WILLIAM A. MORRIS

 The following bio was taken from page 316 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

 Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

 Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of TX

 I, Velta Rebecca Gray am the youngest of eight children born to Claude Gray, Sr. and Odelle McFadden Gray. Three children were stillborn or died soon after birth and are interred at Prospect Cemetery.  The other children are: Mary Louise Gray, who married Adams; Opal Gray Parker, now married to Biecluk; Beatrice Gray, who married Miller; Claude Gray, Jr., and me.

 Claude and Odelle Gray were married April 27, 1919 in Rusk County, Texas, where their home remained as long as they lived.  Claude died February 5, 1959, and Odelle died May 24, 1973.  I married William Alton (Bill) Morris on June 17, 1961, in Longview, Texas, and we have two sons: William Arthur, born October 26, 1962, and Claude Andrew, born May 12, 1965.

 My family was an extremely closely-knit family.  While I cannot recall any of the actual depression days, I do remember hearing how bad they were.  Our family never had a great deal of material possessions, but we always had an abundance of love, and were always taught the values of honesty and keeping one’s word.

 My father was a tomato farmer and a constable for many years.  Both my parents were highly respected in their community.  My mother was a Freewill Baptist, and my father was a charter member of the Chalk Hill Primitive Baptist Church.  For as long as I can remember we worshipped at the regular service (my mother’s membership was at the Campbell Church) on one or two Sundays each month.  Regular fulltime pastors were not common in country churches during that time.

 I was born December 3, 1936, at the home of my maternal grandmother, Mary Harriet (Hattie) Watson McFadden, where we later had our home.

My mother was a warm, compassionate person, who always worked right along side my father.  She packed tomatoes, making sure they were top quality arranging them in neat rows in the crates, readying them for delivery to the retail markets in Henderson.  One of my fondest memories is going with my father on delivery.  He was always one of the first farmers to have vine-ripened tomatoes, where the beginning price was a much as .25 per pound!

I, too, often helped with the tomato crop, earning a small amount of money at times.  Often my dad would reward me with a pint of ice cream from Safeway after delivering the tomatoes.

 Other fond memories of my early childhood include anticipating the arrival of the rural grocery trucks that stopped at our house each week.  We would hop up inside the trucks, eagerly survey the large assortment of Baby Ruth’s, peanut patties, Milky Ways, etc. and make our long-awaited selections.  My mother would often buy various staple items.  I distinctly remember the shortage of Fleer’s Bubble Gum and how I would save it and make the supply last as long as possible.

Another money-making venture was my watermelon stand underneath the large oak tree in front of our house.  Although there wasn’t much traffic, I would patiently sit, waiting for some to pass by and take advantage of the prized melons.

 My grandmother, Hattie, was the only grandparent living when I was born.  She was a delightful person.  I can remember her spending a few weeks with us at a time and then moving on to the home of either her daughter, Oree, or her son, Truman.  She always carried her little black bag that contained, among other things, prunes, raisins and bran.  I remember hearing that politicians would offer to buy her a cold drink, and if she were not particularly thirsty, she would say, “ No, thank you, but I’ll take the nickel.”  She usually got it too.  She also loved her grandchildren very much, and I fondly remember wanting a pair of roller skates more than anything else in the world.  She supplied the extra money so we could order them.  I remember the thrill of skating on the sidewalks of Henderson Elementary School.

 My first grade began at Tatum, Texas; however, we moved back to the Stewart Community soon thereafter and I enrolled in the Henderson schools, where I graduated in May 1955.

 Another childhood memory centers around the time my father became seriously ill and periodically experience frightening seizures.  It was several years before a doctor in Dallas, Texas, diagnosed his condition as a malignant brain tumor.  I remember the period of separation from my parents while my mother attended him as he recuperated from surgery in Mcckiney, Texas Veterans Hospital.  During this time I stayed with an aunt, Betty Gray Bennett, who was so kind to me.  However, I still vividly remember the trauma of the separation; how far away Dallas seemed, and how very real the threat was that my father could die.  I was about twelve years of age at that time.

 A humorous incident of my very early childhood concerns my brother, Claude, Jr.  He was smugly sitting in a sycamore tree, singing and playing his guitar and expectorating on the top of my head as I played underneath.  He still plays the guitar and sings professionally.

 When I was about thirteen years of age, many other people outside my family began to have a profound influence for good on my life.  The person who had the greatest impact was James R. Meadows, who was then a student-pastor from LeTourneau Technical Institute, who preached at the small community church known as Campbell Church.  I credit him and many others for helping my parents shape my spiritual development.

 After graduating from high school, I attended Tennessee Temple Bible School in Chattanooga, Tennessee for one year.  I returned to the East Texas area and worked in Longview for a few years.  My mother, who was widowed then, and I later moved to Dallas.

 IN 1961 I married William Alton Morris.  The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Barney O. Walker, pastor of Mobberly Ave. Baptist Church and former Chaplain of LeTourneau.  We lived in Dallas for a short time, moved to Kentwood, Louisiana in January 1964, and have lived here since that time.  My husband is a professional jeweler, and I have worked for an attorney for the past twelve years.

 Our oldest son, Art, is a sophomore at John Brown University in Siloam

Springs, Arkansas and is planning to be a doctor and specialize in family practice.  Our youngest, Andy is a junior in the local high school where he plays football and is very busy in student activities.  Both our sons are Christians and find many ways of sharing their faith.

My mother was the stalwart of our family and always loved each of us so impartially.  She made certain that each of us received gifts at Christmas that were of equal value – down to the penny!  I remember how she loved Christmas time and the joy she received from selecting our gifts..  She was the most unselfish person I have ever known, always considering the needs of others before her own.  Perhaps the greatest gift she gave to each of us was the gift of herself.  She was never too tired to do whatever was necessary to meet the needs of her family.

 One beautiful memory I have of my mother is hearing her sing and play the old familiar hymns on my grandmother’s piano.  She was self-taught, and yet her music was harmonious and lovely.  Other memories of her care are of her placing warm cloths, well-rubbed with Vicks ointment, on our chests in the winter time; warming a brick by the fireplace to warm the cold sheets; placing a sack of warm cornmeal on the outside of my jaw to ease the pain of a toothache.  Oh, how she loved! She was truly the virtuous woman spoken of in Proverbs.

 I was blessed with many excellent teachers during my school years.  In particular, were Mrs. Perry, who taught me English, and Mrs. Claudie Holder who was instrumental in instilling in me the appreciation for good music.  She taught us the discipline of doing a performance. Music is still an important part of my life.  For as long as I can remember I have sung in church services, weddings, and the like.

 My life is filled with many memories.  Many people have influenced me.  The person of greatest influence is my husband, Bill, who has always been the spiritual leader in our home and who has always lived a Christian life before me and my children.  He continues to be a strong example in our church and community.  He is a member of the Gideons international, a member of the volunteer fire department, and also gives unselfishly of his material possessions, and of himself, regardless of the need.  I thank God for my heritage, my home, and my family and will continue to trust Him with my future.

 Submitted by Velta Gray Morris