademy in 1897. After a year at the University of
North Carolina, where his uncle, Walter Dallam
Toy, was chairman of the Department of Modern
Languages, he transferred to the University of
Virginia in 1898, and, in June 1902, received both
the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees
from that institution. Entering graduate school at
Harvard, where another uncle, Crawford Howell
Toy. formerly of the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, was professor of Semitic Languages and
Biblical Literature, he earned a second master's
degree in 1904, and, in 1906, was awarded the de-
gree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Professor Dey's first post, after leaving graduate
school, was that of assistant professor of French
at the University of Missouri, where he remained
for three years, in the last of which he was acting
head of the department. In 1909 the old Modern
Languages Department of the University of North
Carolina was split; Professor Toy continued to head
the German Department and Professor Dey be-
came chairman of the Department of Romance Lan-
guages, its first and only chairman for forty years.
In 1910 he was married to Ellen Alice, daughter
of Captain William W. and Alice (Herbert) Old
of Norfolk, and, in 1918, the Deys moved into the
lovely old house at the corner of Rosemary Lane
and Hillsborough Road in Chapel Hill, where they
still live today.

The Romance Languages Department grew great-
ly under Professor Dey's leadership. He was made
Kenan Professor of Romance Languages and Lit-
erature in 1934, and, the following year, began a
five-year term as chairman of the University's Div-
ision of the Humanities. His chief interest in teach-
ing and research lay in the Romantic Movement in
France, and his published writings include notes
on Romantic poets and novelists, as well as articles
on pronunciation and a French grammar in col-
laboration with Andre Beziat. In 1949 he was dec-
orated b3^ the French Consul-General, in the name

/VP<&6^ s*&(hf ff

c .

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

4'3

of his government, with the Cross of Chevalier of
the Legion of Honor. In June 1050, on the occasion
of his seventieth birthday and retirement, William
Morton Dey was presented with a two hundred
page volume of "Romance Studies" containing ar-
ticles written by his colleagues and former students.

ROGERS DEY WHICHARD, Ph.D., author
of this History of Lower Tidewater Virginia, is a
native of the region of which he writes, born in
Norfolk, December 10, 1902, son of Claude Linden,
Sr., and Annie Wortham (Dey) Whichard. He was
a student in the Norfolk public schools, Maury
High School. Lycee Louis-le-Grand, Paris, and
the University of North Carolina, Bachelor of Arts,
1924. In 1924-25 he attended the Harvard Graduate
School of Business Administration, and he was en-
gaged in the export and shipping business from
1925 to 1936. For the following ten years he was
an instructor and graduate student at the Univer-
sity of North Carolina, receiving his Master of
Arts degree in 1938 and that of Doctor of Philos-
ophy in 1946. For one year he was assistant profes-
sor of Romance Philology at Emory University,
Atlanta, Georgia, and, for one summer session in
1948, he was assistant professor of French at the
University of North Carolina. Coming to the Col-
lege of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, in
1947, he is now associate professor of Modern Lan-
guages with an advancement to a full professorship
in Romance Languages recommended for i960.

From 1942 to 1945 he was in the United States
Navy, having entered the Naval Reserve in 194 1
with the rank of lieutenant, and he saw active serv-

ice in the Normandy invasion and occupation in
1944. He has recently completed a tour as com-
manding officer of the Naval Reserve Intelligence
Division, Fifth Naval District, and has held the
rank of captain, United States Naval Reserve, since
March 1957. He has received the American and
European campaign medals, the latter with three
combat stars, the Victory Medal, the French Lib-
eration Medal, the Naval Reserve Medal, and the
Korean Defense Medal (1951-53).

Dr. Whichard is a member of the Society of the
Cincinnati, the Association for the Preservation of
Virginia Antiquities, the American Association of
University Professors, the United States Naval
Institute, the Order of Lafayette, and the Norfolk
German Club. During his student days, he became
a member of the Philological Club, the Order of
Gorgon's Head, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Phi
Beta Kappa, all at tin- University of North Caro-
lina; the Stapler's Club at Harvard; and the alumni
group, Association des Anciens Eleves du L\cee
Louis-le-Grand. His writings in the historical field,
m addition to this work, include "The Society of
the Cincinnati and the Phi Beta Kappa Society,"
in tlie Virginia Magazine of History and Biography;
"A Note on the Identity of Marie de France." in
Romance Studies; and numerous articles on local
history and generalogy in Norfolk newspapers.

He married, November 11, 1933, Virgilia Mason
Nash, daughter of Francis Fitzhugh and Celeste
(Jones) Nash of Norfolk. Both the Whicbards and
Nashes, settled in Lower Norfolk County in the
mid-seventeenth century. Dr. and Mrs. Whichard
reside at 1215 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk.

FAMILY AND PERSONAL INDEX

(See Historical Index in Volume II)

INDEX

Abbitt, Alfred, 242

John (1), 242

John (2), 242

Keeler, 242

Olga Belle (Akers), 242

Ranny, -'42
Abbott, George Rust, 141-2

George Rust, Sr., 141

Louise Elizabeth (Mrs. Dand-
ridge C. Payne), 142

Louise Nasli (Small), 142

Mollie (Green), 141
Abeles, Charles Calvert, 43

Charles T., 43

Emily (Taussig), 43

J. David, 43

Sally Pope (Taylor), 43

Sally Taylor, 43
Ackiss, Ellen Benson, 147

Hazel Virginia (Malbon), 147

Josephine (Svkes), 146

Mary Paul ('Mrs. Blair M.
Webb), 147

Paul W., 146-7

Paul Whitehead, 146
Adams, Alyce Page (Mrs. Harvey
B. Mc Lemore, Jr.), 109

Annie B. (Blacknall), 284

Charles R., 109

Ethyl (Mrs. Ralph M. Hoffman),
284

Julia Page (Alexander), 109

William A., 284
Addington, Helen (Murphy), 200

Joseph Clark, 200

Margaret (Mrs. John Twohy,
IV), 200
Akers, Betsy, 242

Bonnie, 242

Gaston, 241

J udy, 242

June (Wilkinson), 242

Ken, 242

Kennedy C., 242

Kenneth C, Jr., 242

Maurice Lamar, 241-2

Maurice Lamar, Jr., 241-2

Olga Belle (Mrs. John Abbitt),
242

Olga (Lohse), 241-2

Pam, 242

Susan, 242

Sylvia, 242
Albano, Anna Rosa (Mazzei),
329-30

Annie (Moschette), 329-30

Antonio, 329-30

Grace Anne, 331

James A., 329-31

James A., Jr., 331

Lynne Marie, 331

Mildred J. (Albis), 330-1

Nicholas, 329-30
Albis, Grace (Stagg), 331

Joseph S., 331

Mildred J. ( Mrs. James A.
Albano), 330-1
Alexander, Delia (Swain), 255

Graham, 255

Nellie (Mrs. John Robert
Roughton), 255
Alfriend, Anne Boiling (Mrs. John
M. Abbitt. Jr.), 1

Harriet Lucille (Sanderlin), 1

John Samuel, 1

Mary Emily (Hulme), I

Richard Jeffery, Rev., 1

Susan Bland, 1
Album, Ann R. (Finch), 57

Madeleine Elliott (Huffman), 57

Samuel Plummer, S7

William E., Jr., 56, 57

William E., Sr., 57

William E., Ill, 57
Allen, Annette M. (Ilderton), 301

Barbara Jean, 141

Belle (Garrett), 302

C. Judson, Jr., 302

Charles C, 186

Charles Jordan, 302

Charles Judson, 301-2

Dorothy Mae (Blanks), 302

Frances Jones (Cosby), 2,0

Herbert Nicholas, Jr., 302

Herbert Nicholas, Sr., 301-2

Herbert Nicholas, 3rd, 302

Jean Marie (Powell), 141

Martha (Edwards), 241

Nan (Mrs. A. B. Carney). 185-6

Patricia Edwards, 241

Richard Charles, 141

Robert Riddick, 240-1

Robert Riddick, 2nd, 241

Robert Riddick, 3rd, 241

Virginia Hamilton (Wright),
241

William Boisseau, 240-1

William Boisseau, Jr., 241

William Rickcv, 302

Willis, iti
Allison, .'.lien H., 369

Allen H.. Jr., 369

Betty (Parker), 369

Tames Parker, 369
Allmond, Gladys (Waddell), 298

Harry, 298

Mary Katherine (Mrs. Clifton
Linwood Pierce, Jr.), 298

4'7

Amerman, Lemuel, 338

Mary (Mrs. Frederick Lewis),
338

Mary (Van Nort), 338
Ames. L. Hall, 233
Amorv, Bessie Lee (Satchell), 221,
336

Betty (Wray), 220-1

Jean (Mrs. I. Leake Wornom,
Jr.), 221, 336

Le Roy Burt, 220-1

Milburn Mercer, 220-1, 336

Nancy Ann, 221
Anderson, James J., 304

Janie, 304

Marjorie Millicent (McCloud),
304

William S., Mrs., 52
Andrews, Bentley Robinson, 392

Cynthia (Collings), 392

Dorothy Whiting (Booker), 391

Elizabeth Bonner (Elliott), 309

Elizabeth (Kyle), 7

Elizabeth Randolph, 7

Elton Beecher, 136

Henry Stuart, 391

Hunter Booker, 391-2

Hunter Booker, Jr., 392

Janie (Marshall), 308

Kate Allen ( Birchell), 136

Marshall, 308-9

Ruth Evelyn (Mrs. Lucien Ho-
ward von Schilling), 136

Susan Carrington, 7

Thomas C, 309

William Cooke, Dr., 7

William Cooke, Jr., 7

William Henry, 308
Anninos, Andrew, 215

Elaine, 215

Helen (Kotarides), 215

Paul Jay, 215
Anselm, Blanche (Gale), 118

Gale (Mrs. William O. Sherman,
Jr.), 118-9

William B., 118
Aragona, Eugene, 196

Filomena (Mauro), 195

Joan, 196

John, 195-6

John, Jr., 196

Rachel (Mrs. Lawrence Anthony
Sancilio), 195

Rose (Mrs. Emil Mobut), 195-6

Savario, 195

Virginia (Farino), 195
Arnoux, Anthony A., 75

Campbell, 75-76

Jean, Captain, 75

418

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Arnoux, Natalie (Brigham), 76
Patrick Campbell, 76
Susan Elizabeth Campbell (Mrs.

Albert D. Evans), 75
Suzanne (Mrs. John C. Peffer),76
Arthur, Elizabeth (Lawless), 73
Frances Marion (Mrs. Harold

Blanton Kellam), 73
William Hardy, Dr., 73
Ashburn, Geneva (Godwin), 120
Horace Godwin, M.D., 120-21
Horace Godwin, Jr., 121
Paulette, 121
Paulette (Pifer), 121
Robert Sheffield, 121
Serena (Mrs. R. B. Wilde), 121
Serena (Hankins), 121
William Beauregard, Dr., 120
William Godwin, 121
Atwill, Margaret Coke (Mrs. Pem-
broke Decatur Gwaltney, 3rd),
347
Minnie C, 347
W. H., St., Rev., 347
Aufenger, Barbara (Woodhouse),
32
Patricia (Mrs. Richard W.

Wilson), 32
Richard, 32
Richard, III, 32
Ayers, Margaret (Mrs. Walter
Ellison Williamson, Jr.), 296
Margaret (Davies), 296
Vasco D., 296

Babalas, Catherine (Milonas), 121

Karen, 122

Kostas, 121

Lillie (Macheras), i:,

Marcia, 121

Peter K., 121-2
Babb, Alice Elizabeth (Whitfield),
25

Fletcher, 25

Martha Susan (Stallings), 26

Mary Evelyn (Barham), 26

Nathaniel, 25

Nathaniel James, 25-26

Robert Fletcher, 26
Bagby. Ella Brooke (Cauthorne), 3

Elsie Brooke (Mrs. Marshall W.
Butt), 3

Richard Hugh, 3
Bagley, Corrine (White), 304

James C, 304

Mildred Leigh (Mrs. Jesse
Jackson Mc Cloud), 304
Baird, Charles Israel, 219

Hannah Louise (Mrs. Henry
Blount Hunter), 219

Jane (Harrison), 219
Baker, Allie Gardner, 289

Allie Gardner (Oliver), 289

Andrew, 194

Barbara B. (Mrs. Robert Vulos-
co Richardson), 361

Byron Alexander, 195

Christine, 194

Emanuel, 194

Ethel (Ames). 289

Frances (Kitchin), 260

Genevieve (Shute), 361

George Andrew, 195

Grace (Canias), 195

James Carr, 361

John Andrew, 194

Joseph, 200

Keith, 260

Lynn Oliver, 289

Mary Louise (Mrs. Carl Moore
Jordan), 164

Mary Louise (Whittington), 164

Nicholas, 194

Paul Christopher, 195

Robert L., 260

Robert Lee, 164

Robert N., Jr., 289

Robert N., 3rd, 289

Robert Newton, Sr., 289

Robert Washington, 289

Roberta Ames, 289

Theodore, 193-5

Theodore, Jr., 195

Wayne, 260
Baldwin, Elizabeth (Boykin), 1

Elizabeth Irwin (Mrs. Stewart
R. Whitehurst), 36

Lizzie (Deans), 36

Myra Skinner (Carr), 2

Myra Stuart, 2

Robert F., 36

Robert Frederick, 1

Robert Frederick, Jr., 1-2

Robert Frederick, 3rd, 2
Ballance, Janie N., 89

Joseph S., 89

Mary Sue, 89

Otto" Norfleet, 89-90

Ruth (Merritt), 90
Ballard, Ann Caulfield, 172

Carroll C, 171

Charles M., 171

Effie (Hathaway), 54

Elizabeth Alan, 172

Helen (Caulfield), 171-2

Isaac T., 171

James A., 171

John W., 54

Mary Elizabeth (Curley), 171

Virginia Hathaway (Mrs. Char-
les Syer, Jr.), 54

William Pierce, 171-2

William Pierce, Jr., 172

William Walter, 171
Bangel, Abe Arthur, 64

Bertha, 64

Bradford Jay, 64

Carolyn (Kroskin), 64

Florence (Block), 64

Frances (Dorf), 64

Herbert Kay, 64

Karen Lynne, 64
Keith Harrison, 64
Nancy Jo, 64

Stanley Jerome, 64
Bank of Whaleyville, The, 368-9
Barber, Francine, 288

lohn Clark, 288
John Clark. Jr., 288

Lewis William, 288
Barrett. Arye Anna (Williamson),
272

John, 273

Lucilius, 273

Nannie (Story), 273

Pitt Thomas, 272

Sarah (Darden), 273

Susie (Barrett), 273

Thomas Eugene, 272-3

Thomas Eugene, Jr., 273
Barry, Carrol, 382

Joan Louise, 382

Mary Margaret, 382

Mary Margaret (Perry), 382

R. F., Jr., Captain, 382

Richard F., Jr., 382
Bartlett, Charles A., 238

Helen (Mrs. Barnard Everett
Beale), 238

Lee (Pettit), 238
Bartol, Dorothy V. (Mrs. Donald
H. Burlage), 326

Janie (Parr), 326

Rudolph, 326
Basnight, Leslie J., 285
Bateman, Annie L. (Miller), 166

Eloise (Tarkenton), 341

Frances (Sondag), 342

Fred W., 341-2

Lorenzo D., 166

Mary (Mrs. Frank W. Kellam),
166

Michael Stuart, 342

N. D., 341
Batten, Dorothy, 71

Frank (1), 71

Frank (2), 71

Jane Neal (Parke), 71
Bayne, Charles Armistead, 161

Charles Armistead, Jr., 161

Charles Meredith, 161

Harriet Emory (Beazley), 1O1

Margaret Cotten, 161

Margaret Henry (Williams), 161
Baylor, Isabelle (Mcintosh), 322

James Ethridge, 296-7

Lena (Jarvis), 296

Lena Jarvis, 297

Marion Lee, 297

Marion (Webb), 297

Nannie (Mrs. James M. Wol-
cott), 322

Richard, 322

Richard A., 297

Robert P. W., 296-7

Robert P. W., Jr., 297
Beach, Dorothy Lois (Mrs. Gray-
son Vaden), 206

Elizabeth (Beil), 206

Frank Whitfield, 205-6

Frank Whitfield, Jr., 206

George Frank, 205

George W., Captain, 205

James, 206

John Richard, 206

Nina Armstrong (Ewell), 205

Robert Randolph, 206

Robert Randolph, Jr., 206

Sarah Catherine (Feuerstein), 206
Beale, Barnard Everett, 238

Barnard Everett, Jr., 238

Carrie J. (Stafford), 238

Elias Linwood, 238

INDEX

419

Dilla (Bradshavv), 369

Kenton Parker, 369

Helen (Bartlett), 238

Joyce Mae, 238

Judith Lee, 238

Katherine Thomas (Mrs. Mills
Edwin Godwin, Jr.), 369

Lloyd Linwood, 238

Shelley Conway (Smith). 238
Beaman, Elizabeth Johns, 93

Elizabeth Middleton (Dashiell),
93

Nathaniel, 93

Nathaniel, III, 92-93

Nathaniel, IV, 93

Robert Prentis, 92-93

Salome (Slingluff), 92-93

William Prentis, 93
Beaton, Ann Laurie, 309

Bruce Wynne, 309

Jean (Breyfogle), 309

Martha (Bradshaw), 309

Norman Starr, Jr., 309

Norman Starr, Sr., 309

Norman Starr, 3rd, 309
Beck, Elizabeth (Mrs. Richard
Franklin Welton, III), 53

Mackev (Perry), 53

S. Scott, 53
Belcher, Job O., 233
Bell, Alexander, 44

Alexander Herbert, 43-44

Alexander Herbert, II, 44

Andrew J., 117

Elizabeth (Jernigan), 44

Elizabeth Jernigan (Mrs. Charles
D. Robinson), 44

Ellen ( Herbert), 44

Jeanne ( Yates), 44

Margaret Doris (Mrs. William
Alford Hall, Jr.), 117

Norman, 43

Rosine (Dalton), 117
Bent, Anna Belle (Townsend),
1 1 2-3

Elsie Elizabeth (Sunderland),
113

George Edgar, 112-3

Harold Townsend, 112-3

Harold Townsend, Jr., 113

John Galbraitb, 113

Mary Elizabeth (Smith), 113

Samantha Townsend, 113
Beard, Emma Beall, 113

John M., 113

Renova (Mrs. Ralph Benjamin
Douglass), 113
Bennett, John R., 255

Martha Lee (Mrs. David G.
Blalock), 255

Mary L. (Graves), 255
Berkley, Benjamin, 78, 388

Clara E. (McCov), 389

Eliza (Middleton), 78, 388

Evelyn Colonna (Mrs. Robert
Drew Harrison), 389

Fairfax M., 78-79, 389

Helen Middleton (Mrs. David
Armistead Dashiell), 79, 389

John, 388

John McCoy, 389

John Walker, 78, 388

John Wallace, 79

Judith (Mrs. Richard C. Owen),
389

Judith Elizabeth (I-erebee), 78,
388-9

Lycurgus, 78, 388

Percy Cooper, 79, 389

Waverley Lee, Jr., 79, 388-9

Waverley Lee, Sr., 78-79, 388-9

Waverlev Lee, III, 389

William (i), 78, 388

William (2), 78, 388
Beveridge, Arthur Raymond, 331

Barbara Rae, 331

Elizabeth Anne. 331

Marie (Venizaw), 331

Mary Elizabeth Stewart (John-
son), 331

Raymond Wallace, 331
Bickford, Betty Lee, 174

Betty Lee (Downing), 174

Carolyn Rutherford, 174

Carrie (Van Allen). 173

Helen West (Rutherford), 173

James V., 173

"Katherine West (Tabb), 173

Paul R., 173-4

Paul Rutherford, Jr., 174

Selwyn E., 173
Billups, Josephine Estell (Mrs.
Malcolm Walker Hillsman),
256

Nora (Ogletree), 256

William Milton, 256
Bing. Charles, 231

E. L. (Sonny), 231

Jeanette, 231

Joanna, 231

Josephine (Snellings), 231

Muriel. 231
Birdsong. Annette (Jones), 107

Cabell Brooking. 108

Elizabeth (West), ro8

Elizabeth West (Mrs. G. R.
Joyner, Jr.), 108

Frances (Mrs. Austin Taylor
Darden), 212

George Yancey, 108

Georgiana (Hall), 106

Hall Franklin, 107-8

Hall Franklin. Jr., 108

Harvard Russell, 108-9, 203

Mabel Yancey (Brooking), 108

Martha (McLemore), 107-8, 212

Mary Harvard, 109, 203

Mary Taylor (Withers), 109, 203

McLemore, 107

Sally Ann, 109, 203

Sidney A., 106

Susan W., 109, 203

Thomas H., 3rd, 107

Thomas H., 4th, 107

Thomas Henry, 106-8. 212

Thomas Henry, Jr., 107

Virginia Corinne. 107

Virginia (Wishart), 107

William M., Jr., 108

William McLemore, 107-8, 224
Birsch, Gladstone M., 285

John M., 43, 285

Margaret (Mrs. Leon Curtis
Hall), 43

Margaret (Thomas), 43

William L., 285
Birsch Construction Corporation,

28s
Bishop, Alexander, 240

Mattie (Mrs. Reuben F. Trant,
Jr.), 240

Sara (Griffin), 240
Bivins, Alexander Jeffery, 152

Alexander Luther, 152-3

Anne Gardner (Mrs. John Drum-
mond Chamblin), 153

Frederic Canfield. 152

Margaret Matilda (.MacKnight),
IS2

Mary Jeffery (Mrs. Wayne D.
Halperty), 152-3

Mary (Winston), 152

Richard Randolph, 153

Virginia (Jeffery), 152

Virginia Spottswood (Mrs. Ro-
bert Douglas Clayton), 153
Blackburn, David, 314

Gladys (Mrs. William Thomas
Daniels), 314

Susie (Bell), 314
Bladen, Dorothy Mae (Mrs. John
Wesley Snow, Jr.), 119

John, 119

Viola (Stark), 119
Blair, J. Allen, 304

Leo Pecci, 304

Mary Elizabeth (Davis), 304

Mary (McDonough), 304

Mary Pat, 304

Samuel Edward, 304
Blake, Martha M. (Mrs. Edward
Hogshire), 66

Rebecca (Coleman), 66

Thomas B., 66
Blalock, David G., 255

David G., Jr., 255

David R., 255

Julian H., 255

Lalon (Harward), 255

Martha Graham, 255

Martha Lee (Bennett), 255

Sherrill Lee, 255
Blanchard, Alma Odell (Mrs. Ma-
rion Timothv Plvler, Jr.), 86

James P., 86

Pauline (Eure), 86
Bland, Alma, 363

Anna (Irby), 363

Catherine Moncure (Mrs. Roy
Allan Lassiter), 364

Grace (Knight), 364

James Moncure, M.D., 363-4

Tames Thomas, 363

Rosa (Wilroy), 364

Rosalie, 363
Blechman, Elizabeth Rose, 400

Eva, 400

Franklin Owen, 400

Franklin Owen, Jr., 400

Judith Ann, 400

Julius, 400

Marie C. (Penn), 400
Bledsoe, Harriet Edna (Seal), 359

42°

LOWKR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Bledsoe, John Francis, 359

Virginia Leonard (Mrs. Page
Nottingham Goffigon), 359
Bloodworth, Deborah Anne, 272

Emma (McLendon), 271

Hazel B. (Clayton), 272

Jeffrey, 272

Jesse, 271-2

Sharon, 272

William E., 271
Bogart, Helen (Mrs. Carlyle Peer-
man Holland, Jr.), 273

Lydia (Owens), 273

William Oswald, 273
Boggs, Glenn Perry (Colonna), 19

Glenn Perry Colonna, 19

William L., 19
Bolding, Bruce Merriken, 81

Dona Elizabeth, 81

Donald B., 81

Elizabeth Merriken, 80

Evelyn Elizabeth, 81

James William, 80-81

James William, Jr., 80-81

James William, III, 81

Margaretta (Reeve), 81

Margaretta Reeve, 81

Martha Mary, 81

Mary Anne (Weatherby), 80

Mary Elizabeth (Danaher), 81

Patricia (Ohlin), 81

Patrick Danaher, 8 1

Sophie Elisa, 81

William G, 80
Bonney, Cora (Flanagan), 304

Joan (Stewart), 305

Mary Thelma (Spear), 305

R. Lee, 304-5

Robert Lee, Jr., 305

Solon Ackis, 304

Wayne Arthur, 305
Booker, Hunter R., 135

Molly (Mrs. Franz von
Schilling), 135
Boone, Courtney (Stephens), 116

Geraldine (Courtney), 116

Henry Lewis, 116

Henry Thomas, 116

Joseph Colonna, 116

Jossie (Pulley), 116
Borland, Carrie (Barney), 59

Charles Barney, Colonel, 59-61

Grace (Odend'hal), 61

Thomas Riscius, 59
Bortner, Mary Katherine (Pierce),
268

Sherman Sidney, 268

Shirley Taylor (Mrs. El wood
Lee Boyce, Jr.), 268
Bott, Columbia Taylor (Mrs.
Crawford Stanley Rogers),
132

Georgie R. (Sturgis), 132

James A., 132
Bottino, Agatha (Scalia), 295-6

Grace, 296

Grace (Cogliandro), 296

Louis E., 295-6

Michael (1), 295-6

Michael (2), 296

Sanford, 296

Bowen, Elma Louise (Mrs. Nor-
borne Tucker Poarch), 85

Irene (Tatem), 85

Peter Y., 85
Bowers, George H, 249

Nellie (Dix), 249

Patricia (Mrs. Luther W. White,
III), 249
Boyce, Clinton C, 267

Elwood L., Sr., 267

El wood Lee, Jr., 267-8

Elwood Lee, III, 268

Judy Katherine, 268

Mary Ethel (Johnson), 267

Patricia, 268

Shirley Taylor (Bortner), 268
Boyd, Andrew, Colonel, 29

David Miller, 30

Oscar Lindwood, 29

Robert Friend, 29-30

Robert Friend, Jr., 30

Ruby (Friend), 29

Sara Grace (Miller), 30
Bozeman, Dorothy Jean (Mrs.
William Edwin Thomas), 69

Sue (Cain), 69

Walter, 69
Bradley, Allen Marshall, 134

Chester Dale, M.D., 134

Katherine (Dale), 134

Miriam Katherine (Decker), 134
Bratten, Alma Georgia (Darden),

152

Delmar Ray, 152

Eleanor Faye, 152

Garnett Early, 249

Garnett Elizabeth (Early), 249

George Whittington. 151

George Whittington. Jr., 151,
248-9

George Whittington, Sr., 248

John Maurice, 151-2, 248

Joseph Maurice, 248

Marie (Etheredge), 151, 248
Brawner, Elwin I., 246

Marion E. (Mrs. Frank Reeves
Watkins), 24''

