REAGAN HONEYCUTT

The following bio was taken from page 244 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

Reagan Eugene Honeycutt and Gwendola May Waddell were married on September 17, 1949, at Gwen’s home in the Carlisle Community. Reagan has been employed by R. T. Smith Welding and Press Company for the past thirty-three years. Gwen has worked for the "Henderson Daily News" for eighteen years.

The Honeycutt’s first child, Roxann, was born October 25, 1950. Their second child, Kenny Reagan, was born March 2, 1958 and lived for twenty-five days. Their third child, Laura, was born July 15, 1959. Both girls graduated from Henderson High School. Roxann received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches and is now working at the "Henderson Daily News" as a bookkeeper. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University and is now working as a reporter for the newspaper in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Gwen’s father, Luther Moses Waddell, was employed as a switcher by the British-American Oil Company. They lived on the Mayfield lease, which at that time had the well that was the farthest south in the great East Texas Oil field. Her mother was Laura May Williams Waddell. They came to Carlisle from Okemah, Oklahoma in September 1931 at the height of the oil boom. It was a rainy September in 1931 and Gwen’s mother always said it rained for forty days and forty nights. There were no paved roads at that time, and several tolls had to be paid to get to Henderson from Carlisle.

Gwen and her sister, Maxine Waddell Graham, were born in Okemah, Oklahoma. Gwen was born on March 20, 1929, and Maxine was born December 29, 1926. They both graduated from Carlisle High School. The British-American Oil Company drilled a deep water well to supply water for their company house. When the city of Henderson wanted to drill water wells for the city, they came to Carlisle and tested the water in this well on the Mayfield lease. The well was four hundred and ninety-eight feet deep and furnished a plentiful supply of water for them.

Reagan was born August 23, 1926 in the city of Henderson, the second child of Ella Dee Reagan and Reuben O. Honeycutt. Reagan is the grandson of the late Jesse C. Honeycutt of the Crims Chapel Community. Jesse was the Justice of the Peace for many years. Reagan attended Crims Chapel School and finished at Henderson High School. Reagan has two brothers, Don and Buddy, and one sister, Jean.

Submitted by Gwen Honeycutt