Stephen Meadows Seay -- Outstanding Science Teacher

 

Stephen Meadows Seay

Stephen Meadows Seay was born on April 21, 1950 in Dallas, Texas. He was the youngest of four children born to Charles Eugene Seay and Sarah “Sadie” Lee Meadows Seay.  Charles was a successful life insurance agent and investment broker in Dallas, his native home.  Sadie was a native of Comanche, Texas where her family was one of the early Texas settlers.  Eugene and Sadie were longtime Dallas philanthropists and Sadie was a descendant of Stanley Thomas of Trigg County, Kentucky. 

Steve’s siblings were Sarah Lee Seay, born in 1939 and married Robert Logan Stout; Charles Eugene Seay, Jr, , born in 1941 and married Carol Ann Parks; and Robert Lauderdale Seay, born in 1946.

Steve grew up in Dallas and liked to play in his neighborhood and roam the woods of East Texas with his older brothers and sister, along with a group of friends who became family to him for his whole life.  He attended St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas, a private college preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12. 

After graduating from St. Marks in 1968, Steve when on to attend Stanford University in Stanford, California where he earned his undergraduate degree in psychology in 1972.  He returned to Dallas where he joined the faculty of his high school alma mater, St. John’s School, where he began his teaching career.  Steve went on to earn his Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1984.

Steve was a leading faculty member in the Science Department at St. Marks, including a seven-year term as Department Chairman.   He taught Earth Science, Geology, Astronomy, Life Science, Physics and Scientific Photography.  He served as the director of the St. Mark’s Planetarium and Observatory and was an active leader of the school’s Outdoor program.  As well as being an explorer, map-maker, photographer and teacher, he was a master of star charts and stories of space travel.  Steve loved taking his students on field trips to such places as the Circle A Ranch in Texas, and the mountains in New Mexico, Colorado and even Alaska.  Steve retired in 2002, but continued to be involved in the programs at his beloved school.

After his retirement, the science department chairmanship; was renamed the Stephen M. Seay ’68 Science Department Chair in his honor.  The school recognized him twice with the Murrell Excellence in Teaching Award.  The St. Mark’s Alumni Association bestowed its highest honor when it gave Steve the Ralph B. Rogers Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000.

Stephen died on April 4, 2021 at the age of 61 in Dallas, Texas. He was not married during his life. After his death, the Headmaster of St. John’s School, Arnie Holtberg said the school had lost a legend, “Steve Seay was a brilliant teacher who inspired and motivated generations of St. Mark’s students to think scientifically, to become naturalists and to enjoy the out of doors.”

Steve in his lab

LINEAGE: (Stephen Meadows Seay was the son of Charles Eugene and Sarah “Sadie” Lee Meadows Seay.  Sarah was the third child of Claude William and Susan Martin Moore Meadows.  Susan was the seventh child of Thomas Oscar and Sarah Adelie Thomas Moore.  Sarah was the third child of Stanley and Sarah Thompson Rothrock Thomas.  Stanley was the seventh child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Julia Belle Bridges Banister -- Wife of Deputy County Clerk

 

Jula Bridges Banister

Julia Belle Bridges was born on September 25, 1881 in the Maple Grove Community of Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the fourth of ten children born to William Joseph Bridges and Sarah Wills Bridges.  William Joseph was a farmer and a native of Trigg County and Sarah was a native of Mississippi.  Julia was a granddaughter of Simco N. Bridges.

Julia’s siblings were Cornelius Neal Bridges, born in 1873 and married Emma Jean Sons and later married Willie Rasco; Robert Lee Bridges, born in 1876 and married Lula Wade; Luther Edward Bridges, born in 1879 and married Cora Lula Banister; Emma Skaggs Bridges, born in 1884 and married Robert Terrell; Joseph Franklin Bridges, born in 1886 and married Lula Pearl Ricks; Lemuel Porter Bridges, born in 1889 and died at the age of five; Harriet Divinia Bridges, born in 1892 and married Hulett Albert Alexander; Grace Mae Bridges, born in 1896 and married Ernest Henry Barber; and Ora Lee Bridges, born in 1899 and married Homer Hall.