Ora (Dickert), 246
Bready, Agnes (Mrs. Richard
Rogers Moreland), 205

James, 205
Breit, Albert, 122

Calvin W., 122

Henrietta (Kessel), 122

Jeffrey Arnold, 22

Mildred (Jacobs), 122

Mitchell Mark, 122

William David, 122
Brett, Betty Louise (Mrs. Robert
Martin Harcourt), 358

Louise (Johnson), 358

L. E., Sr., 358
Brewer, Belle (Ashbttrn), 343

Charles A., 146

Debbie, 146

Elmira, 233

John, 342

John, 2nd, 342

Judith (Mrs. Frank Whitney
Godwin), 340, 342

Judith Anne (Robinson), 342

342

Inc.,

309
Bea-

Lelia Jackson (Vellinesl, 340,

343
Mary Winslow (Dusch), 146
Richard Lewis, Jr., Colonel,

-'3-'. 340, 34^-4
Richard Lewis, Sr., 232
Sandra, 146
William, 342
Brewer Jewelry Company,

232-i
Breyfogle, Ellen (Ahlers),
Jean (Mrs. Norman Starr

ton, Jr.), 309
Lewis W., 309
Briggs, Eleanor Rae (Newberry),

280
Linda Rae, 280
Linwood L., 280
Linwood L., Jr., 280
Maysville (Jones), 280
Robert Leroy, 280
Brinkley, Addie Hester (Mitchell),

193,
Admiral, 360
Barbara, 245
Elizabeth (Knight), 348
Ether (Mrs. Clifton Linwood

Pierce), 297
F'elton W., 297
Harry Admiral, 360
Hugli W., 245
John Wade, 245
Laura (Warren), 360
Lizzie D. (Berrylea), 297
Louise Epps (Mrs. Luther

Wellons Caulk, Jr.), 193
Mamie (Thompson), 360
Marian (Stokley), 245
Nancy Darden (Jordan), 360
Preston Sydney, 193
Stark, 348

Virginia (Mrs. Gorden E. Camp-
bell), 348
Britton, Elise (Lemley), 38
George Thomas, 37
Hattie (Wallace Jones). 37
Helen (Chillson), 38
Janet Constance (Mrs. George

Wilson), 38-39
Jean Carolyn (Mrs. Maurice

Price), 38
Lisa Rebecca, 38
W. Roy, 37-39
William Roy, Jr., 38
Broaddtis, Agnes (Mrs. David

Dick), in
Ida (Hatfield), in
John, in
Brooking, E. L., 108

Mabel ( Fitzpatrick), 108
Mabel Yancey (Mrs. William

McLemore Birdsong), 108
Brooks, Edna Earl (Mrs. William

Glover Saunders, Jr.), 189
Evelyn B., 208

Evelyn Marshall (Brownley), 206
George Gamaliel, 206
James D., 206

James Landon, Captain, 189
Lillian Ann (Mrs. James

Watson Hall), 208

INDEX

421

Lillian (Griffin), 208
Lillic (Davis), 189
Liu \ ( Lilly ), 206
Olive ( Mi>. Dorin I, 208
Vernon Asbury, M.D., 206-8
Vernon Asbury, Jr., 208
Brothers, Henry, 223
Joan Kittrell, 223
Lucy (Kittrell), 223
Margaret (Benton), 223
Reginald Edward, 223
Robert Edward, 223
Savannah (Badger), 223
Thomas Skinner, 223
Broughton, Alex B., 270

Blanche L. (Burroughs), 49
Dorothy (Mrs. Kenneth J.

Brennan), 49
Frances Clayton (Hart), 270
Frances Hart (Mrs. Fred Reid

Ervin), 270
George Atwill, 47-49
George Washington, 48
Mary Elizabeth (Bunting), 48
Brown, Christine (Frazier), 92
David H., 92
Eulalia E. (Mrs. Clinton E.

Thurston, Sr.), 337
Helen Louise (Mrs. Robert

Draughon Wilson), 92
Howard E., 167
James, 337
Janice Irene, 168
Julia (Myers), 333
Lewis Augustus, 333
Maria Louisa (Ball), 337
Marjorie M. (Felchlin), 167
Martha (Gerber), 167
Myde (Mrs. William Stanley

Wilder), 333
Pamela Martha, 168
Roy G., 168
Browning, Carrie (Jenkins), 101
Man Katharine, 101
Mary (Rose), 101
William Levi, 101
Wilson Jenkins, 101
Wilson Jenkins, Jr., 101
Brownley, Evelyn Marshall (Mrs.

George Gamaliel Brooks),

206
Jefferson Lafayette, 206
Keturah Ann (Forrest), 206
Broyles, A. G., 325

Helen (Mrs. George P. Hylton,

Jr.). 325
Josephine (Ballard), 325
Bry an, Edgar S., 33

Shiela (Mrs. Donald R. Locke),

.33
Yirgie I Taylor), 33
Bryant, Claiborne R., 97-98
Dora E. (Grumpier), 97
Emily Morris (Davis), 98
James Henry, 13
John Dwight. 97
Judson Dwight, 98
Martha (Wellons), 13
Stuart Ray, 98

Thelma Lee (Mrs. Willis Eve-
rett Cohoon), 13

Bunn, John C, 283

Laura (Mrs. Mallorv II. Ferrell),

-'83

Laura (Porter), 283
Burford, Charles Drewry, 324-5

Charles Lee, 324

Daisy (Jenkins), 324

Kathryn Jane (Murphy), 325
Burke, Helen Kathryn (Mrs. John
B. Pinner), 400

Theodore, 400
Burkhart, Dorothy Elaine
(Doughty), 239

Harold, 239

Lisa Ann, 239
Burlage, Alois, 325

Cecelia (Schlichte), 325

Dean E., 326

Dennis J., 326

Donald H., 325-6

Donald V., 326

Dorothy V. (Bartol), 326

Guy A., 326

Richard C, 326
Burroughs, Blanche L. (Mrs.
George Atwill Broughton),
49

Mary (Carey), 49

Richard B., 40
Butt, Brooke Marshall (Mrs.
Edward S. Maupin), 3

Eliza (Flanagan), 72

Elizabeth Cameron, 3

Elsie Brooke (Bagby), 3

Glenna Joyce (Quinn), 3

James William Sumner, 2

Marshall Wingfield, 2-3

Marshall Wingfield, Jr., 3

Marshall Wingfield, 3rd, 3

Maude Murray (Marshall), 2

Odie A. (Mrs. Sidney S.
Kellam), 72

Thomas Frederick, 3

William T., 72
Buxton, Ann Goodwin (Parker),
136

Elizabeth Lewis (Dimmock), 136

Elizabeth Peele, 136-7

Mollie Garnett, 136

Samuel R., 136

Samuel Roland, Jr., 136-7

Samuel Roland, 3rd, 137
Bvbee, Burt H., Dr., 266

Clara (Hall), 266

Dardanella ( Carpenter 1. 2(17

Harry Rainey, D.C., 266-7

Harry Rainey. Jr., D.C.. 267

Harry Rainey, III, 267

Lucile Du Yal ( Perrvman),
266-7

Lucile Perrvman (Mrs. William
S. Portlock, Jr.), 267

Mary Virginia (Mrs. Stanley
Victor Puidokas), 267

Roberta Vince, 267
Bynum, Allen, Jr., 197-8

Allen, Sr., 197

Allen, 3rd, 198

Belinda Ann, 198

Bessie M. (Fisher), 197

Ethel Ann (McNair), 108

Virginia Marion, 198
Byrns, Annie (Corney), 246
James E., 246
Michael, 247
Patricia, 247
Ruth Elizabeth, 247
Sylvia Ann (Weinhold), 247
Weldon T., 246-7
Weldon T., Jr., 247

Cabell, Elizabeth Gertrude (Meyer-
hoffer), 266

Frank Holloway, 266

Jeanne (Quebodeaux), 266

Norma Ann (Holloway), 266

Powhatan Algernon, 266

R. Baird, 266

Robert Baird, Jr., 266
Cadmus, Charles Linwood, 164

Earle Ashland, 164-5

Elsie Mayson (Hinman), 165

Rose Virginia (Calvert), 1(14
Caffee, Emma Frances (Smith),
248

Frederick Maynard, 247-8

J. Hugh, 247-8

Jesse H., 247

Martha Virginia (Kellam), 247

Mary Patricia (Mrs. Raymond
K. Brown), 248

Sarah Virginia (Maynard), 247
Caligari, Cecilia (Sansone), 213-14

Eugene, 213-14

Man (Mrs. Philip L. Russo),
213-14
Callaham, Esther (Mrs. Harry
Nelson Gustini, 222

James Wilson, 222

Rose (Keech), 222
Calvert, Cornelius, 79

Lenora (Mrs. Clifton Earl
Warren), 210

Lewis Cass, 210
Camp, Ada Norris (Coleman),
403, 406

B. F., 406

Carlton, 403

Caroline Compton (Mrs. Frank
R. Motley), 406

Caroline Fountain (Savage), 264,

323, 403-5
Carrie Lee, 403
Carrie Luanne, 405
Cora Antoinette (Yaughan), 379
Edith West (Clay), 403-5
Elizabeth Fountain (Mrs.

William Eldridge Smith), 323

403
Francis Hollis, 405
George (1), 402
George (2), 402
George F., 406
Hannah (Wright), 402
Hugh Douglas, 379, 403. 405-7
J. M.. 406

James Leonidas, Jr., 403-4, 406-7
James Leonidas, Sr., 264, 323,

402-7
James Leonidas, III, M.D., 404
James Leonidas IV, 404
Jane (Geuting), 404

422

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Camp, John M., Jr., 407
June (Page), 405
June Page, 405
Leon Clay, 405
Leon Clay, Jr., 405
Mary Frances (Clay), 403-4
Mary (Tomkins), 402

P- R-. 379. 4°°

Paul D., 406

Robert George, 403, 406

Robert J., 406

Rowena Savage (Mrs. Sol Waite

Rauis), 264, 403
Sallie (Cutchins), 402
Sallie Shepherd (Mrs. Burton

Justice Ray), 403
Shirley ( Steinbach ), 405
Thomas, 402
Vaughn, 406
W. M., 379
William i 1 I, 402
William (2), 402
William McCutcheon, 379, 403,

406-7
William McCutcheon, Jr., 405
Camp Manufacturing Company,

Inc., 406-7
Campbell, Bessie (Mrs. Jesse

Harrison McCloud), 303
Charles Stratton, 319
Daniel Ward, 348
Elizabeth Holton, 348
Gorden E., 348
J. Owen, 318-19
Jacob Decatur, 303
James, 75

Jean Patterson, 319
Jeanne Victoire (de la Porta), 75
John Owen, Jr., 319
John Thomas, 318
Martha Adelia (McDaniel), 303
Maltha Lynn, 319
May (Mays), 319
Minnie (Roth), 34S
Nellie Fidelia (Owen), 318
Susan Elizabeth (Mrs. Anthony

A. Arnoux), 75
Virginia (Brinkley), 348
Canias, George, 195

Grace (Mrs. Theodore Baker),

195

Sophia (Orphan), 195
Capel, Ann (Mrs. George William
Johnson), 369

Maggie May 1 Johnson), 369

Thomas J., 369
Carey, Emily J., 32
Carleton, Glenna (Crawford), 364

John A., Sr., 364

John Glenn, 364

Olive (Browning), 364

William L., 364

William Randolph, 364
Carnes, Gladj-s Oliver, 13

Stephen Dawson, Jr., 13

Stephen Dawson, Sr., 13
Carney, A. B., Judge, 185

Frances (Ferguson), 186

Frances Ferguson, 186

James Allen, 185-6

James Allen, Jr., 186

Jane Ferguson, 186

Nan (Allen), 185-6

Wright Bruce, 185
Carpenter, Carolyn Ivy (Ford),
137

Charles Clinton, 94-95

Charles Jerould, 94

Charles R., 94

Cynthia Lee, 137

Donald W inthrop, 165

Henrietta (Elliott), 137, 165

Joseph Elliott, 137, 165

Joseph Elliott, Jr., 137

Martha Gay, 165

Millicent (Gay), 165

Nancy Carolyn, 137

Phyllis (Stamp), 94

Rebecca Wilmot (Cox), 94

Sylvia Joyce, 95

William Ruffin, Jr., 165

William Ruffin, Sr., 137, 165

William Ruffin, III, 165
Carper, Delia Elizabeth, 290

Eddie Blanche (Wade), 289

Frank D., 289

Grace (Payne), 290

Harold Alexander, 289-90
Carr, Caroline (Ward), 159

Charles Stuart, 2

George Hopkins, Dr., 159

Jerome Pendleton, 2nd, 158-9

Lucille (Allen), 159

Myra Skinner (Mrs. Robert F.
Baldwin, Jr.), 2

Pattie (Skinner), 2
Carroll, Mary Ann (Sutherland),

4ii

Owen Judson, 41 1

Pattie (Mrs. H. Walter
Whichard), 41 1
Carter, Bernice (W'atkins), 83-S4

Elizabeth (lames), 83

John G., 83

John L.. 83-84

Lynn Bernice, 84

Marvin C, 83
Cashman, W. J., 381
Cathey, Alonzo Forrest, 268, 284.

3^7, 371-3
Ann Frances, 373
Annie C. (Hipp), 268, 284, 371-3
Audrey Estelle (Cocks), 328
Bruce Edward, 373
Constance Joyce (Pontifex), 285
Eloise Mary (Dey), 284-5
Forrest F., 371-3
Forrest Hugh, 328
Lewis Henry, 224, 327-8, 371-2
Lewis Owen, 328
Lola Mary (Mrs. R03' G.

Farless), 328. 371
Mabel Allen (Mrs. George E.

Walker), 371
Margaret (Allen), 371
Marion Faye, 373
Mary Jane (Brooks), 328
Mat Lee (Benton), 373
Nellie (Mrs. Robert Glenn

Holloman), 371-2
Ralph Alonzo, 268-9, 3/1-2
Rob Lee, 284-5, 371-2

Rogers Dey, 285

Rosabel (Gregory), 269

Stanley Robert, 285

Sue Ellen, 373

Susan Bernice (Robinson), 373

William Edward, 371

William Edward, 11, 371-3
Caulheld, Christine (Amory), 171

Helen (Mrs. William Pierce
Ballard, 171-2

Robert, 171
Caulk, Louise Epps (Brinkley),

193
Luther Wellons, Jr., 193
Luther Wellons, Sr., 193
Stella Carlysle (Frawner), 193
Causey, Eliza Prentis (Mrs.

Charles Malone Flintoff), 31
James C, II, 31
James Campbell, Jr., 11, 224
Margaret Crquhart (Jordan), 11
Margaret Warren, 11
Margaret Whitfield (Mrs.

Charles B. Godwin, Jr.), 305
Margaret Whitfield (Crump), 31
Marguerite (Crump), 11
Chandler, Abbie Adams, 21
Alfred du Pont, Jr., 352
Alfred du Pont, III, 352
Alpine Douglas, 352
Eleanor (Smith), 21
Fay (Martin), 352
Harold Kimball, 21
Harold Walter, 21
Alary Morris, 352
Susie Marks), 21
Virginia (Mrs. Eugene

Williams), 21
Walter S., 21
Channel, Bessie (Mrs. Harry A.

Keitz), 139
Bessie (Morris), 139
Otis, 139
Chapman, Henrietta Chadwick

(Ramsay), 347
Henrietta Ramsay (Mrs. Julius

Darden Gwaltney), 347
Irving Lee, Jr., 367
Irving Lee, III, 367
James Edwin, 347
Katherine Llewellyn (Gilbert),

367
Sarah Linwood, 367
Charles, Ann Marjorie (Smith),

345
Margaret Ann, 345
Roy R., 345
Charters, Charles Linwood, 132
Elizabeth Frances (West), 132
Emma Jane (Mercer), 132
William Allen, 132
Chesapeake Building Association,

233-4
Chillson, Clvtie (Miller), 38
Harry B., 38
Helen (Mrs. W. Roy Britton),

. 38
Chisman, Anne Meriwether
Michie, 39
Lila Elizabeth, 39
Martha Pamela (Merritt), 39

INDEX

423

Martha Pamela Merritt, 39

Mary Lee (Cannon), 39

Samuel Reade, 39

Thomas Pescud, 39

Thomas Pescud, Jr., 39
Chorev, Frances Holtsman (Lam),
280

Kathryn Meades, 279

T. Vincent, 279-80

Thomas Vincent, Jr., 280

William Lam, 280

William Martin, 279
Christopoulos, Angelo Chris, 215

Helen (Mrs. Alexander Paul
Kotarides), 215

Patricia (Isaguris), 215
Clark, Llizabeth (Airs. Frank D.
Tarrall, Jr.), 395

Joseph M., Captain, 395

Mary (Kelly), 395
Clarke, Elizabeth ;Jarvies), 251

Fitz Ormon, 166-7

Fitz Ormon, Jr., 167

Henry Holmes, 167

Loula (Robertson), 166, 250

Patty Riddick (Hunter), 167

Thomas Clifford, 250-1

Thomas Percy, 166, 250
Claud, I. G., 235

J. W., 235

R. D., 236
Clay, Edith (West), 404

Edith West (Mrs. William Mc-
Cutcheon Camp), 403-5

Jefferson Leon, 404-5

Mary Frances (Airs. James Le-
onidas Camp, Jr.), 403-4
Clayton, Hazel B. (Airs. Jesse
Bloodworth), 272

James Patterson, 272

Lou Ella (Scott), 272
Coates, Crawford Rogers, 132

Frances (Rogers), 132

James Ironmonger, 132

James R., 132
Cobb, Annie Forbes (Bishop), 316

Margaret (Airs. Wiley Cleveland
Hanell), 316

Ulysses Grant, 316
Cocke, Alice Barraud (Airs. Ed-
ward H. Goodwin), 3

Alice Watts (Du Bose), 3

Breckinridge Du Bose, 3

Clara Vernon (Pollard). 3

Dudley Du Bose, 3

William R tiffin Coleman (1), 3

William Ruffin Coleman, (2) 3

William Ruffin Coleman. Sr.. 3
Cocks, Audrey Estelle (Airs. Lewis
Henry Cathey), 328

Lottie B. (Burnett), 328

S. O., 3^8
Cofer, Glenna Jo, 171

Glenna Wyatt (Williams), 170

Alary Jane (Wright), 170

Wesley Randolph, Jr., 170-1

Wesley Randolph, Sr., 170

Wesley Randolph, 3rd, 170-1
Coffield, Alargaret Eugenia (Airs.
William Henry Rawls), 162

Sudie Beaslie (Cooper), 162

William Capart, 162
Cogliandro, Grace (Airs. Louis E.

Bottino), 296
Alary (Bellantonio), 296
Santo, 296
Cohen, I., 22
Ida (Fisch), 22
Sadye (Mrs. Harry Leibe Nach-

man), 22
Cohoon, Goode (Jones), 12
John C, Captain, 13
John C, General, 13
Samuel, 13

Thelma Lee (Bryant), 13
Thomas Willis, 12
Willis E., 13
Willis Everett, 12-13
Coile, Eloise (Lane), 63
Forrest W., 63
Forrest W., Jr., 63
Frederick A., 63
Pearl (Coe), 63
Colbert, Alary Elizabeth (Airs.

Taylor C. Wilson), 250
Sally (Mays), 250
Thomas, 250
Coleman. Ada Norris (Airs. Hugh

D. Camp), 403, 406
Anne Christian, 168
Dorothy Goodwin ( Mrs. Alfred

Shapieigh Reilley), 328
Eleanor (Eames), 168
Eleanor Margaret (Hallenbeck),

192
Emily (Airs. Sidney Jordan), 192
Frederick, 406
Frederick August, 328
George Carter, 191 -2
George Carter, Jr., 192
George William, 168
George William, Ir., 168
Henry Dick, 168
James A., 192
James Augustus, 191
Katherine ( Moore), 168
Louise (Compton), 406
Margaret (Colonna), 192
Mary (Shackelford), 191
Patricia (Pillar), 192
Rachel (Airs. George Miller),

192
Robert Henry, 192
Ruth Margaret (Airs. Herbert

Denny), 192
Sallie Leigh (Hardgrove), 328
Collings, Bentley (Robinson), 392
Cynthia (Airs. Hunter Booker

Andrews), 392
George B., 392
Helen Thomas (A'Irs. James

Buckner Massey, Jr.,), 74
Helen Thomas (Luke), 74
Thomas James, 74
Colonial Block Corporation, 229-30
Colonna, Benjamin Okeson, Jr., 19-

20
Benjamin Okeson, Sr., 16-19
Carl Dunston, 17-20
Carl Dunston, Jr., 20-21
Carl Morgan, 21
Carol McClellan, 19-20

Caroline (Mrs. Daniel H.
Thrasher), 17

Charles Jones, 16-20

Dorothy Evelyn (Airs. Daniel H.
Smith), 17

Earlene Mary (Newcomb), 18

Edward Holt, 18

Eloise Roberta (Mrs. Fred
White), 17

Esthei Fearl (Daughtry), 17

Fannie Alae (Airs. Robert L.
Beale, Jr.), 17

Glenn Perry ( Airs. William L.
Boggs), 19

John Wilkins, 18

Lois Pearl (Sykes), 20

Alargaret Evelyn (Airs. Oscar F.
Smith), 18

Margaret Okeson (Djnston), 16,
18, 20

Mary Glenn (Perrv), 19

Mildred Elizabeth" (McClellan),
19-20

Roberta (Mansfield), 17

Sarah Ruth (Alorgan), 21

Virginia Alansfield (Airs. Wil-
liam F. Folkes, Jr.), 17

Willoughby Warren, Captain, 16-
19

Willoughby Warren, jr., 17-18

Willoughby Warren, III, 18
Connors, Helen (Airs. Frank A.
English), 226

John Martin, 226

Mary Alargaret (Hogan), 226
Conwell, Elizabeth (Megee), 56

Frances ( Mrs. R. Edward
Hawks), 56

William W., 56
Cooper, Clyde Warren, 79-80

Margaret Chapman (Wishart), 80

Sarah Elizabeth (Whitson), 79

Warren Ward, 79
Copley, Betsy (Savage), 261

Catherine A. (Craft), 261

James Thomas, 260-I

James Thomas, Jr., 261

Joseph Andrew, 261

Joseph W., 261
Corbell, Belia (Dearing), 409

John David, Dr., 409

John David, 3rd, 409-10

Louise Gibbs (Kerr), 410
Cornick, Elizabeth (A'Irs. J. Bar-
bour Rixey), 324

Mammie (Scott), 324

Tom, 324
Coulbourn, Ann Tilghman, 354

Annie Katie (Tilghman), 353

Edwin Tilghman, 353-4

Elizabeth Barkley (Sykes), 11

Elizabeth Crichton, 354

Goldsborough Edwin, 354

Goldsborough Greenfield, 353

Jane Higgins, 353-4

Jane Warren (Mrs. James Lati-
nus McLemore, Jr.), 10-11

Martha Clifton (Higgins), 353

A-lartha Rogers, 354

Uriah Oscar, 11
Councill, Catullus, 169

4-4

LOW FR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Council!, Ethleen i Hoggard ). 170

J. Clifton, [60-70

John Clifton. Jr., i;o

John Clifton. Ill, 170

John Yates, 169

Loretta. 170

Louise (Daughtrey), 170

Lucile 1 1 Ioggai '1 1, 170

Rosa Matilda (Holland), 169

Ruth Hoggard (Mrs. Carl
Miller), 170
Covington, Alice (Mrs. Leonard H.
Davis), 409

Henry H.. Rev. Dr., 409

Jefferson Davis, 319

Lucrezia (Mrs. Cecil Henderson
Reed), 319

Marie L. (Lee), 409

Susan Elizabeth (Smith), 319
Cox, Frank Huntington (1), 393

Frank Huntington (2), 393

Frank Huntington (Mayhew),
392

Jacob, 392

John Hume, 393

Josephine Anna (Pfingst), 392

Marion King, 393

Michael Henry, 393

Susan Howard (Hume). 393

William Albert, 392

William Albert, Jr., 392-3

William Albert, III, 393
Craver, Clifford E., 160-1

Clifford E.. Jr., 161

Kathryn (Holmes-Smith), 161

Lelia (Craver), 160

William L., 160
Crawford. Bessie Lee (Williams I,
232, 278

Charles James, 232

Charlotte (Mrs. Frank Dudley
Lawrence. Jr.), 278

Clinton Otto, 231-2

Clinton Otto, Jr., 232

Elbert W., 232

Ernest H., 232

Ernest Otto, 232, 278

Glenna (Mr-. William L.
Carleton), 364

Isaac, 290

Janice. 232

Mary (Duke). 232

Mary Jane (Mrs. V. Leslie
Sykes), 290

Ray A., 364

Sadie (Burcher), 364

Stanley E., 232

Sue (Taylor), 290
Creasy, Ella (Ivy), 362

Mildred Ivy (Sirs. Charles Edwin
Ford), 137, 362

W. F., Dr., 362
Creef, Hallie (Rose), 126

James Wendell. M.D., 125-6

Michael Seldom 126

Nancy Basnight, 126

Seldon B., 126

Teresa Diane, 126
Crenshaw, Louie ("Brown), 177

Louie Brown (Mrs. Alexander
Pinkham Grice), 177

Merritt W., 177
Crocker, Karen Hayes, 369

Nancy Marie (Parker), 369

Robert J., 369
Cross, Betty N. (Mrs. Joshua
Pretlow), 320

Charles Brinson, Jr., 74-75

Charles Brinson, Sr., 74

Charlotte Marie. 75

Eleanor Royce (Phillips), 74

Harry L., 320

lennie Lee (William-), 320

M. A., 224

Martha Eleanor, 75

Maywood (Bland), 75
Crute, James Arthur. 253

Joseph A.. 253

Joseph Allen, 253

Joseph Thomas, 253

Frances Edna. 253

Sarah Edna (Goodman). 253

Virgie ( Potts), 253
Culpepper, Bertie Irene (Ropei 1,
176

Carol Lynn, 176

Claude E.. 176

Claudia Lea. 17(1

Gladys Lucille (McTague), 176

Hubard Stanley, 176
Cumming, Carolyn (Howard), 395

Elizabeth Howard. 395

Kenneth Gordon, 394-5

Lawrence Gordon, 3115

Mittie Anne (Jester), 394

Samuel Gordon, 394
Curtis, Adelaide (Mrs. Charles E.
Snyder, Jr.), 76

George H., 76

George H., Ill, 76-77

George H., IV. 77

Hannah (Rodman). 70

Lee Ann. 77

Margaret Lee. 77

Mary F. (McNamara), 77
Cutchins, C. A., 3rd, 379

C. C, 3rd, 379

Dalby, Alice Bass (Vicar), 187

Anne Vicar, 187

Calvin H.. 187

Georgie G. (Holmes). 187

John Calvin, 187
Daniels, Beulah (De Ford)., 314

Elizabeth (Mrs. Howard Curtis),

314
Elva S. (Epperson). 114
Gladys (Blackburn). 314
James A.. Jr., 114
James Ashby, 114
James David, 314
James F., 314
Mamie (Ashby), 114
Miriam (White), 114
Pauline (Mrs. J. P. Williams),

314
Robert S., 114
Shelvar Jean, 314
Susan Stafford, 114
William A.. I 14
William Scott, 114
William Thomas, 314

Darden, Alma Georgia (Mrs. John
Maurice Bratten), 152

Audrey (Mrs. Nicholas G. Wilson,
3rd), 312

Audrey Cecilia (Hogan), 312

\u-tin T., Jr., 212

Austin Taylor, 212

Colgate \\ ., 311

Frances (Birdsong), 212

Georgia ( Bramble ), 152

Janet ( Withers), 212

Joshua Pretlow, 311-12

Joshua Pretlow, Jr., 311

Katherine (Pretlow), 311

Louis C, 152

Nancy Lewis, 212

William Herbert, 212
Darlington, Curtis 401

Lula ( Binns), 401

Rosalind (Mrs. Arthur \V.
Woltz), 401
Dashiell, David, 93

Ella (Graves), 172

Elizabeth Middleton (Mr-.
Nathaniel Beaman, 111), 93

George V., 172

Helen (Berkley), 93

Rebecca Frances (Mr.-. John
Earle White, Sr. ), 172
Daughton, John B., 29

Martha (Hunter), 29

Ralph Hunter, 29

Sue M. (Taggart), 29
Daughtrey, Beatrice (Mrs. Samuel
Harriss Plummer), 209

Beatrice Josephine (Hines), 209

V. K. Jr., 37'i

\\ illiam Lamb, 209
Daughtry. F.-thcr Pearl (Mrs.

