RAY DEASON

 The following bio was taken from page 175 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

 I was born Giles Ray Deason, August 10, 1946 and later was known in Center, Texas as “Booger,” reasons evident to the old-timers that pitched washers on the square.  I married Marilyn Watkins, January 27, 1968, and on January 23, 1970 Christopher Ray was born, and Lacy Michelle on November 5, 1971.  My grandparents were Raymond Dale and Vera Mae Renfro Samford of Center and John D. and Mattie Deason of Garrison -, really Stockman.  My mother, Melba Ruth Samford, married Giles Arthur Deason in 1946, and after their divorce in 1953; she married Harold Davis LaFitte of Shelbyville (closer to Strong Community).  Marilyn’s parents were James Henry and Muriel Eddleman Watkins.  He was from Royce City and she was from McKinney.  Muriel even worked at Nieman’s at one time.

 I can remember as a little boy in Center, playing on the old school house, running around the square and through the courthouse, attending political rallies, dreaming of being a dentist, picking cotton – only as fun not a job -, at the KB Café with Henry Clary Harris (now principal in Lufkin as I am in Henderson), going to the Crystal Theater for 10 cents and the Rio for 15 cents (and their movies were not any better either), my dad working as a butcher at Sanders and preaching at the Baptist church, and going to school in Center until the second grade.  In fact, my first grade teacher was my cousin, who gave me my first real paddling.

 We lived in Center until 1954, and I entered school in Longview in the third grade and finished at Foster Junior High in 1961, then moved to Austin, completing high school at McCallum in 1964.  I entered Stephen F. Austin State University in 1964, completed my BS in 1967, my M.Ed. in 1971, and in 1976 was accepted for a doctorate at East Texas State University.

 When I finished at SFA, where I met my wife in 1968, I married on January 27 – ten days after graduation because I was told to finish college first or the money would be cut off.  I started work with the Henderson School upon graduation doing speech therapy for two years, special education one year, and fifth grade for four years.  Then I received my appointment as Principal at Central Elementary and have been at Northside for three years (1981).  Marilyn went to SFA for two years then went to work.  She now is a secretary for Tommy Berry at State Farm Insurance.  Earl Adams was responsible for letting me work at my first teaching job and really helped my family during a crisis.  I will always be grateful to him.

 We have been in Henderson since 1968 and our children are in the sixth and fourth grades.  We go to McKinney for the Eddleman homecoming or to Irving for the Watkins homecoming each year.

 Submitted by Ray Deason