BOOKER T. HILL

The following bio was taken from page 236 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, Cemeteries of Texas

I am Booker T. Hill, son of Alfred and Catherine Hill. My father was born in Rusk County and lived his entire life in the same community. My mother was Catherine Morrison. She was born in Angelina County and moved to Rusk County in 1876.

The Hill family farmed and raised corn, cotton, cane, and a few other row crops. They started with a few acres, and as the family grew, they bought more land. They bought 154 acres and raised eleven sons on this farm. These sons were: John Alfred, Jeffrey, Richard, Elmer, Wylie, Jesse, Theodore, L. J., Booker T. (me), Morrison, and an adopted son, Ottis. Six of these served in the armed forces and one in the Navy in World War II. Three are now deceased.

I grew up in the Bethel Community about six miles south of Henderson and finished eight grades of schooling at Lone Star Grade School near Six Mile Hill. I also attended Lone Star Baptist Church in the community. While I attended Henderson High School, I lived in a small house on Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Rayford’s place, working in and around the house to pay my way through school. After high school, I came home and worked at a sawmill and cut yards to save money for college.

When September came, I was off to college at Prairie View A&M. That year, 1936, there were five of us brothers at the college at one time. We had to work to support ourselves, so we would go into Houston every weekend to work.

After two years in college, Uncle Sam said, "I want you!" – so Alfred and I left for the Armed Services. My service started at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. After training, I was sent overseas to the Pacific, stopping first in the Hawaiian Islands, then Cook, the Figis, New Caledonia, Marianas, and a few other islands.

After the war, I went back to Prairie View to complete work on my B.S. degree in vocational agriculture. After that, I went to the Wheeler Springs Community as a vocational agriculture teacher for service veterans.

After five years I was back at Prairie View for another year of work on an M.S. degree. I worked later, for six months, at Craft Made Homes, then I began working in the Henderson School System as an Industrial Arts teacher. During this time, I married Miss Louise Nichols. We have no children.

Now, the farm has another 132 acres added to it and some more leased to make it a ranch without one horse on it. In this year of 1982, I have stopped teaching and am headed for the fishpond and the ranch to spend all of my time.

Submitted by Booker T. Hill