Willoughby Warren Colonna),
17

Esther Pearl (Eley), 17

George \\ ., 17
Davis, Adred Judson, 98

Alice (Covington), 409

Aim Mae 1 Mrs. Ott), 138

Annie Elizabeth (Mrs. John
Henry Poarch), 84

Elizabeth (Halstead), 128, 137

Elizabeth Thurzetta (Thomas),
3-'8

Emily Morris ( Mrs. Clairborne
R. "Bryant), 98

Emma Jane (Mrs. William Lu-
ther McDermott), 129

Emma Virginia (Sawyer), 128

Eveleen May (Mrs. Linwood F.
Perkins), 380

Flavius Eugene. 328

Holmes Mercer. 2?y

J. Jame.-. 137-8, 233

James Alderson, 259

James Morgan, 138

Janet (Rowe), 129

Jefferson, 129

John, 380

John Randolph, 328-9

John Randolph, Jr., 329

John Smithson, 128

Joseph Claiborne (1), 258

Joseph Claiborne (2), 259

INDEX

- 4*5

Joseph Claiborne, Jr., 259

Joseph James, Jr., 138

Joseph James, 111, 138

Kathleen Sharon, 138

Laura (Morris), 98

Leonard H. (i), 409

Leonard H. (2), 409

Lola Gertrude (Diggs), 129

Lucy Lee, 409

Lula L. (Allen), 409

Margaret B. ( Bozeman), 138

Margaret Savage, 259

Margaret Virginia (Baylor), 259

Martha Lillian, 329

Mary Eleanor (Holmes), 258

Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Robert
Featherston), 329

Marj' Freer (Matthews), 259

Mary (Harrison), 329

Mary Matthews, 259

Mellie I Morgan). 137

Nancy Adeline, 329

Quinton C, Sr., Rev., 128

Quinton Clarence, Jr., 128-30

Quinton Clarence, III, 129

Quinton Clarence, 4th, 129

Richard Matthews, 259

Robert E., 84

Rose Gertrude I Mrs. John
Hodges Morrissette), 129

Sarah Elizabeth (Davis), 128

Sue Lowell (Powell), 259

Thelma (Creef), 129

Thomas, 137

Trynie A. (Prins), 380

Virginia Marie (Mrs. James
Gardner Knowlton), 129

William C, 258

William Holmes, 258-9

William Holmes, Jr., 259

Wilson, 12S, 137
Day, Clarence, 158

Clarence, Jr., 158

David John, 158

Day James, 158

John Lewis, 158

Mary E. (Day), 158

Robert Lee, 158

Sarah Emma (Morton), 158

Walter Bryant, 158
Decker, Christina (Pratt), 134

Homer, 134

Miriam Katherine (Mrs. Chester
Dale Bradley), 134
Dellinger, Laura Eugenia (Loftin),
78

Robert H., 78

Sarah Isabella (Mrs. Jefferson
Sinclair Selden, Jr.), 78
Delves, Alice Letitia (Brown), 69

Gladys Alida (Mrs. Richard
Lafayette Woodward, Jr.), 69

John Adolpbus, 69
Denny, Alice Bruce, 387

Alice Johnson (Willis), 387

James Blaine, Jr., 387

James Blaine, 3rd, 387

Susan Willis, 387
Desmond, Dorothy (Mrs. George
William Johnson, Jr.), 370

Hattie Deering, 370

TWVa. 50

Leonard J., 370
Devany, Anna (Wells), 338

Anne (Mrs. William E. Wood),

339

Frances, (Mrs. L. C. Shackle-
ford), 339

Jacqueline Segar (Epes), 338-9

Rebecca Bland, 339

Walter L., Dr., 338

Walter L„ Jr., 338-9

Walter L., Ill, 339
Dey, Annie Wortham (Mrs. Claude
L. Whichard, Sr. ), 412. 413

Armistead Wheeler, 209

Armistead Wheeler, Jr., 209

Ellen Alice (Old), 4i_>

Eloise Mary (Mrs. Rob Lee
Cathey), 284-5

Emma Peters (Mrs. Camillus
Albert Nash), 31

Frances Kensett, 209

George W., 412

Georgie Etta (Ross), 2S4

Joseph Boiling, 209

Josephine ( Whitehurst), 208

Margaret Catherine (Walters),

41.2

Marie Kensett (Whiting), 209

Marjorie (Batty), 209

Marx1 Jane (Toy), 412

Thomas Mercer, 284

Wadsworth, 208

William, 31, 412

William Morton, Ph.D., 412-13

William Wadsworth, Judge, 208-9

William Wadsworth, Jr., 209

William Wadsworth, 3rd, 209
Dick, Agnes (Broaddus), 111

Agnes Mae, 1 1 1

Annie (Miller), III

David, 1 1 1

Robert Murray, 111

William Murray, 1 1 1
Dickman, Ann Eliza (Xeal), 397

Franklin J., 397

Mabel Elkin (Mrs. Charles Rollin
Grandy), 397
Diggs, John B., 292

John Franklin, 129

Julia Anne (Foster), 131

Lola Gertrude (Mrs. Quinton
Clarence Davis, Jr.), 129

Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Crawford
Rogers), 131

Sarah Elizabeth (Carr), 292

Susan (Morgan), 129

William, 131
Dodson, Bessie Virainia (Mrs.

John Earle White, Jr.), 172-3

John A., 173

Nellie Mae, 173
Donison, Barney Lee, 185

Jessie (Seeley), 18s

Lee. 185

William. 185
Doughertv, Bessie (Gibbs), 105

Effie (Griffin), 106

Effie Lee, 106

Hugh L., Jr., 106

Hugh Larrabee, 105-6

William Brewer, 105

Doughty, Carolyn Sue, 239

Dorothy Elaine (Mrs. Harold
Burkhart), 239

Florence (Hare), 239

Herbert Bradford, 239

Janie (Bell), 239

Linda Lee, 239

Lonnie L., 239

Mary Gwendolyn, 239

Mildred (Williams), 239
Douglass, Dorothy (Mrs. Lucius J.
Kellam), 113

Evelyn Noska (Mrs. Walter C.
Shorter), 105

Frazier Michel, 113

Georgia Emma (Barnes), 113

Leon Forest, 3rd. 105

Ralph Benjamin, 113-4

Rebecca (Mrs. George Walter
Mapp, Jr.), 114

Renova (Beard), 113
Downing, Betty Lee (Mrs. Paul R.
Bickford), 174

Dorsey L., 174

Gladvs (Kornegav), 174

Lucille (Nelms), 186

Samuel, 186

Samuel Dickerson Martin, 187

Susan Nelms, 187

Thomas Nelms, 186-7

Virginia Dickerson (Martin), 187
Dryfoos, Grace (Fogel), 5

Henry, 5

Sarali ( Mrs. John L. Roper,
2nd), 5
Dudlev, H. Lewis, 287-8

Henry F., 287

Margaret (Williams-King), 288

Sallie (Berryman), 287

Una (Reese), 287

William Robert, 287
Dugger, Benjamin, 24

Grace L. (Mrs. Robert McKinley
Gindhart, Sr.), 24

Lucy (Cliborne), 24
Duke, Charles A., 2^2

Hattie (Bashford), 232

Mary (Mrs. Clinton Otto Craw-
ford), 232
Dunn, David T., 233
du Pont, A. Felix, IV, 338

E. Paul, 338

E. Paul, Jr., 338

Mary (Lewis), 338
Dusch, Elizabeth P. (Grow), 146

Frank A., 146

Frank A., Jr., 146

Frank A., Ill, 146

Mamie (Amiss), 146

Martha (Hughes), 146

Mary Winslow (Mrs. Charles A.
Brewer), 146

Walter F., 146

William Coltrane, 146
DuVall, Doris Elizabeth (Raper),

179
Nora Lee (Leathers), 179
Randolph Courtlaud, 179
Seab Edgar, Jr., 179
Seab Edgar, Sr., 179

4^6

LOW I R TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Eaines, Anne (Christian), iOS

Charlotte Christian, 130

Eleanor (Mrs. George William
Coleman), 168

Martha Elizaheth (Hoffman),
130

Walter \V., Jr., 130

William Wendell, 168
Early, Garnett Elizabeth (Mrs.
George Whittington Bratten,
Jr.), 249

Lucille (Rock), 249

Posey L., 249
Eberwine, Evelyn (Mrs. Paul De
Yoe Woodward), 87

Gladys (Windsor), 87

Vernon G., 8;, 224
Edge, Lilly (Malcomb), 202

Lilly Ann (Mrs. Robert Ramsey
Alarquis), 202

Samuel, 202
Edwards, Arbee Helen (Rasar),349

Elizabeth (Nelms), 348

Fannie Marie, 241

J. E., 368

James Lide, Jr., 241

Martha (Mrs. Robert Riddick
Allen, 2nd), 241

Nathaniel Macon, 348

Robert Brooks, 349

Robert Franklin, 349
Eley, Addie Clifton (Lewis), 191

Adolphus Samuel, 256-7

Annie (Leigh), 257

Beulah (Savage), 130

John Mills, 191

Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Edward
Nelson Islin), 130

Nannie Stuart (Briggs), 257

Samuel, 257

Susanna (White), 257

Virgie Adeline (Mrs. Robert
Riddick Harrell), 191

W. Hatcher, 130
Ellington, David, 44

John (1), 44

John (2), 44

John Wesley, 44

P. Alexander, 44
Elliott, Elizabeth Bonner (Mrs.
Marshall Andrews), 309

Nina (Brown), 309

Thomas W., 309
English, Ann (Stets), 226

Anthony, 225-6

Elena, 226

Frank A., 226

Helen (Connors), 226

Mariana, 226

Michael J., 224-6

Michela Ann, 226

Theresa (Petrucelli), 225-6
Epes, Freeman F., 338

Jacqueline Segar (Mrs. Walter L.
Devany, Jr.), 338-9

Rebecca (Robinson), 338
Epperson, Elva S. (Mrs. James
Ashby Daniels), 114

John E., 114

Susan (Shelton), 114
Epps, Irene (Huunicutt), 178

Louise (Mrs. John Roger Neal),
178

Robert, 178
Ervin, Diane Broughton, 270

Frances Hart (Broughton), 270

Fred Reid, 270

Mary Elizabeth (Collins), 270

Reid Hart, 270

Stephen Collins, 270

William M., 270
Etheredge, John E., 248

Marie (Mrs. George Whittington
Bratten, Sr.), 248
Evans, Fannie Day (Atkinson), 47

Helen (Mrs. Finlay Forbes Fer-
guson, Sr.), 47

Richard, Captain, 47

Fass, Alfred Luie, 354-5

Arthur Marshall, 355

Dorothy (Davidson), 355

I line (Mrs. Mortimer Gordon),
354

Irving Line, 355

Isaac, 354-5

Jennie, 354-5

Katherine (Isear), 354

Marcelle (Kline), 354

Pearl (Mrs. Seymour Weil), 354

Ralph Marcus, 354-5

Sol, 354-5_

Stanley Kenneth, 354
Felchlin, Irene, 167

Jess, 167

Marjorie M. (Mrs. Roy G.
Brown), 167
Ferebee, Edward Spahling, 331

Gladvs Pleasants (Woodall), 331

John, 388

Judith Elizabeth (Mrs. Waverley
Lee Berklev. Sr.), 78-79, 338

M. C, 331

Mary Elizabeth (Wallace), 78

Nettie (Spalding), 331

Thomas, 78, 388

Thomas Cooper (1), 78, 388

Thomas Cooper (2), 78, 388

William, 78, 388
Ferguson, Anna (Redfern), 47

Anne Stuart, 47

Carl Phillips, 264

Charles Anderson, 125

Charles Anderson. 2nd. 125

Charles Martin, 46

Claire M. (Murray), 125

Clare Margaret, 125

Clementine (Martin), 263

David Lane, 125

Edwin C, 263

Edwin Carl, Jr., 263

Edwin Grier, 264

Elise (Mrs. Storer P. Ware), 125

Eliza Anderson (Skinner), 125

Finlay Forbes (1), 46

Finlay Forbes (2), 46

Finlay Forbes, Jr., 46-47

Finlay Forbes, Sr., 46-47, 186

Frances (Mrs. James Allen
Carney), 47, 186

Gail Martin, 264

Helen (Evans), 46-47, 186

Helen Phillips, 264

Homer, Jr., 125

Homer Lenoir, 124-5

Isabel (Mrs. Lyman S. Ayres),
125

Laura Adelaide (Reeves), 124

Lydia Sharon, 264

Mary (Fitzgerald), 46

Mary Josephine, 125

Walter Post, 125

William Burder, 124

William McLeocl, 125
Ferrell, Alice (Moore), 283

Ethel Catherine (Youre), 281

Joan Lynn, 283

Joyce Anne, 282

Laura (Bunn), 283

Mallory H„ 281-3

Mallory Hope, Jr., 283

Martha Anne (Fulton), 282

.Martha Annette, 282

Susan Dianne, 282

William F., 281-2

William W?alter, 281-2
Feuerstein, Louis, 206

Sarah Catherine (Mrs. Frank
Whitfield Beach), 206

Sarah Catherine (Riggin), 206
Field, Henry Callender, Jr., 203

Henry Callender, 3rd, 203

Peter Jones, 203

Phoebe (Withers), 203

Phoebe Withers, 203

Thornton Withers, 203
Fine, Andrew Snyder, 151

Louis Bernard, 150-1

Mamie, 151

Minnie (Snyder), 151

Morris, 151

Morris Heller, 151
Finley, Erne (Wheeler). 242

Laura (Mrs. G. Allen House), 242

Robert C, 242
Fishburne, Edward W., 218

James Burnette, 218

Katherine Elizabeth (Rowzie),
218

Mary E. (Burnette), 218
Fitz-Gibbon, David, 57

Mary (Cregan), 58

Maurice, Dr., s8

T. David, A.I. A., 57-58

Thomas Shanahan, 58
Fitzhugh, Anne Parker, 143

Corrinne (Perkins), 143

Emma E. (Padgett), 143

Eugene P., 143

Eugene Perkins, 143

Eugene Perkins, Jr., 143

Virginia Eaton, 143
Fitzpatrick, Andrew, 144

Ann ( Mrs. Beverly Rhea Law-
ler), 144

Mae (Forrest), 144
Fiveash, Alice (Mrs. Joseph Gard-
ner), 237

Benjamin, 237

Charlotte (Parke), 236

Frances (Mrs. Nathaniel Wil-
burne), 237

Frances Bland (Robertson), 237

INDEX

4*7

George W., 237

John, 237

John Wesley, 237

Joseph C, 205

Joseph Gardner, Sr., 236

Joseph Gardner, II, 236-7

Joseph Gardner, III, 237

Mary Anne (Moore), 237

Mary Virginia (Mrs. James
Thomas Moreland), 205

Mary Virginia (Staylor), 205

Peter, 237

Rachel (Tabb), 237

Virginia (Staylor), 236
Fletcher, Ernest Tilden, 24

Gladys Caroline (Ruhberg), 24

Marjorie Ann (Mrs. S. L. Bur-
dick, Jr.), -'4

Mary Helene (Conley), 24

Robert Irving, 24
Flintoff, Charles B., 31

Charles Malone, 31

Eliza Prentis (Causey), 31

Emma .Malone, 31
Flora, John, 162

Martha, 162

Virginia Ethel (Mrs. Lennie
Dean Rawls), 162
Ford, Bettye Creasy, 362

Carolyn Ivy (Mrs. John Elliott
Carpenter), 137, 362

Charles Edwin, 137, 362

Kdwin I., 362

Edwin Ivanhoe, 362

Mildred Ivy (Creasy), 137, 362

Mildred Lee, 362

Stella (Eastman), 362
Forehand, Clarence Edward, 95-96

Clarence Edward, Jr., 96

Frances (Garizzard), 96

George W., 95, 355

Huldah P. (Howell), 95. 355

Irma (House), 356

Mary Margaret, 96

Vernon T., 355

Vernon Thomas, Jr., 356
Foreman, Alexander, 350

Maach (Mrs. James Green Mar-
tin), 350

Nehemiah, General, 350
Forrester, George Thomas, Rev., 361

Mamie (Wheeler), 361

Mary (Airs. Ephraim Wescott
Smith, Jr.), 361
Foster, Bartholomew Thomas, 287

Benjamin Hartsook, 286

Benjamin William, 286-7

Benjamin William. Jr., 287

Billy O'Sullivan, 287

Brian Patrick, 287

Bridget Veronica (O'Sullivan),
286

Bruce Stephen, 287

Hettie Helen (Woodall), 287

Isaac, Captain, 131
Josiah, Captain, 131

Julia Anne (Mrs. William Diggs),

131
Fowler, Daniel A., 275

Mabel (Mrs. S. Raymond White),
275

Nora (Gilrieth), 275
Fox, J. P., 235

J. W., 236
Frankfort, Courtnev Stewart, 104

Elise (Ellis), 104

Ellis McQuade, 104

Harry McQuade, 104

Margaret Ellis, 104

Otys Rae (Hargrave), 104

Philip Ellis, 104

Philip Rae, 104
Freedman, Gloria F. (Mrs. Louis L.

- Friedman), 270

Jeanne (Friedman), 270

Meyer, 270
Friedman, Bonnie Dale, 270

Gloria F. (Freedman), 270

Lena (Pomerantz ), 269

Louis L., 269-70

Meryl Sue, 270

Samuel, 269

Stuart D., 270
Friend, Ruben Butler, Dr., 29

Ruby (Mrs. Oscar Lindwood
Boyd), 29
Frost, Samuel James, 44
Fulcher, Ann (Mrs. Clinton E.
Thurston, Jr.), 337

Edith (Peele), 337

George, 337
Fuller, Eleanor Cuthrell (Nash),
236, 317

Irving L., 236, 316-17

Irving L., Jr., 317

Jean Nash (Mrs. Thomas Rollin
Watkins), 236. 317

Lula (Collins), 316

Richie, 317

Walter G., 316
Fulton, Charles Smith, 282

Martha Anne (Mrs. William F.
Ferrell), 282

Susan Emerson (Astin), 282

Gantt, Betty Sue (Mrs. Robert B.

Pond), 153
Lucille Wilder (Mrs. Joseph C.

Greene), 153
Gardner. Arthur Carroll, 279
Barbara Anne, 383
Dorothy Augusta (Gilbert), 367
Emma Stewart (Reid), 279
George Samuel, 376
Hilda Reid (Mrs. Ernest Richard

Harden, Jr.), 279
Jean Elizabeth, 383
Katherine Gilbert, 367
Lillian A. (West), 376
Marguerite Antoinette (Mrs.

William Thomas Green), 376
Mary ( Sturtevant), 383
Richard, 383
Wallace L., 367
Wallace L., Jr., 367
William R., 383
William R., Jr., 383
Garizzard, Edna (Gardner), 96
Eugene Hinton, 96
Frances (Mrs. Clarence Edward
Forehand), 96
Garner, Carole, 244

Charles F., Jr., 244

Charles Fenton, 243-4

Charles Walter, 243-4

Effie (Godwin), 244

Hattie May (Whitley), 243-4

Mildred Lawson (Mrs. W. H.
Waters, Jr.), 244

Sylvia (Greene), 244

Virginia Stannard (Kirby), 244

Wallace Kirby, 244

Walter Glover, 243-4

Walter Glover, Jr, 244
Garnett, Frances Susette (Wil-
liams), 157

Henry, 157

Henry Duncan, 157

Henry Duncan, Jr., 157

Lloyd Moss, 157

Mary S. (Merchant), 157

Robert Jefferson, 157
Garrett, Ada Dozier (Mrs. Earl
Thomas Gresham), 350

Belinda, 350

Belle (Mrs. Herbert Nicholas
Allen, Sr.), 302

Councill D., 350

Ethel (Lassiter), 302

lames J., 302

Kathaleen (Mrs. Floyd A. Scott),
350

Mary Faucett (Ricks), 350

Pamela, 350
Gatling, Alpine Douglas (Mrs.

