H. L. Willis
| Horace Luther "H. L." Willis | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Pineville, Louisiana | |
|
In office August 1952 – June 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Willie E. Kees, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | S. J. Sasser |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 5, 1892 Winn Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Died |
October 1979 (aged 87)[1] Pineville, Rapides Parish |
| Resting place | Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Willis |
| Children | No children |
| Parents | Julius Luther and Mary Theodosia Shumaker Willis |
| Residence | Pineville, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Louisiana College |
| Occupation |
Building and grounds superintendent at Louisiana College |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank |
Mechanic in war |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Horace Luther Willis, known as H. L. Willis (March 5, 1892 – October 1979), was the long-term building and grounds superintendent at Louisiana College who served from 1952 to 1954 as the mayor of Pineville, Louisiana.
Background
Willis was born in the Winn Parish community of Newport to a Southern Baptist couple, farmer Julius Luther Willis (1867-1934) and the former Mary Theodosia Shumaker (1866-1936). He had six siblings, all of whom he outlived. Two died before the age of three. Julius Willis died at the age of sixty-seven from injuries sustained when he was struck by a car on the Dodson Road in Winnfield while he was attempting to retrieve a wandering cow.[2] Mary Willis died of an illness two and a half years after the loss of her husband. The state legislator, farmer, and historian Harley Bozeman of Winnfield was a pallbearer at her funeral. Julius and Mary Willis are interred at Winnfield Cemetery.[3]
Career
Willis graduated in 1919 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville and was the first winner of the intercollegiate medal for track and field awarded in Natchitoches. For decades he was one of the most recognized faces on the LC campus through his position for fifty years as the superintendent of grounds and buildings.[4][5] In the summer of 1932, the Louisiana College power plant was struck by a bolt of lightning and a student assistant engineer was injured. The problem was not resolved until January 1933.[6]
A veteran of the United States Army, Willis served overseas during World War I, with the 75th Railroad Artillery as chief mechanic before his discharge in 1919. In 1926, he was commissioned in the Louisiana National Guard as a second lieutenant; in 1943, he was placed on inactive reserve with the rank of major. Willis was highly involved in civic activities. A Democrat, he served on the Pineville City Council from 1946 to 1952.[5] When Willie E. Kees, Jr., resigned as mayor, the council appointed Willis to complete the term which expired on June 30, 1954.[7] He was a member and president of the Red River Atchafalaya and Bayou Bouef Levee Board. For a decade, he was the Pineville civil defense director.[5]
Willis was a charter member of the First Baptist Church of Pineville, a congregation particularly close to Louisiana College. He was a member of the Kiwanis International, Lions International, the Order of the Eastern Star, and a high-ranking official in the Masonic lodge and the Shriners. Active in the American Legion, he was also a charter member of the group Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. His wife was Jane Willis (year of birth and death unavailable), also the middle name of one of his sisters who died the year in which Willis was born. Willis died at the age of eighty-seven at the Alexandria Veterans Administration Medical Center, located in Pineville. He is interred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville.[5]
References
- ↑ It is known that Willis died on a Wednesday, either October 3, 10, 17, or 24, 1979
- ↑ "Julius Luther Nugent". Winnfield, Louisiana: The Winn Parish Enterprise. April 26, 1934. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Mary Theodosia Shumaker Willis". The Winn Parish Enterprise. November 18, 1936. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ Catalog of Louisiana College Session ... with Announcements for the Session ... Louisiana College. p. 78. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Horace Luther Willis". The Alexandria Daily Town Talk on findagrave.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Switch at Louisiana College is repaired". Ruston Daily Leader. January 26, 1933. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "From the Past". The Alexandria Daily Town Talk. August 26, 1952. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
| Preceded by Willie E. Kees, Jr. |
Mayor of Pineville, Louisiana
Horace Luther "H. L." Willis |
Succeeded by S. J. Sasser |
| ||||||