SALAH AND EVELYN CRAIG

The following bio was taken from page 161 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Shirley Koym

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

The eighth child of George O. and Mollie Williams Craig, Salah Craig, was born October 12, 1911, in the New Prospect Community in Rusk County. His family moved to Marshall in 1918, where Salah attended public school, lettering in track four years and in football and basketball three years. He attended Marshall Junior College (now East Texas Baptist College). He is a 32^nd Degree Mason and Shriner. He served in the Air Force from 1942 to 1946.

As regional manager for Franklin Life Insurance Company, Salah developed a wide acquaintance throughout the region because of his outgoing personality. Salah has been in the insurance business since 1934, and he and his brother, Joe B. Craig, operate Craig and Craig Realty.

Long active in all phases of Chamber of Commerce work, Salah was the second president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in organizing the Henderson Rotary Club, serving as its first president. He served two terms as chairman of the Henderson School Board. His consuming interest in our youth compelled him to take a leading part in the Henderson Little League, serving its president and Commissioner.

In 1962 Salah served as President of the Rusk County Chamber of Commerce after having served the Chamber as membership chairman for many years. He has signed more new members for the Rusk County Chamber of Commerce than any other man, having secured one hundred memberships in one year.

Seeing the need long ago for more payrolls in his community, Salah has served on the Chamber of Commerce’s Industrial Committee for several years. He is also on the board of the Henderson Industrial Trust, a non-profit trust dedicated to improving and securing industry for Rusk County. He also served two terms as Vice-President of the East Texas Chamber of Commerce. He was given recognition in 1965 for signing more new members for the East Texas Chamber of Commerce than any other man.

As a member of First Baptist Church, Salah has served as Associate Sunday School Director in one of the adult departments and has taught a young men’s Sunday School class.

Salah married Elizabeth Motley and they had two sons, John Motley and James Salah, both graduates of Baylor University. Elizabeth died in March 1969. On October 16, 1971, Salah married Evelyn Bain, oldest daughter of Jane Rogers and Frank Edward Bain. In April 1973, he and Evelyn and Evelyn’s mother, Jane Bain, opened Evelyn’s, a ladies specialty store.

In 1980 Salah joined a group of interested individuals and they secured a charter from the new Peoples State Bank. He is now Vice-President and member of the Board of Directors of this bank.

After moving to Henderson in November 1958, Evelyn worked for fourteen years at Henderson Clay Products.

In 1962, Evelyn was selected Career Woman of the Year by the local chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s Association. A Member of the First Baptist Church, she has served as a teacher for various ages of children in the Sunday School Department.

Evelyn has been most active in Henderson’s women’s clubs and civic groups. She has served as president of the Renaissance Club, the Henderson Woman’s Forum, and the Beta Sigma Phi. She was listed in the "Outstanding Young Women in America, 1966." She is particularly interested in the arts and genealogy.

Submitted by: Evelyn Bain Craig