Howard Gresham Martin), 351

Carlotta (McCluer), 351

George P., Dr., 351

George W., 351

Marceline (Pescud), 351

Mary Wilson (Hollowell), 351
Gay, Ann, 379
\ntoinette, 379

Donald, 165

Elise (Monell), 291

Frances Jeanette, 291

Francis A., 291

J. P. 378

Martha (Land), 165

Maurice A., 291

Mildred Virginia (Simpkinsl, 291

Millicent (Mrs. William Ruffin

Carpenter, Jr.), 165
Thomas Ashland, 291
William E., 379
Gibbs, Ellen Brooks (Mrs. James

Causey Godwin), 365
R. Stephens, 365
Ruth (Parker), 365
Gibson, Annie Jackson (Mrs. Jesse

McCloud), 303
Peter Harrison, 303
Virginia Frances (Buxton), 303
Gifford, Audrey, 377
Barbara (Hasler), 377
Buddy, 376

Chester Brownell, 375-7
Chester Brownell, Dr., 376
Frances (Mrs. A. Brooks Tavlor,

Jr.), 376
lone (Carney), 376
Nancy, 377
Gilbert, Anne R. (Myers), 367

428

LOW! R TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Gilbert, Anne Randolph, 307

Dorothy Augusta (Mrs. Wallace
L. Gardner), 367

John Y.. 366

Katherine Llewellyn (Mrs. Irv-
ing Lee Chapman, Jr.), 367

Lenora (Simmons-Randolph),
366

Lloyd Martin. 366-7

Lloyd Martin, Jr., 367

Margaret Ann (Mrs. Thomas H.
Jones, Jr.), 307

Mary Luella (Mrs. John B.
Dorsey), 367

Mary Margaret (Nicholls), 367

Nancy Louise, 367

Oscar Linwood, 366-7

Oscar Linwood, Jr., 366-7

Oscar Linwood, III, 367

Sarah Ann (Mrs. Claude R.
Phillips, Jr.), 367

Sarah Ann (Martin), 367

Timothy, 366
Gindhart, Grace L. (Duggeri, -'4

Harry, 23

Harrv K., 24

Robert M„ Jr.. 24

Robert McKinley. Sr., 23-24

Sarah Elizabeth (McKinley), 23
Globe Iron Construction Company,

313-4

Godwin, Becky, 360

Charles Bernard, Jr., 364-5
Charles Bernard. Sr.. 339. 3(14-5
Charles Bernard. 3rd. 305
Ellen Brooks, 365
Ellen Brooks (Gibbs), 365
Frank Whitney, D.D.S., 224,

339-40, 343
Judith (Brewer), 340, 343
Judith Whitney, 340. 344
Katherine Thomas (Beale), 369

Margaret Carroll, 365

Margaret Causey, 365

Margaret Whitfield (Causey), 365
Martha Brewer (Mrs. Curtis

Saunders, Jr.), 340, 344
Martha Carroll (Whitney), 339,

364-5

Mills Edwin, Jr., 368-9

Mills Edwin, Sr., 369

Otelia (Darden), 369
Goffigon Cumpston, 358

Mamie (Butt), 358

Page Nottingham, 358-9

Page Nottingham, Jr., 359

Susan de Wolff (Carll), 359

Virginia Leonard (Bledsoe), 359
Golterman, George R., 394

Laetitia M. (Mrs. A. Byron Wil-
liams), 394

Sarah, 394
Golub, Miriam (Mrs. Maurice L.
Mednick), 313

Pauline (Drucker), 313

Samuel, 313
Goodman, Belle (Blackmail), 396

Edna (Mrs. Henry Leslie Lam,
Jr.), 133

Isaac, 396

Lelia. 133

Mack, 133

Zelma (Mrs. Bernard Rivin), 396
Goodwin, Ellen M. (Mrs. Harry-
Silas Seeley), 185
James A., 185
Graham, A. H., 400

Alexander H., 3rd, joo

John, 400

Laura Pinner, 400

Margaret E., 400
Grandy, Ann (Sterrett), 103

Caroline Selden ( .\Ir>. S. Heth
Tyler), 102

Carter Randolph, 103

Charles Rollin, 306-7

Cyrus Wiley (1), 102, 396

Cyrus Wiley (2), 102

Cyrus Wiley, IV, 102-3

Cyrus Wiley, V, 103

Elizabeth Norfleet (Neely), 397

Hatch Dent Sterrett, 103

Julia Selden, 397

Maliel Elkin (Dickman), 397

Mary Carter (Mrs. liartwell H.
Gary. Jr.), 102

Mary Carter (Randolph), 102

Mary (Selden), 102, 396

William Selden. 397
Granger, Allyson Lee. 134

Evelyn (Rogers), 134

George Llewellyn, 134

George Winn. 134

George Winn. Jr.. 134

Maude M. 1 Winn ), 134
Grant, Charles Clifford, Jr., 196-7

Charles Clifford, Sr., 196

Charles Clifford, III, 197

George N., 196

George Washington, 196

Katherine (Corbell), 196

Marie (Snyder), 197

Martha Melvina 1 Fisher), 196
Graves. Annie (Adams), 288

Bryan Pugh, 289

Frank N., 288-9

Frank Noell, Jr., 289

Ovid Raymond, 288

Virginia Belle (Hudson), 288-9
Gray, Dora (Bunkley), 111

Dora Lee (Mrs. H. Kenneth
Peebles), 11 1

James E.. 111
Green. Barbara Lee, 376

Carol Ann. 376

Elizabeth Ann (O'Connor), 376

Grace (Parker). 376

Henry V., 376

Kay Antoinette, 376

Marguerite Antoinette (Parker),
376

Marguerite Gardner, 376

William J.. 376

William Thomas, 375-6

William Thomas, Jr.. 376
Green-Gifford Motor Corporation,

375-7
Greene, Grace (Church), 173

Joseph C, 153

Lucille ( Wilder-Gantt ). 153

Margaret Lee (Mrs. John Earle
White, III). 173

Margaret (Mebane), 153

Walter Granville, 153

W infield Scott, 173
Greenough, Annie (Bateman), 228

Darlene Bernice, 228

Darletta Delsie (Thomas), 228

Joseph, 228

Julian A.. 227-8
Greenough and Company, Inc.,

227-8

Gresham, Ada ( Dozier-Garrett),
350

Bettie L. (Mrs. James Green
Martin), 350

Claudia Beatrice (Thomas), 349

Doris (Trimyer), 350

Earl Thomas, 349-50

Earl Thomas, Jr., 350

Earl Thomas. Ill, 350

Jane 1 McMurran), 350

Kathryne Jane, 350

Kathryne (Wells), 350

Love "(Old), 350

Oscar H., 349

Richard Wells, 350

Thomas B., 350

Wells, 350

William Albert, 350

William Watkins. 349
Grice, Alexander Pinkham (1), 176

Alexander Pinkham (2). 176-7

Alexander Pinkham, III, 177

Alexander Pinkham, IV, 177

Barbara Ann (Speace), 177

Charles Alexander, 177

Dudley Colkett, 177

Joseph Gardner, 177

Louie Brown, 177

Louie Brown (Crenshaw), 177

Mary Hart, 177

Susan Thorogood (Brooks), 176
Griffin, Agnes (Ingles), 208

Alberta (Evans), 45

Anne (Mrs. Charles Hutchinson
McCoy), 45

Arthur L.. 106

D. J., 181

Effie ( Mrs. Hugh Larrabee
Doughertv), 106

Effie Ola (Taylor), 106

Ella Walston (Mrs. Grover Lee
White, Jr.), 181

Lillian (Mrs. Vernon Asbury
Brooks), 208

Stella (Duke), 181

Susie M. (Atkinson), 294-5

Virginia H. (Harris), 295

William A., 208

William Benjamin, 294-5

William J., 45

William Pernell, 294-5
Grimes, Betty (Hartung), 211

Joseph L., 21 1

Margaret (Mrs. Lewis Clifton
Warren), 211
Grizzard, H. E., 235

H. T.. 235

lames A., Dr., 235

M. D., 235-6

R. L.. 235
Gross, Ann Ruth (Spiegel), 126

INDEX

429

Pearl (Kline), 126-7
Jerome Stanley, M.D., 126-7
Michael, 12b
Grubbs, Agnes Leona (Morrison),

150
James R., 150
Violet (Airs. Charles Douglas

Pitt), 150
Guild, Florence Ruth (de Weese),

8
Harry Hickman, 8
Martha de Weese (Mrs. C. Lydon

Harrell, Jr.), 8
Gustin, Earle Frank, 222
Eddie Mae (Avery), 222
Esther (Callaham), 222
H. Nelson, III, 222
Harry Nelson, 222
James Wilson, 222
Gwaltney, Cecil W., 277
Cecil \V., Jr., 277
Chester, 346

Estelle (Darden), 346-7
Frank L., 277
Frank Maynard, 277
Henrietta C, 347
Henrietta Ramsay (Chapman),

347
Howard W., 346-7
Howard W., Jr., 346
Julius Darden, 346-7
Katherine C, 346
Katherine D. (Langhorne), 346
Lucille (Maynard), 277
Lucy, 346
Lucy L., 346
M. Florelle, 347
Maggie S. (Allmond), 277
Margaret Coke (Atwill), 347
Margaret Darden (Mrs. Donald

E. Hood), 347
Martha (Harris), 346
Norma Lee (Stephenson), 347
Pembroke Decatur, Jr., 345-7
Pembroke Decatur, Sr., 346-7
Pembroke Decatur, 3rd, 346-7
Pembroke Decatur, 4th, 347
Virginia Lee, 347
William Atwill, 347
Gwaltney Incorporated, 347-8

Hackney, Dee, 31 1

John Homer, Jr., 311

John Homer, III, 311

Margaret Jo (Melchor), 311
Hall, Ann Griffin, 208

Bettie (Williamson), 374

Brooks Watson, 208

Elizabeth (Mrs. William Norman
Jones), 374

George Magruder, 42

Isabel (Thomas), 332

Isabel Thomas, 332

James Watson, 208

John Charles, 117

Joseph Bell, 117

Lee, 374

Leon Curtis, 42-43

Leon Curtis, Jr., 43

Levin Henry, 332

Lewis, Jr., 332

Lillian Ann (Brooks), 208
Linda (Munden), 234
Margaret Agnes, 43
Margaret Alford, 117
Margaret Belle (Carter), 117
Maragret (Birsch), 43
Margaret Doris (Bell), 117
Mary Elizabeth (White), 332
Minnie (Wood), 42
Molly Whitmel (Mrs. W. Dean

Preston), 234
William Alford. Jr., 1 16-17
William Alford, Sr., 1 16-17
William Alford, III, 117
William H., 234
Hallenbeck, Eleanor Margaret

(Mrs. George Carter Coleman),

192
W. H., 191-92
Halstead, Annis De Lene, 276
Augustus Oscar, 275
Deborah Lee, 276
Dennis Brothers, 276
Dorothy (Brothers), 276
Harwell E., 275-6
Harwell E., Jr., 276
Marcella (Sawyer), 276
Marcia Gayle, 276
Mary Elizabeth (Capps), 275
Richard Brooks, 276
Robert Kight, 276
Shirley May (Mrs. Randolph E.

Malbon), 276
Thelma Idabell (Smith), 276
Troy Weldon, 276
Hancock, Amana Magda, 148
Charles Eugene, 147
Garth S., 147-9
Garth S., Jr., 149
Harry Lee, 147-8
Harry Lee, Jr., 148
James Calvin, 148
Jo Ann, 149
Josephine Estelle (Hedgepeth),

149
June Jeanette, 149
Lillian Elizabeth (Pope), 147
Margaret Rose, 148
Martha Jean, 149
Mary Elizabeth, 147
Mary Ernie (Johnson), 147-8
Mary Lucille (Mrs. C. H. Dil-

day), 148
Mary Margaret (Magda), 148
Mollie (Joyner), 147
Muriel Jacqueline (Mrs. James

S. Johnson), 148
Patricia Ann, 147
Robert L., 3rd, 147-8
Robert Lafayette, Jr., 147-8
Robert Larry, 147
Robert Lemuel, 147
Susan Brice, 149
Vivian Leigh, 147
Hankins, Fannie (Hankins), 121
Paul, 121
Serena (Mrs. Horace Godwin

Ashburn), 121
Hanley, Buttia P., 46

Margaret (Mrs. John E. Wool,

Sr.), 46

Theron, 46
Hansen, Ann Page (Lawson), 278

Nancy Page, 278

Richard V., 278

Richard Vollis, 278
Harcourt, Bettv Louise (Brett),
358

Ida (Turrentine), 357

Jack Eugene, 358

Lois K., 358

Oscar Pierre, 357

Robert Martin, 357-8

Robert Marti.:, Jr., 358
Harden, Arthur Gardner, M.D., 279

Edna (Klugel), 279

Elizabeth Kearney (Wilson), 279

Ernest Richard, Jr., 278-9

Ernest Richard, Sr., 279

Ernest Richard, III, 279

Ernest Richard, IV, 279

Hilda Reid (Gardner), 279

Joseph Reid, 279

Linda Deane, 279

Nadine Mildred (Harrison), 279

Rebecca Stratton, 279
Harding, Charles B., 235-6
Hardy, George T., 101

Ida Caroline (Porter), 101

Sarah (Mrs. Irvin Reid), 100-101
Hargrave, B. V., 104

Edna (Snapp), 388

Edward M., 387-8

John Fletcher, 387

Lillian (Slade), 104

Otys Rae (Mrs. Philip Ellis
Frankfort), 104

Sarah (Wood), 387
Harksen, Flora (Ormsby), 284

Max Christian, 283

Pamela Mae, 284

Ronald M., 284

Roy M., 283-4

Ruth Ethel (Strupe), 283
Harman, Bettie (Collins), 130

Ernest M., 130

Rose Collins (Mrs. Allan
Randolph Hoffman), 130
Harper, Dorothv Leigh (Hogshire),
68

T. P., 68

John P., "Jack," Jr., 68

Penelope, 68
Harrell, Alice (Mathias), 316

Annie Mary (Mrs. J. Paul
Murphy), 33

Betty Ann, 316

Betty Anne (Mrs. A. S. Kyle,
3rd), 191

Betty Jane (Gilbert), 316

C. Lydon, Jr., 7-8

C. Lydon, 3rd, 8

Charles Lydon, Sr., 7

Cora (Mitchell), 33

de Weese Toone, 8

Edward Everett, 7

Elijah D., 220

Elizabeth C. (Tyree), 220

Elizabeth (Hale), 220

Ethel Theresa (Toone), 7

Eugenia (Vertley), 190

Florence Price (Knight), 220

43°

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Harrell. Gordon Fletcher, 8
Jobe, 33

John Clifton, 191

John Morgan, 8

Kathenne E., 220

Lela (Wilson), 7

Margaret (Mrs. Frank S. Sager),
37

Margaret 1 t obb I, 316

Marshall Guild, 8

Martha A. (Harrell), 220

Martha de Weese (Guild), 8

Paul Edward, 220

Paul Edward, Jr., 220

Riddick R., 190

Robert Riddick (1), 190-1

Robert Riddick (2), 191

Sam B., 37

Samuel Wilson, 7

Susan (Leigh), 37

Virgie Adeline (Eley), 191

Wiley Cleveland, 316

Wiley Cleveland, Jr., 316

William Lafayette, 316
Harris, Emily (Mitchell), 222

James H., 222

James Landon, 223

Letitia (Mrs. Darling Devine
Jones), 201

Letitia (Warburton), 201

Mary Elizabeth ( Ferguson), 295

Reid Mitchell, 223

Roberta (Mahone), 22s,

T. H., 201

Tamlin Parson, 295

Virginia H. ( Mrs. William
Pernell Griffin), 295

William M., 222-3
Harrison, D. W., 329

Evelyn Colonna (Berkley), 389

Evelyn Lee, 389

Lillian (Steel), 329

Mary (Mrs. John Randolph
Davis), 329

Nancy Berkley, 389

Robert Drew, 389
Hart, Fred L., 103-4

Fred L., Sr., 103-4

Fred L., 3rd. 104

Hannah (Dawson), 103

Margaret (Simpson), 104

Hasler, Barbara (Mrs. Chester

Brownell Gifford), 377

Mary (Blake), 377

Robert T., 377
Hatch, Daniel Lindley, 4

James Stokes, 4

John Davis, Jr., 3-4

John Davis, Sr., 4

John Davis, 3rd, 4

Gethel, (Gregg 1 . 4

Olivia Phelps (Stokes), 4

Sarah Stokes, 4
Hathaway, Katheryn Taylor, 7

Louisa Venable (Kyle), 7

Samuel D., Jr.. 7

Samuel Devereaux, 7

William Emmett Kyle, 7
Hatten, Earl R., 156-7

Erah (Mrs. Lawrence W.
Kliewer), 157

Erah (Sligh), 156

John Q., M.D., 157

John Q., Jr., 157

Leone (Quackenbush ), 157

Mary Beth, 157

Robert R. (1), 156

Robert R. (2), 157
Hawks. Charles Welton, 56

Edward B., 55-56

Frances (Conwell), 56

Frances Conwell (Mrs. Robert
William Wentz, Jr. 1, 56

Mary Victoria (Welton). 55-6

Mary Welton (Mrs. Robert
Milton Schlemmeri. 56

Otis Jefferson, 56

R(ichard) Edward. 55-6
Haycox. Edward James, 389

Fred A., 389-90

Fred A., Jr., 390

Grace Cromwell, 390

Millie May (Addenbrook), 389

William C., 390
Haves, Helen Marie ( Mrs. P.
" Owen Parker). 368

Kate (Owens), 368

O'Brvan, 368

Robert B., 368
Hearu, John T.. 180

Nellie Brett (Mrs. Charles
Melville Ramsey). 180

Plummie Novella (Whitley), 180
Hecht, Bertha (Friedman), 293

Gary Michael, 293

Irving, 292

Leslie Dean, 293

Robert David, 292-3

Sarah Vetta (Leibowitz), 292
Hedgepeth, Annie Mary (Porter),
M9

George Dewey, 149

Josephine Estelle (Mrs. Garth S.
Hancock), 149
Hendry, Elizabeth. 159-60

James E., 159-60

Molly Hendry. 160

Peggy, 160

Susan, 160
Herman, Bernard Lania, 99

Frederick, 99

Lucy Fredericka, 99

Lucy 1 Spigel), 99
Herrin, Gladys (Mrs. Douglas
Herrin Pulley), 16

Otelia M. (Joyner), 16

Robert M., 16 '
Herring, L. J., Dr., 183

Mary (Carter), 183

Mary Ernestine (Mrs. Wayland
Thomas Pond. lr.), 183
Hill. Bavard O., 253-4

Elizabeth (Mrs. William Wel-
lington Jones), 358

Helen (O shorn), 254

Isaac Owen, 253

J. R-, 253

James R., 358

Marv Anne (Harrell). 253

Mattie D. (Smith), 253

Sudie (Williams), 358

Ximena (Gardner). 254

Hillard, Clare Elizabeth (Rich), 81

Irving, 81

Major McKinley, 81

Major McKinley, Jr., 81

Major McKinley, 111, 81

Mandiville Erving, 81

Marion (Tonkin), 81

Marv Frances (Cherry), 81

Merle Cherry (Mrs. Philip
Shaw), 81

Susan Jewett, 81
Hillsman, Bernice Le Vert
(Bondurant), 256

Josephine Estell (Billups), 256

Malcolm Walker, 256

Malcolm Walker, Jr., 256

Rosser Noland, 256

Suzanne Le Vert, 256
Hines, Angus I., Jr., 245-6

Angus L, Sr., 245

Ann Russell, 246

Genevieve H. (McCollum), 246

Lois (Howell), 245
Hinman, Elsie Mayson (Mrs. Earle
Ashland Cadmus), 165

John J., 165

Lib Mason (Baughen), 165
Hiuton, Alberta Elizabeth (Snel-

__ lings), 231

Charles Richard, 231

John Albert, 231

John Elliott, 230-1

Margaret Elliott, 231

Margaret (Petty), 231
Hite, Anna, 409

Anna Lee (Mrs. William Ralph
Van Buren, Jr.), 409

M. Lloyd, 409
Hodges, Anne (Harding), 308

Edith (Gordon), 307

Herman Leon, 308

J. Arthur, 307-8

John Lawrence, 30S

John Wesley, 307

Kathv Lee, 308

Lelia" (Old), 308

Nancy (Agee), 308

Susan, 308

William Howard, 308
Hofflin, Dessa (Brandt), 299

Isabelle (Mrs. living B. Kline),
299

Marcellus, 299
Hoffman, Allan R., 130'
Mian R., Jr., 130

Allan Randolph, 130

Elizabeth C. (Peterson), 130

Ethyl (Adams), 284

George B., 284

George B., Jr., 284

James Harvey, 284

.Martha Elizabeth (Mrs. Walter
W. Eames, Jr.), 130

Marv Julia (Kellam), 284

Ralph M„ 284

Rose Collins (Harman), 130

Rosellen (Mrs. G. Guy Via, Jr.),
130
Hofheimer, Bessie (Hirschler), 54

Clay, 55

Elise Bessie, 55

INDEX

43'

Elise (Nusbaum), 55

Henry Clay, 54-5

Julius Caesar, 54

Linda, 55
Hogan, Audrey Cecilia (Mrs.

Joshua Pretlow Darden), 312

Cecilia (Philbin), 312

Hunter A., 312
Hogshire, Bessie (Seeley), 185

Dorothy Leigh, 68

Edna, 185

Edward, 25, 66, 309

Edward Lee, 310

Esther Catherine (Mrs. John
Wesley Keefe), 25

Evelyn (Nichols), 310

Leigh Gilrov, 66-8

Le Roy, 185

Margaret (Johnston), 310

Martha or Mattie M. (Blake), 25,
66, 309

Milton, 18s:

Olive B. (Toler), 68

Russell B., 66, 309-10

Russell Beverly, 310

Thomas E., 66
Holland, Annie B., 293

Annie L., 14

Blanche T., 273

Carlyle P., 273

Carlyle Peerman, Jr., 273

Carlyle Peerman, 3rd, 273

Charles E., 11

Clarence A., 14

Daniel, 44

David L., 273

Dixon, 169

Elisha Thomas, 14

Eloise Walton (Jordan), 12

Essie (Pretlow), 382

Flora Ellen (Mrs. Jehu Toadvine
Parsons), 293

Gladys Anne Elizabeth (Joyner),

14"
Gregory F., 14
Harvey Milton, 11-2
Helen (Bogart), 273
Helen Jones (Winborne), 382-3
Isaac, 293

Jean (Culpepper), 14
Joel Cook, 382

Lena ( Mrs. George W. McCoy 1 , 44
Maria (Mrs. Matthews), 382
Mary Adrian, 14
Mary Elizabeth (Burton), 14
Richard J., 14
Richard J., Jr., 14
Rosa Matilda (Mrs. Catullus

Councill), 169
Samuel Winborne, 383
Shirley Jean, 14
Shirley Thomas, 14
Shirley Thomas, Jr., 14
Stanley Thomas, 382
Susie (Jones), 11
Wayne D., 273
William B., 273
William E., 14

William Joseph Moore, Jr., 382-3
William Joseph Moore, Sr., 382
William Joseph Moore, 3rd, 383

Holmes, Arrilla (Strawn), 276

Corinna, 161

David George, 277

E. H., 161

George Washington, 276

Kathryn (Mrs. Clifford E.
Craver), 161

Lynn Washington, 276-7

Lynnette Gayle, 277

Mildred (Small), 277
Holt, Herbert A., 320

Herbert A., Jr., 320

Herbert A., ill, 320

Maria R. (Mrs. James Cresap
Sprigg, Jr.), 15

Maria W. (Reynolds), 15

Mattie (Midgette), 320

Mattie (Oaktey), 320

Saxon W., 15
Honea, Clarice (Mrs. Alvin W.
Nissenbaum), 205

John, 265

Pearl (Downey), 265
Hope, Elsie (Love), 250

Joseph Wilton, Jr., 250

Joseph Wilton, Sr., 250
Hopewell, Carolvn (Lawrence),
278

Harry Lynn, Jr., 278

Harry Lynn, 111, 278
Horseman, Ann (Masters), 315

Grace (Wyatt), 314

Howard Campbell, 314

Jack Wyatt, 314-5
Host, Abbie (Jones), 115

David Findlay, 115

Jane Hamilton (Mrs. T. V.
Moore), 115

Jane Hamilton (Shearer), 115

Janet (Peebles), 115

Lewis Clinton, 115

T. Parker, lis

T. Parker, Jr., 115

T. Parker, III, 115
House, Dollie (Vaughan), 242

G. Allen, 242

G. Allen, Jr., 242

George W., Dr., 242

Irma (Mrs. Vernon T. Fore-
hand), 356

Laura Anne, 242

Laura (Finley), 242

Lottie (Walker), 356

Robert Vaughan, 242

William, 356
Howard, Carolyn (Mrs. Kenneth
Gordon dimming), 395

Helen (Ward), 395

J. Morris, 395
Howell, Anne J., 257

Frances (Mrs. C. M. Aberna-
thy), 257

Hazel (Simpson), 257

Hilary J., 257

Jean Lois (Jensen), 257

John A., Jr., 257

John A., Sr., 257

John A., Ill, 257
Hudgins, Amye Coles (Mrs.
Carroll Ripley), 216

C. C, 381

Charlotte (Hudgins), 216

Claude Laurens, 76

Coles Diggs, 216

Gladys Virginia (Parker), 76

Harold, 76

Harold, Jr., 76

Julie Ann, 76

Nancy Hope, 76

Nell G., 112

Ruth L. (Tennis), 112

Thomas Parker, 76

Wesley Skidmore, 112
Hudson, Ada Belle (Long), 288

Thomas Melvin, 288

\ irginia Belle (Mrs. Frank N.
Graves), 288
Huffman, Beatrice Glass (Strat-
ford), 57

Edward, 57

Madeleine Elliott (Mrs. William
E. Allaun, Jr.), 57
Hume, Hartwell Heath, 393

Susan (Howard), 393

Susan Howard (Mrs. William
Albert Cox, Jr.), 393
Hundley, Cora Belle (Reynolds),
136

George W., 136

John Brackston, 136
Hungerford, Helen (Wray), 272

John, Colonel. 272

Maria Louisa (Mrs. Benjamin
Franklin Williamson), 272

W., Captain, 272
Hunt, Elizabeth Britt (Miller), 103

Katherine Conover, 103

Mary Elizabeth (Freeman), 103

Powhatan King, 103

William Powhatan, 103

William Powhatan, Jr., 103
Hunter, Brownley (Odom), 167

Carter Baird, 219

Charles Baird, 219

Emilv Peete (Jones), 219

H. H„ Dr., 167

Hannah Baird, 219

Hannah Louise (Baird), 219

Henry Blount (1), 219

Henry Blount (2), 219

Henry Blount, Jr., 219

Henry Blount, III, 219

Patty Riddick (Mrs. Fitz

Orraon Clarke), 167

Hurst, Adelaide (Bell), 374

Harriette Ann, 375

Harriette Lucille (Owens), 375

John William, 374-5

John William, Sr., 374

Shirlev Owens, 374-5

T. C.,"374
Hutchens, Agnes (Malone), 391

Anne Elizabeth (McErlain), 391

Brian, 391

Catherine, 391

Charles Kunkle, 390-1

Charles Kunkle, Jr., 391

Charles, 3rd, 391

Claire, 391

Karen, 391

Mary, 387, 390

Virginia Lee (Stockley), 387

43 ^

LOW I R 111)1 \\\ II K VIRGINIA

Hutchens, Walter Kunkle, 387, 390

Walter Lewis, 2nd, 391

William M., Jr., 387

William Milton. 387
Hutton. Alson, 88

Delha Miller (Dudley), 88

Jean (Mrs. J. C. Lentz), 88

John K.. Jr., 88

John Kendrick, 87-8

Margaret E. (Mrs. G. B. Hume),
88

Margaret (Kendrick), 88

Margaret (Trotman), 88

Mary Pelham, 8S

Robert, 88

Steel (Edmundson), 88
Hylton, Caroline (St. Clair), 3.25

George P., 325

George P., Jr., 325

George P., Ill, 3-5

Helen (Broyles), 325

John A., 325

Robert L., 325

I'anson, Emma (Warren), 50

James Thornton, 50

Lawrence W., Jr., 51

Lawrence Warren, 50-1

May Frances (Tuttle), 51

May Frances Tuttle, 51
Irwin, E. Fillmore, 31

Elise (Loewmer-Aufenger), 32

Ellen (Clark), 31

Winston H., 31-2
Islin, Agnes (Smith), 130

Edward Nelson, 130-31

Elizabeth Eley (Mrs. Robert L.
Saffelle, Jr.), 130-31

John Alexander, 130

Mary Elizabeth (Eley), 130
Ives, Florence Cornelis (Mrs.
Samuel Walker Lyons, Jr.),

341
Judson Hume, 341
Mary Anne (Keeling), 341

Jacobs, Faye (Scboenbaum), 122
Max, 122
Mildred (Mrs. Calvin W. Breit),

122
James, Ann (Mrs. Horace C.

Buxton), 397
Barbara (Shuttleworth ), 245
Edwin Ralph, 397
Edwin Ralph, Jr., 397
Frances Rosalind (Mrs. Robert

Foster Ripley), 217
Freda Irene (Mrs. John

Marion Stokley), 245
George, 245
Marcus G., 217
Matilda (Mrs. Samuel W.

