New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2, Part 80

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1262

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1581

MEN OF TEXAS

R. P. S. GRIFFITH. independent oil oper- ator and capitalist, 701 Polk Avenue, is one of the best known men in Southern Texas and has been a resident of Houston for practically twenty years, having moved here in 1904 from Beaumont, where he had been engaged in the oil business since the opening of the famous Spindle- top field in 1902. As a young man, Dr. Griffith studied medicine and practised for a short time, but gave it up and has since that time devoted his time and talents to commercial pursuits, engaging prin- cipally in the oil business, in which he has achieved a success far beyond that of the average operator.

After removing to Houston, he operated in the Sour Lake and Batson fields and while the territory at Batson was being developed, went into Matagorda County and brought in this field. He, with his asso- ciates, drilled the discovery well in Matagorda Coun- ty about eighteen years ago and in deepening one of his wells discovered the rich sulphur strata under- lying this section. He sold the land now owned by the Gulf Sulphur Company, one of the largest com- panies operating in this field.

In 1912, Dr. Griffith, in conjunction with R. E. Burt, formerly of Houston and now a resident of Dallas, bought the fee title to fourteen hundred acres in what is known as the Humble-Stephenson tract. Of this acreage, nine hundred acres was under lease when then bought it and the remaining five hundred acres were divided and half of it sold to the Texas Company and the remaining two hundred and fifty acres leased to the Cullinan interests. Dr. Grif- fith and Mr. Burt organized the Atlantic and Gulf Petroleum Company, a holding organization which controls the royalties on the Humble-Stephenson tract leased to the Cullinan interests and also on other valuable acreage.

The Farmers Petroleum Company drilled 39 wells on the Stephensson tract and secured 39 gushers, which have produced a large quantity of oil in which he had a royalty interest.

For some time Dr. Griffith was interested jointly with R. E. Burt under the firm name of Burt and Griffith and they have still some interests together.

Dr. Griffith is a native of Tennesse and was born near Chattanooga November 15th, 1862, a son of James and Jane (McLain) Griffith, both natives of Tennessee. His grandfather was one of the first white settlers in Eastern Tennessee and his father engaged in the mercantile business there for many years. Dr. Griffith's uncle was the first white child born in that section of the state and the family had an important part in the early history of Eastern Tennessee.

After completing his preliminary education, Dr. Griffith studied medicine at the Vanderbilt Uni- versity. After practicing for about a year, he be- came interested in the manufactuirng business and was president of the American Manufacturing Com- pany, hardware manufacturers, and also owned an- other hardware factory in Tennessee before his re- moval to Texas to engage in the oil business, first at Beaumont and then at Houston.

Since coming to Houston, Dr. Griffith has had various other interests besides his activity in the oil industry, and is a director in the Houston Land Corporation, the company which developed and sold the Montrose Addition, the most beautiful residence section of the city.

On August 15th, 1909, he was married in Hous- ton to Mrs. Lena E. Marshall, nee Morse, a native of Houston and member of a pioneer South Texas family. They have one son, James Peyton Standi- fer. Mrs. Griffith is a talented artist and does portrait work for her immediate family and close friends. The family home is at 3417 Montrose Boulevard.

A close student of various scientific subjects, Dr. Griffith has made a particular study of geology and kindred sciences and has perfected a system for lo- cating minerals which he used with remarkable suc- cess in his work. This system is made up of a series of batteries, the working process being known only to Dr. Griffith himself, and while most oil operators deny the efficacy of a process of this kind for lo- cating oil and other minerals, they are forced to admit that he has been successful in his operations far beyond that which falls to the lot of the average oil man.

Dr. Griffith is very popular in business and social circles of Houston and is a member of the Houston Country Club, National Chamber of Commerce, Houston Chamber of Commerce and the Mid-Con- tinent Oil and Gas Association.

