The 1933 Fighting Lions
by Tim Campbell · first published 18 September 2017 · his original post
This is the 1933 Fighting Lions football team from Blooming Grove, Texas. Well over half the squad (at least 9 of the 15) eventually enlisted in various branches of the U.S. Military in World War 2. At least one of them gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Im hoping a few of our 2017 Blooming Grove Fighting Lions will see this. I think if the boys in this photo could give them any advice it might be to live life to the fullest extent you can, all day every day and don't take a single minute for granted, both on and off the field.
Here are a few tidbits of information I've gathered about these boys of '33. I obtained this photograph from the late Lorraine George Carroll, wife of Sam Carroll in the bottom row, but she did not recall many of the boys' names. Several years before he passed, long time Blooming Grovian Dwayne Magee (pictured in the back row) helped me identify his teammates.
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Glass, Marvin, (1916-2009), son of local farmer John W. Glass and wife Laura Sheppard. He was a WW2 veteran but I am unsure which branch he served in. He remained in Texas after the war for a long time but eventually went to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Haden, Joseph Henry (1917-2004), son of JH Haden Sr and Mable Carie Brim. JH Jr was born at Dresden 24 Sep 1917. He was the younger brother of Clovis Haden who ran a lumber yard in Blooming Grove for a number of years, and also the younger brother of long time BG school administrator W.A. Haden (my elementary principal) who swung a mean board of education.
Magee, George Dwayne (1917-2011), son of local farmer George F. Magee and wife Effie Hatley. He was a lifelong resident of Blooming Grove and lived to be 93. He was a member of the Lions Club here for 60 years. He was a US Navy veteran of WW2, enlisting in November 1942 and training at Camp Bradford in Norfolk, VA and Camp Perry, Williamsburg, VA. He served in the "Seabees" in the Solomon Islands and was discharged in 1945 at the close of the war.
Coach McWilliams, other information not known.
Harris, L. (?) , I have no information on him. Any information appreciated.
McClure, J. - I think this is probably James W. McClure (1918-1981). He was the son of Joe E. McClure Sr and wife Myrtle Willingham. He was a veteran of the US Navy in WW2. He appears to have eventually settled in Midloathian, Tx.
Patterson, George W. (1918-2003) son of local barber Gus Patterson and wife Sue. Except for his service in the military, he was a life long resident of Blooming Grove. He served in the Air Corps with the 18th Fighter Squadron and was honorably discharged in 1946. He owned Patterson Grocery and Market for many years, was a member of the school board and all of his life was a faithful Lion football supporter. He helped begin the Little League baseball program in BG. When I was playing football at BG in the 70s he would take his personal truck to all the out-of-town games and load it with our football gear. His youngest son "Yig" is the present mayor of Blooming Grove.
Lewis, Charles Franklin, (1917-2008) son of Charles Finis Lewis Sr and Mary Honerdell Cumpston. Charles was a cousin of mine, his grandmother Jane Campbell Lewis and my great grandfather William Furra Campbell being brother and sister. He rode a horse into Blooming Grove every day to attend school, graduating in 1935. He took a milk cow with him to Texas A&M and used the milk to help finance his education, graduating from A&M in 1939 with a bachelor of science in agronomy, then obtaining a Masters Degree in genetics in 1940. In 1941 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and flew a seaplane called the PBM Martin Mariner, flying missions near the Panama Canal, and participating in the Battle of Atlantic, providing aerial escort for ship convoys in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean to protect them from German subs. After the war he earned a doctorate degree in genetics from the University of California, after which he pursued a career with the USDA. Eventually he settled in Bryan, Texas where he lived the rest of his life, returning to Blooming Grove every so often to visit family.
Meador, Robert (1917-1971) - son of local farmer Edgar Lee Meador and wife Cora Carrington. The last name has been spelled variably Meadow, Meador, Meader. I don't have any other information about him.
Carroll, William Erwin "Sam" (1916-1969) - son of James W. Carroll and wife Blanche Estelle Jordan. He was mayor of Blooming Grove at one time. He was an active leader in Central Baptist Church of BG. He worked in the engineering department of the Texas Highway Department. He was married to Lorraine George and raised a family in BG where he lived on Hinkley Street near the school.
Griffin, James Richard (1918-1943) - son of John Richard Griffin (who was president of Blooming Grove State Bank and later BG Postmaster) and Verna Clyde Smith. James Richard Griffin entered the air force after attending Blooming Grove school and was made Captain. On March 26, 1943 he was on a B-17 Flying Fortress called the Pluto, along with 11 other crew members which included a Brigadier General, and their mission was to carry out a 7 hour reconnaissance flight of Merauke and Horn Island near Papua New Guinea and near the Torres Strait Islands. The last communication from the aircraft occurred 20 minutes after takeoff and it was never heard from again. The crew was officially declared dead in 1945 and Captain Griffin was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. Tragically, a few years later, J.R.'s younger brother Jack, also a decorated member of the air force, was killed in Colorado when a plane he was in collided with a mountain.
King, Bassett Johnson (1916-1992) - son of John Albert King, (long time Blooming Grove barber) and wife Tabitha Allie Johnson. After graduating from BG, Bassett King attended John Brown University in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He entered the military in 1944, did training in Abilene, Tx, and served in the medical division. He married a girl from Marshall, Texas and that is where he eventually settled.
Gillen, James Blake (1922-1990) - son of well known native Blooming Grovian Drew "Daddy Drew" Gillen and wife Bertha. Blake must have been fearless to have suited up with boys 5 or 6 years older than he. After graduating from BG he attended Texas A&M and went into the automobile sales and motor freight businesses. He was one of the founding directors at City National Bank in Corsicana and served in many other civic and charitable entities in various capacities. He was also active in politics and served in the campaigns of John Connally and President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Campbell, Glover Bounds (1916-1983) - son of Edgar Howard Campbell (long time Navarro County traveling school teacher) and Cora A Bounds. Cousin Glover Campbell enlisted in February 1941 at Ft Sam Houston and was discharged in 1945 at the close of the war. As of 1953 he was living in Gallup, New Mexico, and later he moved to El Paso, Texas where he passed away in 1983.
Hammonds, Burtis Ringold (1918-1980) - son of Edward Hammonds and wife Edith Delia Spurrier. enlisted in WW2, air corps, in 1940, released in 1945. Returned to Navarro County and married (Norma Rogers) and lived in Corsicana.
Bacon, James Cramer (1917-2000) - son of James Howard Bacon (who was managing a lumber yard in Blooming Grove as of 1930) and wife Ida Thomas. He moved away from BG in the late 1930s and went to the Houston area. James Cramer Bacon appears to have been a worker in the oil industry at least for a while and finally settled in Baytown, Texas.
This piece was published without a title. The one above was written here; the words below are his.