Smithers, Jr.), 397
Matilda McLeod (Robinson),

397

Mattie S. (Gurganus), 217
Jarman, Dorothy Coleman, 328

Elizabeth ( Mrs. Richard New-
man). 57

Fontaine Graham, Jr., Dr., 328

Fontaine Graham. Ill, 328

I 'tail ( Ligon), S7

Ruth Leigh (Reillej 1. 328

Sally Long, 32S

Shapleigh Reilley, 328

William M., 57
Jarvies, Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas
Clifford Clarke), 251

Frank L., 251

Naomi (Curtis), 251
Jeffery, Aaron, 152

Mary (Luck), 152

Virginia (Mrs. Alexander Luther
Bivinsl, 152
Jen-en, Alma (Monson), 257

Jean Lois (Mrs. lolm A. Howell,

Jr.), 257
I horvald, 257
Jernigan, Elizabeth (Mrs. Alexan-
der Herbert Bell), 44

Elizabeth (Bayton), 44

Hunter, 44
Johnson, Ann (Capel), 369

Benjamin A., 386

Betty Delia (Wood), 252, 301

Blanche (Westbrook), 368

Brooks (Mrs. George Hinson
Parker, Jr.), 368

Charles F., 331

Clara Belle (Stephenson), 301

Cleveland Thomas, 178

Dorothy (Desmond), 370

Edith ( Kibbler), 331

Elizabeth Ann. 252, 301

Ella (Bullock), 49

Emma Maehew (Higgins), 178

Frances L. (Myers), 115

George Lafayette, 40

George William, 369-70

George William, Jr., 369-71

George William, III, 371

Hannah, 386

Hilda Faith (Shelton), 178

Hugh R., 370

J. Archie, I II. 252, 301

J. Cargill, 1 14-5

J. Cargill. Jr., 115

Jennifer Lynn, 371

John, 148

John Archie, 252, 300-1

John Archie, Jr., 252, 301

Johnny Gayle, 371

Julius S., 115

Lafayette (Mis. Waverly Ran-
dolph Payne). 49

Maggie May (Mrs. Thomas J.
Capel), 369

Margaret F. (Woodberry), 370

Mariah Lucrecy (Home), 300

Mary Bland. 115

Mary Eliza (Branch), 148

Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Raymond
Wallace Beveridge), 331

Mary Ernie (Airs. Robert Lafay-
ette Hancock, Jr.), 147-8

Myril F. (Mrs. Winifred S.
Helms), 370

Xell (Mrs. Thomas Leon Lanier),
112

Novella (Roberts), 233

Olive (Mrs. Floyd Archie
Turner). 233

Ottie May (Utley), 1 12
I Vail (Mrs. John Willis, Jr.), 386
Robert T., 112
Roper Bland, 115
Samuel P., Sr., 368
Sarah (Mrs. William Wood-
berry), 370
Thomas Butt, Jr., 178
Thomas Butt, Sr., 178
Thomas Goodwin, 300
W. Frederick, 233
Johnston, Cora (Brooks), 310
Frances, 50
Frances ( Wallace), 50
George Gordon, 271
Hugh. 50

Hugh Wellford, 49-50
Kate Michie ( Collins), 271
Lucy ( Mason), 50
Margaret (Mrs. Russell B.

Hogshire), 310
Mary, 50
Nancy Watson (Mrs. George

Ethelbert Shield), 271
Susan, 50
W. C, 310
Jolly, Arthur Leroy, 220
Frances Heath (Mrs. Loren

Pierce Waldo, Jr.), 220
Julia (Kent), 220
Jones, Amelia Sue (Mrs. W'alter

James Wilkins), 307
Daisy (McCoy), 335
Darling Devine, 200-1
Dorothy (Butler), 201
Dorris, 203
Edgar A.. 200
Edwin (Berry), 373
Elizabeth (Mrs. Leslie H.

Pierce), 201
Elizabeth (Hall), 374
Elizabeth (Hill), 358
Emma (Copeland), 203
Granville Price, 301
Herbert Leach, 307
Herman McCoy, 334-5
Josephine (Gaither), 201
Josiah Thomas, 335
Letitia, 201
Letitia Gregory (Mrs. John Henry

Walker. Jr.), 201
Letitia (Harris), 201
Louise Elizabeth (Jones), 200
Lucie Belle (Pool), 307
Lucy (Kiker), 231
Margaret Ann (Gilbert), 367
Margaret (Heflin), 358
Margaret Loder (West), 335
Mary Margaret, 358
Mary Stewart, 367
Melissa Ellen, 231
Norma Elizabeth, 374
Patricia Ann, 231
Phoebe ( Mrs. John Thornton

Withers), 203
Rebecca (Parks), 301
Rita Price (Mrs. George C.

White), 301
Robert, 201

Robert Warburton, 201
Robert Warburton, Jr., 201

INDEX

433

Roy, 358

Ruth (Kelley), 231

Sallie Virginia (Jones), 203
Samuel G., 231
Thomas H., Jr., 367
Thomas H., Ill, 367
Thomas Harris, 201
William, 201
William Charles, 231
William H., Jr., 203
William H., Sr., 203
William Norman, 373-4
William Thomas, 373-4
William Wellington, 358
William Wellington, Jr., 358
Jordan. Alice Louise (Mrs. Bruce

Hanson), 164
Alice (Moure), 103
Ann (Pell), 163
Carl Moore, 162-4
Carl Moore, Jr., 164
Charles Wesley, 180
Costen, Rev., (63
Eloise Walton (Mrs. Charles E.

Holland), 12
Ella I., 139

Emma Alice (Milan), 180
Emma E. (Hall), 12
Erances Ivy, 164
losiah W., 139
L. W., 12

Mary Louise (Baker), 164
Mvra Virginia (Mrs. Grover L.

White, Sr.), 180
Rohert Lucius, 164
Samuel, 139
Sarah Elizabeth, 139
Sarah Elizaheth (Johnson), 139
Sarah Louise (Ferguson-Rives),

■39-40
Susan Darlev, 139
Wallace Pell, 163
William Francis, 139-40
William Francis, Sr., 139
William P., Rev., 163
Joyce, Eugenia Herhert (Portlock),

212
Eugenia Portlock, 212
James Justin, 211-12
Joseph Francis, 211
Marguerite (Mrs. Walter B.

Mann), 211
Marion Hunter, 212
Mary Ellen (Flanary), 211
Mary Xeale, 212
Joyner, Anna James (Newman), 229
Charles T., 229
Crawley F., 14
Elizaheth West (Birdsong), 108
Eva (Smith), 14
G. R., Jr., 108
Gladys Anne Elizaheth (Mrs.

Shirley Thomas Holland), 14
Marianne (Steele), 229
Nancy, 108
Phyllis Anna, 229
Thelma Olive (Neal), 229
Wevland T., 229
Weyland T., Jr., 229

Keech, Anne (Dyer), 175-6

Frances Louise (Mrs. Walter
Worth Martin), 175-6

William W., 175-6
Keefe, Esther Catherine (Hogshire),
25. 66

John Randolph, 25

John Wesley, 25, 06

Mary Virginia (Gregory), 25

Robert Duvall, 25

William Edward, 25

William Randolph, Rev., 2S
Keister, Donald C, 285
Keith, Alexander Hume, 377

Kate (Mrs. Cecil Crawley
Yaughan), 377

Sarah Ann Penelope (Foree), 377
Keitz, Bessie (Channel), 139

Harry A., 138-9

Henry, 138

Rose (Schulte), 138
Kellam, Abel Erastus, 71-72, 166,
352-3

Alice (Malbon), 353

Bessie L. (Salmons), 166

Clara O. (Eaton), 71-72, 166, 352-

David E., 166

Dorothy (Douglas), 113

Dorothy Douglas, 113-14

lulu in Clay, 352-3

Edwin Clay, Jr., 352

Elizabeth Ann, 72

Elizabeth Hardy, 73

Frances Marion (Arthur), 73

Frank W., 166

Frank \\\, Jr., 166

Harold B., Jr., 73

Harold Blanton, 72-73

1 [elen M. (Owen), 352

Jacqueline C, 166

Jane Butt, 72

Lucius J., 113

Lucius James, III, 114

Martha Goffigan, 353

Mary (Bateman), 166

Mary Susan, 166

Odie A. (Butt), 72

Philip Jefferson, 3B3

Richard B., 353

Richard B., Jr., 353

Sarah Fairfax, 352

Severn Frederick, II, ss-

Sidnev S., 71-72

William P., 72
Kelly, Beverly Elizabeth (Peebles),
401

Dorothy Elizabeth (Mrs. Robert
James Parr), 258

Herbert Valentine, 401

Herbert Valentine, Jr., 401

Jack, 258

Mary (Lundy), 401

Nannie Ruby (Moody), 258

Priscilla Lee, 401

William Herbert, 401
Kendell, Mary ( Mrs. Hancock Lee),
145

William, Colonel, 145
Kiker, Blannie (Berry), 231

Lucy (Mrs. William Charles
Jones), 231

William Black, 231
Kimnach, Catherine (Conroy), 228

Charles A., Jr., 228-9

Charles A., Sr., 228

Gary, 229

Martha (Miles), 229

Sherry, 229
King, Frances Martin (Mrs. Harvey-
Lee Lindsay, Jr.), 274

Robert, 274

Robert Marvin, 274

William, 274
Kirby, Amelia (Mallett), 244

Virginia Stannard (Mrs. Walter
Glover Garner), 244

William Thomas, 244
Kitchin, Coley, 260

Eloise, 260

Frances (Mrs. Robert L. Bakei 1,

Jack !•'., 259-60

Jack Frank, Jr., 260

Joann (Mrs. James L. Walski),
260

John S., 2(10

Malinda, 260

Mozelle (Vestal), 260

Paul A., 260

Paul Andrew, 260

Verona (Smith), 260

William W., 260

Wilma (Hales), 260
Kittrell, Josiah C, 223

Lucy (Mrs. Reginald Edward
Brothers), 223

Xell (Skinner), 223
Klatzky, Ida (Berman), 252

Morris, 252

Selma ( Mrs. Joseph Marcus), 252
Kliewer, Erah (Hatten), 157

Lawrence W., 157

Lawrence W., Jr., 157

Linda Elizaheth, 157
Kline, Amelia (Schoolherr), 298

Deborah, 299-300

Irving B., 298-300

Isabelle (Hofflin), 299

James D., 298

James Martin, 299

Minnie (Shloss), 127

Norma (Gewirz), 299

Pearl (Mrs. Jerome Stanley
Gross), 126-7

Richard Hofflin, 299-300

Sam, 127

Sandra (Pilzer), 299-300
Knight. W. C, 368
Knowlton, James Gardner, 129

Jane Jones, 129

Marie Gardner, 129

Virginia Marie (Davis), 129
Konikoff, Albert Benjamin, 145

Arthur, 144-5

David B., 145

Hannah (Robbins), 145

Mary (Kalish), 144

Sharon Gail, 145

Solomon Louis, 144

Stephen Earl, 145
Kotarides, Alexander Paul (1), 214

Alexander Paul (2), 214-5

434

LOWER TIDEWAT KR VIRGINIA

Kotarides, Areta (Balasco), 214
Christopher Paul, 215
Doris (Davis), 215
George Paul, 214-5
Helen (Mrs. Andrew Anninos),

215
Helen (Christopoulos), 215
Paul, 214-5
Paul Alexander, 215
Sandra, 21 5
Kyle, A. S., 3rd. 191
A. S., 4th, 191
Anne Wingate (Mrs. Charles Fer-

rell Moore, Jr. 1, 7
Anne Wingate (Haigh), 6
Betty Anne (Harrell), iyi
Edwin Dewess, 6
Elizabeth (Mrs. William Cooke

Andrews), 7
Louisa Carrington (Venable), 6-7
Louisa Venable (Mrs. Samuel

Devereaux Hathaway), 7
Virginia Margaret, 191
William Emmett, 6

Lam, Bliss, 133

Edna (Goodman), 133

Elizabeth (Bliss), i3o

Franees Holtsman ( Mis. T. Vin-
cent Chorey), 280

Gary, 133

Henry L., Sr., 133

Henry Leslie, Jr., 132-3

James W., 280

Mamie (Pultz), 280
Land, Henry Carter, 285

Mary M. (Mrs. Nicholas Carter
Wright), 285

Mary M. (Rochelle), 285
Landauer, Catherine W. (White),

275

Jean, 275

Joan, 275

J una (Picurd), 275

Leon, 275

Samuel, 275
Lane, EloLe (Mrs. Forrest W.
Code), 03

Sara I lay ton, 63

Thomas Herbert, 63
Langhorne, Katherine D. (Mrs.
Howard W. Gwaltney), 346

Katherine (Vanderslice), 346

Maurice C, 346
Langston, Frances Elizabeth,
(Poarch), 85

Jesse Darden, 85

Jesse Darden, Jr., 85

Xancy Low, 85
Lanier, Nancy Nell, 112

Xell (Johnson), 112

Pennie Eudora (Harrington),
112

Robert Fulton, 112

Thomas Leon, 112

Thomas Leon, Jr., 112

William Fulton, 11
Lassiter, Catherine MVncure
(BLnd), 364

James Bland, 364

Kitty Lou, 36.,

Roy Allan, 364

Roy Allan, Jr., 314
Lawler, Ann (Fitzpatrick), 144

Ann Lynn, 144

Beverly Rhea, 143-4

Frank Porter, 143

Susan Rhea, 144

Virginia (Rhea), 143
Lawrence, Ann Elizabeth (Mrs.
Robert Stephenson., 408

Carolyn (Mrs. Harry Lynn
Hopewell, Jr.), 278

Charlotte (Crawford), 278

David Crawford, 278

Doris (Mrs. Gerald Hendrv),
408

Frank Dudley, 278, 407-X

Frank Dudlev, Jr., 278, 408

Frank Dudley, III, 278

James N. P., 408

John W., 408

John Wesley, 407

Margaret Bourne, 278

Margarette C. (Peed), 408

Raymond J., 278, 407-8

Virginia (Hobday), 407
Lawson, Ann Page (Mrs. Richard
V. Hansen), 278

Blanche (Forrest), 2; 7

Elisha T., 277

Iola (Lawson), 278

Irving E., 277-8

Irving E., Jr., 278

Nancy lola, 278

Xancy (Page), 278
Lea, Edith Margaret (Mrs. Lewis
Archer McMurran, Jr.), 385

Maude (Rogerson), 385

Walter Maxfield, Hon.. 385
Lear, Carrie Wood (Massenburg-
Love), 9

Robert H., 9
Leary, Grace (Halstad), 401

Katherine Lee, 402

Mary Katherine (Lee), 402

Richard Lee, 402

Thomas Rhoads, 402

Wilbur Talmage, 40.-2

William, 402

William Henry, 401
LedBetter, B. Harris, 2nd, 336

Burwell Harris, 335

Helen (Gouding), 336

J. Winslow, M.D., 336

L. Dow., 335-6

Mary Ann (Williams), 335
Lee, Hancock, Captain, 145

Isaac Rhoads, 402

Jesse, 235-6

Maria Thurston (Smith), 402

Alary Katherine (Mrs. Wilbur
Talmage Leary), 402

Mary (Kendell),' 145

Richard, Colonel, 145

Richard Henry, 145
Lefkowitz, Celia (Mrs. Sol Harry
Mednick), 312

Joseph, 312

Ray (Freed), 312
Leigh. Annie (Mrs. Adolphus
Samuel Eley), 257

John Randolph, Dr., 257

Mary Coles (Carrington), 257
Leon, Ben, 295

Eleanor (Airs. Paul M. Lipkin),
295

Helen (Goodman), 295
Levin, David Raymond, 178

Linda Mary, 178

Louis, 178

Mary (Stein), 178

Rachel (Slier), 178

Richard Nathan, 179
Lewis. Anna Van Nort, 338

Barbara Jane (Mrs. Walter El-
ton Trafton), 188

Eric, 338

Frederick, 337-8

Frederick, Jr., 338

George H., 127

H. S., Jr., 128

Henry, 337

Henry Steele, 127-8

James A., 187-8

le-sie C. (Saboury), 187-8

Josephine Esterbrook (Mrs. L.
C. Melchor), 188

Margaret Lena (Morgan), 188

Margaret Morgan (Mrs. Ernest
Jordan), 188

Alary (Mrs. E. Taul du Pont,
Jr.), 338

Alary (Amerman), 337

Alary Diane, 338

Alelissa Ann, 338

Xatalia Thebaud, 338

Patricia (Goodrich), 338

Regina (Steele), 127

Sarah (Blackwell), 337

Thomas A., 337

Thomas A., Jr., 338

Virginia (Syer), 128

William Joseph, 187-8
Linderman, Alartha Valleau, 190

Alartha Valleau (Wilson), 190

Alary Ann, 190

Susie Ann, 190

William T., 190
Lindsay, Alice Bassett (Mrs. Ezra
Toles Summers), 384

Eva (Wharton), 384

Frances Martin, 274

Frances ( Martin-King), 274

Harvey Lee, Jr., 274

Katherine Darden, 274

William Earl, 384
Lipkin, Anna (Goldblatt), 295

Eleanor (Leon), 295

Laura Patricia, 295

Alatthew Howard, 295

Paul M., 295

Sam, 295
Lipscomb, S. A., Jr., 407
Locke, Charles William. 32

Donald R., 32-33

Alarie (Carey), 32

Shiela (Bryan), 33
Loewmer, Charles, 32

Elise (Airs. Winston H. Irwin),
32

Roslyn, 32
Lohse, George, 241

INDEX

435

Olga (Mrs. Maurice Lamar
Akers), 241-2
Lumsden, Clarence H., Jr., 153-4

Clarence H., Sr., 153-4

Curtis Hall, 154

Ethelyn Butler (Taylor), 154

Lois Mae, 154

Minnie ( Horton), 154

Robert Edward, 154

Ruth (Hall), 154

Shirlie Margaret (Mrs. George
W. Butcher), 154
Luter. Dorothy May, 12

Joseph W., Jr., 12

Joseph VV., Sr., 12

Joseph W., 3rd, 12

Mattie (Britt), 12

Pearl Stockman (Sykes), 12

Suzanne Stockman, 12
Lynch, Arunah Otto, 62-63

Katherine Viann, 63

Margaret Louise, 63

Margaret Viola, 63

Mary De Lena (Knight), 62

Mary Fleet (Graves), 63

Richard Walter, 63

Viola Lena (Walter), 62

Willoughby, 62
Lyon, Clara Mary (Parker), 122-3

Hal J.. 122-4

Halouise (Mrs. Virgil Enlow
McDowell, Jr.), 124

Judson J., 122-3

Marion Louise (Basnight), 124
Lyons, Bessie, 341

Florence (Mrs. Dwight Alex-
ander Olds), 341

Florence Cornelia (Ives), 341

Maud, 341

Maud (Martin), 340

Samuel Walker, Jr., 340-1

Samuel Walker, Sr., 340

Sophia (Walker), 340

William H., 340

William Henry, 341

Macheras, Florence (Gianakis), 122

Lillie (Mrs. Peter K. Babalas),
122

Peter, 122
Mahone, Fthel (Edwards), 223

Hershel, 223

Roberta (Mrs. William M. Har-
ris), 223
Malbon, Alice (Mrs. Richard B.
Kellam), 353

Alice (Sauter), 353

Harwell Frank, 276

Hazel Virginia (Mrs. Paul W.
Ackiss), 147

P- J- 353

R. J- 147

Randall Chermaine, 276

Randolph E., 276

Shirley May (Halstead), 276

Virginia (Cromwell), T47
Mapp, Carolyn LeCato, 114

George Walter, Jr., 114

Margaret Aydelotte, 114

Mildred Douglass, 114

Rebecca (Douglass), 114

Marchione, Angelo, 230

Diane Joan, 230

Dorothy Frances (O'Donnell),
-'30

Frank, 230

Gina Maria, 230

John, 230

Joseph, 230

Joseph Salvatore, 230

Linda Marie, 230

Mary (Leggio), 230

Salvatore, 229-30

Sandra Marie, 230

Tony, 230

Tony Francis, 230

Virginia (Arger), 230
Marcus, Abraham Louis, 252

Bessie (Glasser), 252

Carol. 253

Eileen, 253

Joseph, 252-3

Selma (Klatzky), 252
Maree, Lettie (Mrs. Richard L.
Weeks), 398

Paul Durant, 398
Markhani, Emiline (Purdy), 23

Emma Clark (Mrs. Jesse J.
Parkerson), 23

James C, 23
Marks, Mae (Marable), 21

Susie (Mrs. Harold Walter
Chandler), 21

Walter E., 21
Marlowe, Blanche Mae (Jones),
101

Catherine (Woolard), 102

Made V. (1), 101

Macie V. (2), 101-2

Macie \ ., Jr., 102

Susan Elizabeth, 102
Marquis, Ann J. (Mrs. L. E. Potts,
Jr.), 202

Gloria Jane (Mrs. Norman Goocl-
loe, Jr.), 202

Lilly Ann (Edge), 202

Robert Ramsey, 201-2
Marshall, Elizabeth (Airs. Joseph
Gayle Sanford), 256

F. H., 256
Martin, Alpine (Mrs. Eugene
Feree Patterson), 351

Alpine Douglas (Gatling), 351

Alvah II., Jr., 273-4

Alvah Howard, Sr., 273, 350-1

Ann (Old), 350

Bettie L. (Gresham), 340, 350

Drunttte (Sharrett), 367

Fay (Mrs. Alfred du Pont
Chandler, Jr.), 352

Florence (Raney), 187

Frances (Mrs. Harvey Lee
Lindsay, Jr.), 274

Frances Louise (Keech), 175-76

Frances (Perkins), 274

Frederick W. E., 175

George, Colonel, 350

George Gresham, 233, 3^0

Howard Gresham, 233, 273, 350-2

J. Dickerson, 187

James Green, 273

James Green (1), Colonel, 350

James Green (2), Colonel, 340,
35o

Jonathan, 367

Maach (Foreman), 350

-Mary, 351

Mary E. (Tilley), 273, 350-1

Mary Louise (Zentz), 175

Maud (Mrs. Samuel Walker
Lyons, Sr.), 340, 350

Sarah Ann (Mrs. Oscar Lin-
wood Gilbert), 367

T. Joseph. General, 340-1, 350

Terrence Keech, 176

Virginia Dickerson ( Mrs. Thom-
as Nelms Downing), 187

Walter Wortn, 175-6
Massenburg, Carrie (Wood), 9,
359

Carrie Wood (Mrs. Robert H.
Lear), 9

Dolores E. (Chenoweth), 9, 360

Edgar Allen, 9, 359-60

Gayle, 9, 360

George Alvin, Captain, 8-9, 359

George Alvin, Jr., 9

Sharon, 9, 360

Virginia (Satchel), 8

Virginius M., 8
Massey, Benjamin Henry, 73

Elizabeth River, 74

Grace Davies 1 McLaughlin), 73

Helen Thomas (Collings), 74

James Buckner, Reverend, 73

James Buckner, Jr., 73-74

James Buckner, III, 74

Joseph Price, 74

Thomas Collings, 74
Masters, Albert Ralph. 315

Ann (Mrs. Jack Wyatt Horse-
man). 315

Mary Whiting, 315
Matthews, Elizabeth Jennings (Mc-
Kmght), 259

James Alderson, 259

Mary Freer ( Mrs. William Hol-
mes Davis), 259

Robert, Mrs. ( McLemore), 10
Maupin, Brooke Marshall (Butt), 3

Edward S., 3

Edward S., Jr., 3
Maxey. Edna (Bradley), 16

Hazel (Walker), 16

Mary Frances, 16

Melville Anderson, 16

Melville Anderson, Jr., 16

Robert Melville, 16
Maynard, Cathay (West), 247

Crawley, 277

Emmett VV., 247

Lena (Doran), 382

Louise (Mrs. Aubrey H. Perry,
Sr.), 382

Lucille (Mrs. Cecil W. Gwalt-
ncy ), 277

Martha (Thomas), 277

Sarah Virginia (Mrs. J. Hugh
Caffee), 247-8
Mays, Ada (Chambliss), 319

Jesse Wade, 319

436

LOWTR TIDEWATF.R \ IRCilNIA

Mays, May (Mrs. J. Owen Camp-
bell), 319
McAndrew, James T., 84
Kathryn (Mrs. William J.

Mis^ctt . 84
Kathryn (Moyles), 84
McCallum, Blair Lee (.Cox), 357
Claude Lee, 357
Claude Scott, 356-7
Claudia ( Mrs. Donald B.

Zarn), 357
Don Blair, 357

Georgie Battley (Walker), 357
Hugh Bowen, 356
Hugh James, 356
Ordelia Lester (Scott), 356
McClanan, Elizabeth (Porterfield),
89
Ora Virginia (Land), 88
Susan Russell, 89
William W„ Jr., 88-89
William W, Sr., 88
William Walter, 89
McClellan, Henry, 19-20

Mildred Elizabeth (Mrs. Benja-
min Okeson Colonna, Jr.),
19-20
Ruby (Rock), 19-20
McCloud, Annie Jackson (Gibson),
303, 344
Bessie (Campbell), 303
Daniel, 303
Emma Jane (Gardner-Bowman),

303
Jacqueline Leigh, 304
Jesse, 303, 344
Jesse Harrison, 303
Jesse Jackson, 303-4
John (1), 303
John (2), 303
John Allan, 303
John B., Colonel, 303
Marjorie Millicent (Mrs. James

J. Anderson), 304
Mary Lor. (Mrs. Robert V.

White), 304
Mildred Leigh (Bagley), 304
Ruth Elizabeth (Mrs. Oscar
Frommel Smith), 344-5
McClung, Eleanor (Mrs. John
Henry Powell), 94
Eugenia Cameron (Harmon), 94
Hunter, Dr., 94
McCollum, Genevieve H. (Mrs.
Angus I. Hines, Jr.), 2411
Genevieve (Hopkins), 246
William E., 246
McCoy, Anne (Griffin), 45
Charles Hutchinson, 44-45
Charles Hutchinson, Jr., 45
Clara E. (Mrs. Waverley Lee

Berkley Jr.), 389
Eleanor Evans, 45
Evelyn (Colonna), 389
George W., 44
Henry F., 389
Lena (Holland), 44
McDermott, Emma Jane, 129
Emma Jane (Davis), 129
Lola Davis, I2g
William Luther (0, 129

William Luther (2), 129
McDougle, Bernice (Welch), 110
Everett Gail, no
Marilyn Jane (Mrs. Richard

Rotroff), nu
Paul Everett, no
McDowell, Halouise (Lyon), 124
Lou Lyon, 124
Margaret Cornelia (Mrs. William

Plummer Woodley), 66
Michael Enlow, 124
Nealie (Sylvester), 66
Virgil Enlow, Jr., 124
William 1'., 66
McEachern, Barlow K., 217-18
Carrie (Herndon), 217-18
John Thomas, 218
John White, 217-18
Mary Ann (Mrs. Richard L.