A. PARKER has for the past several years been identified with manufacturing and mercantile interests at Houston, where he is recognized as one of the progressive young- er business men who are contributing largely to the growth and commercial importance of the city. The Texas Hotel Supply Company, of which Mr. Parker is president and general manager, was started in a small way in 1915, and operated by the organizers until 1919, when Mr. Parker and a group of busi- ness associates took over the business. Since then the growth has been remarkable, as may be seen from a statement of the annual business of the Texas Hotel Supply Company. The first year of operation, the firm did a business of twenty-one thousand dol- lars, the figures for 1919 running to fifty thousand dollars. In this year the present management took charge, and a complete reorganization, with a care- fully planned sales campaign, followed. Three years of operation under Mr. Parker's direction have fol- lowed and the business done by the firm in 1922 falls just under three hundred thousand dollars and three hundred and eighteen thousand in 1923. The firm now owns its own building, with fifteen thousand square feet of floor space, and located at 1107-1111 Franklin Avenue. They are jobbers for and manu- facturers of hotel and residence supplies, manufac- turing kitchen equipment and selling both wholesale and retail. They have a force of thirty-five employ- ees, with five salesmen on the road, and cover a trade territory including all of Texas and Louisiana. Mr. R. A. Parker is president of the company, J. W. Ingold, vice president and S. B. Parker secretary and treasurer.

Mr. Parker was born at Minneapolis, Minnesota, the twelfth of June, 1887, son of S. M. Paker, a na- tive of that state, and for many years a farmer there, but now retired and living at San Diego, Cali- fornia. His mother, prior to her marriage was Miss Luella M. Getchell. Mr. Parker was educated in the Minnesota public schools and spent several years thereafter in business in his native state. In 1916 he came to Texas and for the next two years oper- ated a string of restaurants at Dallas. In 1918 he

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disposed of this interest and came to Houston with E. A. Peden, war food administrator, in charge of hotels and restaurants. He was engaged in this work until after the close of the war, and then see- ing what the future offered in the Texas Hotel Sup- ply Company under efficient management he bought out the interests of the old management and has since been president of the newly formed organ- ization.

Mr. Parker makes his home at 2108 Milam Street. He is a Mason, Blue Lodge, Temple No. 4.

Y. FUQUA, of the real estate firm con- ducted under the name of W. Y. Fuqua and Company, with offices at 636-7 Bankers Mortgage Building, since returning to the real estate business in 1919 has had a share in the activities in his line and has built up a profitable business. Mr. Fuqua deals in business and acreage property and ranch lands and at all times has list- ings in his office for both buyers and sellers, who know his fair business methods and his close atten- tion to all details.

When about 19 years of age he entered the employ of the firm of Wm. D. Cleveland and Com- pany, where he remained for a period of 20 years, leaving there to accept the position of general auditor of the Kirby Lumber Company. After sever- ing his connection with this company he engaged in the real estate business. In 1908 he went into the oil business and was associated with the Hardy Oil Company when they brought in the Markham field during that year. He remained with this company as an officer and director for about 12 years, during which time he and his associates were pioneers in endeavoring to develop two coastal fields, i. e., West Columbia and Orange, which at that time were wild- cat territory but have since developed into two of the largest coastal fields.

Mr. Fuqua was born in Port Hudson, Louisiana, December 5th, 1860, his parents being Joseph Wat- kins Fuqua and Charlotte Valentine Fuqua, both of whom are deceased. His father, Joseph Watkins Fuqua, prior to the Civil War, was a successful merchant in Port Hudson, Louisiana. When the war broke out he was made captain of a volunteer company and served during the war, after which he was engaged in cotton planting in Louisiana. He moved with his family to Houston in 1872, and for some time was engaged in the cotton business in this city.

Mr. W. Y. Fuqua's ancestors were French Huguen- ots, three brothers of the family having originally migrated from France to America and settled in Virginia. His education was obtained in the public schools of Houston. Mr. Fuqua was married June 10th, 1890, to Miss Bessie Elsbury, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Elsbury, an old and promi- nent family of Houston. They have eight children -William Y., Jr., Ruth E., Rowland H., Alma C., Kirby, Joseph W., Bessie and Sidney L.

The Fuqua residence is located at West University Place, which is at present a suburb of Houston.

ORRIS STUART DRAKE, one of the young- er members of the business fraternity of Houston, has as secretary and manager of the Friendswood Orchards Company, been a factor in stimulating much interest in the devel- opment of the fig industry of the Friendswood re-

gion. The Friendswood Orchards Company are lo- cated within a forty-five minute ride by auto from Houston and is one of the largest growing, develop- ing and selling fig orchards companies in Texas. They have many hundreds of acres planted and being prepared to plant in figs. This acreage is sold in five, ten and twenty acre tracts on small monthly payments and purchasers may, at their option, live on the tract purchased or the Friendswood Orchards Company will care for their orchard and harvest their crops, both under the supervision of experts. Large profits have been made by those who have invested in the Friendswood area, and with the large returns from these scientifically developed orchards, based upon the most conservative esti- mates of exports in this line, the fruit from the orchards will more than pay the price of the orchard in yearly payments.