When Julia was a teenager, her family lived on a farm in the Montgomery community of Trigg County  As a young adult, Julia’ lived with her family on another farm that was located in what is now East Cadiz. It was there that she met her future husband who lived on another farm in the East Cadiz area where the Trigg County Hospital is now located.

On November 29, 1911 when Julia was 30 years old, she married Lemuel James Banister,  Lemuel was born on December 3, 1886 in Trigg County.  He was the oldest of nine children born to John Calvin Banister and Sarah Augusta Stone Banister. John was a native of Trigg County where he was well known and respected local farmer.  Sarah was a native of Tennessee.

Julia and Lemuel lived on his family farm in the Siloam community following their marriage where Julia was a housewife.  Although  a farmer, Lem became a candidate for the County Tax Commissioner in the early 1920s. and then served as Deputy County Court Clerk. He was serving in his twenty fourth year as deputy clerk at the time of his death.  He was considered a valuable county official, outstanding citizen and had a host of friends. In 1925, Julia and Lemuel moved to Cadiz and bought a home on Lafayette Street.

Julia and Lemuel were the parents of three children, Markus E. Banister, born and died at birth in 1912; Dorothy Louise Banister, born in 1919 and married William David Parrent; and Lemuel James Banister, Jr., born in 1924 and married Lena Maye Rye.

Lemuel died on January 22, 1949, at the age of 62 of diabetes at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Julia died on March 27, 1976, at the age of 94, at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz. She was buried in the East End Cemetery next to her husband.

Lemuel Banister

Julia tombstone

Lemuel tombstone 

LINEAGE: (Julia Belle Bridges was the daughter of William Joseph and Sarah Wills Bridges.  William was the first child of Simco N. and Emeline Martin Bridges.  Simco was the third child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges. William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges. )

Rossiter Andrew Armstrong, Jr. -- Financial Company Employee

 

Rossiter Andrew Armstrong, Jr.

Rossiter “Ross” Andrew Armstrong, Jr. was born on January 9, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan.  He was the only child of Rossiter Andrew Armstrong, Sr. and Virginia Belle Sholar Armstrong.  Rossiter was a native of Stewart County, Tennessee and Virginia was a native of Christian County, Kentucky. Rossiter was a carpenter who died from a tragic fall from a ladder when he was 55 years old.  Ross was a descendant of Jemima Bridges Sholar.

Ross had three half-siblings from his mother’s marriage to her second husband, Marvin Allen Guinn. They were twins born in 1928, Marvin Allen Guinn, II and Sarah Jane Guinn; and Alice Louise Guinn, born in 1931.

When Ross was very young, his family moved from Detroit to Hopkinsville where he attended various elementary schools and graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 1942.  . As it was the height of World War II, he was soon drafted into the U.S. Army.  After his basic training he was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Corp where he served at several air bases throughout the United States but he did not serve overseas.  He earned his pilot’s wings with a rank of second lieutenant. He was discharged from the army in 1945, at the end of the war.

After the war, he returned to civilian life in Hopkinsville.  On February 14, 1948, he married Martha Nell Pendleton.  Martha was born on May 29, 1927 in Julien, Kentucky and was the daughter of John and Alice Pendleton of Christian County.  Ross and Martha were the parents of one child, a son, Michael A. Armstrong who married Vickie Ripplemener.

Although Ross obtained his pilot’s license as a result of his military training, he was unable to find employment in the airline industry because of the large number of pilots available after the war. So, in 1945, Ross began his career when he partnered with a friend to open an appliance sales and repair service store in Hopkinsville.  A few years later he terminated the appliance venture and began a career with the Interstate Finance Company, also known as CreditThrift Financial Corporation and later the American General Finance Company.  Ross and his family lived in Russellville, Kentucky and finally in Evansville, Indiana in the 1950s. His career with the company lasted for 42 ½ years with Ross retiring in January 1989.

Martha died on May 15, 1977, at the age of 48, at the Welborn Baptist Hospital in Evansville.  She was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville.  Ross married his second wife, Beverly Ann Stearsman Alexander, on March 26, 1983.  Beverly was born on July 23, 1936 in Henderson, Kentucky and was the daughter of Waverly and Beverly Oglesby Stearsman. Ross had two step children from Beverly, Ashley Alvin Alexander, born in 1959 and Waverly Grace Alexander born in 1962.

