The Lindale Times (Lindale, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1992 Page: 4 of 16
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Lifestyles
Your Hometown News
Page 4 - The Times, Thursday, February 20,1992
Dogwood • Redbud
Bradford Pear
Flowering Crab Apple
Tulip Magnolias
Flowering Shrubs
Yellow Forsythia
White Speria
Red Quince
High Profiles: Leaders Who Have Made A Difference
Past: Frances Wells
Present: Lee Wilson
Editor's Note: The "Present" ........................................................................................
882-9231
Woodson, describing Frances
as his “favorite teacher”, said
she was "from the old school,"
wanting her students to be able
500 S. Main - Lindale
(Across from Brookshire’s)
By BETTY BURRIS
Doing something for 41 years
shows more than mere dedica-
tion for what you are doing. It
shows a great deal of love and
Frances Wells was known for
her love of teaching.
Frances Janice Morris was bom
February 3,1911 in Lindale and
graduated from Lindale schools.
Her brother, Lindale resident
James Morris, said Frances al-
ways wanted to teach. So it was
on to Commerce where she
earned her master's degree.
She wed Jack Wells, a local
rose grower and farmer, on Aug.
17, 1933. The couple had one
son, Sam Wells of Tyler and a
daughter, Suzanne Walker who
now lives in Delaware.
Frances began her teaching
career in 1929. She taught for
several years at what was then
called the Hopewell and Nebo
community schools. Imogene
Kimberley remembers Frances
driving an old pickup through
the community, picking up stu-
dents and taking them with her to
school.
While at the Nebo school,
Frances was responsible for
teaching several grades at one
time. Eventually she settled into
teaching the fourth grade.
Frances’ manner in the class-
room was one of talking loud
and being firm. Due to this, her
to read, write, and do their math.
He remembers looking out his
office window and seeing a stu-
dent walking around the build-
ing talking to himself. After
checking with Frances, he dis-
covered she had told the student
to go out and walk around the
building until he knew his “7’s”,
or whatever multiplication group
he was having trouble with. “She
had different methods for get-
ting the students to learn,” said
Woodie. "And, as a result, they
did."
Frances taught until her retire-
ment in 1976. In 1977, she passed
away following a massive heart
attack. She has left behind count-
less numbers of people who have
been influenced by her unique
ways in the classroom. There are
many who say, as Principal
Woodson says, “The kids loved
her, her colleagues loved her and
I did.”
Editor's Note: The "Past" High
Profile is meant to remember one
of Lindale's former residents and
community-minded folk who
made a difference and who should
not be forgotten.
gotiations of the first production
sharing contract with the Chi-
nese by an American oil com-
pany. The company explored
and drilled in the South China
Sea, discovering the largest gas
field in China in 1983.
Lee doesn’t really know the
true meaning of retirement. From
his official retirement from
ARCO in 1985, he has been a
petroleum consultant on a
parttime basis and serves as di-
rector on the board of Houma
Land and Offshore in Louisiana
as well as a consultant for other
businesses.
Lee credits a business associ-
ate and friend, BillPrindible, with
the Wilson’s introduction to
Hide-A-WayLake. The Wilsons
bought a lot in 1978 and became
fulltime residents (except for lots
of traveling) in 1986. Three
months of the year they spend at
another lake community; the
Wilsons have a second home in
Michigan—but you know where
(See WILSON...Page 13)
High Profile is meant to bring to
the attention of Lindalites praise
worth bestowing on one of its own
who contributes time and energy
to make a difference in our lives in
Lindale.
By ANITA SHEPPARD
There is something to be said
about the peaceful serenity of
Hide-A-Way Lake if a couple
has chosen to retire there after
spending a whirlwind life of liv-
ing and working all over the
world.
Lee Wilson and his wife Marian
made their home on several con-
tinents while Lee worked for 35
years in the oil exploration busi-
ness for Atlantic Richfield.
Bom in Ft. Recovery, Ohio, on
October 28, 1925, Lee’s father
John initiated Lee into the oil
business since he was a cable
tool driller and drilling contrac-
tor himself in Ohio and Michi-
gan. Lee was busy working in
the oil fields as early as age 14.
Lee finished high school in Grand
Rapids in 1942 and then spent
two years as an aviation cadet
trained as a B-29 flight engineer
for the U.S. Air Force.
Lee’s schooling continued at
Tulsa University where he gradu-
ated in 1950 with a B. S. degree
in petroleum engineering.
The Wilsons married in 1948
and are the parents of four chil-
dren. Three of them live in
Alaska: their son John, their
daughter Kathleen and her hus-
band Larry, who have two chil-
dren, and their daughter Linda and
her husband Brad, who have three
children. Their daughter Mary
Lee and husband Paul, both doc-
tors, live in Santa Monica, CA
and have two children.
From 1950-64, Lee was a drill-
ing engineer and drilling super-
visor in Texas, Arkansas, and
Louisiana. During that time pe-
riod for four months in 1963, Lee
was on temporary assignment as
an offshore drilling superinten-
dent in the Gulf of Sirte off Libya.