Mr. Drake was born at Cowgill, Missouri, August 30th, 1897. His father, Charles Murray Drake, is a large landowner, stock raiser and farmer of Mis- souri. His mother was Miss Betty Stewart, a mem- ber of a prominent Virginia family. Mr. Drake's early education was obtained in the public and high schools of Avalon, Missouri, and a business college furnished him with his early business training.

Mr. Drake began his business career in the mer- cantile business and remained in this work for three years. He then became private secretary to the superintendent of the western division of the Wabash Railroad where he remianed for one year, resigning in order to enter the army. He entered in September, 1918, and was sent to Camp Bowie at Fort Worth, where he was consigned to the in- fantry. After four months spent at Camp Bowie, during which time the armistice was signed, he was sent to Camp Logan, where he remained for four months and was discharged in April, 1919, as a non- commissioned officer. After being discharged, he became associated with the Humble Oil Company for two years, after which he went with the Friends- wood Orchards Company as secretry and sales man- ager. Mr. Drake was married in Houston in 1920 to Miss Ruth Barns, a registered trained nurse and a daughter of Henry J. Barns and Sue Barns, well known farmer and banker of Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Drake reside at 3708 Watson Street. In frat- ernal and social orders, Mr. Drake is a member of the A. F. and A. M., the Woodmen of the World and the Red Roosters.

Mr. Drake is optimistic as to the future of the fig industry of Texas and believes that the Friend- wood area will not only prove a rival to the fig growing sections of California but will surpass that state. Preservers say that the Magnolia fig, grown and preserved in Texas, is in greater demand all over the United States than either the California varieties or those grown in Louisiana and other states bordering on the gulf. Based on the most conservative estimates, a properly cared for fig or- chard will yield the third season from $100 to $150 an acre continually increasing up to a full pro- duction of from $400 to $600 an acre, these amounts depending upon the number of trees planted to the acre. As an evidence of the satisfaction experienced by the people who have bought fig lands and fig or- chards in the Friendswood area, none of these or- chards or lands have ever been offered for sale.

1585

MEN OF TEXAS

R. KURT VON MUECKE, although a com- paratively recent addition to the profes- sional life of Houston, Texas, his reputa- tion as a geologist and engineer has pre- ceded him to this city, where he is a recognized leader in his chosen field. Dr. Von Muecke is the vice president af the North American Exploration Company, Inc., which was organized in 1924 with headquarters in Houston and offices in New York City, Wilmington, Delaware, and Tampico, Mexico. The offices in New York and Wilmington are main- tained for the purpose of taking care of the com- mercial and legal end of the business of this com- pany, while the Houston office looks after the en- gineering and geological work. The North American Exploration Company, Inc., have a staff of expert engineers and geologists, and use many kinds of modern instruments and other scientific equipment. This company is the only one of its kind of the country that makes use of all geophysical methods, thereby combining geological and physical methods of determining local conditions. The Houston office of this company is located at 432 First National Bank Building. Other officers of the North Ameri- can Exploration Company, Inc., are: Charles F. Rand, president; C. F. Smith, secretary, both of whom reside in New York City, and Mr. F. Kaselitz, graduate engineer, assistant manager in Houston.

A native of Dresden, Germany, Dr. Von Muecke was born on March 4th, 1880. His father, K. A. Von Muecke (deceased), was also a native of Ger- many, where he was well known in official circles of his native land. His mother, Mrs. Louise (Al- berti) Von Muecke, was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and a member of a prominent family of that city. His education was obtained in the schools of Germany, after which he attended many of the leading universities and technical institutions of Germany and Switzerland. From the Royal Tech- nical Institute of Berlin, he received the degree of Doctor of Engineering. Since leaving college, Dr. Von Muecke has devoted his entire life to the fields of geology and engineering in various parts of the world.

Dr. Von Muecke is a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, and the Lutheran Church. Since locating in Hous- ton, Dr. Von Muecke has made many friends, both personal and for the organization which he rep- resents, and has succeeded in working out many of the problems for Texas development.

R. F. E. VAUGHAN, well known in the pet- roleum world as one of the leading geolo- gists in Texas, has been located in Hous- ton for several years, where he is associated with the Roxana Petroleum Corporation, having been appointed chief geologist for the Gulf Coast District in November, 1923. Dr. Vaughan has ex- ceptional qualifications for this office and responsi- bilities it entails, and his work as geologist for this company has been one of the governing factors in the recent extensive development activities. The Roxana Petroleum Corporation has its Gulf Coast offices in the First National Bank Building, Dr. Vaughan maintaining his offices here.