Templeton), 218
Mary Ann (Pretlow), 218
McErlain, Anne Elizabeth (Mrs.
Charles Kunkle Hutchens,
Sr.), 391
Catherine, 391
John, 391
McGaughy, Charlotte Edna
(Schwartz), 25
John Bell (1), 24
lohn Bell (2), 24-25
John Bell, Jr., 25
Vivian (Coleman), 24
McLaughlin, Andrew, 73
Grace Davies (Mrs. James
Buckner Massey), 73
McLemore, Alyce Page (Adams),
109
Anita Page, 109
Benjamin Franklin, 9, 107, 109
Elizabeth Warren, 1 1
Harvey B., 109
Harvey B., Jr., 109, 236
Harvey B., 3rd, 100
James L., Sr., Judge, 9-10, 107
James L., Ill, 11
James Latinus, Jr., 10- n
Jane Warren (Coulborn), 10-n
John Coulborn, 10-11
Martha (Mrs. Thomas Henry

Birdsong), 107-8
Mary Willis (Pretlow), 10
I 'attic (Williams), 109
Rosa (Westbrook), 9, 107
McMurran, Agnes Barclay (Epes),

133. 385

Edith Lea, 385

Edith Margaret (Lea), 385

George Keith, 133-4

George Keith, Jr., 134

Jane Beale (Saunders), 134

Lewis Archer, 133, 385

Lewis Archer, Jr., 385

Lewis Archer, III, 385
McNamara, Estelle (Welch), 77

John A., 77

Mary F. (Mrs. George H.
Curtis, III), 77
McNeal, Doris Emmie (Withers),
203

Horace Phillips, 203

Horace Phillips, Jr., 203

Joseph Ross, 2nd, 203

Thornton Withers, 203
McSwain, Bruce, 411

Carroll (Whichard), 411

Duncan, 411

Elliot, 411
Mednick, Celia (Lefkowitz), 312

Lawrence Lee, 312-13

Maurice L., 312-13

.Meyer Louis, 312

Mil lain ( ( lolub), 313

Miriam Rose (Mrs. Arthur
Peregoff), 312

Saul Bruce, 313

Sol Harry, 312-14

Zipora (Gotlieb), 312
Meekins, Bessie E. (Clifton), 243

Eugene B., 243

Eugene B., Jr., 243

John R., 243

Ruby (Toler), 243
Melchor, Bruce Errington, 310-11

Bruce Errington, Jr., 311

Bruce Errington, III, 311

Burton De Berry, Jr., 310-u

Burton De Berry, Sr., 310-u

Burton De Berry, III, 311

Edythe Christanthia (Mrs. James
Scott Landis), 311

Ida Belle (Shoaf), 310-u

James Rogers, 311

Margaret Jo (Mrs. John Homer
Hackney, jr.), 311

Margaret (Wood), 311

Mary Christine (Rogers), 311

Patricia (Boyd), 311

Peggy Lee, 311

Robert Boyd, 311

Sophia (Dry), 310

William Gibson, 310
Melchor Family, 310-u
Mengel, John George, 292

Mary Arthur (Rieves), 292

Mary Elizabeth ( Mrs. Harry

Diggs Oliver, 2nd), 292

Merrick, Frederick Chapman, 199

Grace Elizabeth (Mrs. John
Twohy, II), 199

Grace Elizabeth (Gilman), 199
Merritt, Martha Pamela (Mrs

Thomas Pescud Chisman), 39

W. B., 39
Meyerson, Louis, 345

Rose (Weprin), 345

Virginia (Mrs. Alan S. Mirman),
345
Middleton, Eliza (Mrs. Lycurgus
Berkley), 78, 388

John S., Captain, 78, 388
Midgette, Cora (Brumsey), 320

John, 320

Mattie (Mrs. Herbert A. Holt,
Jr.), 320
Miller, Albert Sanford, Colonel,
103

Carl, 170

Caroline, 185

Elizabeth (Copeland), 30

Elizabeth Britt (Mrs. William
Powhatan Hunt), 103

Elizabeth Britt (Brown), 103

INDEX

437

Florence A. (Tucker), 239

George P., 185

Herman A., 239

Jesse, 99

Joan, I/O

June A. (Mrs. Robert Camp
Ray), 239

Lawrence Elzie, 30

Luritha (Mrs. Kader White), 99

Margaret (Seeley), 185

Philip, 185

Randolph, 170

Ruth Hoggard (Councill), 170

Sara Grace (Mrs. Robert
Friend Boyd), 30
Mirman, Alan S., 345

Jill Anita, 345

Lillian ( Cooper ), 345

Morris S., 345

Virginia (Meyerson), 345
Missett, Gertrude V. ( Hennigan), 84

James A., 84

John B., 84

Kathryn (McAndrew), 84

Mary Kathryn, 84

Thomas F., 84

William, lr., 84

William j., 84

William S., 84
Mitchell, Clara (Mrs. Edward W.
Wolcott ), 322

Edythe Christanthia (Melchor),

311

Leonard, 311

Leonard William, Jr., 311

M. 1'., 3-'-'

Mary 1 Garnett), 322
Moluit, Emil (1), 196

Emil (2), 196

Richard, 196

Rose (Aragona), 195-6
Moore, Addie Aurelia (Mrs. Joseph
Stanley Rogers), 131

Alice ( Mrs. William 1'. Jordan), 163

Anne Wingate (Kyle), 7

Augustus W., 383

Beulah (Mrs. E. Robie
Sturtevant), 383

Beverly Kay, 222

Blanche Estelle (Watkins), 221

Carl Nelson, 34

Charles Ferrell, Jr., 7

Charles Ferrell, 3rd, 7

E. D., 381

Elizabeth (Parsons), 163

Elsie Marie (White), 222

Fitzhugh Christian, 221-2

Floyd W.. 114

Harvey, 131

James Hamilton, 115

Jane Hamilton (Host), 115

John Holt, 163

Joseph, ^3

Joseph A., 33-34

Joseph Arthelia, 34

Julia (Fatherly), 131

Luvinia Dolo.es, 34

Mary Ann (Mrs. Walter T.
Rilee), 114

Mary (Thomas), 383

Mollie (Sharpe), 33-34

Nancy Jefferson, 222

Parker Host, 115

Sallie (Crockett), 114

Sidney John, 221

T. V., Jr., 115

Velma A. (Morrison), 34

Vernon Arthelia, 33-34

Vernon Edward, 34
Mora, Anja (Pregotl, 02

Christine (Komorowski), 61

Michael Morzycki, 01-62

Witold Morzycki, Sir, 161
Moreland, Agnes (Bready), 205

James Thomas, 203-5

Mary Virginia ( Fiveash), 205

Richard Rogers, 205
Morgan, Abner, 137

Anne, 137

Benjamin F., 188

Emma Jane (Ruggles), 188

Joseph T., 21

Margaret Lena (Mrs. William
Joseph Lewis), 188

Mellie (Mrs. Thomas Davis), 137

Sarah Ann ( Morse), 21

Sarah Ruth (Mrs. Carl Dunston
Colonna, Jr.), 21
Morris, Arthur J., 26-29
Morrisette, Anne Davis, 129

John Hodges, 129

John Hodges, Jr., 129

Rose Gertrude (Davis), 129
Morton, Charlotte, 158

Sarah Emma (Mrs. Clarence
Dav), 158

William J., 158
Motley, Caroline Compton (Camp),
406

Frank R., 406

Hugh Camp, 406

Mary, 406
Murphy, Annie Mary (Harrell), 33

Ella (Woodgate), 525

J. Paul, a

Kathryn Jane (Mrs. Charles
Drewry Burford), 325

Mary Patricia (Mrs. Lloyd
Aguero), 33

Minnie Kathryn (Mrs. Robert B.
Sawyer), jt,

Robert D., 33

Thomas, 325

Willie (Clodfelter), 33
Murray, Claire M. (Mrs. William
McLeod Ferguson), 125

Clara (Lane), 125

Joseph R., 125

Nachman, Bert A., 22

Betty (Mrs. Eugene Levin), 22

Harry Leibe, 21-22

Mary (Richmond), 21

Ray, 21

Sadye (Cohen), 22
Nash, Albert Rowland, 31

Annie Lee, 31

Caleb, 30

Camilla (Joliffe), 30

Camillus Albert, 30-31

Camillus Albert, Jr.. 31

Celeste (Jones), 413

Cincinnatus A., 30

Daisy Camilla, 31

Emma Dey, 31

Emma Peters (Dey), 31

Francis Fitzhugh, 413

Henry E., 30

Herbert M., Dr., 30

John L., 30

Mary Fannie, 31

Richard, 30

Thomas, 30

Thomas, II, 30

Thomas, III, 30

Thomas, IV, 30

Virgilia Mason (Mrs. Rogers D.
Whichara), 413

William Herbert, 31
Neal, Benjamin H., 229

Donald Allen, 178

Grace (Schuchman), 177

Gussie (Hooks), 229

Henry Joseph, 177

John Roger, 177-8

Louise (Epps), 178

Robert loseph, 178

Thelma Olive (Mrs. Weyland T.
Joyner), 229
Newberry, Eleanor Rae (Mrs. Lin-
wood L. Briggs, Jr.), 280

Lennon H., 280

P. V. 381

Pearl (Hanbury), 280
Newman, Elizabeth Frances, 57

Elizabeth (Jarnian), 57

Frances Love (Plummer), 56

Richard, 56-57

Richard, Jr., 57

Richard Wynne, 56
Nissenbaum, Vlvin W., 265

Clarice (Honea), 265

Pearl (Winer), 265

Samuel E., 265
Nix, Claude Elmore, 192

John T., 192-3

John T., Jr., 193

Julia (Toddings), 192

Margaret Edwards, 193

Ruth (Porter), 193
Nordlinger, Alan, 158

Nancy (Mrs. Virginius H. Nus-
baum, Jr.), 158

Rose (Kan), 158
Noska, Evelyn (Mrs. Walter C.
Shorter), 105

George A., 105

Margaret (Peasley), 105
Nusbaum, Alan Bee, 158

Justine (Lowenberg), 157

Nancy (Nordlinger), 158

Sidney L., 157

Virginius, 157

Virginius H., Jr., 157-8

Obici, Amedeo, 223-6

Elizabeth (Mrs. Mario Peruzzi),

-'-'5
Louise, 224
Obici, Louise, Memorial Hospital.

224-25
Odend'Hal, Grace (Mrs. Charles

Barney Borland), 61

438

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Odend'Hal, Herbert (Cason), 61

Joseph S., 61
Odenheimer, Carolyn Egerton, 97

Frances Moseley (Whichard), 97

Frank G., II I, 97

James Whichard, 97
Odom, Marguerite Taylor, 70

Mary Taylor (Vann), 70

Samuel S., Rev., 70
Oglethorpe, Edward Kent, 321

James Bearfoot, 320- 1

James Bernard, 321

Mary (Mrs. James Bearfoot
Whitecloud), 321

Nannie Clark (Martin), 321
Old, Alice (Grimes), 308

Alice (Herbert), 412

Claudia (Paxton),36s

Ellen Alice (Mrs. William M.
Dey), 412

Flora Stuart (Waller), 366

Flora Waller (Mrs. Erie H. Aus-
tin, Jr.), 366

Jonathan Whitehead, 365

Jonathan Whitehead. Jr., 365-6

Jonathan Whitehead, III, 366

Lelia (Mrs. T. Arthur Hodges),
308

Nathaniel Warden, 308

William W., Capt., 412
Olds, Dwight Alexander, 341

Florence (Lyons-Baldwin), 341

Isaac Edward, 341
Oliver, Allie Gardner (Mrs. Robert
N. Baker. Jr.), 289

Barry Lane, 292

Elizabeth Anne, 292

Eureka (Ashburn), 289

Harry Diggs, Sr., 291-2

Harry Diggs, 2nd, 291-2

Harry Diggs, 3rd, 292

James B., 292

James B., Jr., 292

John Patton, 292

Leslie Terrell, 292

Loretta, 292

Margaret (Terrell), 292

Marian (Mrs. D. Kingsley Tray-
lor), 292

Martin V., 292

Mary Elizabeth (Mengel), 292

Mary Frances, 292

Mary Frances (Patton), 292

Mary Louise (Mrs. George E.
Schraudt, Jr.), 292

Patton, 292

Samuel C, 289

Sterling D., 292
Orr, Stella (Porter), 363

Thomas, 363

Virginia (Mrs. Daniel Winfree
Wilkinson, Jr.), 363
Ott, Ann Mae (Davis), 13S

Donna Lynn, 138

Lance, M„ 138
Outland, Clara Esther (Mrs. Charles
Bailev Pond, Sr.), 181-2

Delia (Copeland). 182

John Lewter, Dr., 182
Overton, Flora Mae (Chilcoat), 149

James, 149

Lucile, 149

Lucile (Tilghman), 149

Miles Nelson, 149

Nelson, 149

Nelson Chilcoat, 14U
Owen, Helen M. (Mrs. Edwin Clay
Kellam), 352

Judith ( Berkley), 352

Richard Clement, 352
Owens, Alexander E., 375

Bernice, 100

Edna Verrell (White), 100

Harriette Lucille (Mrs. John Wil-
liam Hurst), 375

Hattie May (Sykes), 375

Herman Langley, 100

Padgett, Ambrose A., 143

Ellen (Parker), 143

Emma E. (Mrs. Eugene Perkins
Fitzhugh), 143
Page, Estelle (Evans), 278

Nancy (Mrs. Irving E. Lawson),
278

\\ oodward W., 278
Parker, Ann Elizabeth, 111

Ann Goodwin (Mrs. Samuel Ro-
land Buxton, Jr.), 136

Bauldie Edward, 182-^

Betty (Mrs. Allen H. Allison),
369

Brooks (Johnson), 368

Dora (Outland). 376

George Hinson, Jr., 367-8

George Hinson, Sr., 367, 379

George Hinson, 3rd, 368

Gladys Virginia (Mrs. Harold
Hudgins), 76

Grace (Mrs. Henry V. Green).

37<>
Harvey T., 136
Hattie (Turner), 367
Helen Marie (Hayes), 368
Henley Milson, 76
James E., no
James Edward, 110-11
James Edward, 3rd, n 1
Tohn C, 407
Julia (Brett), 1S2-3
Julia Riddick (Parker), 76
Lula Virginia (Williams), no
Margaret Elizabeth (Mrs. Richard

L. Pond). 182
Mary Sue, III
Marv Sue (Rawls). in
Mollie (Goodwin). 136
Nancy Marie (Mrs. Robert J.

Crocker), 360
Nora E. (Darden). 368
P. Owen, 368-9
P. Owen, Jr., 369
Percy A., 368
Sarah Gresham (Mrs. Charles

Bailey Pond, Jr.), 183
Thomas Walter, 376
Westbrook Johnson, 368
Parkerson. Cherrv (Martin), 22
Emma Clark (Markham), 2j, 120
Jesse L, 22-23. T2°. 233
Lois Sharber (Mrs. William E.

Warren), 2^, 120

W. T. J., 22
Parr, Arthur Jordan, 257

Belinda Sue, 258

Dorothy Elizabeth (Kelly), 258

John Westwood, 258

Nellie Ora (Bracey), 257

Robert James, 257-8

Robert James, Jr., 258
Parsons, Alison Chapman, 293

Alison Jehu, 293-4

Ella Ward, 294

Flora Ellen (Holland), 293

Jehu. 2n,i,

Jehu Toadvine, 293

Margaret Ellen (Ward), 294

Mary Virginia (Mrs. Edward T.
Lantz), 293
Patterson, Alpine (Martin), 351

Douglas Ross, II, 352

Eugene Ferree, 351

Fay Patterson, 352

Lucy Brooke, 351
Payne, Ann Randolph, 49

Charlie, 290

Grace (Mrs. Harold Alexander
Carper), 290

Lafayette (Johnson), 49

Lee Winston, 49

Margaret Lee (Mrs. Nelson T.
Overton), 49

Mary Lou (Mrs. John E. Hatten),

Ola (Miller), 290

Pearle Bernard (Duffer), 49

Waverly Randolph, M.D., F.A.C.
S., 49
Peebles, Annie E. (Longley), in

Beverly Elizabeth (Mrs. Herbert
Valentine Kelly), 401

Dora Lee (Gray), m, 401

Hubert Kenneth, in, 401

Hubert J., in
Peed, James Neville, 408

Margarette C. (Mrs. Frank Dud-
ley Lawrence), 408

Martha Ann (Corbitt), 408
Penn, Leo G., 400

Marie C. (Mrs. Franklin Owen
Blechman), 400

Rosa H., 400
Pentecost, Aubrey Ray, Jr., 41-42

Aubrey Ray, Sr., 41

Aubrey Ray, III, 42

Elizabeth (Smith), 42

Ellen Elizabeth, 42

Idabell (Nelson), 41
Peregoff. Arthur, 313

Miriam Rose (Mednick), 312
Perkins, Albert Dashield, 274 „

Edna (Nelson), 379

Eveleen May (Davis), 380

Frances (Mrs. Alvah H. Martin,
Jr.), 274

Gwendolyn Anne, 380

Gwendolyn H. (Batten), 380

Lemuel F., 379

Linwood F., 379-81

Linwood F., Jr., 380

Willie (Wilkerson), 274
Perry, Alice (Wilson), 19

Aubrey H., Jr., 382

INDEX

439

Aubrey H., Sr., 381-2

Aubrey Harrison, III, 382

Cbristine, 382

Cranley H., 381

Edward, 144

Eunice (Simonson), 382

J. Walter, 19

James, 382

Janine, 382

Josephine, 382

Louise (Mrs. Julius Dixon
Rawles), 144

Louise (Maynard), 382

Mary (Goodwin), 144

Mary Glenn (Mrs. Benjamin
Okeson Colonna, Sr.), 19

Mary Margaret (Mrs. R. F. Barry,
Jr.), 382

Mattie Grace (Hughes), 381

Walter, 382
Perryman, George Washington,
Reverend. _"(>7

Lucile DuVal (Mrs. Harrv Rainev
Bybee), 266-7

Sallie (Waters), 267
Peruzzi, Angelo, 224-5

Elizabeth (Obici), 225

Elvira (Morracchi), 224

Mario, 223-6

Mario, Jr., 225

Mary (McCarthy), 225

Rita Elvira, 225
Pettit. Harry J., 224
Phillips. Alexander Roy, 174

Anna (Garlington), 174

Claude R., Jr., Commander, 367

Claude R., Ill, 367

Eleanor Royce (Mrs. Charles
Brinson Cross, Jr.), 74

George Garlington, 174

H. Lay, 264

Helen (Mrs. Edwin Carl Fergu-
son, Jr.), 264

Horace W., Mrs. (Jones), 203

Lydia (Crier), 264

Mable Starr (Gibson), 74

Roy Franklin, 74

Sarah Ann (Gilbert), 367

Susan Gilbert, 367

Thelma M. (Richardson), 174
Pierce, Beverley, 201

Clifton Linwood, 297-8

Clifton Linwood, Jr., 297-8

Elizabeth (Jones), 201

Ether (Brinkley), 297-8

Katherine Lynn, 298

Leslie H.. Dr., 201

Leslie H., Jr., 201

Letitia, 201

Martha Ann, 298

Mary Frances (Cooper), 297

Mary Katherine (Allmond), 298

William J., 297
Pinner, Christopher E., 400

Helen Kathryn (Burke), 400

Henry MacRae, 212

John B.. 400

John B., Colonel, 398-400

John F., 399

John F., 3rd, 400

John Franklin, 399-400

Katherine Peebles, 399

Kathryn M., 400

Laura (Etheredge), 399-400

Lucy Ellen (Woodland), 212

Margaret Patience (Beale), 399

Mary (MacRae), 212

Millard Fillmore, 212

Nellie Woodland (Mrs. Lee G.
Sannella), 212

Willie (Jordan), 399
Pitt, Charles Douglas, 150

Charles Faris, 150

Douglas, Jr., 150

Priscilla (Knowles), 150

Violet (Grubbs), 150
Planters Nut and Chocolate Com-
pany, 226-7
Pleasants, James, Gov., 332
Plummer, Beatrice (Daughtrey), 209

Beatrice Glass (Mrs. William S.
Stradford), 209

Henry Falkener, 209

Lucy (Henderson), 209

Samuel Harriss, 209
Plyler, Alma Odell (Blanchard), 86

Epie Duncan (Smith), 85

Marion Timothy, Jr., M.D., 85-86

Marion Timothy, Sr., D.D., 85

Marion Timothy, III, 86

Martha Blanchard, 86

Robert Conrad, 85

Sarah (Kimball), 85
Poarch, Annie Elizabeth (Davis),
84

Elma Louise (Bowen), 85

Frances Elizabeth (Mrs. Jesse
Darden Langston), 85

Tohn Henrv. 84

Judith Wilkins, 85

Margaret (Wilkins), 85

N. T., 368

Norborne Tucker, 84-85

Norborne Tucker, Jr., 85

Norborne Tucker, III, 85

Peter L., 84
Poates, O. H., 236
Pond, Anna Finch (Bailey), 181-2

Charles Bailey, Jr., 182-3

Charles Bailey, Sr., 181-3

Charles Bailey, 3rd, 183

Clara Esther ((Jutland), 181-2

Eliza Lee, 183

Ethel Lee (Mrs. Alton L. Brink-
ley), 182

Frances Anne, 183

Frederick (Jutland, 182

James R., 182

Jeffrey Genin, 183

Julia Margaret, 183

Katherine Carter, 183

L. L., 181

Margaret Elizabeth (Parker), 182

Mary Ernestine (Herring), 183

Marv Lawrence, 183

Nonie Lee (Hammond), 182

Richard L„ 182-1

Richard L.. Jr.,' 182

Sara Caroline, 183

Sarah Gresham (Parker), 183

Thomas Richard. i8r-2

Wayland Thomas, 183

Wayland Thomas, Jr., 182-3

Wayland Thomas, Sr., 181-3
Pope, A. P., 235

Abner S., 115-6

Frank Eldridge, 234, 236

Franklin Pierce, 109, 234

Hattie (Drewry), 109

Jennie B. (Prince), 116

Joseph B., 116

Lillian Elizabeth (Mrs. Robert L.
Hancock, 3rd), 147

Margaret (Mrs. E. L. Wood-
ward), 116

Nancy (Mrs. Halev F. Shuford),
116

Nancy Elizabeth, no

Rosa Virginia (Smith), 116

S. E., 236

Samuel Eliba. 109-10, 236

Samuel, Jr., no

Sara Anne (Mrs. John A. Rich-
man), 1 10

Sara Holt (White), no

Virginia (Mrs. Charles F.
Burroughs, Jr.), 116

Virginia Pearl (Mosley), 234

William Grove, 147
Porter, Alie (Garris), 193

Amos E., 193

Ruth (Mrs. John T. Nix), 193
Porterfield, Elizabeth (Mrs. William
W. McClanan, Jr.), 89

Elizabeth (Miller), 89

Thomas, 89
Portlock, Eugenia Herbert (Mrs.
James Justin Joyce), 212

Franklin L., 212

Lucile Bybee, 267

Lucile Perryman (Bybee), 267

Marion Hunter (West), 212

William S., Jr., 267

William S., Ill, 267
Potts. Gloria Jane (Marquis), 202

L. E., Jr., 202

Shirley Ann, 202
Powell, Althea (Jackson), 140

Anna S. (Boland), 264

Anne Hope, 265

Bernice (Ruddick), 141

Christina (Wood), 141

Eleanor, 94

Eleanor (McClung), 94

Frank Eugene, 264-5

Hope (Simmons), 265

James Richard, 140

James W., Sr., 140- 1

James William, Jr., 141

Jean Cameron. 94

Jean Marie (Mrs. Willis Allen),
141

John Henry, 93-94

John Henrv, Jr., 94

Julianne (Childs), 265

Patricia Faye, 141

Paul Hunter, 94

Paul Jones, 93

Sallie B. (Simons), 93

William T. (1), 264

William J. (2), 264

William j. (3). 264
Prentis, Robert R., Hon., 93

44°

LOWER TIDL.W VI 1 R VIRGINIA

Preston, Carol Page, 327

Carol (Richardson), 327

Edwin Page, 326-7

Jeanne Haines (Schoenewolf),
326

John Baldwin, 326-7

Keitli Baldwin, 327

Margaret Marston, 326

Merle (Page), 326-7

.Merle Page, 326

Molly Whitmel (Hall). 234

Poitiaux R.. 234

Robert Baldwin, Jr., 326-7

Sally (Wade). 234

W. Dean, 233-4

W. Dean, Jr., 234

William Tillar, 326
Pretlow, Anne Abbitt, 320

Betty N. (Cross), 320

Cynthia Anne (Abbitt), 320

Joshua, 320

Joshua, Jr., 320

Mary Willis (Mrs. James L.
McLemore, Sr.), 10

Thomas Butler, 320

Thomas J., Dr., 10

Thomas Kirk, 320
Price, Alexander Powhatan, 1 12

Alice Baker (Irving), 112

Charles C, 112

Claude O., 111-2

George W., 242

George W., Ill, 242-3

James H., 112

James H.. Jr., 112

Julia Rider, 242

Lillian (Monk). 242

Linda Lee, 242

Mildred (Charnockl. 112

.Veil G. (Hudgins), 112

Robert K., 112

Virginia (Rider), 243
Puidokas, Marv Virginia (Bybee),
267

Stanley Victor (1), 267

Stanley Victor (2), 267
Pulley. Bruce, 16

Butch, 16

Charles Merritt, 16

Cora Fannie (Stephenson), 15

Dan Pierce, 16

Douglas, Jr., 16

Douglas, III, 16

Douglas Herrin, 16

Douglas Holden, 15-6

Franklin Pierce, 15

Gladys Herrin, 16

Goldie (Hodovan), if)