Anchorage, Alaska, was the
FRANCES WELLS
reputation preceded her, and stu-
dents were sometimes leery of
being in Mrs. Wells’ class. Yet,
after being there only a few days,
they soon saw through her firm-
ness to her soft heart and grew to
love her.
“Many people never knew
about some of the special atten-
tion she gave to students,” said
her sister-in-law, Mag Morris.
“There were times when she
would go downtown and buy
clothes for some of the students
she knew really needed them.”
Woodie Woodson, currently
principal of Velma Penny Inter-
mediate School and Frances’
former principal for many years,
said, “I called her my old momma
hen, cause she always took care
of her biddies.”
Wilsons’ home from 1964-72
where Lee was a drilling and
production superintendent. As
the first operations man with
ARCO in Alaska, he helped de-
velop Cook inlet fields and su-
pervised the drilling of the dis-
covery well at Prudhoe Bay in 85 participating in the final ne-
1967, a massive, successful find
for the company and Wilson’s
claim to fame.
London, England, was the
Wilsons’ next homesite from
1972-75. Lee served as a vice-
president and operations man-
ager drilling exploratory wells
for ARCO Oil in the North Sea,
Celtic Sea, and along the Dutch
coast.
For the next three years the
couple lived in Copenhagen,
Denmark, where Lee served as
vice-president and resident man-
ager for ARCO Greenland ex-
ploring and drilling in offshore
W. Greenland utilizing a dy-
namic-positioned drill ship for
iceberg drift safety (dodging mo-
bile icebergs while they drilled
for oil).
Atlantic Richfield Indonesia
called on Wilson from 1978-82
as their president and resident
manager. Lee managed major
oil fields producing 145,000bar-
rels per day, an offshore gas plant,
and up to nine offshore rigs. Lee
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
LEE WILSON
stated that this was perhaps his
best and most exciting assign-
ment while with ARCO.
Lee served as vice-president
and resident manager in Hong
Kong and Zhanjiang, Peoples
Republic of China, from 1982-
THE MOVIE HOUSE
"Meeting your popcorn &
rqTvJs cotton candy needs for that
kSOTp party, fund raiser, or other
occasion"
i ALLEN IMPORTS t
SHADE TREES
HERBS
Fetilizer with Iron A Zinc
8-8-8 $4" 13-13-13 *6"
12-12-12 $6" 10-20-10 *6"
Garden Lime $397
Red Maple • Silver Maple • Pine Oak
Sumard* Red Oak • Live Oak • Fruitless Mulberry
Noonday Mon Hants
•Yettow & White Grane*
* Shallots
• Multipling Onions
Peat Moss
4ra.ft.lhl. $Q99
Canadian Sphagnum
Special of theWeela
ALOE-VERA
4" pot
Reg. $2.49 •e
NOW IS THE TIME!
HOi 6 Pack
Pine Bark Mulch
3cn.fl
Cnvr Manure 40 lb.
&OHnne
Crabgrass, Weeds
and Grassburrs
401b.
401b.
501b.
Prevents Weeds
In Bermuda &
St. Augustine
omst maims
SEED POTATOES
ROSES
Now Is The
Time lb Plant
BEST SELECTION
Cow Manure
Top Soil
Peat Humus
5 *10°”
HAPPK NTTTRQI7I2V
■ > ■ '< ■ , ■ ■ < : ■ ■ ■ .. -• '■ : ■ ..
21/2 MI. NORTH OF LOOP 323 ON 69 N.
9 A.M.- 5:30 P.M.
Beautiful
_ , SHIPMENT
Pansies
5 V 095 Mi^estic
JI Flat of 36
$049
« 6 Pack
Now.Is The Time
To Plant
wyfji®nwffD
SEEDS
NOW IS THE
TIME TO PLANT!
Southwest Decor
103 Main St. ’ Aft*
(Downtown Lindale)
Still
Doesn’t
Quite
Add
Up?
AFFORDABLE YEAR-ROUND SERVICES
$ Individuals $ Small Businesses
$ Farms & Ranches $ Corporations/Partnerships
$ Tax Planning and Preparation
$ Bookkeeping -- Customized Computer Reports
Professional Personal Attention
Call us for a no-obligation consultation:
(903) 882-8306
FINANCIAL BUSINESS SYSTEMS, INC.
Owners: "Quality Service"
Bill and Charlotte Brush X"
ONLY
5 YEARS
LEFT!
1991 Magnahome
Need to sell!
903-595-4411
MAGNAHOME
r< i 111<>ihh
WEED
and
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SPECIAL
Prevents
Crabgrass
and Weeds
5000
Sq ft
1100
SQ FT
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Burris, Betty. The Lindale Times (Lindale, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1992, newspaper, February 20, 1992; Lindale, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1208297/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Smith County Historical Society.