Dr. F. E. Vaughan was born at Ludden, North Dakota, September 12, 1889, the son of Edward Vaughan and Mrs. Mary Lucinda Armstrong

Vaughan. Edward Vaughan, the father, a native of Ireland, is a Methodist minister, now residing in Pasadena, California. Mrs. Vaughan is a native of Kingstown, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Vaughan received his early education in the public schools of Minnesota. Later, after the fam- ily moved to California, he attended high school at Bakersfield. Graduating there he entered the Uni- versity of California, taking his B. S. degree in 1912, his M. S. degree in 1916 and his Ph. D. degree in 1918. While still a high school student at Bakers- field, California, he gained his first oil field ex- perience. Later, in. 1912, he went to Bisbee, Ari- zona, where he remained two years as mining en- gineer. He also spent one year at Taft, California, as oil geologist. After taking his doctor's degree, he entered the service of the Dutch Shell, his work taking him to Alaska, Washington, Utah, Colorado and Venezuela, as well as California. In 1922 he came to Texas with the Roxana Petroleum Corpora- tion, a branch of the Dutch Shell group, and a year later, in 1923, received the appointment of chief geologist of the Gulf Coast District.

Dr. Vaughan was married at Berkeley, California, June 1st, 1920, to Miss Christine Urner, a native of Patricksburg, Indiana. They have two children, Edward Urner and Philip Alfred Vaughan. During his college days he was a member of the Theta Tau mining fraternity. He is a member of the Amer- ican Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Amer- ican Association of Advancement of Science, the American Petroleum Institute, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He has devoted con- siderable time for scientific publications. Among his contributions to science is the "Geology of San Bernardino Mountains, North of San Gor- gonio Pass," published by the University of Cali- fornia Press, and "The Five Islands," Louisiana, pub- lished in the Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

L. FONDREN, pioneer oil well driller, who has probably brought in more wells than any man engaged in this business, is the superintendent of drilling for the Humble Oil and Refining Company at Goose Creek, Texas. All work for this company at Goose Creek and Barbers Hill is under the supervision of Mr. Fon- dren, and they have more than one hundred pro- ducing wells at Goose Creek, with an average daily production of 7,500 barrels. The Humble Oil and Refining Company have many millions of dollars invested in the Goose Creek field and are the largest lease owners here. From one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty men are employed in Mr. Fondren's department, and his organization is made up of efficient men. Mr. Fondren now has the first engine used by him and his brother, W. W. Fondren, in drilling the first well they ever drilled, and he prizes this piece of well drilling equipment very highly.

Mr. Fondren was born in Tennessee on October 12th, 1881. His father was a well known and suc- cessful farmer of Tennessee. When Mr. Fondren was one year of age, his parents moved to Searcy, Arkansas, and his education was obtained in the public schools of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. When seventeen years of age, he moved to Corsicana, Tex- as and remained there for about four years and it was during this period that he entered the oil busi-

1586

K. gon Strecke

F. Kaseur

NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

ness, as a field worker. Later, he came to Algoa, near Alvin, Texas, and with his brother drilled a water well for the Algoa Fruit and Nursery Com- pany. He later went to Big Hill, Jefferson County, for the Guffey and Gailey Company, after which he went to the Beaumont field. He remained in Beau- mont for about two and one-half years, and then went to Sour Lake with his brother, and remained in that field for about two years. Mr. Fondren then came to the Humble field where he remained for a period of eleven years, after which he returned to Sour Lake and drilled the Hardin County lease for the Humble Oil and Refining Company, and brought in some of the biggest and best wells of that field. He then went to Davis Hills in Liberty County, where he remained for about eighteen months and drilled four wells in that area, after which he came to Goose Creek in 1917. Mr. Fondren was the first man to drill a well in Colorado with a rotary rig.

Mr. Fondren was married at Humble, Texas, in 1913, to Mrs. Amelia Munn, a native of the Lone Star State and a daughter of William L. Holmes, well known in railroad circles where for many years he was employed as an engineer. Mr. and Mrs. Fondren are residing in Goose Creek. He is a mem- ber of the Baptist Church, Knights of Pythias, and the Y. M. C. A., of which he is a director. Mr. Fon- dren is popular in the oil circles of South Texas where he has many staunch friends, and where he is recognized as one of the most capable drillers to be found in the country, with an experience that extends over almost a quarter of a century.