J. W., Sr., 236

James Marvin, 16

Jane, 16

Jean, 16

Kathleen (Barnes). 16

Nancv (Vaughn), 16

Pat (Black), 16

Patty Page, 16

Robert H., 16

Terry, 16

Quackenbush, John, [57

Leone (Mrs. Earl R. Hatten), 157

Nellie (Newland), 157

Ramsev, Charles Melville. 179-80

E. B., Dr., 179

Edna Roxie (White). 179

J- 1'"-, 179

John Albert, 179

Marjorie Lee, 180

Nancy (Mrs. Joseph M. Boush),
180

Nellie Breu (Hearn), [80
Raper, Doris Elizabeth (Mrs. Seab
Edgar Du Vail, Jr. I, 179

Mary. (Leyburn), 179

Paul Spence, 179
Rapoport, Herman Leonard, 280-1

Julia ( Fivel), 281

Louise (Mrs. Marvin Fenster),
281

Martha Ann, 281

Morris H., 280-1

Phyllis Sperans, 281

Reid Alan, 281
Rasar, Anna Helen (Dille), 349

Arbee Helen (Mrs. Robert
Franklin Edwards), 349

Reuben B., Dr., 349
Rawdes, Julius Dixon, 144

Julius T., 144

Louise (Perry), 144

Mary (Dixon), 144

Mary Dixon, 144
Rawds, Alfred Junior, 162

Ann Arendell, 264

Ann ( Peace ), 264

Ashhurn LeRoy, 162

Bessie Sue (Foster), 1(12

Betsy Camp, 264

Dianna (Cutchin), 264

Eleanor Lucile (Mrs. Willoughhv
H. Black), 162

Emma ( Holland), 11 1

Flora Virginia (Mrs. Chester
Garland Leggette), 162

Japheth E., Dr., m

Lennie Dean, 161-2

Leonard Dean, 162

Margaret Eugenia (Mrs. William
E. Bachtell), 162

Margaret Eugenia (Coffield), 162

Mary Sue (Mrs. James Edward
Parker), in

Mildred (Wilder), 162

Mira (Bassa), 162

Patricia Peace, 264

Raymond Leigh, 162

Robert, 264

Rowena (Camp), 264

S. W., Sr., 379

Sarah Elizabeth (Mrs. Birch),
162

Shirley Hope (Mrs. Harold E.
Sayles, Jr.), 162

Sol W., Jr., 264

Sol W., 3rd, 264

Sol Wraite, 264, 379

Virginia Ethel (Flora), 161-2

William Henry, 161-2

William Henry, Tr., 162
Ray, B. J.. 379

Burton J., Dr., 238, 322

Caroline Savage, 323

John Burton, 323

John E., 3rd, 322-3

June A. ( Miller), 239

Margaret Ellis (Smith I, 323

Margaret Shepard, 323

Richard Hall, 239

Robert Burton, 239

Robert Camp, 238-9

Sallie S. (Camp), 238, 322
Reed, Alice Lenora (Trimmer), 39

Annie (Evans), 319

Benjamin Thomas, 40

Cecil Henderson, 319-20

Constance Elizabeth, 40

Elizabeth Le Grande (File), 40

Frances Evelyn (Smith), 40

Frederick Forrest, 40

Harry Henderson, 319

Hazel Jane (Weaver), 40

James Thomas, 39

James Washington, M.D., 39-41

James Weaver, 40

James Weaver, Jr., 40

John Arthur, 40

Lucrezia (Covington), 319

Richard Courtney, 40

Richard Courtney, Jr., 40

Sara Elizabeth (Iobst), 40

Thomas Christian, 40

William Washington, 40
Reese, Emmett F., 15

Emmett F., 3rd, M.D., 15

Emmett Francis, Jr., M.D., 15,
236

Lvnie B. (Ridley), 15

Una (Mrs. Henry E. Dudley), 287

Virginia (Griffin). 15

Virginia Mary (Bishop), 15

Walter Rivers, 287

Willie (Veale), 287
Reid, Edmond Chauncey, 100

Irvin, 100-1

Mary Elizabeth (Price), 100

Sarah (Hardy), 100-1
Reilley, Alfred Shapleigh, 328

Dorothy Goodwin ( Coleman ) , 328

James Eugene, 328

Laura (Holmes), 328

Ruth Leigh (Mrs. Fontaine
Graham Jarman. Jr.), 328
Rice, Esther (Carney), 6

George Baynham, 6

Virginia Fauntleroy (Mrs. Lewis
Warrington Webb, Jr.), 6
Richardson, Barbara B. (Baker), 361

Bertha Elizabeth (Landrum), 174

Carol ( Mrs. John Baldwin
Preston), 327

Charles Lewis, 174

Frank Cummins, 327

Ira James, 328

James B., 361

Kate (Litherland), 361

Mabel (Deans), 238

Margaret (Little), 327

Parthenia (Mrs. Charles Edward
Russell), 237-8

Robert Vulosco, 361

Robert Vulosco, Sr., 361

Robert Vulosco, III, 361

INDIA

44'

Susan S., 361

Thelma M. (Mrs. George
Garlington Phillips), 174
Riddick, Ada Browne (Shepherd),
268

Burwell, 268

Fannie Shepherd, 268
Rider, Frederick, Lieutenant Com-
mander, 243

Lucy (Wetzel), 243

Virginia (Airs. George W. Price,

111), -'43
Ridley, Betty (Goodwin), 15

John \\ illiam, 15

Lvnie B. (Mrs. Einmett Francis
'Reese, Jr., M.D.), 15
Rilee, Clara Lee, 114

Mary Ann (Moore), 114

Patricia Ann, 11.+

Richard Alan, 114

Walter Lee, 114

Walter T., 114
Ripley, Amye Coles (Hudgins), 216

Arnold, 210

Carroll, Captain, 216

Frances Rosalind (James), 217

Francis Scott, 217

Robert Foster, 210-17

Robert Foster, Jr., 217

Ronald Carroll, 217

Wesley S., 216

William James, 217
Ritter, Francis A., 228
Rives, Aubrey T., 140

Aubrey T., Jr., D.D.S., 140

Charlotte, 140

Katherine (Maddox), 140

Ruth (Hard), 140

Sarah Louise, 140

Sarah Louise Ferguson (Mrs.
William Francis Jordon), 139-
40

Susan Ann, 140

Talmadge, 140

Virgil A., 140

William Francis, 140
Rivin, Anne, 396

Bella (Woolf), 396

Bernard, 395-6

Hyman, 396

Jonathan, 396

Richard Andrew, 396

Rosalind, 396

Zelma (Goodman), 396
Rixey, Anne Cornick (Mrs. Wilcox
Ruffin), 324

Barbara Franz (James), 37

Elizabeth (Cornick), 323

Ellen (Mrs. John W. Barber,
Jr.), 37

Ellen (Barbour), 37, 323

J. Barbour, 323-4

James Barbour, 324

Joan, 37

John Franklin (1), 37, 323

John Franklin (2), 323-4

John Franklin, Jr., 324

John Strode, 37, 323

Maria. 324

Patricia (Traugott), 324
Robbins, A., 145

TWVa. 51

Hannah (Mrs. Arthur Konikoff),

145

Rose (Stein), 145
Roberts, Gladys Whitehead (Mrs.
Donald W. Shriver), 5

James, 5

Lillie (Whitehead), 5
Robertson, Alice (Mr>. Benjamin
Johnson Willis, Sr.), 387

Alice Leola (Cheatham), 387

Anna McDonald (Baird), 34

Anne Maria (Robinson), 237

Beverly Holcomb, 34

Caswell Howard, 387

Clarence Baird, 34-5

Claudia Baldwin (Pollard), 35

Claudia Pollard, 35

Frances Bland (Mrs. Joseph
Gardner Fiveash), 237

Walter H., 34

\\ illiam Henry, 34
Robison, Alexander Bell, 44

Charles D., Commander, 44

Charles D., Jr., 44

Elizabeth Jernigan (Bell), 44

Liza, 44
Rodman, Adelaide (Fulford), 76

Hannah (Mrs. George H. Curtis),
76

W. B„ Colonel, 76
Rogers, Addie Aurelia (Moore), 131

Columbia Taylor (Bott), 132

Crawford, 131

Crawford Stanley, 131-2

Estelle (Scheelky), 134

Evelyn (Mrs. George Winn
Granger), 134

Frances (Mrs. lames R. Coates),

Joseph Stanley, 131

Mary Elizabeth (Diggsl, 131

William R„ 134
Roper, George W., 2nd, 5

George Wisham, 4

Isabel Fogel (Mrs. O. Ramon
Yates), s

Isabelle Place (Hay ward), 4

Jane (Preston), 5

Jeanne (Freeman), 5

John L., 4th, 5

John Lonsdale, 2nd, 4-5

John Lonsdale, 3rd, 5

Sarah (Dryfoos), 5

Susan St. Clair, 5
Rose, Esther (Rogers), 126

Hallie (Mrs. James Wendell
Creef), 126

Leo B., 126
Rotroff, Jeffrey, no

John, no

Marilyn Jane (McDougle), no

Richard, no

Thomas, no
Rougbton, Barbara Anne, 255

Gloria Jeanne, 255

Hazel E. (Mrs. H. E. Tullock),
254

John Robert (1), 254

John Robert (2), 254-5

John Robert, III, 255

Nellie (Alexander), 255

Sarah Elizabeth (Cooper), 254
Rowell, Alice (Mrs. George
Franklin Whitley, Jr.), 71

Grace (Warren), 71

James R., Jr., 71
Rowland, Robert B., Jr.. 233
Rowzie, Ida (Fields), 218

Katherine Elizabeth (Mrs. James
Burnette Fishburne), 218

Philip L., 218
Royal, Radford. Mrs., 185
Ruddick, Bernice (Mrs. James W.
Powell, Sr.), 141

Charles, 141

Naomi I Mail ), 141
Ruffin, Anne Cornick (Rixey), 324

Wilcox, Dr., 324

Wilcox Kirkland, 324
Russell, Charles Edward, 237-8

Charles Edward, Jr., 238

Etta Maria (Horton), 237

George Thomas, 237

Parthenia Arrington, 238

Parthenia (Richardson), 237-8
Russo, Augustine Joseph, 213

Josephine (Rossano), 213

Lee Ann, 214

Mary C, 214

Mary (Caligari), 213-14

Philip L., 213-14

Philip Lee, Jr., 214

Sager, Aaron D., 36

Frank S., 36-7

Margaret (Harrell-Ferebee), 37

Mary E. (Rohrer), 36
Salter, Jane, 44
Sancilio, Anthony, 195

Lawrence Anthony, 195

Rachel (Aragona), 195
Sanford, Elizabeth Gayle, -'^<

Elizabeth (Marshall), 256

Frederick William (1), 255

Frederick William (2), 256

Josiah Gayle, 255-6

Mary Byrd (Gayle), 255
Satchell, Annie (Fisher), 221

Bessie Lee (Mrs. Milhurn Mercer
Amory), 221

George Lee, 221
Saunders, Alice (Chapman), 188

Alice Davis, 189

Carson Brewer, 340

Curtis, Jr., 340

Edna Brooks, 189

Edna Earl (Brooks), 189

Eliza Ruffin, 318

Jaira Randolph, 189

Jane Beale (Mrs. George Keith
McMurran), 133

Joseph Henry, 133. 317

Lola (Beale), 133, 317

Martha Brewer (Godwin), 340

Marv Dunn (Vandeventer), 317

Robert M., Jr., 318

Robert Milton, 317-8

Whitney Godwin, 340

William Glover, Jr., 188-9

William Glover, Sr., 188

William Glover, 3rd. 189

LOWFR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Savage, Betsy (Mrs. James Thomas
Copley), -'<>i
Caroline Fountain (Mrs. James

Leonidas Camp. Sr. ), 403-5
Elizabeth (Davis). 261

John G., 2(1 1

Robert Risop, 40.1

Rowena 1 Vann I, 403
Sawyer, Linda Sue, 33

Minnie Kathryn (Murphy), 33
Robert B.. 33
Schenck, A. C, Rev., 95

A. Carl, 95

Eloise (Williams). 95

Hattie (Ritter), 95

Jean Gray, 95

Nancy Elizabeth, 95
Schuerman, Henry L., 118
Schwartz, Charlotte Edna (Mrs.
John Bell McGaughy), j?

Estelle (Barton), 25

Frank Herbert, 25
Sclater, Anne (Perkins), 303

Elizabeth (Mrs. Edgar Clarence
White, Jr.), 303

William P., 303
Seott. Andrew Jackson, ISS

E. M., 155

Floyd A., 350

Gertrude (Whitley), 156

Hunter Dale, 156

Jane, 350

Kathaleen (Garrett), 350

Lee, 350

Margaret. 350

Nellie Rebecca (Turner), 155

William Hunter, 155-6

William Hunter. Jr., 156
Seawell, Isabella Josephine
(Brady), 363

John Tyler, 363

Philip Hairston, 363
Seeley, Arthur William. Jr., 183-5

Arthur William, Sr.. 183-5

Bessie (Mrs. LeRoy Hogshire),
185

Bessie (Anderson), 184

Brenda Kay, 184

Dorothv Ann, 184

Eliza J. (Wood), 185

Ellen M. (Goodwin), 185

Florence C. (Schmitt), 184

Harry Silas, 184-5

Jessie (Mrs. Barney Lee
Donison), 185

John S.. 183-5

Margaret (Mrs. George P.
Miller). 185
Selden, Jefferson Sinclair, 77

Jefferson Sinclair, Jr.. 77-8

Jefferson Sinclair, III, 78

Mary Cooke (Roane), 77

Sarah Isabella (Dellinger), 78
Shackleford, Frances (Devaney),
339

Frances Wilson, 339

Gladys, 339

L. C, 339

L. C, Jr., 339

Rebecca Blanche, 339

Shaw, David Hillard, 8)
Merle Cherry (Hillard), 81

Philip. 81
Shearer, James, 115

Jane Hamilton (Mrs. T. Parker
Host), 115

Margaret (Findlay), 115
Sheffield, Henry T.. 141)

Rosa L. (Councill), 149

William Henry. 149-511
Shelley, Sarah Virginia (Withers),
203

\\ alter Davis, Jr., 203

Walter W., 203
Shelton, Grover C, 178

Hilda Faith (Mrs. Thomas Butt
Johnson, Jr.), 178

Nancy (Crawley), 178
Shepherd, L. R., 381
Sherman, Esther Hope (Mrs. Cecil
J. McCary), 118

Gale Anselm, 118-9

Leota Carol (Mrs. Joseph H.
Prentiss), 118

Leota (Downing), 118

William O., Jr., 117-9

William ( >t tie. Sr., 118

William Ottie, III, 119
Shield, David Gordon, 271

Ethelbert Cary, 271

George Ethelbert, 271

George Ethelbert, Jr., 271

Nancy Watson (Johnston), 271

Zaidee Alleen ( Mountcastle), 271
Shorter, Charles Booker, 104

Evelyn ( Xoska-Douglass), 105

Margaret Ann, 105

Olivia (Wyatt), 104

Walter C, 104-5, 407

Walter Wyatt, 105
Shriver, Alfred, Jr., 5

Donald Woods, 5

Donald Woods, Jr., 5

Gladys Whitehead (Roberts). 5

Ida (Causey). 5

Jane Roberts, 5
Shukow, Gertrude, 213

Harriet (Airs. Samuel 1. White),

213
living, 213
Siler, James S., 398
Marv ( Hamlin), 398
Mildred Ann (Mrs. R. Kenneth
Weeks), 398
Simmon-.. Hope (Mrs. Frank
Eugene Powell), 265
John C, 366
Lenora (Mrs. John Y. Gilbert).

366
Margareta (Carty), 265
Rebecca, 366
Samuel, 265
Simpkins, Mildred Virginia (Mrs.
Francis A. Gay), 291
Nellie (Lamberth), 291
I 'earl Thomas. 291
Siviter, Wilbert B., 28;
Skinner, Belle (Anderson), 125
Eliza Anderson (Mrs. Homer

Lenoir Ferguson), 125
Thomas C, 125

Small, Benjamin T., 142
Davis Hiram, 277
Dora Isabelle (Estridge), 277
Levaia (Whitehurst), 142
Louise Xash (Mrs. George Rust

Abbott), 142
Mildred (Mrs. Lynn Washington

Holmes), 2yy
Smith. Alexander Stewart, 276
Ann Marjorie (Mrs. Roy R.

Charles), 345
Anna (Smith), 41
Arthur Webster, 41
Bertha (Parker), 361
Carrie Belle ( Blackshear), 323
Catherine (Halstead), 333
Claude Armistead, 334
Conway B., Dr., 238
Daniel H., 17
Daniel H., Jr., 17
Dorothy Evelvn (Colonna), 17
Eliza (Norfleet), 85
Elizabeth (Mrs. Aubrey Ray

Pentecost. Jr.). 41
Elizabeth Fountain (Camp), 323
Epie Duncan (Mrs. Marion

Timothy Plyler. Sr. ). 85
Ephraim Wescott, Jr., 361-2
Ephraim Wescott, Sr., 3(11
George Halstead, 334
Georgia (Plummer). 113
Grace Armistead (White 1 . 334
J Paul, 333-4
J. Paul, Jr., 334
Jane (Smith), 334
Joseph Eldridge, 323
Joseph Griffin, 344
Joseph T., 333
LeRoy Lee, 85
Levin James, 113
Loduskey Ann (Robinson), 276
Margaret (Ellis), 323
Margaret Ellis (Mrs. John E.

Ray. 3rd). 323
Margaret (Ratcliff), 344
Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Harold

Townsend Bent), 113
Mary (Forrester), 361
Naomi I Shelley). 238
Oscar F.. III. 334
Oscar Frommel, 344-5
Patricia, 17
Robin. 17

Ruth Elizabeth (McCloud), 344-5
Shelley Conway (Mrs. Lloyd

Linwood Beale), 238
Terry Wescott, 361
Thelma Idabell (Mrs. Harwell E.

Halstead), 27(1
Thomas W., Jr., 323
William Coit, 361
William Eldridge, 323
Yancey Ladare, 361
Snapp, Annie (Harper), 388
C. E.. Professor, 388
Edna (Mrs. Edward M. Har-

grave), 388
Sneed, John L. T., 155

Margaret I Marshall), 155
Mary Jane (Mrs. Richard

Twisdell Yates), 154-5

INDEX

443

Snellings, Alberta Elizabeth (Mrs.
Charles Richard Hinton), 231

Anna Mae (Hankins), 231

Charles Holland, 230-31

J. E., 230-1

Josephine (Mrs. Muriel Bing), 231

Josephine (Holland I, 230-1

William Edward. 230-1
Snellings Funeral Home. The, 230-31
Snow, A. F., 100

Cheryl, 100

Dorothy Mae (Bladen), 119

Ellie, 100

John Wesley, Jr., 1 1 g

John Wesley, Sr., 119

Linda Barbara, 1 19

Mabel (Burrows), 119

Sarah Elizabeth (Mrs. Herman
White), 100

Thomas, 119

Thomas Michael, 119
Snyder, Gustave, 197

Kate. 151

Louis, 151

Marie (Mrs. Charles Clifford
Grant, Jr.), 197

Mary (Yost), 197

Minnie (Mrs. Louis Bernard
Fine), 151
Sondag, Frances (Mrs. Fred W.
Bateman), 342

John. 342

Mary (Von Tersh), 342
Southampton County Bank, The,

235-6

Spalding, Angie (Barr), 331

Edward, Judge, 331

Nettie (Mrs. M. C. Ferebee), 331
Spear, Celia, 305

Charles Melvin, 305

Thelma (Mrs. R. Lee Bonney),
305
Speraiis, Jean (Bernstein), 281

Phyllis (Mrs. Herman Leonard
Rapoport), 281

Samuel R., 281
Spigel, Bernard B., 98-9

Enid ( Wilby ), 99

Lucy ( Mrs. Frederick Herman),

Moses, 98

Sarah (Betaieg), 98
Spratlev. Anne Fletcher (Mrs.
John F. B. Dice). 6

Claude Vernon, 5-6

Claude Vernon, Jr., 6

Eleshea Annie (Woodward), 6

Fannie Howard (Sclater), 5

Frances (Parker), 6

Katherine Woodward (Mrs.
William F. Metts), 6

Peter Thomas, 5
Sprigg, Grace Elizabeth (Duryea),
14

James Cresap, Jr., 14-15

James Cresap, Sr.. 14

Maria R. ( Holt), 15
Stallings, Martha Susan ( Mrs.
Nathaniel James Babb), 26

Martha Susan (Jones), 26

Robert W., 26

Steele, Frank I., M.D., 229
Marianne (Mrs. Wayland T.
Joyner, Jr.), 229
Stephens, Courtney (Mrs. Henry-
Lewis Boone). [l6
Frank, 116
Noney (Gray), 116
Stephenson, Clara Belle (Mrs.
John Archie Johnson), 301
David Newsom, 301
Lucy Goodwin (Gay), 301
Sterrett, Ann (Mrs. Cyrus Wiley
Grand v, IV), 103
Helen (Black), 103
Henry Hatch Dent, Reverend,
103
Stets. Ann (Mrs. Michael J. Eng-
lish), 226
Catherine (Kurzek), 226
Ignatius, 226
Stockley, Nathaniel H., 387
Virginia Lee (Mrs. William
Milton Hutchens), 387
Stokley, Daisy (Russell), 245
Freda Irene (James), 245
John Marion, 244-5
Marian (Mrs. Hugh W. Brink-
ley), 245
Marion, 245

Mary Constance (Mrs. John H.
Shortt), 245
Story, Chandler Woodhouse, 91
Lena L. (Rudisil), 90
Louise (Woodhouse), 91
Nannie (Mrs. Lucilius Barrett).