Ross died on March 13, 2017, at the age of 93 at the Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Evansville, succumbing to pulmonary fibrosis.  Ross was cremated.

 Ross in the military during World War II

Ross and Martha with son Michael

 

Ross and Beverly

LINEAGE: (Rossiter Andrew Armstrong, Jr. was the son of Rossiter Andrew, Sr. and Virginia Belle Sholar Armstrong. Virginia was the first child of John William and Eliza Jane Steger Sholar.  John was the fourth child of Drewry Bridges and Helen Wiles Sholar.  Drewry was the tenth child of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Ruth Adele Moore Waggoner -- High School Teacher

 

Ruth Adele Moore Waggoner

Ruth Adele Moore was born on January 8, 1927 in Comanche, Texas.  She was the only child of Jack Wallis Moore and Ruth Jewell Farmer Moore.  Both Jack and Ruth Jewell were natives of Comanche County, Texas where Jack was a prominent banker serving as the President of the Comanche National Bank and  Ruth Jewell was active in the social and civic life of the community  Ruth Adele was a descendant of Stanley Thomas.

Ruth Adele grew up in Comanche and in 1944 graduated from Comanche High School.  She went on to Waco where she attended Baylor University earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education.

On June 14, 1947, Ruth Adele married her high school sweetheart, Dan Ross Waggoner at the First Baptist Church in Comanche with Dan’s father conducting the ceremony.  Dan was born on July 20, 1925 in Fort Worth, Texas and was the son of the Rev. Huel Elijah Waggoner and Maude Blanche Jones Waggoner.  Huel was a native of Johnson County, Texas and Maude was a native of Dadeville, Alabama. Rev. Waggoner was a Baptist minister and high school teacher and he and Maude had settled in Comanche in 1937.

Following their marriage, Ruth Adele and Dan moved to Austin, Texas where they lived for several years while Dan finished his college degree at the University of  Texas.  After his graduation, the couple moved back to Comanche where they both taught at the Comanche High School for a short span of two years.

At the time of the oil boom in west Texas in the early 1950s, Ruth Adele and Dan moved to Crane, Texas and then to Odessa, Texas where they lived for fifteen years.  They then settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a number of years.

In 1983, Dan retired and they moved back to their hometown, Comanche, where they bought the family home on Elm Street.  With deep roots in Comanche, this was a dream come true for Ruth Adele, who loved family history, as well as all things Comanche and all things Texas.  Both Ruth Adele and Ron were active in church, family, historical and civic organizations in their hometown.

Ruth Adele and Ron were the parents of two children, a daughter, Beth Ann Waggoner, born in 1953 and married James Michael Steward and then married James Allen Dixon and later married Jeffery Alan Fairbrother; and a son, David Moore Waggoner, born in 1955 and married Phyllis Ann Ward.

Dan died on June 3, 2004 at the age of 78 in the Brownwood Care Center in Brownwood, Texas.  He was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Comanche.  Ruth Adele died on May 15, 2022 at the age of 95.  She was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Comanche next to her husband.

 Ruth tombstone

 

Dan tombstone

LINEAGE: (Ruth Adele Moore was the daughter of Jack Wallis and Ruth Jewell Farmer Moore and the granddaughter of Robert Hartwell and Fannie Theresa Holmsley Moore.  Robert was the third child of Thomas Oscar and Sarah Adelie Thomas Moore.  Sarah was the third child of Stanley and Sarah Thompson Rothrock Thomas.  Stanley was the  seventh child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

Bruce Thomas -- Banker

 

Bruce Thomas

Bruce Thomas was born on August 7, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan. He was one of a set of triplets born to Hubert Jackson “Tige” Thomas and Vada Helena Wallace Thomas.  Hubert operated an automobile body shop and was a native of Trigg County.  Vada was a native of Dover, Tennessee. Bruce was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Bruce’s siblings were Carolyn Sue Thomas, born in 1934 and died at the age of 1 day; Billie Joe Thomas, born in 1935 and married Carolyn Raquel Williams; fellow triplets, Andrew Thomas, born in 1937 and married Frances Carol Bridges; Charles Thomas, born in 1937 and married Martha Ann Myers and later married Clara Ellen McKinney; and Dennis Glyn Thomas, born in 1944 and married Linda Dale Hancock.