AUL FREEMAN came to Navasota, Texas, in 1919 as division superintendent of the Western Public Service Company, which owns and operates water plants, ice plants, electric plants and steam heating systems through- out Texas and many other States. Mr. Freeman has charge of the Navasota Ice, Electric and Water plant, and all the properties of this company in Texas. He buys and operates these plants and is gradually adding new properties to the long list of this company. The Navasota plant, which has a valuation of upward from $750,000.00, was improved in 1924, with extensive additions. The Western Public Service Company own the electric, ice and water plants at the following places in Texas, be- sides the modern plant in this city: Sour Lake, Somerville, Hempstead, Calvert, Bremond, Franklin, Hearne, Bryan, Caldwell, Madisonville, Lyons, Lib- erty, Saratoga, Batson, Dayton, Cleveland, Conroe, Huntsville, Trinity, Groveton, Alvin and Kosse. The towns of Bremond, Franklin and Kosse are supplied by high tension lines from Calvert. This company was incorporated in 1912 under the laws of the State

of Colorado, and since its incorporation has pur- chased and acquired outright many properties in the several States in which it operates. Many new extensions of service are planned now, some of which are in course of construction. There are twenty- three important groups of properties operated by this company in Texas, which includes Navasota, Sour Lake, Hempstead, Somerville, Bryan, Hearne, Bremond, Kosse, Franklin, Madisonville, Lyons, Caldwell, Liberty, Saratoga, Batson, Dayton, Cleve- land, Conroe, Huntsville, Trinity, Groveton, Alvin and Calvert, each serving other neighboring towns electrically. The object of the group operation by the Western Public Service Company is that it

tends to greater all-round efficiency, which is prac- tically reflected in the service rendered every cus- tomer. The company owns and operates ice plants in this group and also provides water service in most of the towns. In addition to his responsible and important position with the Western Public Service Company, Mr. Freeman has since locating in this city found time in which to become identified with the business and social life of Navasota and is the vice president of the Navasota Dairy Prod- ucts Company, president of the Navasota Oil Com- pany, and is a director of the Navasota Country Club. He organized the Kiwanis Club of this city and is the secretary of this organization and one of its most active workers. He is president of the Navasota Chamber of Commerce and takes a keen interest in this organization also. Mr. Freeman began his career in the business world in the rail- road service as a telegraph operator, and with this as a beginning in this field of activity, he worked himself to the top, occupying the positions of chief train dispatcher and for a period of five years was division superintendent. He left the railroad service in order to engage in the electrical contracting busi- ness for himself, and for a period of ten years fol- lowed this line of activity in the States of Missis- sippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. In 1914 he became associated with the Western Public Service Com- pany, and for seven years handled the properties of this company in Texas.

Mr. Freeman was born in New York City on April 15th, 1864. His father, Commodore Perry Free- man, was for many years chief engineer on the large steamships of the high seas. His education was obtained at the Stevens Institute of Hoboken, New York, where he pursued the courses in electrical and mechanical engineering.

Mr. Freeman was married at Newbern, Tennes- see, in 1912, to Miss Francis M. Atkins, a daughter of Ed Atkins, a prominent planter and land owner of the State of Tennessee. They have one child, Mary Eleanor Freeman. In the city of Navasota there is no man more active in an effort to im- prove the city in general than is Mr. Freeman, with a view of making a real city of Navasota. He has made a host of friends here and is very popular in the business and social circles. His influence is felt along every line of development in this city, and he is an enthusiastic booster for Navasota and this por- tion of Texas, where his company is rendering a most valuable service in the development of the city and country. It is the policy of the Western Public Service Company to have their properties managed by capable men of experience and technical ability, and in the selection of Mr. Freeman for the man- agement of their Texas properties they made no mis- take. He is thoroughly imbued with that spirit of public service which is the essential motive power in operating a public utility company successfully. Mr. Freeman is a consistent member of the Epis- copal Church, and is active in church work. He has had much to do with the building up of the Western Public Service Company to its present size and strength, and has greatly aided in successfully accomplishing a tremendous task. The future prom- ises well for this company and is all the more happy by the fact that in guarding and guiding the destinies of the company are men who know how, and Paul Freeman is not far from the head of the list of these men.

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New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2, Part 80

Author: Davis, Ellis A. Publication date: 1926 Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?] Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1262