-73

Parker, 273

Saphronia (Barnes), 273

William Joseph, 90

William Joseph, Jr., 00-91

William Joseph, III, 91
Sturtevant, Anne (Mosely), 383

Beulah (Moore), 383

Carol Anne, 383

Charles Augustus, 383

Charles Henry, 383

Charles Robie, 383

E. Robie, 383

Marv ( Mrs. William R. Gardner),
383

Sarah Jane (Wilson), 383
Summers, Alice Bassett (Lindsay),
384

Annie (Grandy), 383

Elizabeth (Clements), 385

Ezra Toles, 383-5

Robert Ernest (1), 383

Robert Ernest (2), 384-5

Robert Ernest, Jr, 385
Sutherland. Irvin 1... 82

Martha Wise (Mrs. J. Rives
Worsham), 82

Sallie (Wise), 82
Swartz, Abraham Isaac, 174

Bette Lou. 175

Beulah Virginia (Tonelson), 175

Fannie (Postove), 174

Franklin Alex. 175

Hyman Bernard, 174-5
Syer, Charles, Jr., 53-4

Charles, Sr., 53, 128

Charles, IV, 54

Grace Lee (Watts), 53, 128

John Ballard, 54

Virginia (Mrs. Henry Steele

Lewis), 128
Virginia Hathaway (Ballard), 54
Sykes, Bessie A. (Gates), 290
Daniel Webster, 12
George W., 20
Lois Pearl (Mrs. Carl Dun^ton

Colonna), 20
Marina (Barnes), 20
Mary Jane (Crawford), 290
1'earl Stockman (Mrs. Joseph

W. Luter, Jr.), 12
V. Leslie, 290
Vernon L., 290
Vernon Leslie, 3rd, 290

Tarral, Elizabeth (Clark), 395

Frank D., 395

Frank D., Jr., 395

Frank C, 3rd, 396

Mary Virginia (Orr), 395
Taylor, Anna (Johnson), 70

Celia Ashton (Delihant), 43

Ethelyn Butler (Mrs. Clarence
H. Lumsden, Jr.), 154

Frederick H., 70

Joyce, 249

LeRoy F., 154

Mae "(Butler), 154

Richard Calvert, 43

Ruth A. (Mrs. John Robert
Vann), 70

Sally Pope (Mrs. Charles T.
Abeles), 43
Templeton, Keith, 218

Mary Ann (McEachern), 218

Richard L., 218

Richard L., Jr., 218
Thomas, Allie S., 232

Anna Belle (Dunbar), 228

Claudia Beatrice (Mrs. William
Watkins Gresham), 349

Darletta Delsie (Mrs. Julian A.
Greenough), 22S

David Carson, 228

Dorothy Jean (Bozeman), 69

Emmett Morris, 68

Freda E. (Mrs. Leon E. Wil-
liams), 329

Harriet (Knowlton), 349

Henrv, 329

Hilton H.. 227-8

Hunter V., 68

Isabel (Mrs. Lewis H. Hall, Jr.),

James Morris, 69
Josie (Robertson), 332
Lena (Howell), 329
Mary Elizabeth (Lucey), 228
Meredith Helm, 349
Ruth (Burroughs). 68
Wayne Gregory, 6g
William Edwin, 68-9
William Edwin, Jr., 69
Thompson, Arthur Ray, Jr.. 262
Arthur Ray. Sr., 261-2
Eleanor Louise (Tonnell), 261

444

LOVVFR TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

Thompson, Joshua Yaden, 261

Margaret Ann (Trumm), 261

Phyllis May (Gregory), 262
Thoroughgood, Adam, 79
Thrasher, Caroline (Colonna), 17

Daniel H. (i), 17

Daniel H. (2), 17

Warren, 17
Thurston, Ann (Fulcher), 337

Clinton E., Jr., 336-7

Clinton E., Sr., 336

Diane Fulcher, 337

Eulalia (Brown), 336

Evelyn (Mrs. Daughtry), 337

L. D., 337

Leslie, 337
Tilghman, Christine Virginia
(Mitchell), 149

J. F., 149

Lucile (Mrs. Nelson Chilcoat
Overton), 149
Tilley, E. M.. 351

Eliza A. (Hare), 351

Mary E. (Mrs. Alvah H. Mar-
tin), 350-1
Todd, Annie Esther (Mrs. Theo-
dore Jackson Wool), 45-6

Darius Webb, Captain, 45
Toler, Duffy, Reverend, 243

Mamie (Edwards), 243

Ruby (Mrs. Eugene B. Meekins),
243
Tonnell, Christine, 262

Eleanor ( Mrs. Arthur Ray
Thompson, Sr.), 2O2

John, 262
Toy, Amelia Ann (Rogers), 412

Mar}' Jane (Mrs. George W.
Dey), 412

Thomas Dallam. 412
Trant, Alexander McQueen, 240

Mattie (Bishop), 240

Reuben F., Jr., 239-40

Reuben F., Sr., 240

Reuben F., Ill, 240

Thirza (Brown), 240
Townsend, Webb M.. 233
Trotman, E. Pelham, 88

Margaret ( Mrs. John Kendrick
Hutton), 88

Mary (Butler), 88
Turner, Adkins W., 232

Archie A., 232

Archie Johnson, 233

Barnes, 232

Floyd Archie, 232-3

Floyd Frederick, 233

Frederick, 232

Ida (Barnes), 232

Mabel, 232

Olive (Johnson), 233

Perry, 232

R. B., 379

\\ illiam Roberts, 233
Tusing, Charles, 215

Henry, 215

Joseph P.. 215

Joseph M., 215-16

Mary C. (Schweinfurt), 215

Mary Elizabeth (Richards), 216

Mary Jo, 216

Thomas, 21^
Tuttle. C. 0.,Dr., 51

May Frances (Airs. Lawrence
Warren I'Anson), 51
Twohy, Anne Dabney, 200

Edward Merrick, 199

Elizabeth Addington, 200

Grace Elizabeth (Merrick), 199

Jane Clark, 200

John, 198

John, 11, 198-9

John, IV, 198-200

Katherine (Dugan), 198

Margaret (Addington), 200

Margaret Merrick, 200

Patricia Ann (Mrs. George H. B.
Rector), 109
Tyree, Carrie Virginia (Hicks), 167

Willie, 167

Willie Virginia (Mrs. Walter
Bernard Williams), 167

Vaden, Catherine Lee, 206

Dorothy Lois (Beach), 206

Grayson, 206

Robert Grayson, 206
Van Buren, Anna Lee (Hite), 409

William Ralph, Captain, 408

William Ralph, Jr., 408-9
Vandeventer, Braden, 317

Eliza Phelan (Ruffin). 317

Mary Dunn (Mrs. Robert Milton
Saunders), 317
Vann, Anna Wright, 70

Henry B., 70

John Robert, 70

Mary Taylor (Mrs. Samuel S.
Odom), 70

Ruth A. (Taylor), 70

Sallie S., 70
Vaughan, Antoinette (Gay), 379

C. C, Sr.. 377-9

Cecil Calvert, 3rd, 377-9

Cecil Crawley, General, 377-9

Cora Antoinette ( Mrs. Charles
Lee Smith), 377

Cora Antoinette (Mrs. Robert
Judson Camp), 379

Kate (Keith), 377

Katherine Keith, 377

Margaret (Gunter-Brvant), 379

Maria (Cobb). 378

Sarah Penelope (Mrs. Clifford A.
Cutchins, Jr.). 377. 379

Thomas, 378
Vaughan and Company, ^78-9
Venable, Elizabeth Berklev (Wight),
6

Louisa Carrington (Mrs. William
Emmett Kyle), 6-7

William Henry, 6
Via, G. Guy, Jr., 130

G. Guy, 3rd, 130

Rosellen (Hoffman), 130

Rosellen Randolph, 130
Vicar. Alice (Bass). 187

Alice Bass (Mrs. Calvin H.
Dalby), 187

Willis W.. 187
von Schilling. Franz. Major, 134-5

Leopold Marshall, 134-5

Lucien Howard, 135-6

Martha Wynne (Howard), 135

Molly (Booker), 134-5

Ruth Evelyn (Andrews), 136

Ruth Virginia, 136

Wade, Cenie Varbrough (Mrs.

Charles Todd Whitehead), 143

John Yarbrough, 143

Rebecca (Sterling), 143
Waldo, Frances Heath (Jolly), 220

John Jolly, 220

Julia Kent, 220

Lessie C. (Creekmur), 219

Loren Pierce, Jr., 219-20

Loren Pierce, Sr., 219

Loren Pierce, 3rd, 220

Mary Mitchell, 200
Walke. Anna Lee (Armistead), 145

Anthony (1). 145

Anthony (2), 145

Diana (Talbot), 145

Dorothy (Brooks), 146

Elizabeth (Xash), 145

Gertrude Willoughby, 145

Henry, 380

Isaac Talbot, Jr., 145-0

Isaac Talbot, Sr., 145

Jane (Randolph), 145

Linda (Harrell), 145

Linda Harrell, 145

Mary (Calvert), 145

Richard, 145, 380

Sally (Gary), 145

Thomas, 145

William ( 1 ), 145

William (2), 145

William Talbot, 145
Walke, Henry, Company, 380-81
Walker, Frank Wilbur Wooten, 357

Georgie Battley (Mrs. Claude
Scott McCallum), 357

Hazel I Mrs. Melville Anderson
Maxey), 16

Henly Mary. 201

John Henry, Jr., 201

John Henry, III, 201

Julia Sullivan (Battley), 357

Letitia Gregory, 201

Letitia Gregory (Jones), 201

Mary (Stockham), 16

Raymond, 16

Virginia, 201
Wallace, Frances (Mrs. Hugh
Wellford Johnston), 50

John, 50

Marv (Spring), 50
Waller. F. W., 381

Flora Stuart (Mrs. Jonathan
Whitehead Old, Jr.), 366

Robert Page, 366

Virginia Pelham (Stuart), 366
Walski. James L., 260

Joann ( Kitchin), 260

Kay. 260
Ward, Benjamin Franklin, 294

Caroline (Mrs. Jerome Pend-
leton Carr, 2nd), 159

Carrie (Chalmers), 159

INDLX

445

Emma Jennie (Wingate), 294

Margaret Ellen (Mrs. Alison
Jehu Parsons), 294

V. F., 159
Warren, Ann Parkerson, 23, 120

Betty Lewis, 211

Cary, 210

Clifton Earl, 210

Clifton Lanier, 211

Etta (Minton), 119

John Lloyd, 119

Lenora (Calvert), 210

Lewis Clifton, 209-11

Lois Sharber (Parkerson), 23,
120

Margaret (Grimes), 211

William E., 23, 119-20
Washerman, Edith Verena (Cole),
165

Jessie Cole, 166

Louis Leslie, 165-6

Louis Leslie, Jr., 165

Mary Vivian (King), 165

Samuel Louis, 165

Susan Anne, 166
Waters, Mildred Lawson (Garner),
244

W. H„ Jr., 244

William H., Ill, 244
Watkins, Bernice (Mrs. John L.
Carter), 83-84

Cordia (Hancock), 84

Cornelia Chappel, 246

Earl Everett, 246

Emma Dillard (Williams), 278

Esther (Gray), 278

Frank Reeves, 24b

Jane Wagner (Hart), 278

Jean Nash (Fuller), 236

John Henry, 236

John Henry, 2nd, 236

M. Krskine, 278

Marion E. (Brawner), 246

Mattie Lee (Rollins), 236

Mary Boswell, 236

Milson Meredith, 278

Ohley Virginia (Purvis), 246

Rebecca Lee, 246

Robert R., II, 246

Thomas R., 236

Thomas Rollins, 236

William M., 84
Weaver, Christian Kreider, 40

Elton Ann (Smith), 40

Hazel Jane (Mrs. James

Washington Reed), 40

Webb, Eleanor (Kelley), 6

George Randolph, 6

Harry Earl, 297

Julia ( Mountcastle), 297

Lewis Warrington, Jr., 6

Lewis Warrington, Sr., 6

Marion ( Mrs. James Ethridge
Baylor), 297

Mary Lewis, 6

Virginia Fauntleroy (Rice), 6
Weeks, Beverly Ann, 398

Lettie (Maree), 398

Lynda Maree, 398

Mildred Ann (Siler), 398

R. Kenneth, 397-8

Richard L., 398

Robert Kenneth, Jr., 398

Robert Singleton, Captain, 398
Weinhold, Herbert, 247

Lcssie (Ripley), 247

Sylvia Ann (Mrs. Weldon T.
Byrns), 247
Welch, Bernice (Mrs. Everett
Gail McDougle), 1 10

John, no

Marie ( Meade), 315

Marv Rose, 316

Mary R. (Stallon), 316

Meade Ray, 315-16

Meade Ray, Jr., 316

Ora (Saunders), no

William Ray, 315
Welton, Alice (Boardman), 52

Benna (Barrett), 51

Catherine Mackey, 53

Elizabeth (Beck), 53

Elizabeth Beck, 53

J. L„ 51

Nancy Boardman, 53

Richard Franklin. Jr., 51-53

Richard Franklin, Sr., 51

Richard Franklin, III, 52-53

Richard Franklin, IV, 53
Wentz, Ashley Coirwell, 56

Frances Conwell (Hawks), 56

Robert William, |r., Lieutenant,
56
\\ est, Cary ( Dunn), 334

Elizabeth (Mrs. Hall Franklin
Birdsong), 108

Granger, 334

Helen (Wright), 334

Joshua C, Jr., 108

Katherine (Beamon), 108

Richard Wright, 334

Robert D., 334

Sara Katherine, 334
Whichard, Amanda Ann, 97

Annie Wortham (Dey), 412, 413

Carroll (Mrs. Elliot McSwain),
411

Catherine, 97

Catherine G. (McCarrick), 97

Claude Linden, Jr., 412

Claude Linden, Sr., 410, 411-12,

413
Ella (Keel), 96
Frances Mosely (Mrs. Frank G.

Odenheimer, III), 97
George W. Dey, 412
George W. Dey, Jr., 412
Grace L. (Moseley), 97
H. Walter, 410-n
H. Walter, Jr., Rev., 411
James, 411
James Cecil, 96-97
John. 411

Joyce ( Langley ), 41 1
Lottie (Alligood), 412
Mary Ann Amanda (Gurganus),

96, 410, 411
Pattie (Carroll), 411
Rogers Dey, Ph.D., 412, 413
Susan Willis, 97
Virgilia Mason (Nash), 413
Willis Randolph, 96, 410

Willis Robert, Jr., 96
White, Abe L., 213
Addie (Phillips), no
Bessie (Dawson), 274
Bessie Virginia (Dodson), 172-3
Betty Lou (Mrs. J. Winston

Blanke), 100
Bonnie Eloise, 17
C. B., 172

Claude B., M.D., 172
Deborah Ann, 173
Donald Lee, 181
Edgar Clarence, 302
Edgar Clarence, Jr., 302-3
Edith L. (Schulman), 213
Edith ( Prettyman), 249
Edna Lee (Dobbs), 100
Edna Vcrrcll (Mrs. Bernice

Owens), 100
Elizabeth (Sclater), 303
Ellen Walston (Griffin), 181
Eloise Roberta (Colonna), 17,

172
Elsie Marie (Mrs. Fitzhugh

Christian Moore), 222
Eric David, 213
Frances Dashiell (Mrs. William

C. Everett), 172
Fred Dashiell, M.D., 17, 172
George Corbin, 172, 233, 301
Grace Armistead (Mrs. I. Paul

Smith), 172, 334
Grover Lee, Jr., 180- 1
<ii nver Lee, Sr., 180
(.rover Lee, III, 181
Harriet (Shukow), 213
Harry T., 172
Hazel ( Hartman), 302
Herman, Honorable, 99-100
Iva Fowler, 274
Jack, 110
Jefferson, 222
John Earle, Jr., 172-3
John Earle, Sr., 172, 301, 334
John Earle, III, 172-3
John P., 249
Jonathan, 99
Joseph, 180
Josiah H., 180
Kader, 99
Laura Lee, 173
Luritha ( Miller), 99
Luther W., Jr., 249
Luther W., Ill, 249
Luther W., IV, 249
Mabel (Fowler), 275
Margaret (Ferratt), 172
Margaret Lee (Greene), 173
Mary Corbin (Mrs. William

Thomas Johnson), 301
Myra Virginia (Jordan), 180
Nannie (Amory), 222
Patricia (Bowers), 249
Phyllis Marline, 213
Rebecca, 17
Rebecca Frances (Dashiell),

172, 301. 334
Rita Joan, 301

Rita Price (Jones), 172, 30-
Robert Elmer, 274
S. Raymond, 274-5

446

LOWER TIDEWATER VIRGINIA

White, Samuel I.. 212-13

Sara Holt (Mrs. Samuel Eliba

Pope), 110
Sarah Elizabeth (Snow), 100
Sarah (White), 180
William S., 302
\\ hitecloud, James Bearfoot, 321

Mary (Oglethorpe), 321
Whitehead, Audrej Wise (Wors-

ham), 82
Cenie Yarbrough (Wade), 143
Charles Clinton, 143
Charles Todd, 142 -j
1 (avid C, Dr., 83
David Calloway, 83
Margaret May (Mrs. George W.

Lawrence), 14?
Martha Wise. 83
Milford Clyde, 143
Ruby Virginia (Mrs. Sam

Harris), 14*;
Sallie Wise, 83
Virginia (Belote), 14.'
Virginius, 142
Whitehurst, Ada (Curling), 190
Anne Winslow, 59
Edith A. (Winslow), 59
Eldridge Augustus, 59
Eldridge Augustus, lr., 59
Eldridge Hall, 58-59
Elizabeth Baldwin, 36
Elizabeth Irwin (Baldwin), 30
Elizabeth Louene (Waite), 59
Ella (Davis), 35
Evelyn Jane (Mrs. Robert

Edward Royall Huntlej I, 59
Henrietta (Culpepper), s8
Nell (Webb), 59
Stewart Judson, 35
Stewart R., 35-36
Stewart R., Jr., 3(1
Susan Hall, 59
Virginia W\, 190
William Alvin, 59
William Alvin, Jr., 59
William C. 190
William Fountain, 58
Whitfield, Alice Elizabeth (Mrs.

Fletcher Babb), 25
Elizabeth (Darden), 25
James P., 25
Whiting. Frances (Kensett), 209
Frank Hitchcock. 209
Marie Kensett (Mrs. William

Wadsworth Dey), 209
Whitley. Alice ( Rowell), 71
Eunice (Minion), 70
Fletcher, 156

George Franklin, Jr., 70-71
George Franklin, Sr., 70
Gertrude (Mrs. William Hunter

Scott). 156
Lelia Brock. 71
Sue Warren, 7r
Wilder, Ernest Everett, 333
Katherine (Goodson), 333
Keith, 333
Myde (Brown), 333
Reid, 333
William Stanley, 332-3

VVilkins, Alma Annette (Ewing),

307
Amelia Sue (Jones). 307
Annie R. (Ross), 306-7
Billie Lea (Dickerson), 306
Herbert Lee, 307
Jack Ross, 307
lames Douglas, 300-7
Kathleen Drue, 307
Laura Catherine (Nichols), 305
Virgil Poole, 305
Walter J., Jr., 307
Walter James, 305-7
Walter lames, Jr., 306
Walter James, 1 I, 3117
William Poole, 30b
Wilkinson. Daniel W., Sr.. 302
Daniel Winfree, Jr., 302-3
Elizabeth (Mrs. James K.

Hendry, III), 159-00
Elizabeth (Farant). 159
George F., 159-60
George F., Jr., 159
George I-'., Ill, 159
Grace (Warrington), 362
Lamar Hollyday, 160
Lamar S., 159-60
Loulie (Sharp), 159
Margaret Allyn, 363
Margaret (Guy), 15')
Virginia (Orr), 363
William S., 159
Williams, A. Byron, 393-4
Betty Bell. 263
Birdie (Whitehurst), 262
Bvron F., 393-4
Clara (Aydlette), 288
Edward L. ( 1 ), 262
Edward L. (2), 263
Edward L., Jr., 263
Eileen (Mrs. Frederick B.

Jorgenson), 304
Elena ( Register), 95
Elmer Virginius, 262-3
Eloise (Mrs. A. Carl Schenck),

95
Etta (Powell), 329
Eugene, 21
Frances Susette ( Mrs. Henry

Duncan Garnett), 157
Freda E. (Thomas). 329
George Whitfield, 288
James, 21
John, 21
John C, 329
Josephine (Mrs. Louis G.

I Mummer), 394
Kathryn, 2\
Laetitia (Mrs. Thomas B.

Edmonds), 394
Laetitia M. (Golterman), 394
Leon E., 329
Leon E., Jr., 329
Loula (Wood), 161
Margaret (Mrs. H. Lewis

Dudley), 288
Margaret Ada (Gwynn), 167
Margaret Henry (Mrs. Charles

Armistead Bayne). 161
Man Nell 1 Rothel), 329
Minna ( Ray 1, 157

Oscar, 161

Susan Lee, 263

Thomas J., 157

Ursula (Mrs. James H. Richard-
son), 394

Virginia, 21

Virginia Louise, 263

W. F. D., Mrs. (Bland), 363

Walter Bernard, 167

Walter T., 167

William B., Dr., 95

Willie Virginia (Tyree), 167
Williamson, Arye Anna ( Mrs. Pitt
Thomas Barrett), 272

Benjamin Franklin, 272

Bertie (Griggs), 290

Margaret (Ayers), 296

Maria Louisa ( Hungerford 1, 272

Walter Ellison, 296

Walter Ellison, Jr., 296
Willis, Alice Johnson (Mrs. lames
Blaine Denny, Jr. I. 3X7

Alice (Robertson), 387

Benjamin Johnson, Jr., 387

Benjamin Johnson, Sr., 385-7

Frances (Mrs. Eldridge Walker 1.
386

Gladys (Mrs. Robert Hender-
son ), 386

Grayson K., 385-6

John, Jr., 385-6

John, 3rd. 3^-t,

Mary Catherine (Mrs. Stuart
H. Russ), 386

Pearl (Johnson), 386

Rose Johnson, 386
Wilson, Bettie Ann ( Hogge), 196
249

Claudia Xellie. 190

Diane Clark, 92

Elizabeth (Colbert), 2511

Elizabeth Kelse\ (Mrs. Edward
Byrd), 189

Eugene Kelsey, Jr., 190

Eugene Kelsey, Sr., 189-90

Eugene Kelsey. Ill, 190

Everette Knapp, 190

Guy Rathbone, 190

Guy Rathbone. Jr., 190

Helen Louise (Brown), 92

Henry, 189

Jesse Clark, 91

L. Floyd, 91

Marian ( Kea I. 190

Marie Evelyn (Solomon), 190

Mark, 32

Martha Valleau ( Mrs. William
T. Linderman), 190

Martha Valleau (Rathbone). 190

Mary Elizabeth (Colbert), 250

Mattie (Draughon), 91

Xellie Elizabeth (Price), 190

Patricia lAufenger), 32

Raymond Eugene, 190

Richard W., 32

Robert Draughon, 91-92

Robert Draughon, Jr., 92

Scott, 32

Taylor C. 249-50

Taylor C, Jr., 249-50

Thomas H., 196, 249

INDEX

447

Thomas H., 1 1, 19b, 250
Timothy Barry, 190
Victor P., 196

Virginia \\ . 1 Whitehurst), 190
Winborne, Helen Jones (Mrs.

William loseph Moore

Holland), 382-3
Jessie Orlean (Jones), 382-3
Samuel Pretlovv, 382-3
Winslow, Augustus, 59

Edith A. (Mrs. Eldridge Hall

\\ hitehurst ), 59
Mattie P. (Jordan), 59
Wishart. A. Thurston, 80, 107
Margaret (Chapman), 80, 107
Margaret Chapman (Mrs. Clyde

Warren Cooper), 80
Virginia ( Mrs. Thomas Henry

Birdsong, Jr.), 107
Withers, Anna Chinn, 202
Au-tin Chinn, 202
Dori- Emmie ( Mrs. Horace

Phillips McNeal), 203
Enoch Keene, 202
Frances (Claiborne), 202
Janet Alexander (Mrs. William

Herbert Darden), 202
Janet I Chinn), 202
John, 202

John Thornton, 109, 202-3
Louise B. (McAdams), 202
Mary Taylor (Mrs. Harvard R.

Birdsong), 109, 203
Missouri Kilby (Mrs. Arthur

Wool ford), 202
Missouri Taylor (Riddick), 202
Nathaniel Riddick, 202
Phoebe (Mrs. Henry Callender

Field, Jr.), 203
Phoebe (Jones), 109, 203
Robert Walter (1), 202
Robert Walter (2), 202
Rosa (Etheridge), 202
Sarah Virginia (Mrs. Walter W.

Shelley), 203
Susan Dabney (Anderson), 202
William Jones, 203
Wolcott, Anne Garnett, 322
Clara (Mitchell), 322
Edward W. (I), 322
Edward W. (2), 321-22
Edward W., Jr., 322
Elizabeth Brooke, 322
Harry K., 322
James M., 322
James M., Jr., Dr., 322
James M.. Ill, 322
Janice L. (Smith), 322
Janice Lamar, 322
Nannie (Baylor), 322
Wolcott Family, 321-2
Woltz, Albert Wiley, 400
Arthur W., 400-01
Flora (Lundy), 400
Rosalind (Darlington), 400
Womack, Maude (McGehee), 168
Nellie (Hudson), 168
Susan Gaines, 168
William Gaines, 168-9

William T., 108
Wood, Ada Estelle (Burnell), 311
Ann (Bench), 251
Anne (Devaney), 339
Betty Delia (Mrs. John Archie

Johnson, Jr.), 252, 301
Carrie Bentlev (Jones), 251, 301
Elizabeth Ann (Mrs. Walter W

Brewster), 252
Frank N., 233
George B., Dr., 387
James Webster, 251-2, 301
James Webster, Jr., 252
Joseph D., Captain. 311
Margaret (Mrs. Burton De

Berry Melchor, Jr.), 311
Sarah (Mrs. John Fletcher

Hargrave), 387
William Breckenridge, 339
William E., 339
William Henry, Dr., 251
Woodall, Gladys Pleasants (Mrs.

Edward Spalding Ferebee),

33^

Hettie Helen (Mrs. Benjamin
William Foster), 287

Ida (Powers), 332

James H., 332

Savannah Elizabeth (Barbour),
287

Zebulon, 287
Woodberry, Jonah, 370

Lizzie (Ballone), 370

Margaret F. (Mrs. Hugh R.
Johnson), 370

Richard, 370

Richard, Jr., 370

William, General, 370
Woodhouse, Grace (Hudgins), 91

Kenneth B., 91

Louise (Mrs. William Joseph
Story, Jr.), 91
Woodland, Ellen Ridgeley
(Burneston), 212

Lucy Ellen (Mrs. Henry Mac-
Rae Pinner), 212

Samuel Houston, 212
Woodley, James Lawrence, 65

Julius P., 65

Margaret Cornelia (.McDowell),
66

Mary Alice (Hassell), 65

William I'lummer, O4-66
Woods, Michael, 75
Woodward, Allison Holmes, 70

Augusta Eppes Saunders, 69

Charles Hensley, 70

Dickie Anne, 6y

Edward N„ 86

Evelyn (Eberwine), 87

Gilbert Hume, 69

Gladys Alida (Delves), 69

Helen Stuart Hensley, 70

Hersey, Sr., 69

John D., Jr., 70

John Delves. 70

Laura (De Yoe), 86

Myrnie (Brown), 69

Myrnie Brown, 69
Nona (Holmes), 70
Paul De Yoe, 86-87
Richard D., Jr., 69
Richard Delves, 09
Richard L., IV„ 70
Richard Lafavette, Jr., 69-70
Roger Paul, 87
Stuart Delves, 70
Susan, 87
Virginia Alida, 69
Wool, Annie Esther (Todd), 45-46
Esther, 4(1
John E., Jr., 4O
John E., Sr., 45-46
Joseph C, 45-46
Margaret (Hanley), 40
Theodore Jackson (I), 45-46
Theodore Jackson (2), 46
Theodore Jackson, 3rd, 4b
Todd, 46
Woruom, Florence (Moore), 336
1. Leake. Jr., 336
1. Leake, Sr., 336
I. Leake, 3rd, 336
Jean (Amory), 336
Worsham, Audrey Wise (Mrs.

David C. Whitehead), 82-83
Evelyn (Blick), 82
I. Rives, 81-83
J. Rives, Jr., 82
James Rives, III, 82
Laura Evelvn (Mrs. Allen J.

(lay), 82
Martha Wise (Sutherland), 82
Nancy Hudson, 82
Nancv Hudson (Jones), 82
Timothy W., 82
Wright. Anna Lloyd (Gold), 241
C. C, 334

Gordon D., Dr., 170
Helen (Mrs. Granger West), 334
Ida L. ( Nelson), 170
{Catherine (Long), 334
Mary Jane ( Mrs. Wesley

Randolph Cofer, Jr.), 170
Mary M. ( Land), 285
Nicholas Carter (1), 285
Nicholas Carter (2), 285-6
Nicholas Carter, Jr., 286
Virginia Hamilton (Mrs.

William Boisseau Allen), 241
Virginia Kile (Bell), 286
William Johnson, 241
William Kile, 280

\ ates, Anne Lonsdale, 5

Edward Sears, 154

Edward Sears, 3rd, 154

Isabel Fogel (Roper), 5

Isabel Roper, 5

Katherine (Basler), 154

Maida. 5

Mary Jane (Sneed), 155

O. Ramon. 5

Richard Marshall, 155

Richard Twisdell, 154-5

William Stephen, 155
Yeardley, George, Sir, 79

X "

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