Bruce spent his first nine years growing up in Detroit, but moved to Trigg County, Kentucky in 1946, He enrolled in Trigg County High School and graduated with the class of 1956 and went on to attend Murray State University until he and his triplet brothers dropped out of school to join the military.  

Bruce along with his brothers Andrew and Charles enlisted in the U.S Army together on February 18, 1959. They received their basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and then were assigned to a unit at Fairbanks, Alaska.  They were exceptionally recognized as the only set of triplets to be serving together in the army at that time.  The triplets were discharged in February of 1961.  Bruce was a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and continued to serve in the Kentucky National Guard. He became a Lieutenant Colonel and retired from his military service on his 60th birthday.

On June 12, 1960, Bruce married Joyce Ann P’Pool.  Joyce was born on December 8, 1941 in Cobb, Kentucky and was the daughter of Harry Lewis P’Pool and Hazel Ellen Morris P’Pool.  Harry was a farmer and he and Hazel were both natives of Trigg County.

In 1962 Bruce started his career with Hopkinsville Federal Savings Bank. Over the years he worked in both Hopkinsville and Murray branches of the bank.  While working at the bank, Bruce returned to obtain his college degree at Murray State where he graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Business.  He retired as President and CEO of Hopkinsville Federal after serving 38 years with the company.

Bruce and Joyce were the parents of three children, Krista Ann Thomas, born in 1961 and married Jason Rex Haymes; Kelly Diane Thomas, born in 1965 and married Robert Flint Wesley; and Russell Bruce Thomas, born in 1974 and married Michele Kristine Speca.

Bruce died on August 14, 2022 at the age of 85 at his home in Cadiz.  He was buried in the Lucien Thomas Family cemetery in Trigg County.

Bruce

 

Bruce tombstone

LINEAGE: (Bruce Thomas was the son of Hubert Jackson and Vada Helena Wallace Thomas. Hubert was the second child of Lucian M. and Inez B. Crews Thomas.  Lucian was the fourth child of Jonathan Starkie and Julia Dyer Thomas.  Jonathan was the third child of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas.  William was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)

John Garton Grigsby, Jr. -- Farmer and Construction Worker

 

John Garton Grigsby, Jr. was born on December 28, 1921 on the family farm in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the fourth of five children born to John Garton Grigsby, Sr. and Georgia Reid McAtee Grigsby.  John Garton Sr. was a farmer and both he and Georgia were natives of Trigg County.  John was a descendant of Jemima Bridges Sholar.

John’s siblings were Henry Waller Grigsby, born in 1909 and married Susie Lee Green; Josephine Grigsby, born in 1911 and married Felix Ewing Broadbent; Oscar McAtee Grigsby, born in 1914 and married Irene Gertrude Freeman; and Robert Edward Grigsby, born in 1923 and married Marianne Boesl.  

John attended elementary school at Bethel School and then went on to graduate from Trigg County High School in Cadiz in 1941. On January 19, 1943, John was inducted into the U.S. Army and received his basic training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.  He was subsequently assigned to duty at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky and Camp Carson, Colorado and then was sent overseas where he served in the Pacific Theater, where he was stationed in Okinawa.  He was discharged from the military in March 1946 as a Tech 5.

On August 13, 1949, John married Notra Dane Johnson in Cadiz in the home of Rev. Rudolph Noel who conducted the wedding ceremony. Notra Dane was born May 7, 1927 in Christian County, Kentucky, the daughter of Charles Alpha Johnson and Rosa Lee Sowell Johnson.  Charles was a farmer and both he and Rosa Lee were natives of Trigg County.

After John and Notra Dane were married they settled in a home on a farm in the Delmont community south of Cadiz on Highway 139. John worked as a farmer. He later worked in construction with his major employer being the Tennessee Valley Authority working in the Land Between the Lakes. After 27 years, he retired from working in construction. After retirement he went back to work on the farm with his son.  Notra Dane was a homemaker and excelled as a seamstress who enjoyed crocheting and quilting.

