52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 31: Brother: Pansy’s Brothers Attended College

This is my second year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

My grandmother, Pansy Louise Lancaster, had three younger brothers: Rayburn Dinion (R.D.), Carl Jr., and Elda Wayne (Teensy) Lancaster.[1] Carl lived only six days after his pre-mature birth, and is buried in Upper Greens Creek Cemetery in Erath County, Texas.[2]

Her brother, R.D. was seven years younger and Teensy was another seven years younger. In fact, my mother was born another seven years after Teensy.

My grandmother finished high school and then married in 1933. Both brothers attended college after high school. Perhaps because they were both boys, they each got the opportunity to attend college, or perhaps finances were better later in the 1930s and 40s.

R.D. played basketball and football in at Stephenville High School, and was vice president of his class in 1937.[3] 



He then attended Tarleton Agricultural College in Stephenville, Texas between 1938 and 1940. He was very active while in school. From articles in the school newspaper, J-TAC, he was editor of the Grassburr, the school yearbook.[4] He was president of the Press Club in 1939 until he resigned because of other activities.[5] He graduated in 1940.[6] He went on to join the U.S. Army, serving in the Air Corps.[7]

Elda “Teensy” Wayne also attended Stephenville High School and graduated in 1944. According to the blurb next to his senior class photo, he was “Class Officer '43, '44, President '43, Treasurer '44; Class Favorite '43, '45; Class Favorite Runner-up '44; Football '42, '43, '44, Captain '44; Track '43, '44, '45; Basketball '43, '44; "S" Association '45; S.P.C. '43, '44; "The Stringer" '44, Sports Editor; "The Yellow Jacket" '45, Sports Editor; Fireman '45.” He played quarterback on the football team, and was on the basketball and track teams.[8]



He didn’t attend college until after serving in World War II. He started Tarleton University in 1947 where he played basketball and was on the track team.[9] and then moved onto Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1948, and lastly attended the University of Texas at Austin.

Even though Pansy moved to California, she kept in contact with her brothers by letters or phone call.

[1] For Elda Wayne, see Texas. Erath, Texas Birth Certificates 1903-10 & 1926-29 Footnote.com (http://www.footnote.com :n.d.), birth certificate no. 31782 (1927), Elda Wayne Lancaster, accessed 26 Apr 2010.
[2] Texas State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death, Erath County, no. 5081, Carl Lancaster, Jr., 1924. See also Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com), memorial# 17927060, Upper Greens Creek Cemetery, Erath Co, Texas, Carl Lancaster Jr.
[3] The Yellow Jacket, Stephenville High School Yearbook, 1927, various un-numbered pages.
[4] “Annual Opens Sales Campaign Today: Drive Closes October 7,” J-TAC, 19 Sep 1939, p. 1.
[5] “W.B. Sansing Speaks on Advertising at Press Club Meeting,” J-TAC, 31 Oct 1939, p. 4.
[6] “Candidates For Graduation Take No Exams,” J-TAC, 1 Apr 1940, p. 1.
[7] “R.D. Lancaster Now Attending Aviation School,” J-TAC, 17 mar 1942, p. 1.
[8] "U.S. Yearbooks Name Index, 1890-1979," database & images, MyHeritage  (http://www.myheritage.com), Stephenville High School, Stephenville, Texas, The Yellow Jacket, 1945, senior, Wayne Lancaster, multiple pages.
[9] For track, see “Tarleton Track Team to Enter Ft. Worth Meet," The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), 18 Mar 1947, p 3, digital images, The Portal to Texas History (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth140995/ : accessed 14 Mar 2013), crediting Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas. For football, see "Plowboy's Trip Squad of Exes by 26-7 Score," The J-TAC, 13 Apr 1948, p. 3, digital image, Portal to Texas History, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141030/ : accessed March 14, 2013).


Copyright © 2019 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.

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