Robert Craig Lee

• General Notes
  • Carrie spoke to him on March 21st, 2001....He said his wife had been dead for about 4 years. He is not in good health....He talked like his wife had done a full search of the Lee family and of her family....His son stops by to see him every day since he works for Entergy.....
    July 15, 2001
    Visited with Mr. Robert Lee, 3945 Taft Avenue, Groves, Texas. He worked at the Natchez Butane Products (later Texaco & Gulf, who sold to Gulf, then Gulf/Goodrich, and finally Texaco) rubber plant for 38 years and retired in Dec 1982. Started as a helper and worked way up to superintendent. He is an ex-pilot (AMEL, ex-crop duster, learned under GI bill), ex-Army went in Army in 1939, (landed on D-Day in Normandy as part of 2nd Inf Div and was awarded the Purple Heart), as a young boy built lots of model planes, and an experienced wood craftsman. Many of the items in his house he hand crafted.
    Born in 1921 in Stonewall....his dad (Clarence Craig Lee, just doesn't like the name Clarence), a saw filer, (mother's name Nona Mae Hammock, she had TB and was always sickly) worked at Fullerton mill. Their house had a picket fence around it and his sister stuck a picket in her neck on it one day. His wife's name was Hazel, who passed away from a brain hemorrhage in August 1997. He says that grandfather Osie Lee opened the first Ford dealership in Leesville, according to someone who told him.
    His sister (born in 1923 in W. Monroe) is named Nona Laverna and lives in Shreveport. Her current last name is Cornish.
    He has a boy and a girl (she is in Colorado right now, but lives in Orange (6400 sq ft home, married to a wealthy contractor - her name is Dixie Richardson). His son, Craig, has 2 children, a boy and a girl.
    Woodrow was struck by lightning in front of a new home he had been to see with Kitty & Steve.
    He was always pestering Robert as a young boy for some reason at their home near the Fullerton mill. He recounted several tales about their experiences on the small lake near their house, and an overhead trolley ride.
    He recounted a number of incidences with him & Merriola visiting them often, and about a trip to Durango with Merriola. He said that John didn't like him much for some reason, probably because he smoked and drank at the time. He said that one time John & Merriola visited, and John's car had a water pump leaking on his driveway. He told John about it and he got mad about it and left.
    He recounted that after he retired in 1982 he & Hazel went on a 2 month European tour through 14 nations, including Norway, France, and many others. After lunch at Dorothy's Front Porch we visited some more and he told us that he was born and raised Baptist, but Hazel was a stout Catholic. He never could convert her, and went with her to her church, and raised the kids in the Catholic faith.
    He bought the house he's living in 1950 and had it moved several years later because a new highway came through. He got $15,000 for it which paid to move it, remodel it, and fix it up. It's been on 3945 Taft Avenue nearly 51 years.
    They came by to visit one time many years ago at mom & dad's house but we were about to go to the lake so they didn't stay long. He thinks it was in the mid 60's, while I was still in high school.
    He said he was in Leesville in 1941 on manuvers and Fannie Mae hollered at him as she recognized him across the street. They visited briefly.
    John Craig was an actor in New York, and had his own studio. Robert's grandma was Alice May Craig. She died in 1925. They were in Leesville at the time.
    He told us shortly before leaving that he had received 37 shock treatments to help with his rage and uncontrolled anger. He felt it had helped but attributed much of it to his war experience.