John and Notra Dane were the parents of two children, John Garton Grigsby, Jr. (II), born in 1953 and Deborah Faye Grigsby, born in 1954 and married Stephen Barnard Catron.

Notra Dane died on October 12, 1994 at the age of 67 at the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz.  She was buried in the Bethel Cemetery in Trigg County.  John died on September 16, 1999 at the age of 77 at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville.  He was buried in the Bethel Cemetery next to his wife.

John and Notra Dane tombstone

LINEAGE:  (John Garton Grigsby, Jr. was the son of John Garton and Georgia Reid McAtee Grigsby.  John was the second child of John Ferguson and Mary Josephine Lawrence Grigsby.  Mary Josephine was the third child of James Henry and Elizabeth Sholar Lawrence.  Elizabeth was the fifth child of Allen and Jemima Bridges Sholar.  Jemima was the first child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.)

Rachel Louise Gentry Erath -- Secretary and Bookkeeper

 

Rachel Gentry Erath

Rachel Louise Gentry was born on June 3, 1931 in Cadiz, Kentucky. She was the third of five children born to Thomas Perry Gentry and Eliza Dell Hughes Gentry.  Thomas was a farmer and both he and Eliza Dell were natives of Trigg County.  Rachel was a descendant of Starkie Thomas.

Rachel’s siblings were Thomas Hughes Gentry, born in 1925 and married Nellie Evelyn Thomas; Lillian Pearl Gentry, born in 1927 and died at birth; Clara Dell Gentry, born in 1937 and married Ernest Ronald Lawrence; and Mary Jo Gentry, born in 1939 and married Carol Wayne Whitmer and later married Eugene Carrol Riley.

Rachel grew up in the Oak Grove community of Trigg County and attended the local rural Trigg County schools and went on to attend the Cadiz schools.  As a teenager, she worked as a clerk in a grocery store and as a seamstress with the E. R. Street Department Store in Cadiz.

On September 26, 1952, at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Trigg County, Rachel married Robert "Bob" William Erath, who was serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  Bob was born on November 27, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of William Charles Erath and Margaret Hussennetter Erath.  William Charles was a salesman in his family tile business and both he and Margaret were natives of Brooklyn, New York.  Bob grew up in Brooklyn and attended the public schools in Queens, New York. 

After Bob was discharged from the army, he and Rachel moved to Amityville, New York, a community located on Long Island, New York to make their home.  Bob went to work with his family tile contractor business,  William Erath and Son, Inc. which his grandfather had founded in 1912. Later, Bob became the owner of the firm.  In 1982 Bob retired from Erath and Son, Inc. and bought Hidden Harbor Marine in Copiague, New York. He was also a partner with, E. J. Enterprises and Fore Associates.  In 1990, he sold Hidden Harbor Marine and truly retired.   Rachel worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for William Erath and Son, Inc.

Rachel and Bob loved boating.  They took many cruises around Long Island as well as many other excursions around the east coast.  After many years of boating, Bob became the Commander of the Amityville Yacht Club.  In 2010 Rachel and Bob moved to Juno Beach, Florida where they lived in an independent senior living community called the Waterford.

Rachel and Bob were the parents of four children, Pamela Ann Erath, born in 1954 and married Gary John Franza and later married Arthur Alfred Sharples and then married David G. Formichella; Kimberly Robin Erath, born in 1956 and married Dan Parasky; William Scott Erath, born in 1959 and married Christina Ann Braster; and Jeffrey Thomas Erath, born in 1960 and married Angela Marie DeSanctis. 

Bob died on July 19, 2018 at the age of 88 in Juno Beach, Florida.  Rachel died on March 14, 2022 at the age of 91 in Juno Beach.

Bob Erath

LINEAGE: (Rachel Louise Gentry was the daughter of Thomas Perry and Eliza Dell Hughes Gentry.  Eliza was the first child of Mason Hamilton and Mattie Pearl Thomas Hughes, Jr.  Mattie was the first child of Wesley Gunn and Eliza L. Henderson Thomas.  Wesley Gunn was the sixth child of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas.  Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)