Charles Herbert “Herb” Whitcomb, mayor of Marion from 1931-1935 during the heart of the depression and two term County Commissioner, was born April 22, 1890 in Paducah, Kentucky to Charles Herbert Whitcomb, Sr. (1860-1896) and Mary Elizabeth Stanley (1863-1932). Continue reading
Category Archives: V to W
James Virgil “Cuss” Wilson, former Marion High School basketball coach, teacher, district athletic director and co-owner of TVW Men’s Store, was born in Pope County at Dixon Springs on March 19, 1905, and was the son of the late Oral Moody Wilson (1868-1945) and Esther Lois Culbreth (1870-1951).
The name of “Cuss”, by which Wilson was known much better than by his given name, was given him by playmates when he was a very small boy. It originated from a youngster’s attempt at pronunciation of a name that sounded like “Cuss” to the other children, although some of his early playmates sometimes used the full name of “Custer.” Continue reading
Jackie Dean West was born on October 23, 1946 in Herrin to Dean West and Vada Newton. Jack’s father, Dean West, served as Williamson County Sheriff from 1958-1962.
He was a graduate of Marion High School in the class of 1965 along with his sister, Judy, and was on the MHS football team all four years.
Jack was in the United States Navy and served two tours in Vietnam and was a lifetime member of the Marion VFW. Continue reading
Cleta Whitacre was born on March 27, 1914, in Herrin, the daughter of Rolla Franklin and Gertrude Delia (Walker) Greer.
She was united in marriage to Thomas Earl Whitacre on December 30, 1933, in a secret ceremony at a Methodist parsonage in Jonesboro, Illinois. The marriage had to be kept secret because in those days it was forbidden for women teachers to marry. Together they shared nearly 37 years of marriage until his death came on May 16, 1970. Continue reading
It’s hard enough to imagine going down into a coal mine to work equipped only with a carbide lamp strapped to your head, but imagine what it’s like to spend over a day crawling around in a pitch black mine trying to find your way out without any light at all. That is exactly what a Marion man experienced in 1937. Continue reading